My first post was on 2008-07-31 Tang Poh Kok "is at work" My last post using this pattern was on 2009-02-26. Bible quotes were made without referencing to the Bible version. Maybe it was all from KJV.
On 2009-08-24, Chia Tet Soon wrote, "Hi Poh Kok, very interesting quotations and verses from the Bible. Are these part of your quiet time meditations?"
My response was, "Not really, mostly responses to something that happened."
After that, there was no more post for the rest of 2009 except for some photograph.
Here are the posts:
2008-07-31
is at work
2008-08-08
is at home
2008-08-10
is with the family
2008-08-12
is at home
2008-08-14
is at work
is at home
2008-08-26
is sleeping
is sleeping
2008-09-02
is sleeping at Federal Territory (KL)
2008-09-05
is sleeping at home.
2008-09-07
is sleeping in Federal Territory (Labuan)
2008-09-12
is sleeping in the office
2008-09-13
is at home, sleeping.
2008-09-14
(Psalm 127:2) It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
2008-09-16
is trying to set up Wordpress Multi-user
is sleeping at home
Followed by photographs
2008-09-18
(Psalm 121:4) Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
2008-09-20
says "No more monkeys tickling my ears with their fur".
2008-09-21
(Numbers 6:24-6) The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon th
(Zechariah 4:10) For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the
2008-09-22
is sleeping in Jakarta
2008-09-28
is sleeping at home.
2008-09-30
is sleeping in office
2008-10-01
is not working today. It is children's day.
2008-10-02
is trying out wiki
2008-10-04
is going to attend a wedding
2008-10-05
is sleeping at home.
2008-10-06
is sleeping in the office
2008-10-11
has got his keyboard of his home PC to work again.
2008-10-12
is sleeping at home.
2008-10-28
had completed installation of Hyper-V Server with the help of Soe Hla Win.
2008-10-31
is sleeping in Jakarta
2008-11-03
sat on a taksi (taxi in SG, teksi in MY) to airport driven by Suherman. If it is Superman, I may get a free flight back, or maybe not, since I am not Lois Lane.
2008-11-10
is sleeping in the office.
2008-11-12
lost his ez-link card two days ago.
2008-11-13
is sleeping in Jakarta
2008-11-15
is sleeping at home.
2008-11-22
：「年難過，難過年，年年難過年年過，人怕死，怕死人，人人 怕死人人死。」
2008-11-24
is quoting (Romans 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2008-11-28
is sleeping at Hotel Meliá Kuala Lumpur
2008-12-03
is going to be on MC tomorrow.
2008-12-04
is on one day MC.
2008-12-05
"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4)"
2008-12-06
is attending the wedding of his grand niece.
2008-12-08
is sleeping in West Malaysia.
2008-12-20
is sleeping at home, as usual.
2008-12-21
noted that on this day in 1954, PAP was inaugurated at a gathering of 1,500 people in Victoria Memorial Hall.
2008-12-22
is going back to work again. Zzzzz......
2009-01-08
quotes Matthew Henry (1662-1714) "Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth".
2009-01-20
is quoting Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction".
2009-01-26
is reading "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners" by John Bunyan.
2009-02-04
is attending JSM Bible Conference.
2009-02-05
is configuring some silly firewall.
2009-02-06
had finished the firewall configuration.
2009-02-21
quotes Psalm 89:48 What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.
2009-02-26
has made friends with a mosquito. "Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!"
2009-03-27
My first MC for the year.
2009-04-14
Hey, what am I suppose to do with those hatching eggs?
2009-06-11
Looking for ushers and traffic controllers for coming Bible Conference
2009-07-02
Farewell Lunch (with photo)
2009-07-12
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." (Psalm 14:1, 53:1)
2009-07-13
Successfully installed Server 2008 SP2 on Thinkpad T61
2009-07-17
Bomb blast in Jakarta at Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels.
2009-07-18
When children create new words, we correct them. When adults create new words, they go into the dictionary.
2009-07-19
Activists who support wrong causes are creating evil while thinking that they are doing good.
2009-07-21
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help (Psalm 146:3).
2009-07-22
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
2009-07-23
There is no chicken-and-egg problem in the Bible. The chicken came first. And that can also be deduced by logic.
2009-07-24
"Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth" Matthew Henry (1662-1714).
2009-07-25
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts (Proverbs 21:2).
The just shall live by faith Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11
Right belief leads to right values. Right values lead to right judgement. Right judgement leads to right action.
2009-07-26
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 1 John 1:1
2009-08-01
For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness (Romans 10:3)
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9)
2009-08-16
The Bible is always right, but our interpretations of it may be wrong.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Monday, July 29, 2019
Asteroid 2019 OK
The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea. So a third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. (Revelation 8:8-9 CSB)
The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter. (Revelation 8:10-11 CSB)
An asteroid, named Asteroid 2019 OK whizzed past earth within a distance of 73,000 km on Thursday 2019-07-25. It was estimated to be 57 to 130 meters wide and was speeding towards Earth at 24 kilometres a second. The sudden appearance of the asteroid took NASA scientist by surprise. It was not detected until a few days before Thursday. If it hit earth, it would have done so with an energy over 30 times the atomic blast of Hiroshima, enough to destroy a large city.
On 2013-02-16 at 3:25 a.m. Singapore time (15-02-2013 19:25 GMT), an asteroid named 2012 DA14 past Earth at a distance of about 27,680 km above Indonesia.
We had two misses. But not to worry, in future, there will be two asteriods that will not miss. I am not sure if the scientists of that day will detect the two asteroids. But even if they did, they cannot prevent them from hitting earth.
The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter. (Revelation 8:10-11 CSB)
An asteroid, named Asteroid 2019 OK whizzed past earth within a distance of 73,000 km on Thursday 2019-07-25. It was estimated to be 57 to 130 meters wide and was speeding towards Earth at 24 kilometres a second. The sudden appearance of the asteroid took NASA scientist by surprise. It was not detected until a few days before Thursday. If it hit earth, it would have done so with an energy over 30 times the atomic blast of Hiroshima, enough to destroy a large city.
On 2013-02-16 at 3:25 a.m. Singapore time (15-02-2013 19:25 GMT), an asteroid named 2012 DA14 past Earth at a distance of about 27,680 km above Indonesia.
We had two misses. But not to worry, in future, there will be two asteriods that will not miss. I am not sure if the scientists of that day will detect the two asteroids. But even if they did, they cannot prevent them from hitting earth.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Big Data And Block Chain
I like this description of Marxism, taken from this website, "George Gilder: Google is Having a Nervous Breakdown".
QUOTE
A lot of people don't really understand what Marxism was. The key error of Marxism was Karl Marx's belief that the industrial revolution of the 19th century was the final human attainment, a kind of eschaton that the problem of productivity and wealth creation had been solved forever. From then on, the only challenge would be how to distribute wealth, rather than how to create it.
Well, Google Marxism just repeats Karl Marx’s error with the new technology. Google believes that their AI artificial intelligence, their machine learning, their robotics, their algorithmic biology, their search, and their solutions constitute a new eschaton, a new final achievement of human beings that’s even more grandiose than Karl’s original vision and that the Google people imagine a singularity where the machines will eclipse human minds and allow all of the rest of us to retire on beaches and collect a guaranteed annual income, the new fashion in silicon valley while Brin and Page fly off with Elon Musk to some remote planet in a winner-take-all universe.
UNQUOTE
Karl Marx believe in social evolution. He thought that societies evolved from Slavery to Feudalism to Capitalism and finally to Communism. I didn't know that Google also thought that AI is the final frontier.
QUOTE
A lot of people don't really understand what Marxism was. The key error of Marxism was Karl Marx's belief that the industrial revolution of the 19th century was the final human attainment, a kind of eschaton that the problem of productivity and wealth creation had been solved forever. From then on, the only challenge would be how to distribute wealth, rather than how to create it.
Well, Google Marxism just repeats Karl Marx’s error with the new technology. Google believes that their AI artificial intelligence, their machine learning, their robotics, their algorithmic biology, their search, and their solutions constitute a new eschaton, a new final achievement of human beings that’s even more grandiose than Karl’s original vision and that the Google people imagine a singularity where the machines will eclipse human minds and allow all of the rest of us to retire on beaches and collect a guaranteed annual income, the new fashion in silicon valley while Brin and Page fly off with Elon Musk to some remote planet in a winner-take-all universe.
UNQUOTE
Karl Marx believe in social evolution. He thought that societies evolved from Slavery to Feudalism to Capitalism and finally to Communism. I didn't know that Google also thought that AI is the final frontier.
Friday, July 26, 2019
Photograph And Painting
The difference between a photograph and a painting is that the photograph is an image of a real situation but a painting can be fictional.
In a photograph, if you can zoom in the every individual, each have their parents and line of ancestry, and may have families and descendants. The grass on the field is of a certain species. But in a painting, especially a fictional type, there are no such details. This is the difference between truth and fiction.
A truth account may not contain details, but it may be possible to zoom into it via other sources. A fictional account is the source itself. It has no other verification.
In Cinderella, the fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a carriage. There is no ground to debate whether she could have used a watermelon, or a grape instead.
In the Bible, you can actually try to verify whether the miracles described were possible. For example, in the parting of the Red Sea, God drove the sea back by a strong east wind. There are grounds to debate whether is this possible.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21 NIV)
A careful reading of the Bible showed that God of the Bible performed miracles differently from other gods. In fact, there is a website that asked why God does not heal amputees. In fact, Jesus did heal an amputee. When Peter cut off Malchus' right ear, Jesus touched his ear and healed him.
And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And He touched the man's ear and healed him. (Luke 22:50-51 ESV)
The miracles in the Bible are reasonable. It seemed to take care of the implementation process. Whereas miracles by other gods seemed fictional, like the fairy tale Cinderella. There is no requirement for implementation in reality.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:16 ESV)
A careful reading of the Bible showed that God of the Bible performed miracles differently from other gods. In fact, there is a website that asked why God does not heal amputees. In fact, Jesus did heal an amputee. When Peter cut off Malchus' right ear, Jesus touched his ear and healed him.
And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And He touched the man's ear and healed him. (Luke 22:50-51 ESV)
The miracles in the Bible are reasonable. It seemed to take care of the implementation process. Whereas miracles by other gods seemed fictional, like the fairy tale Cinderella. There is no requirement for implementation in reality.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:16 ESV)
Saturday, July 20, 2019
All You Need To Do Is To Believe
By the grace of God, an earthquake caused a guy to ask the most important question anyone can ask in their life to the right person:
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:25-30 NIV)
And he received the most correct answer - believe. That is all. Believe. Nothing else. No good works required. We are such great sinners that our works are completely unacceptable to God.
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31 KJV)
Our work is a defilement to God.
If you make a stone altar for me, do not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chisel on it, you will defile it. (Exodus 20:25 CSB)
Our righteous acts are like filthy rags to God.
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6 NIV)
Our good works are not perfect. It cannot hold water.
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13 NIV)
Our hearts are evil.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV)
Our motivation for good works is imperfect because our heart is evil.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45 ESV)
Salvation requires new birth and new body. This is beyond us.
Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. (1 Corinthians 15:50 HCSB)
Finally, salvation is the work of God. It cannot be done by humans.
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. (Romans 9:16 NIV)
Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! (Psalm 3:8 ESV)
I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. (Isaiah 43:11 ESV)
Some pastors who preached against "Easy Believism". But salvation has to be easy. If it is any more difficult, nobody will be saved because we are such great sinners.
To be saved, all we need is to believe. But to believe is difficult because our hearts are deceptive and we do not know what we mean when we says, "I believe." Jesus used the parable of the sower to explain the deceitfulness of our hearts.
"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matthew 13:18-23 ESV)
So many said, "I believe", added to church numbers, and then fall away. Then there are those who stayed but seems unfruitful. Then there are those who worked and became leaders and then fall away.
There are churches with a big crowd who claimed to be Christians but behaved like the world. But this should not be a reason for us to raise the bar for salvation. We cannot add to God's Word.
There are churches with small number of people because the pastor set standards of behaviour. They said they are preaching against sin. But I have been to a church which does not allow the congregation to read the Bible from their handphone and they can only use KJV. I cannot find any Bible verse that justify these standards. We cannot add to God's Word.
Salvation is easy. But assurance is difficult.
How do you know you are saved? You just need to ask this is the fundamental question, "Is my salvation based on what Jesus has done on the cross for me and not what I do?" If your answer to this question is "Yes", then you are saved.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV)
Then some quote me this verse:
You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that - and tremble with fear. (James 2:19 NET)
So they said, "Believe is not enough."
Look at James 2:19 carefully. The demons believe that God is one. Of course they do. They can come in the presence of God (Job 1:6). A lot of other religions also believe that God is one.
But salvation is more than believing that God is one. Salvation requires the belief that God saves us from our sins and we cannot do anything to save ourselves. The demons know that God is one and that He will not save them. That is why they tremble with fear.
We need to have the same faith in God for our salvation as the demons have in God for their damnation.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:25-30 NIV)
And he received the most correct answer - believe. That is all. Believe. Nothing else. No good works required. We are such great sinners that our works are completely unacceptable to God.
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31 KJV)
Our work is a defilement to God.
If you make a stone altar for me, do not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chisel on it, you will defile it. (Exodus 20:25 CSB)
Our righteous acts are like filthy rags to God.
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6 NIV)
Our good works are not perfect. It cannot hold water.
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13 NIV)
Our hearts are evil.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV)
Our motivation for good works is imperfect because our heart is evil.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45 ESV)
Salvation requires new birth and new body. This is beyond us.
Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. (1 Corinthians 15:50 HCSB)
Finally, salvation is the work of God. It cannot be done by humans.
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. (Romans 9:16 NIV)
Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! (Psalm 3:8 ESV)
I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. (Isaiah 43:11 ESV)
Some pastors who preached against "Easy Believism". But salvation has to be easy. If it is any more difficult, nobody will be saved because we are such great sinners.
To be saved, all we need is to believe. But to believe is difficult because our hearts are deceptive and we do not know what we mean when we says, "I believe." Jesus used the parable of the sower to explain the deceitfulness of our hearts.
"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matthew 13:18-23 ESV)
So many said, "I believe", added to church numbers, and then fall away. Then there are those who stayed but seems unfruitful. Then there are those who worked and became leaders and then fall away.
There are churches with a big crowd who claimed to be Christians but behaved like the world. But this should not be a reason for us to raise the bar for salvation. We cannot add to God's Word.
There are churches with small number of people because the pastor set standards of behaviour. They said they are preaching against sin. But I have been to a church which does not allow the congregation to read the Bible from their handphone and they can only use KJV. I cannot find any Bible verse that justify these standards. We cannot add to God's Word.
Salvation is easy. But assurance is difficult.
How do you know you are saved? You just need to ask this is the fundamental question, "Is my salvation based on what Jesus has done on the cross for me and not what I do?" If your answer to this question is "Yes", then you are saved.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV)
Then some quote me this verse:
You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that - and tremble with fear. (James 2:19 NET)
So they said, "Believe is not enough."
Look at James 2:19 carefully. The demons believe that God is one. Of course they do. They can come in the presence of God (Job 1:6). A lot of other religions also believe that God is one.
But salvation is more than believing that God is one. Salvation requires the belief that God saves us from our sins and we cannot do anything to save ourselves. The demons know that God is one and that He will not save them. That is why they tremble with fear.
We need to have the same faith in God for our salvation as the demons have in God for their damnation.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Family Of Imran
3:33-47 Sahih International version
33. Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the worlds -
34. Descendants, some of them from others. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
35. [Mention, O Muhammad], when the wife of 'Imran said, "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
36. But when she delivered her, she said, "My Lord, I have delivered a female." And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, "And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah]."
37. So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, "O Mary, from where is this [coming] to you?" She said, "It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account."
38. At that, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication."
39. So the angels called him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber, "Indeed, Allah gives you good tidings of John, confirming a word from Allah and [who will be] honorable, abstaining [from women], and a prophet from among the righteous."
40. He said, "My Lord, how will I have a boy when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?" The angel said, "Such is Allah ; He does what He wills."
41. He said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He Said, "Your sign is that you will not [be able to] speak to the people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and exalt [Him with praise] in the evening and the morning."
42. And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.
43. O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer]."
44. That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad]. And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary. Nor were you with them when they disputed.
45. [And mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allah].
46. He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous."
47. She said, "My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?" [The angel] said, "Such is Allah ; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is.
33. Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the worlds -
34. Descendants, some of them from others. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
35. [Mention, O Muhammad], when the wife of 'Imran said, "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
36. But when she delivered her, she said, "My Lord, I have delivered a female." And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, "And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah]."
37. So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, "O Mary, from where is this [coming] to you?" She said, "It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account."
38. At that, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication."
39. So the angels called him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber, "Indeed, Allah gives you good tidings of John, confirming a word from Allah and [who will be] honorable, abstaining [from women], and a prophet from among the righteous."
40. He said, "My Lord, how will I have a boy when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?" The angel said, "Such is Allah ; He does what He wills."
41. He said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He Said, "Your sign is that you will not [be able to] speak to the people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and exalt [Him with praise] in the evening and the morning."
42. And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.
43. O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer]."
44. That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad]. And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary. Nor were you with them when they disputed.
45. [And mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allah].
46. He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous."
47. She said, "My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?" [The angel] said, "Such is Allah ; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Reincarnation Not Provable
The problem with reincarnation is twofold:
For Buddhist karma to be true, reincarnation must be true.
Since reincarnation is not provable, Buddhist karma cannot be proven, therefore, Buddhism is a big scam waiting to be exposed.
China is already exposing Buddhism as a scam. China requires all high-ranking Lamas to have a permit to reincarnate under 國家宗教事務局令第5號 - 藏傳佛教活佛轉世管理辦法. What kind of rubbish is this? Can China legislate karma?
Because of China, Dalai Lama said he may not reincarnate and declared reincarnation as "not important". What kind of rubbish is this? Can Dalai Lama control karma? Is this Dalai Lama really the 14th reincarnation in the first place? Can he prove it?
- we have, as of yet, no way to verify it prospectively in an objective manner
- we have no mechanism to explain how reincarnation might occur.
For Buddhist karma to be true, reincarnation must be true.
Since reincarnation is not provable, Buddhist karma cannot be proven, therefore, Buddhism is a big scam waiting to be exposed.
China is already exposing Buddhism as a scam. China requires all high-ranking Lamas to have a permit to reincarnate under 國家宗教事務局令第5號 - 藏傳佛教活佛轉世管理辦法. What kind of rubbish is this? Can China legislate karma?
Because of China, Dalai Lama said he may not reincarnate and declared reincarnation as "not important". What kind of rubbish is this? Can Dalai Lama control karma? Is this Dalai Lama really the 14th reincarnation in the first place? Can he prove it?
Friday, July 12, 2019
Jesus Never Said I am God Worship Me
And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mark 1:11 KJV)
A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my beloved Son; listen to him!" (Mark 9:7 CSB)
Zakir Naik, the famous Muslim apologist, always ask this question, "Where in the Bible did Jesus say, 'I am God; worship me'? If anyone can find this in the Bible, I will become a Christian!"
Sorry, Zakir, we cannot find that in the Bible. I am afraid you will miss out on eternal life. But wait, we have something better. God spoke audibly, not once but twice, from heaven, declaring Jesus to be His Son.
Anyone can say, "I am god; worship me." I can do that. You can do that. Even Zakir can also do that. And if enough suckers believe, a new religion will be started.
But no one can get a voice from heaven to confirm it. So Zakir, would you accept that this is a better proof that Jesus is God? It is a matter of eternity. Can you consider?
For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased!" We ourselves heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18 CSB)
A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my beloved Son; listen to him!" (Mark 9:7 CSB)
Zakir Naik, the famous Muslim apologist, always ask this question, "Where in the Bible did Jesus say, 'I am God; worship me'? If anyone can find this in the Bible, I will become a Christian!"
Sorry, Zakir, we cannot find that in the Bible. I am afraid you will miss out on eternal life. But wait, we have something better. God spoke audibly, not once but twice, from heaven, declaring Jesus to be His Son.
Anyone can say, "I am god; worship me." I can do that. You can do that. Even Zakir can also do that. And if enough suckers believe, a new religion will be started.
But no one can get a voice from heaven to confirm it. So Zakir, would you accept that this is a better proof that Jesus is God? It is a matter of eternity. Can you consider?
For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased!" We ourselves heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18 CSB)
Thursday, July 11, 2019
How God Spoke To Men - Bible vs Koran
God spoke to Moses directly.
The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. (Exodus 33:11 NIV)
God spoke to the prophets in different ways, like dreams and visions or through angels.
Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. (Hebrews 1:1 CSB)
God spoke directly to Israel through a thick cloud at Mount Sinai.
The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said. (Exodus 19:9 NIV)
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. (Exodus 19:16-20 ESV)
Allah does not speak to men directly.
It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise. (42:51 Yusuf Ali version)
Allah spoke to Moses directly.
Of some messengers We have already told thee the story; of others We have not;- and to Moses Allah spoke direct;- (4:164 Yusuf Ali version)
The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. (Exodus 33:11 NIV)
God spoke to the prophets in different ways, like dreams and visions or through angels.
Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. (Hebrews 1:1 CSB)
God spoke directly to Israel through a thick cloud at Mount Sinai.
The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said. (Exodus 19:9 NIV)
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. (Exodus 19:16-20 ESV)
Allah does not speak to men directly.
It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise. (42:51 Yusuf Ali version)
Allah spoke to Moses directly.
Of some messengers We have already told thee the story; of others We have not;- and to Moses Allah spoke direct;- (4:164 Yusuf Ali version)
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Immutability - Bible vs Koran
The Bible never change because God never change.
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18 ESV)
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8 ESV)
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19 ESV)
if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13 ESV)
Allah reserved the right to change his word.
We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent? (2:106 Sahih International version)
Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book. (13:39 Sahih International version)
And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse - and Allah is most knowing of what He sends down - they say, "You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies]." But most of them do not know. (16:101 Sahih International version)
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18 ESV)
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8 ESV)
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19 ESV)
if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13 ESV)
Allah reserved the right to change his word.
We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent? (2:106 Sahih International version)
Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book. (13:39 Sahih International version)
And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse - and Allah is most knowing of what He sends down - they say, "You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies]." But most of them do not know. (16:101 Sahih International version)
Monday, July 8, 2019
Jesus Came And Will Come Again
But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11-12 CSB)
Jesus came once to offer Himself as the sacrifice for our sins.
Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for people to die once - and after this, judgment - so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:24-28 CSB)
Jesus will come again, to save those who are waiting for Him.
Jesus came once to offer Himself as the sacrifice for our sins.
Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for people to die once - and after this, judgment - so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:24-28 CSB)
Jesus will come again, to save those who are waiting for Him.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Wanting To Be Like Others
Israel wanted to be like other nations.
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." (1 Samuel 8:19-20 NIV)
We also like to be like other people, to do what they do.
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." (1 Samuel 8:19-20 NIV)
We also like to be like other people, to do what they do.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Primordial Soup
Quote taken from this BBC website, "BBC - Earth - The secret of how life on Earth began":
"Every single person who died before Darwin published Origin of Species in 1859 was ignorant of humanity's origins, because they knew nothing of evolution."
Thank God for those who were born before 1859! At least some of them knew this, which is far better:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27 KJV)
The following was also quoted from the same article:
QUOTE
Darwin knew that it was a profound question, but - perhaps wary of starting yet another fight with the Church - he only seems to have discussed the issue in a letter written in 1871. His excitable language reveals that he knew the deep significance of the question:
"But if (& oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sorts of ammonia & phosphoric salts, - light, heat, electricity &c present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes..."
In other words, what if there was once a small body of water, filled with simple organic compounds and bathed in sunlight. Some of those compounds might combine to form a life-like substance such as a protein, which could then start evolving and becoming more complex.
It was a sketchy idea. But it would become the basis of the first hypothesis for how life began.
This idea emerged from an unexpected place. You might think that this daring piece of free thinking would have been developed in a democratic country with a tradition of free speech: perhaps the United States. But in fact the first hypothesis for the origin of life was invented in a savagely totalitarian country, where free thinking was stamped out: the USSR.
In Stalin's Russia, everything was under the control of the state. That included people's ideas, even on subjects - like biology - that seem unrelated to Communist politics.
Most famously, Stalin effectively banned scientists from studying conventional genetics. Instead he imposed the ideas of a farm worker named Trofim Lysenko, which he thought were more in line with Communist ideology. Scientists working on genetics were forced to publicly support Lysenko's ideas, or risk ending up in a labour camp.
It was in this repressive environment that Alexander Oparin carried out his research into biochemistry. He was able to keep working because he was a loyal Communist: he supported Lysenko's ideas and even received the Order of Lenin, the highest decoration that could be bestowed on someone living in the USSR.
In 1924, Oparin published his book The Origin of Life. In it he set out a vision for the birth of life that was startlingly similar to Darwin's warm little pond.
Oparin imagined what Earth was like when it was newly formed. The surface was searingly hot, as rocks from space plunged down onto it and impacted. It was a mess of semi-molten rocks, containing a huge range of chemicals – including many based on carbon.
Eventually the Earth cooled enough for water vapour to condense into liquid water, and the first rain fell. Before long Earth had oceans, which were hot and rich in carbon-based chemicals. Now two things could happen.
First, the various chemicals could react with each other to form lots of new compounds, some of which would be more complex. Oparin supposed that the molecules central to life, like sugars and amino acids, could all have formed in Earth's waters.
Second, some of the chemicals began to form microscopic structures. Many organic chemicals do not dissolve in water: for example, oil forms a layer on top of water. But when some of these chemicals contact water they form spherical globules called "coacervates", which can be up to 0.01cm (0.004 inches) across.
If you watch coacervates under a microscope, they behave unnervingly like living cells. They grow and change shape, and sometimes divide into two. They can also take in chemicals from the surrounding water, so life-like chemicals can become concentrated inside them. Oparin proposed that coacervates were the ancestors of modern cells.
Five years later in 1929, the English biologist J. B. S. Haldane independently proposed some very similar ideas in a short article published in the Rationalist Annual.
Haldane had already made enormous contributions to evolutionary theory, helping to integrate Darwin's ideas with the emerging science of genetics.
He was also a larger-than-life character. On one occasion, he suffered a perforated eardrum thanks to some experiments with decompression chambers, but later wrote that: "the drum generally heals up; and if a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment."
Just like Oparin, Haldane outlined how organic chemicals could build up in water, "[until] the primitive oceans reached the consistency of hot dilute soup". This set the stage for "the first living or half-living things" to form, and for each one to become enclosed in "an oily film".
It is telling that of all the biologists in the world, it was Oparin and Haldane who proposed this. The idea that living organisms formed by purely chemical means, without a god or even a "life force", was radical. Like Darwin's theory of evolution before it, it flew in the face of Christianity.
That suited the USSR just fine. The Soviet regime was officially atheist, and its leaders were eager to support materialistic explanations for profound phenomena like life. Haldane was also an atheist, and a devoted communist to boot.
"At that time, to accept or not accept this idea depended essentially on personalities: whether they were religious or whether they supported left or communist ideas," says origin-of-life expert Armen Mulkidjanian of the University of Osnabrück in Germany. "In the Soviet Union they were accepted happily because they didn't need God. In the western world, if you look for people who were thinking in this direction, they all were lefties, communists and so on."
The idea that life formed in a primordial soup of organic chemicals became known as the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis. It was neat and compelling, but there was one problem. There was no experimental evidence to back it up. This would not arrive for almost a quarter of a century.
UNQUOTE
Evolution is faith, not science.
And evolution thrives in ignorance.
"Every single person who died before Darwin published Origin of Species in 1859 was ignorant of humanity's origins, because they knew nothing of evolution."
Thank God for those who were born before 1859! At least some of them knew this, which is far better:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27 KJV)
The following was also quoted from the same article:
QUOTE
Darwin knew that it was a profound question, but - perhaps wary of starting yet another fight with the Church - he only seems to have discussed the issue in a letter written in 1871. His excitable language reveals that he knew the deep significance of the question:
"But if (& oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sorts of ammonia & phosphoric salts, - light, heat, electricity &c present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes..."
In other words, what if there was once a small body of water, filled with simple organic compounds and bathed in sunlight. Some of those compounds might combine to form a life-like substance such as a protein, which could then start evolving and becoming more complex.
It was a sketchy idea. But it would become the basis of the first hypothesis for how life began.
This idea emerged from an unexpected place. You might think that this daring piece of free thinking would have been developed in a democratic country with a tradition of free speech: perhaps the United States. But in fact the first hypothesis for the origin of life was invented in a savagely totalitarian country, where free thinking was stamped out: the USSR.
In Stalin's Russia, everything was under the control of the state. That included people's ideas, even on subjects - like biology - that seem unrelated to Communist politics.
Most famously, Stalin effectively banned scientists from studying conventional genetics. Instead he imposed the ideas of a farm worker named Trofim Lysenko, which he thought were more in line with Communist ideology. Scientists working on genetics were forced to publicly support Lysenko's ideas, or risk ending up in a labour camp.
It was in this repressive environment that Alexander Oparin carried out his research into biochemistry. He was able to keep working because he was a loyal Communist: he supported Lysenko's ideas and even received the Order of Lenin, the highest decoration that could be bestowed on someone living in the USSR.
In 1924, Oparin published his book The Origin of Life. In it he set out a vision for the birth of life that was startlingly similar to Darwin's warm little pond.
Oparin imagined what Earth was like when it was newly formed. The surface was searingly hot, as rocks from space plunged down onto it and impacted. It was a mess of semi-molten rocks, containing a huge range of chemicals – including many based on carbon.
Eventually the Earth cooled enough for water vapour to condense into liquid water, and the first rain fell. Before long Earth had oceans, which were hot and rich in carbon-based chemicals. Now two things could happen.
First, the various chemicals could react with each other to form lots of new compounds, some of which would be more complex. Oparin supposed that the molecules central to life, like sugars and amino acids, could all have formed in Earth's waters.
Second, some of the chemicals began to form microscopic structures. Many organic chemicals do not dissolve in water: for example, oil forms a layer on top of water. But when some of these chemicals contact water they form spherical globules called "coacervates", which can be up to 0.01cm (0.004 inches) across.
If you watch coacervates under a microscope, they behave unnervingly like living cells. They grow and change shape, and sometimes divide into two. They can also take in chemicals from the surrounding water, so life-like chemicals can become concentrated inside them. Oparin proposed that coacervates were the ancestors of modern cells.
Five years later in 1929, the English biologist J. B. S. Haldane independently proposed some very similar ideas in a short article published in the Rationalist Annual.
Haldane had already made enormous contributions to evolutionary theory, helping to integrate Darwin's ideas with the emerging science of genetics.
He was also a larger-than-life character. On one occasion, he suffered a perforated eardrum thanks to some experiments with decompression chambers, but later wrote that: "the drum generally heals up; and if a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment."
Just like Oparin, Haldane outlined how organic chemicals could build up in water, "[until] the primitive oceans reached the consistency of hot dilute soup". This set the stage for "the first living or half-living things" to form, and for each one to become enclosed in "an oily film".
It is telling that of all the biologists in the world, it was Oparin and Haldane who proposed this. The idea that living organisms formed by purely chemical means, without a god or even a "life force", was radical. Like Darwin's theory of evolution before it, it flew in the face of Christianity.
That suited the USSR just fine. The Soviet regime was officially atheist, and its leaders were eager to support materialistic explanations for profound phenomena like life. Haldane was also an atheist, and a devoted communist to boot.
"At that time, to accept or not accept this idea depended essentially on personalities: whether they were religious or whether they supported left or communist ideas," says origin-of-life expert Armen Mulkidjanian of the University of Osnabrück in Germany. "In the Soviet Union they were accepted happily because they didn't need God. In the western world, if you look for people who were thinking in this direction, they all were lefties, communists and so on."
The idea that life formed in a primordial soup of organic chemicals became known as the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis. It was neat and compelling, but there was one problem. There was no experimental evidence to back it up. This would not arrive for almost a quarter of a century.
UNQUOTE
Evolution is faith, not science.
And evolution thrives in ignorance.
Friday, July 5, 2019
How To Identify The God of Israel
Moses received the message directly from God.
The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." (Exodus 24:12 ESV)
Any prophet that followed after Moses cannot change the message.
See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32 NIV)
Any prophet that come after Moses must cannot lead the Israelites to worship any other gods.
"Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, 'Come, let us worship other gods' - gods you have not known before - do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NLT)
How do we identify the God of Israel since there are monotheistic religions that claim to be from the One God? They cannot be all true. The following are the five points found in the Bible:
1. He is the God who created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NIV)
2. He is the uncreated, self-existent God.
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14 KJV)
3. He is the God who gave the land of Canaan to Abraham.
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates - the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." (Genesis 15:18-21 NIV)
4. He is the God who redeemed the Israelites from Egypt.
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (Exodus 20:2 KJV)
5. He will be known as the God who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where He had banished them. And He is doing it now. Today this scripture is fulfilled before our very eyes.
"However, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when it will no longer be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but it will be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. (Jeremiah 16:14-15 NIV)
"So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land." (Jeremiah 23:7-8 NIV)
The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." (Exodus 24:12 ESV)
Any prophet that followed after Moses cannot change the message.
See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32 NIV)
Any prophet that come after Moses must cannot lead the Israelites to worship any other gods.
"Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, 'Come, let us worship other gods' - gods you have not known before - do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NLT)
How do we identify the God of Israel since there are monotheistic religions that claim to be from the One God? They cannot be all true. The following are the five points found in the Bible:
1. He is the God who created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NIV)
2. He is the uncreated, self-existent God.
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14 KJV)
3. He is the God who gave the land of Canaan to Abraham.
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates - the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." (Genesis 15:18-21 NIV)
4. He is the God who redeemed the Israelites from Egypt.
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (Exodus 20:2 KJV)
5. He will be known as the God who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where He had banished them. And He is doing it now. Today this scripture is fulfilled before our very eyes.
"However, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when it will no longer be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but it will be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. (Jeremiah 16:14-15 NIV)
"So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land." (Jeremiah 23:7-8 NIV)
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Seven Days In Gospel of John
In Genesis, there was "In the beginning" and followed by seven days of creation.
In John, there was "In the beginning" and followed by seven days of John and Jesus.
The following division was given by Dr Tim Berrey:
1st day John 1:19-28
2nd day John 1:29-34
3rd day John 1:35-39
4th day John 1:40-42
5th day John 1:43-51
6th day (not mentioned)
7th day John 2:1-11
First day
This was John's testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?" He didn't deny it but confessed: "I am not the Messiah." "What then?" they asked him. "Are you Elijah?" "I am not," he said. "Are you the Prophet?" "No," he answered. "Who are you, then?" they asked. "We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?"
He said, "I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord - just as Isaiah the prophet said." Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. So they asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you aren't the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?" "I baptize with water," John answered them. "Someone stands among you, but you don't know him. He is the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to untie." All this happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:19-1:28 CSB)
Second day
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.' I didn't know him, but I came baptizing with water so he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him. I didn't know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on - he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-34 CSB)
Third day
The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?" "Come and you'll see," he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. (John 1:35-39 CSB)
Fourth day
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated "the Christ"), and he brought Simon to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, he said, "You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated "Peter"). (John 1:40-42 CSB)
Fifth day
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth." "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nathanael asked him. "Come and see," Philip answered. Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you," Jesus answered. "Rabbi," Nathanael replied, "You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!" Jesus responded to him, "Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." Then he said, "Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1:43-51 CSB)
Seventh day
On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus's mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. When the wine ran out, Jesus's mother told him, "They don't have any wine." "What does that have to do with you and me, woman?" Jesus asked. "My hour has not yet come." "Do whatever he tells you," his mother told the servants. Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons. "Fill the jars with water," Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter." And they did. When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from - though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom and told him, "Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11 CSB)
In John, there was "In the beginning" and followed by seven days of John and Jesus.
The following division was given by Dr Tim Berrey:
1st day John 1:19-28
2nd day John 1:29-34
3rd day John 1:35-39
4th day John 1:40-42
5th day John 1:43-51
6th day (not mentioned)
7th day John 2:1-11
First day
This was John's testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?" He didn't deny it but confessed: "I am not the Messiah." "What then?" they asked him. "Are you Elijah?" "I am not," he said. "Are you the Prophet?" "No," he answered. "Who are you, then?" they asked. "We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?"
He said, "I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord - just as Isaiah the prophet said." Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. So they asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you aren't the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?" "I baptize with water," John answered them. "Someone stands among you, but you don't know him. He is the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to untie." All this happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:19-1:28 CSB)
Second day
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.' I didn't know him, but I came baptizing with water so he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him. I didn't know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on - he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-34 CSB)
Third day
The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?" "Come and you'll see," he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. (John 1:35-39 CSB)
Fourth day
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated "the Christ"), and he brought Simon to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, he said, "You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated "Peter"). (John 1:40-42 CSB)
Fifth day
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth." "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nathanael asked him. "Come and see," Philip answered. Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you," Jesus answered. "Rabbi," Nathanael replied, "You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!" Jesus responded to him, "Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." Then he said, "Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1:43-51 CSB)
Seventh day
On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus's mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. When the wine ran out, Jesus's mother told him, "They don't have any wine." "What does that have to do with you and me, woman?" Jesus asked. "My hour has not yet come." "Do whatever he tells you," his mother told the servants. Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons. "Fill the jars with water," Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter." And they did. When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from - though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom and told him, "Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11 CSB)
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Moses, The First And Greatest Prophet
God spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He did not speak to him in visions or dreams or through angels.
Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. (Exodus 33:11 ESV)
And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Numbers 12:6-8 ESV)
And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12 ESV)
God will raise another prophet in future from among the Israelites.
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. (Deuteronomy 18:15 HCSB)
How can we recognise this prophet and his message?
You may say to yourself, 'How can we recognize a message the LORD has not spoken?' (Deuteronomy 18:21 CSB)
Two conditions:
1. What the prophet say must come true.
When a prophet speaks in the LORD's name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:22 CSB)
2. The prophet must cannot lead you to worship any other gods other than the God of Israel, who redeemed the Israelites from Egypt and led them to the land of Canaan.
"Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, 'Come, let us worship other gods' - gods you have not known before - do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NLT)
Summary:
Moses received the message directly from God.
The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." (Exodus 24:12 ESV)
Any prophet that followed after Moses cannot change the message.
See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32 NIV)
Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. (Exodus 33:11 ESV)
And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Numbers 12:6-8 ESV)
And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12 ESV)
God will raise another prophet in future from among the Israelites.
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. (Deuteronomy 18:15 HCSB)
How can we recognise this prophet and his message?
You may say to yourself, 'How can we recognize a message the LORD has not spoken?' (Deuteronomy 18:21 CSB)
Two conditions:
1. What the prophet say must come true.
When a prophet speaks in the LORD's name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:22 CSB)
2. The prophet must cannot lead you to worship any other gods other than the God of Israel, who redeemed the Israelites from Egypt and led them to the land of Canaan.
"Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, 'Come, let us worship other gods' - gods you have not known before - do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NLT)
Summary:
Moses received the message directly from God.
The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." (Exodus 24:12 ESV)
Any prophet that followed after Moses cannot change the message.
See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32 NIV)
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Secular Version Of Origin Of Israel And Bible
Unbelief. People just don't want to believe that the Bible is true. This YouTube video, "Jewish History - Evidence Of Ancient Israel - Full Documentary" declared that archaeology showed that Israelites are really native Canaanites.
Towards the end of the video, it stated the exile caused to Israelites to reinvent God as the creator God of the universe:
"Something major happened which is very hard to trace. But that was the searing experience, the time of exile. Through the experience of the exile and writing the Bible the concept of God as it is known today is born. In a way, it recreated something which was much greater because it was greater than any individual, land or kingdom, it was a kind of universal religion based on a creator God not just a God of a single nation but the God of the world, the God of the universe."
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV)
Another YouTube video "The Biblical Exodus... Fairytale or Historical Fact? (by David Rohl)" interpreting the same archaeological evidence in favour of the Bible.
Towards the end of the video, it stated the exile caused to Israelites to reinvent God as the creator God of the universe:
"Something major happened which is very hard to trace. But that was the searing experience, the time of exile. Through the experience of the exile and writing the Bible the concept of God as it is known today is born. In a way, it recreated something which was much greater because it was greater than any individual, land or kingdom, it was a kind of universal religion based on a creator God not just a God of a single nation but the God of the world, the God of the universe."
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV)
Another YouTube video "The Biblical Exodus... Fairytale or Historical Fact? (by David Rohl)" interpreting the same archaeological evidence in favour of the Bible.
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