COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Marrubium vulgare With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [406B]
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
As Jesus (Yeshua) said at John 15:15 – 16, [AV] “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” Clearly reaffirming that written as John 14:13, [AV]. Jesus (Yeshua) is indeed his Father’s spokesman, and he clearly showed this at John 16:23 - 27, [AV] “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
[2] THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Marrubium vulgare
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Marrubium vulgare, Horehound
Abundance: uncommon
What: leaves, flowers
How: tea, candied
Where: fields, dry areas, poor soils
When: spring, early summer
Nutritional Value: flavonoids, medicinal properties
DANGERS: LARGE DOSES CAN INCREASE BLOOD PRESSURE
Horehound has a long history of medicinal use, which, to anyone who's ever tasted a concoction containing this plant, will not find surprising. Horehound's flavor is somewhat unusual to modern tastes. If forced to describe horehound's flavor I'd say it's what happens when root beer and licorice mate.
Both fresh and dried horehound leaves can be used to make a tea. Chop up or crumble the leaves fairly finely to maximize exposed surface area, but you need to leave the pieces big enough to strain out of the finished product. The best way is to start with 1 cup fresh leaves or 1/4 cup dried leave and boil them in 2 cups of water for ten minutes, followed by straining out the leaves. As is, the resulting fluid is too strong to drink straight. The next step is to mix one part of this infusion with 2 parts boiling water. This tea can now be drank straight as a hot beverage or cooled down to make an ice tea.
The original infusion mentioned above can be turned into a pleasant and beneficial cough syrup by combining one part infusion with two parts honey. Perhaps the most famous form of horehound is in hard candies sucked to sooth coughs. To make these candies mix 1 cup of the original infusion with two cups granulated sugar and a pinch of cream of tartar. Stir these together until the sugar dissolves, then slowly cook the mixture down until its temperature reads 290 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. At this point pour the solution out onto a non-stick or buttered tray and then as it cools cut it into bite-sized pieces as it cools. [sourc - retrieved from http://www.foragingtexas.com/2012/07/horehound.html on 7/ 1 /2015]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] BOGUS CLAIMS OF THOSE AGAINST WORLD TRANQUILITY WITH RESPECT WHO IS A HEBREW (JEW):
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [407B]
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Jesus (Yeshua) shows we will have peace in what he said that was recorded at John 14:27, [AV] “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Yes, he is are peace per Ephesians 2:14, [AV] “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;” As 1 John 4: 5- 9, [AV] puts it, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”
[2] BOGUS CLAIMS OF THOSE AGAINST WORLD TRANQUILITY WITH RESPECT WHO IS A HEBREW (JEW):
INTRODUCTION:
Many Ishmaelites, the greedy ones, want to destroy world peace and tranquility due to their greed for land that is NOT theirs. The Ishmaelites control over 98 percent of the middle east, and some are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews, even to have the less than two (2) percent of the land that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael gave to them in perpetuity.
To this end they harass their brother tribe and destroy the peace and tranquility of the world due to their greed. To stir up violence and destroy world tranquility they throw rockets at the brother tribe's nation and kidnap his soldiers peacefully manning their border post within the land that belongs to them.
Now the question is why do the greedy Ishmaelites have so much hate for their brother tribe, the Hebrews, and so much desire to destroy world tranquility; whereas, they should have a love for their brother tribe, the Hebrews and should want peace? At present, many of these greedy Ishmaleites, I am referring only to the greedy ones and not to all Ishmaelites of which I am one, falsely claim they have no jobs/employment and blame it on their brother tribe, the Hebrews; whereas, the blame actually belongs on the greedy Ishmaleites who would rather spend their time hating and their money on implements of violence instead using their time and resources for the setting up businesses and factories to provide employment. Something is wrong with them for letting greed destroy common sense and a chance to progress.
THE BIG QUESTION:
Why are they so greedy and why do they love violence and putting others down instead of tranquility and friendly relationships in keeping with what Jesus (Yeshua) said at Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and Matthew 5:43, " Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." (AV); and Matthew 19:19, "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and Matthew 22:39, " And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and Matthew 12:31, "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (AV); and Romans 13:9, "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); Galatians 5:14, " For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and James 2:8, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:" (AV).
Now why are you so full of hate and a desire for violence and so against world tranquility and peace?
As one Australian newspaper noted, <<"[b]Did you know that 90-95% of the conflicts in the world today are Muslims fighting non-muslims or each other? Islam is intolerant of other religions, so much so that Christians in Nigeria, Sudan and middle eastern countries are killed for practicing their religion. Muslims are also responsible for burning down their churches. Sydney has recently seen an attack on four churches for similar reasons. (December 16, 2005) How can we tolerate such intolerance?" [source - The Weekend Australian, November 26-27, 2005]>>. Says it all.
THEY CAN NOT ACCEPT TRUTH SO THEY REJECT THE BIBLE:
Since they can NOT accept the truth, they reject the word of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, and even some of them have the nerve to call it obsolete. Let's look at the facts, Of course many members of Islam reject what the Bible says, but is this reasonable considering that their Quran like the Book of Mormon is nothing but a knockoff of the Bible? Now the well known rule of precedence is that the earlier document shall have precedence over the later that used information from it just as the earlier granting of land title takes precedence in any title search or action at law over the later. Many overlook the fact that the Bible is NOT the product of one committee or strongman as was the Quran and the Book of Mormon. It has over 40 individual writers who wrote under divine inspiration/guidance putting the thoughts of God (YHWH) into the words of men much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. In other words one real author, God (YHWH), and many scribes each of whom wrote in his own style over a period of approximately 1,600 years. All of what people call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.
OBFUSCIATION OF THE FACTS AND OUTRIGHT TOTAL GREED:
Outright Greed:
One such obfuscating individual even said the following, <<"I am just thinking how to put the fact that I want my descendants to invade the United States and force all current day Americans into small encampments with little to no food or water, into a nice little verse. Hmmm "Thou shalt murderest the Americans, for the Land is yours....from Utah to Texas...because I say so....who cares about the current day inhabitants; do I look like I care? Punk *** squatters best recognize....Women to children, they shalt leave their homes...I mean my homes, no wait your homes feel me holmes? ...And if they dont leave, then bomb their education centers, places of worship, and their power stations...Ensure that the brutality far surpasses that which was once perpertrated upon ourselves, in fact use the Spanish Inquisition as constant excuse for your murdering, raping and plundering of their wait I mean, your land...It has been written.". Remember those words everyone, for 2,000 years later they can be used as a documented piece of evidence that proves that my descendants are the rightful owners of the United States.">> clearly showing their love of violence and extreme greed. The above clearly shows their love of violence and greed to grab the land of hother.
This clearly shows how they love to obfuscate and distort the issue of whose land it is, but this has always been the Standard Operating Principle (SOP) of the greedy Ishmaelites. Let's look at the facts, as previously shown by an Australian newspaper, 95 percent of the violence and destruction we see in the world so far in 2006 has been caused by greedy Ishmaelites, such things as train bombings, their different sects bombing each other's mosques and killing each others members, suicide bombers, road side bombs, bus bombings, kidnapping of other peoples soldiers to ignite violence, going irrationally insane over stupid cartoons, etc.
Of course this has been their SOP from the beginning as shown by what they did in the Eighth Century as one example, In 711 the Visigothic were ruling in Spain and in no way attacking Islam, yet Islam attacked them without any real provocation. Yes, of course they claimed they had provocation, i.e., they claimed that last Visigoth king, Roderick had seduced the young Florinda, daughter of Julian, Visigothic governor of Ceuta in north Africa an apostate (counterfeit) Christian and they were out to avenge this; but clearly two things stand out, First, it was none of their business, Second, there is no evidence that this ever occurred.
Now Let's look at proof that the greedy Ishmaleites were just out to grab land that belonged to others, <<" In 711 CE Tariq ibn Ziyad, the governor of Tangiers, landed in Gibraltar with around 10,000 men, mostly Berbers (indigenous North Africans). He had some of Roderick's Visigoth rivals as allies. In the same or following year in the Cadiz province, Roderick's army was decimated and he is thought to have drowned as he fled. The Visigothic survivors fled to the north of Spain, and within a few years, the Muslims had taken over the rest of the Iberian Peninsula bar a few areas in the Asturian Mountains bordering France.
[source - http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0075_popup9.htm]
As can easily be seen, the greedy Ishmaelites, note this refers only to the greedy Ishmaelites and not all Ishmaelites, were out to swipe land NOT belonging to them and used Tariq ibn Ziyad, a Muslim general, to accomplish this terrible wrong. This of course is not being peaceful in any way.
Obfuscation by the Greedy Ishmaelites:
They try to obfuscate the issue which is they want the entire middle east of which they now have over 98 percent for themselves, and do not want their brother tribe to have even less than two (2) percent of it even though this very small amount was given to them by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael - what unabated GREED. They make irrelevant claims such as European Jews (Hebrews) are not really Hebrews and have no right to the land that the creator of all there is gave to the Hebrews, and other bogus claims to 'self justify' their greed. But facts do not agree with their claims. Let's look at what one pastor wrote showing the facts from the Bible, <<" The nation of Israel, or the descendants of Jacob multiplied in Egypt into a great and mighty nation from the wombs of Gentile men and women who became Jews by choice. The whole meaning of the word *proselyte* as it relates to the Jewish religion is a Jew by choice. Again, these Gentile women and their children became identified into the tribes of which their male husband descended. These also adopted and inherited all of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These became joint heirs of all the blessings and the promises. You guess the skin color. Were the original Jews really white?
Out of Egypt came a great multitude. Of this multitude it is written that there was also a *mixed* multitude (Exodus 12:38). What are we to make of the word *mixed* except *mingled seed* of the sons, grandsons, and great grandsons unto the fourth generation of Jacob with the Egyptian bloodline. This mixed bloodline multitude stood at Mount Sinai with all the others and swore into the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they would do all that was commanded of them that day (Exodus 19:8). This was in effect a confession of two things: 1.) The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, would become their God and: 2.) The people of Israel would become their people. After this conversion agreement the mixed and mingled multitude became Jews by choice and came under the Covenant of Sinai and they are then after numbered with the nation of Israel. There existed no distinction between these and the others. God made of the converted Gentiles no difference than those he considered Israelites at Mount Sinai. Conversion then to God and the willingness to place one's self under the Almighty God as his worshiper, was considered adoption into the Israel of God. Among males, the final act of conversion was circumcision. Circumcision was considered coming under the binding promises and covenant of Abraham that preceded the Law by 430 years. Children born of this circumcision were thence considered Israelites and members of their respective tribe and expected by faith the fulfillment of the promise of Abraham upon them." [source - Dual Identity, Jew By Choice by Cohen G. Reckart, Pastor and the Bible] >>.
Also, DNA evidence clearly shows that the contentions of the greedy is NOT so. Let's look at the facts, <<? "Despite their long-term residence in different countries and isolation from one another, most Jewish populations were not significantly different from one another at the genetic level. The results support the hypothesis that the paternal gene pools of Jewish communities from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East descended from a common Middle Eastern ancestral population, and suggest that most Jewish communities have remained relatively isolated from neighboring non-Jewish communities during and after the Diaspora."
- M.F. Hammer, Proc. Nat'l Academy of Science, May 9, 2000
? In addition to oral tradition and copious historical evidence, the genetic evidence stands firmly behind the common ancestry of both Ashkenazim and Sephardim in the Near East, and against any non-Jewish origin for either of these groups. Below are a collection of scientific journal articles including abstracts available worldwide on Pubmed and Medline.
Jewish and middle eastern non-jewish populations share a common pool of Y-chromosome biallelic haplotypes.
Hammer MF, Redd AJ, Wood ET, Bonner MR, Jarjanazi H, Karafet T, Santachiara-Benerecetti S, Oppenheim A, Jobling MA, Jenkins T, Ostrer H, Bonne-Tamir B
Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and Evolution, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; Department of Genetics, Universita degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy; Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
[Medline record in process]
Haplotypes constructed from Y-chromosome markers were used to trace the paternal origins of the Jewish Diaspora. A set of 18 biallelic polymorphisms was genotyped in 1,371 males from 29 populations, including 7 Jewish (Ashkenazi, Roman, North African, Kurdish, Near Eastern, Yemenite, and Ethiopian) and 16 non-Jewish groups from similar geographic locations. The Jewish populations were characterized by a diverse set of 13 haplotypes that were also present in non-Jewish populations from Africa, Asia, and Europe. A series of analyses was performed to address whether modern Jewish Y-chromosome diversity derives mainly from a common Middle Eastern source population or from admixture with neighboring non-Jewish populations during and after the Diaspora. Despite their long-term residence in different countries and isolation from one another, most Jewish populations were not significantly different from one another at the genetic level. Admixture estimates suggested low levels of European Y-chromosome gene flow into Ashkenazi and Roman Jewish communities. A multidimensional scaling plot placed six of the seven Jewish populations in a relatively tight cluster that was interspersed with Middle Eastern non-Jewish populations, including Palestinians and Syrians. Pairwise differentiation tests further indicated that these Jewish and Middle Eastern non-Jewish populations were not statistically different. The results support the hypothesis that the paternal gene pools of Jewish communities from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East descended from a common Middle Eastern ancestral population, and suggest that most Jewish communities have remained relatively isolated from neighboring non-Jewish communities during and after the Diaspora.
PMID: 10801975, UI: 20300976
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000 Jun 6;97(12):6769-74
? The common, Near-Eastern origin of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews supported by Y-chromosome similarity.
Santachiara Benerecetti AS, Semino O, Passarino G, Torroni A, Brdicka R, Fellous M, Modiano G
Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare, Universita della Calabria, Cosenza, Italy.
About 80 Sephardim, 80 Ashkenazim and 100 Czechoslovaks were examined for the Y-specific RFLPs revealed by the probes p12f2 and p49a,f on TaqI DNA digests. The aim of the study was to investigate the origin of the Ashkenazi gene pool through the analysis of markers which, having an exclusively holoandric transmission, are useful to estimate paternal gene flow. The comparison of the two groups of Jews with each other and with Czechoslovaks (which have been taken as a representative source of foreign Y-chromosomes for Ashkenazim) shows a great similarity between Sephardim and Ashkenazim who are very different from Czechoslovaks. On the other hand both groups of Jews appear to be closely related to Lebanese. A preliminary evaluation suggests that the contribution of foreign males to the Ashkenazi gene pool has been very low (1% or less per generation)." [source - The Peace Encyclopedia]>>.
CONCLUSION:
Now the facts are simple. The Ishmaelites, the greedy ones, are simply out to destroy world peace and tranquility as a subterfuge to swipe ever more land from others with this clearly being shown in the greedy statement of one of them previously presented. They care not for facts, only to satiate their greed. Obfuscation is just another tool in their SOP with respect satiating their greed.
They care NOT for world tranquility and/or peace and hate all others. Remember John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (AV) and beware of this evil.
Criminals, be they men, women, or children should be prosecuted under law and should NEVER be released due to the criminal acts of others. No nation and/or police force should ever agree to release criminals and/or those waiting to be tried on criminal charges in order to free victims of other criminal activities. To do so is NOT in accordance with order of law, and only leads to more criminal acts since the nation and/or police force is shown NOT to have a backbone for enforcing the law as they should.
Criminals should be punished for their criminal acts if respect for law and order is to be maintained against the wicked criminal element.
MANY MUSLIMS BACK THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT:
Many Muslims back the criminal element and want to commit criminal acts to get wicked criminals freed. Why? Because they like the criminals, but know they are guilty and will be found so in a court of law in any democratic country.
Let's look at an example where this warped concept is brought into play, <<"Palestinian officials said they had not received a response to their demand that Israel guarantees that it will free women, children and long-serving Palestinian prisoners before an Israeli soldier seized by Gaza militants is released.
Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, was captured by Hamas-linked militants in a cross-border raid on June 25 that prompted the latest Israeli incursion into Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers were killed.
Dr. Salah Bardawil, a senior Hamas official, said Israel's refusal to guarantee that it would release any Palestinian prisoners if Shalit were freed created a stalemate." [source - article by By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer, "Palestinians brace for more Gaza raids."]>>, when they should return immediately the kidnapped victim, Gilad Shalit, and turn over the wicked murderers that did the wicked act and also the wicked acts of two murders. No, but instead, they want criminals released that they know are guilty of criminal acts. Now, if they had asked for a guarantee of fair trials for criminals that would of course be okay.
Now of course this is just one example to this warped evil thinking. To wit, the entire battle that Hezbollah created and bears full responsibility for in which some Hezbollah criminals crossed an international boundary and wickedly murdered eight Israelis and kidnapped two with the tacit approval of Lebanon who did nothing about it. This makes Lebanon an accessory after-the-fact to this heinous crime, and they therefore must bear the responsibility along with Israel for this wicked act.
Now any civilized government would NOT permit a criminal association such as Hezbollah to operate in their country and to have members of this criminal association, Hezbollah, as members of their government, i.e., they are members of the Lebanese parliament, and were licensed to operate a TV station, can you imagine that?
These evil criminals also seek to free guilty criminals in exchange for kidnapped victims. One criminal act on top of another.
Order of law must be restored in the middle east or the region is going to go into absolute chaos which will not be in anyone's long term interest.
Criminals must be made to serve out their just sentence and all should respect the order of law process instead of thinking they can commit any evil crime and that their fellow criminals will get them out by another evil act of murder and kidnapping.
CONCLUSION:
Order of law must be implemented in the middle east. Criminals must be taught to respect law and order, and all governments must come to respect order of law also.
In addition, hate and violence, must give away to neighbor love and assistance if the middle east is ever to obtain stability.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG[/b]
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] ISLAM IS DELUSIONAL - DOES NOT RECOGNIZE FACTS [PART 1 AS 408B AND PART 2 AS 408-1/2B]
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [408B]
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 1 John 5:19, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
The distinction is made between two very different groups at John 8:47, [AV] “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” But as revealed at John 12:31, [AV] “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” Yes, the Devil will eventually be destroyed as revealed at Hebrews 2:14, [AV] “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”
[2] ISLAM IS DELUSIONAL - DOES NOT RECOGNIZE FACTS
INTRODUCTION:
Many in Islam are delusional and do not recognize reality as will be clearly shown using some of their writings and bouncing them against the facts. Makes one think of John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).
This fact is clearly shown by the inability of many to distinguish between cause and effect in the crisis between Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Israel (year 2006). Many point to the number killed and which side did it, i.e., hospital in Israel and town of Qana in Lebanon, but ignore the fact that both are but effects of a causative act. Now the causative act that resulted in so much adverse effects, destruction and death, was a surprise unprovoked across boarder attack by a criminal organization, Hezbollah, given tacit approval by the government of Lebanon who even permits members of this group to be members of its parliament. So this attack was the 'trigger' and/or cause responsible for all the adverse effects, death and destruction, that results; therefore, total responsibility for all the effects rest solely on this criminal organization and the Lebanese government for permitting their operation in Lebanon.
The same holds true for Islam's belief in ERROR put forth by greedy Ishmalites that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael that Ishmael was the promised seed; whereas, in reality it was Isaac as made clear at Genesis 17:19-21, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." (AV).
So this scripture makes it clear that Isaac is the line through which the covenant is made, and NOT Ishmael, who was only stated to become a 'great nation.'
Now let's look at the detail of what a member of Islam said bounced against the truth, reality, the facts.
SELF-DECEPTION PART 1:
One member of Islam said, <<" Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. [Genesis 12:1-3]
God in this verse is speaking to Abraham and NOT the Jews or Isaac exclusively. Abraham's "nation" was through prophet Isaac (through which Moses and Jesus were born) AND ALSO through prophet Ishamel (through which prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) was born. So you cannot filter out the Muslims here.">>, but missed what was said at Genesis 17:15-22, "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 [b]And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham." (AV). So as can be seen from verse 19 and 22 that the everlasting covenant would be ONLY through Abraham's seed through Isaac and NOT through Abraham's seed through Ishmael.
So we can see that many in Islam delude themselves with respect whether the everlasting covenant was established with both Ishmael and Isaac; when in reality it WAS ONLY ESTABLISHED with Isaac.
SELF-DECEPTION PART 2:
One member of Islam said, <<""A great Nation" Who is the "great nation" in the world that was promissed in that verse? It is a fact the Muslims are all over the world and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, starting 600 years after Christianity.
"and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing"
When Muslims prayer 5 times a day, we mention Abraham by name and mentions the blessings that Allah had bestowed on Him and his descendants. We say:
"O Allah, bless our Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you have blessed Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely you are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. O Allah, be gracious unto Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you were gracious unto Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely you are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious" (http://muslim-canada.org/salaat.html#salawat)
We repeat this no less than 15 times during the 5 daily prayers in a day. And those who perform additional prayers, they recite these words many more times. At any moment in time, people are praying one of their prescribed 5 daily prayers around the world, some are praying (1) the morning prayer before sunrise, some are praying (2) the afternoon prayer, some, (3) the evening prayer before sunset, some, (4) the evening prayer after sunset and some, (5) the night prayer. And consider that everyday millions of Muslims are praying 5 times a day around the world, and if you add this up, that it a lot of praising and glorifying the Holy Prophet and Abraham and his decendants (pbut) constantly all the time.">>, but clearly overlook once more the fact that, yes, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham said Ishmael would be a great nation per Genesis 17:20, "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (AV). However, nowhere did the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael EVER SAY THE EVERLASTING COVENANT would come through Ishmael's line, but clearly said it would come through the line of Isaac, his half brother the son of Abraham's wife Sarah at Genesis 17:4-17, "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. 15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." (AV). As can clearly be seen, deluded members of Islam look at Genesis 17:7-9 and say Ah we are the everlasting covenant people, but fail to notice Genesis 17:15-16 and Genesis 17:19 which clearly shows they ARE NOT PART OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT as that comes through Abraham's seed Isaac and NOT Ishmael.
This fact is clearly noted in a world renown Bible commentary as follows, <<"19, 20. The blessings of the covenant are reserved for Isaac, but common blessings were abundantly promised to Ishmael; and though the visible Church did not descend from his family, yet personally he might, and it is to be hoped did, enjoy its benefits." [source - Jamieson, Faussett, Brown (JFB) Commentary]>>; and in the Eclectic Notes on The Bible, <<"thou shalt call his name Isaac: Abraham intercedes for Ishmael, but God dwells on Isaac- 'Laughter'. Faith can laugh when God acts purely from Himself, and in His own power. Abraham could not laugh over Ishmael, because what was of the flesh came in there, but the one who could laugh over Isaac could pray, in the sense of grace, for Ishmael. Ishmael speaks of Israel according to the flesh. God would bless him in hearing prayer-a finger-post to blessing for Israel if they had taken note of it- but Isaac was the one with whom His covenant would be established, the One brought in in resurrection power, as Rom. 4 would suggest. God's goodness was there for Ishmael. He ever cared for stubborn and rebellious Israel-a nation truly like Ishmael, "a wild ass of a man". But whenever a cry of need came, even from perverse and rebellious Israel, God heard it. Ishmael's history would have been most instructive for Israel if they had taken heed to it. God was saying to them by it, If you only cry to me you will get blessing. But they were too proud to take the place of need, and therefore they missed the blessing. They claimed the privileges of the covenant without realising what was involved in the sign of the covenant. Therefore they did not keep the covenant; they always had confidence in the flesh; they were never truly circumcised. God had to tell them that they were uncircumcised in heart and ears. And that is why they are now fallen and cut off. Their history is a solemn warning to all who take up divine things in a fleshly way." [source - Eclectic Notes on The Bible]>>; and the Geneva Bible Footnotes says, <<"17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an {g} everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him.
(g) The everlasting covenant is made with the children of the Spirit. A temporary promise is made with the children of the flesh, as was promised to Ishmael." [source - Geneva Bible Footnotes of 1599]>>. So it can be seen they have deluded themselves once more by not considering the Biblical caveats.
SELF-DECEPTION PART 3:
One member of Islam said, <<" Also, muslims go to Pilgrimage to Makkah, where Abraham and Ishmael built the House of God (Holy Ka'ba) and we perform many rituals which commemorate many of the important events concenring Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael, such as throwing seven pebbles at Satan, 'running' seven times between two mountains, slaughtering animals (to commemorate the sacrifice of Ishmael) etc.
In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. [Genesis 15:18-21]
Again, notice how God is saying to Abraham that "Unto thy seed..." (i.e. descendants). Looks like Christians and Jews forget the Ishmael was also the descendent of Abraham. The promissed land was outlined to ABRAHAM and his descendants, and not to the Jews or Isaac exclusively.">>.
First, the part of the claim that Abraham and Ishmael built the Ka'ba is pure pagan myth, and the Bible says absolutely nothing about the myth, but here are some facts and resources to consider:
First set of references:
1. "We used to consider (i.e. going around) them a [pagan] custom of the Pre-islamic period of Ignorance, so when Islam came, we gave up going around them. Then Allah revealed" "Verily, Safa and Marwa (i.e. two mountains at Mecca) are among the Symbols of Allah. So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj of the House (of Allah) or perform the Umra to ambulate (Tawaf) between them." (2.158) (Hadith, al-Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 22-23)
2. Regarding the two little hills of Safa and Marwa, "Unfortunately the Pagan Arabs had placed a male and a female idol here, and their gross and superstitious rites caused offence to the early Muslims. They felt some hesitation in going round these places during the Pilgrimage. As a matter of fact they should have known that the Ka'ba (the House of God) had been itself defiled with idols, and was sanctified again by the purity of Muhammad's life and teaching. (The holy Qur'an, text, translation and commentary, by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. 1872-1952, First published in 1938, 1973 ed., p. 62, footnote 160, commenting on 2:158)
3. Ibn al 'Arabi (A.H. 543) reports from ibn Sihab that 'Urwa said: "I asked 'Aisha, "What is your view of Q 2:158?: 'There shall be no blame on him who performs tawaf between Safsa and Marwa.' Surely there can be no blame on anyone who does not perform this tawaf?" 'Aisha replied that were the case as 'Urwa supposed, the verse would read: 'There shall be no blame on him who does not perform the tawaf.' The Ansar, feeling certain scruples about this ceremony, on account of the locality's former association with idols, consulted the Prophet. God revealed Q 2.158. The Prophet then laid down the sunna of performing the tawaf. It is thus incumbent upon pilgrims not to omit it. (Abu Bakr Muhammad b. 'Abdulla b. al 'Arabi, Ahkam al Qur'an, 4 vols (Cairo, 1957/1376), vol 1, p.46, quoted by John Burton, The Collection of the Qur'an, p. 12)
4. "One of the companions said to Anas ibn Malik, 'Did you use to hate running between the Safa and Marwa?' He said, 'Yes, because it was part of the pre-Islamic rituals until God gave Muhammad this verse and proclaimed that it was also one of God's ceremonial rites"' (refer to Sahih of al-Bukhari, volume 2, page 195).
5. Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: To run along the valley between two green pillars of Safa and Marwa (mountains) was not Sunna, but the people in the pre-islamic period of ignorance used to run along it, and used to say: "We do not cross this rain stream except running strongly. " (Hadith, al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 186)
6. Narrated Urwa: I said to 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, and I was at that time a young boy, "How do you interpret the Statement of Allah: "Verily, Safa and Marwa (i.e. two mountains at Mecca) are among the Symbols of Allah." So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj to the House of Allah) or perform the Umra, to ambulate (Tawaf) between them. In my opinion it is not sinful for one not to ambulate (Tawaf) between them." 'Aisha said, "Your interpretation is wrong for as you say, the Verse should have been: "So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj or Umra to the House, not to ambulate (Tawaf) between them.' This Verse was revealed in connection with the Ansar who (during the Pre-Islamic Period) used to visit Manat (i.e. an idol) after assuming their Ihram, and it was situated near Qudaid (i.e. a place at Mecca), and they used to regard it sinful to ambulate between Safa and Marwa after embracing Islam. When Islam came, they asked Allah's Apostle about it, whereupon Allah revealed:-- "Verily, Safa and Marwa (i.e. two mountains at Mecca) are among the Symbols of Allah. So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj of the House (of Allah) or perform the Umra, to ambulate (Tawaf) between them." "Narrated 'Asim bin Sulaiman: I asked Anas bin Malik about Safa and Marwa. Anas replied, "We used to consider (i.e. going around) them a custom of the Pre-islamic period of Ignorance, so when Islam came, we gave up going around them. Then Allah revealed" "Verily, Safa and Marwa (i.e. two mountains at Mecca) are among the Symbols of Allah. So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj of the House (of Allah) or perform the Umra to ambulate (Tawaf) between them." (2.158) (Hadith, al-Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 22-23)
7. Narrated 'Asim: I asked Anas bin Malik: "Did you use to dislike to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa?" He said, "Yes, as it was of the ceremonies of the days of the Pre-lslamic period of ignorance, till Allah revealed: 'Verily! (The two mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who performs the pilgrimage to the Ka'ba, or performs 'Umra, to perform Tawaf between them.' " Narrated Ibn Abbas: Allah's Apostle performed Tawaf of the Ka'ba and the Sa'i of Safa and Marwa so as to show his strength to the pagans. (Hadith, al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 710-711)
8. "The demons in the Jahiliyya used to circumnavigate all night around these two mountains. The idols (were erected) between them. When Islam came, they (Muslims) said, 'O, apostle of God, we would never run between the Safa and Marwa because this is an unfavorable matter which we were accustomed to do in the Jahiliyya.' Thus, God gave this verse" (refer to Asbab al-Nuzul by Suyuti, page 27).
9. "Asaf and Nayelah, the former the image of a man, the latter of a woman, were also two idols brought with Hobal from Syria, and placed the one on Mount Safa, and the other on Mount Merwa" (Preliminary Discourse to the Koran, Sale, p. 22, 1801).
Second set of references:
1. "curious set of ceremonies of pagan Arab origin which Mohammed has incorporated into his religion" (Hurgronje, Mohammedanism, p. 160)
2. The rites of the Kaaba were retained, but stripped of all idolatrous tendency, they still hang, a strange unmeaning shroud, around the living theism of Islam. (The Original Sources of the Qur'an, William St. Clair Tisdall, 1905)
3. Muslim scholars have also been constrained to admit that Muhammad adopted the pagan Arab pilgrimage en bloc into Islam, seeking to justify it on the historical fiction that Abraham was its originator and that later generations perverted its monotheistic origin and emphasis. (Muhammad and the Religion of Islam, John Gilchrist)
4. We cannot accept, however, the claim that the ceremonies as practiced today were first performed by Abraham. It is historically illogical to assume that they survived unchanged through centuries of pagan Arab custom while idol-worship became the order of the day. The most probable reasons for Muhammad's acceptance of the Hajj ceremonies have already been given in this book - the honour bestowed on him before his mission when he was appointed to replace the Black Stone in the Ka'aba and his constant search for a means whereby he might reconcile himself to his pagan countrymen. It is highly significant that Meccan opposition to Muhammad's cause collapsed immediately after he and his followers had performed the pilgrimage - the exact rites performed by the pagan Arabs, excluding the worship of their idols - a year after the Treaty of Hudaybiyah had allowed them to do so. (Muhammad and the Religion of Islam, John Gilchrist)
5. "It is, therefore, in these absurd rites of the Hajj that Islam finds its severest condemnation, and the falsity of Muhammad's pretended revelations is amply demonstrated. The Hajj was Muhammad's compromise with Arabian Paganism." (The Sources of Islam, Blair, p. 162; quoted in Muhammad and the Religion of Islam, John Gilchrist)
6. Perhaps the greatest irony of this whole ceremony is that its origin should be attributed to Abraham, a man who, according to the Qur'an, detested idols made of stone and destroyed them (Surah 37. 91-93). For the whole emphasis of the pilgrimage falls on stones. The Muslims circumambulate the Ka'aba, an empty shrine made of stones, kiss the Black Stone built into it, and pray at the maqam-i-Ibrahim in front of which stands a small shrine containing another stone (the qadam-i-Ibrahim) on which Abraham allegedly stood while building the Ka'aba (it is supposed to bear his footprint). Arafat is a plain on which the Mount of Mercy stands - covered with stones and a stone monolith commemorating Muhammad's farewell sermon. At Mina the pilgrims throw small stones at larger stone pillars. Surely it is almost ridiculous to believe that the great patriarch - the exemplar of true faith in those very early days - was the author of ceremonies whose rites were vested in stones, the very things from which the pagan idols were made. (Muhammad and the Religion of Islam, John Gilchrist)
7. "This last was a magnificent stroke of policy, besides satisfying his own insuppressible hankering after Mecca and its fetish, for it bound the Meccans, and the Mecca-visiting Arabs to the new regime and faith as nothing else could have done." (The Reproach of Islam, Gairdner, p.71, referring to Muhammad's choice to perform the pagan pilgrimage; quoted in Muhammad and the Religion of Islam, John Gilchrist)
8. The Ka'bah was then the holy of holies of paganism and securely protected against any attack against its authorities or sanctity. (The Life of Muhammad, Haykal, p. 43; quoted in Muhammad and the Religion of Islam, John Gilchrist)
9. "the Arabian situation was polytheistic at the time of the first surviving records of it. (Britannica, Arabian Religions, p1059, 1979)
10. Commenting on the evolution of religion in Arabia: "Another significant change was that a monotheistic religion, with "the Lord of Heaven and Earth" as the sole god, had become the faith of the state. Formerly the religion of South Arabia had been basically stellar, with 'Athtar holding the senior place as the patron of land and agriculture and, in Ma'in, even of trade. Each state or tribe had had its own moon god under a national or local name. The temples had been centres of religious life, and the priests of the moon gods had normally provided oracle services. Pilgrimage had been performed to certain temples of the moon gods, with rituals similar in many details to those of the pre-Islamic and Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Minor deities of agriculture and irrigation had been known, especially in Saba', as well as house gods and genies. The tribe Amir had practiced a semi-monotheistic religion-that of Dhii-Samdwi (Lord of Heavens). They worshipped no other god, although they paid homage to the gods of other communities in which they occasionally found themselves. The god's name resembles that of the "Lord of Heaven and Earth" of the monotheistic religion that emerged in the 5th century, but it is not known whether the latter developed from it." (Britannica, Arabia, History of, p1045, 1979)
11. The question of pilgrimage which was an element foreign to nomadic civilization and of a late date among Semitic peoples (Studies on Islam, edited by Merlin L. Swartz, Pre-Islamic Bedouin Religion, by Joseph Henninger, 1981, p 3-22)
12. IV. The Ka'ba In Legend And Superstition. The alleged religion of Abraham gave a basis for the esteem in which the Muslims held the Ka'ba. Legend attached itself to the Kur'anic statements and spun them out. As Snouck Ilurgronje has proved in his Mekkaansche Feest against Dozy's hypotheses (see his Israelielen in Mekka), there can be no question of a local Meccan tradition in this connection. There was, it is true, a local tradition, but it consists of semi-historical reminiscences of the last few centuries before Islam. But all that tradition relates regarding the origin of the Ka'ba and its connections with Biblical personages, belongs to Islamic legend. (First Encyclopedia of Islam, E.J. Brill, 1987, Islam, p. 587-591)
13. On the other hand Muslim legend has developed the passage, Sura iii. 90: "Truly, the first temple that was founded for men is that in Bakka; a blessed house and a guidance for (all) creatures". The ambiguous expression according to which lbrahim and Isma'il "raised" the foundations of the Ka'ba left room for the view that the foundations already existed on which he erected the building. (First Encyclopedia of Islam, E.J. Brill, 1987, Islam, p. 587-591)
14. This legendary story of the origin of the Ka'ba was easily brought into conformity with the cosmological views current among Christians and Jews in the East, the central point of which was the sanctuary itself. Muslim tradition at first adopted this cosmology completely, as is evident from the statements which are still wholly under the influence of the predominance of Jerusalem. They were however not content with this and transferred a considerable part of these sayings to Mecca. (First Encyclopedia of Islam, E.J. Brill, 1987, Islam, p. 587-591)
15. The Islamic tradition furnishes several clues about the possible anthro-pological origins of the Ka'ba. Like several other shrines in Arabia, it was part of a haram, or sacred area, where intertribal fighting was forbidden in order to facilitate trade. The temple was evidently at the centre of a cult involving idol worship. The presiding deity was Hubal, a large carnelian statue kept inside the temple; 36o other idols were ranged outside. The three goddesses described in the Quran as the 'daughters of Allah' - Allat, 'Uzza and Manat - were also worshipped in the vicinity. By the Prophet's time Christian influences were making themselves felt. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
16. Like the Quran itself, the earliest Muslim sources suggest that the pre-Islamic cult of the Ka'ba had some astronomical significance. The historian Mas'udi (896-956) stated that certain people had regarded the Ka'ba as a temple dedicated to the Sun, Moon and the five visible planets (making up the mystical figure of seven, the number of circumambulations required for each tawaf ). The story that there were exactly 36o idols placed round the temple also points to an astronomical significance. Among the votive gifts said to have been offered to the idols were golden suns and moons. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
17. They may then drink and fill their jars with Zamzam water before proceeding to the sa'i - running between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa, in imitation of Hagar's plight. The whole distance, some 460 metres, has to be covered seven times at something between a walk and a jog. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
18. The strain of performing the sa'i, in which the pilgrim must travel some 3.5 kilometres, has been to some extent relieved by the architects who have enclosed the whole passage inside a long air-conditioned gallery. The marble-flanked walkway includes a special corridor where the old, infirm or disabled can be pushed along in wheelchairs. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
19. The pilgrim who continues to make the Hajj, which only takes place at the appointed season, leaves the haram area after performing the sa'i and makes for the plain of 'Arafat, a vast natural amphitheatre surrounded by hills about 11 kilometres from Mecca. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
20. Before the Saudis banned the use of private cars the journey could amount to ten or more hours of nightmarish struggle between traffic and pedestrians. In recent years the Saudis have tried to alleviate the situation by banning vehicles carrying less than nine passengers, but the confusion is still considerable. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
21. At Muzdalifa - 'the place where one makes oneself agreeable' - the pilgrims collect the small pebbles, 49 in all, to be used in the most complicated and arcane of the Hajj ceremonies, the ritual stoning of the three pillars, or Jamarat, at Mina. The pebbles, each of which is supposed to be the size of a chick-pea, are thrown in sequences of seven at each of the three pillars situated about 300 metres apart along the road between Mina and Mecca, where a huge two-tier walkway has been constructed enabling the people to stone the pillars from either level. The ritual is purely pagan, and there is no reference to it in the Quran. The pilgrims perform it only because, according to the hadifh traditions, the Prophet himself did so during his Farewell Pilgrimage. There is no mention in the canonical texts of the popular belief that the ceremonies involve the 'stoning of Satan'. Nevertheless the belief is held universally throughout the Muslim world, and is said to account for the violence with which many pilgrims attack the pillars. Ali Shariati, the Iranian radical, gives the ceremony an unabashed revolutionary symbolism: These pebbles will be used as your weapons to kill your enemy . . . What does the pebble represent? It represents a bullet ... Each soldier in Ibrahim's army has to shoot seventy bullets at the enemies in Mina. They are to be fired at the head, trunk and heart of the enemy. Only those which hit the enemy will be counted. If you are not an expert select more bullets to compensate for your lack of skill . . . If you hit one less than the recommended number, you are not considered a soldier nor is your Hajj valid . (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
22. At Mina the wastage of meat has up till now been appalling, since most of it has had to be destroyed in lime-pits soon after the killing. Today the Saudi authorities are investing in freezer-plants and other ways of preserving the animal products. The animals are counted in 'sheep-units', rating from one for a sheep or goat up to seven for a fully grown cow or camel. In 1981 about one million 'sheep-units' were sacrificed, seventy per cent of them during the first day of sacrifice, and of these, about half between morning and midday. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
23. The pagan background of all these rites, from the standing a t'Arafat to the Feast of Sacrifice, is still obscure. Muslim authorities are understandably reticent on the subject, while, for obvious reasons, archaeologists are unlikely to be admitted to the area in the foreseeable future. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
24. Some anthropologists have seen in the standing at 'Arafat relics of an ancient rainmaking cult. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
25. The 'ifada front 'Arafat to Muzdalifa, which in pre-Islamic times began before nightfall, may have represented the 'persecution' of the dying sun. The stone-throwing at Mina, according to the earliest Muslim sources, only occurred after the sun had passed the meridian, suggesting a ritual pursuit of the sun-demon, whose harsh rule ends with the summer. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
26. Just as the Quran did not suddenly appear out of nowhere in a strange and incomprehensible language, but was assembled from existing verbal materials, so the central ritual of Islam, the Hajj, was arranged out of existing cultic practices. The actions themselves were almost unchanged, but their meaning was transformed to fit a new, vastly expanded, cosmic vision. The result was a religious and ideological tour de force. By abolishing the intercalary month, Muhammad freed the rituals from their seasonal connections: from now on the Hajj could fall at any time of the year, for the cosmic deity to whom all the rituals were to be addressed was the same God in autumn and spring, summer and winter. Similarly, the sanctuaries associated with particular localities were not abolished, but included within a set of rituals covering the whole area. 'The whole of 'Arafat is a place for standing, the whole of Muzdalifa is a place for stopping, the whole of Mina is a place for sacrifice,' the Prophet is related to have said on the Farewell Pilgrimage. Similar effects were achieved by subtly adjusting the timing of the ancient ceremonies. Ancient taboos associated with the rituals were deliberately violated to demonstrate the impotence of the pagan gods and the inefficacy of the rituals when dedicated to them. But the forms of the rituals were preserved because the Prophet was fully aware of the importance they held for his people. Beyond that, he knew that the rituals formed part of a universal language composed of bodily movements as well as verbal utterances, by means of which human beings express their deepest needs and apprehensions. The remarkable expansion of Islam, especially in the Far East and tropical Africa, long after its initial political and military impetus had exhausted itself, was in no small measure due to the ease with which it absorbed local cults and then directed them towards the broader social and cosmological purpose of the monotheistic vision. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
SEE PART 2 AS 408-1/2
LEARN ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION, BOTH GOOD AND BAD, AT WWW.JW.ORG
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] ISLAM IS DELUSIONAL - DOES NOT RECOGNIZE FACTS [PART 1 AS 408B AND PART 2 AS 408-1/2B]
SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND PART 2 AS 408-1/2B
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 2 Peter 2:4, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
In the days just before the great flood of Noah’s day the world was very wicked and even some of the heavenly bings revolted against Almighty God (YHWH) and materialized human bodies and married the daughters of mankind as revealed at Genesis 6:4 - 5, [AV] “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” These evil humans that had deserted God were destroyed in the great flood of Noah’s day, but the disobedient heavenly beings were per Jude 6, [AV] “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
PART 2 OF ISLAM IS DELUSIONAL – FOES NOT RECOGNIZE FACTS:
PART 2 FROM CONTINUATION OF PART 1 OF 408B
27. But being constantly exposed to torrents, it was destroyed, and was rebuilt by Qusaiy ibn Kilab, who put a top to it. Up to this time it is said to have been open at the roof. (A Dictionary Of Islam, Thomas Patrick Hughes, 1965, Kaba, p 256)
28. The roof was supported within by six pillars, and the statue of Hubal was placed over a wall then existing within the Ka'bah. This took place during the youth of Muhammad. Al-Azraqi, quoted by Burekhardt, says that-the figure of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus was sculptured as a deity upon one of the six pillars nearest the gate. (A Dictionary Of Islam, Thomas Patrick Hughes, 1965, Kaba, p 256)
29. According to the Traditions and the inventive genius of Muslim writers, the Ka'bah was. first constructed in heaven (where a model of it still remains, called the Baitu 'l-Ma'mur) two thousand years before the creation of the world. Adam erected the Ka'bah on earth exactly below the spot its perfect model occupies in heaven, and selected the stones from the five sacred mountains, Sinai, al-Judi, Hire, Olivet, and Lebanon. Ten thousand angels were appointed to guard the structure; but, as Burckhardt remarks, they appear to have been often most remiss in their duty! At the Deluge the Sacred House was destroyed. But the Almighty is said to have instructed Abraham to rebuild it. In its reconstruction Abraham was assisted by his son Ishmael, who with his mother Hagar were at the time residents of Makkah, Abraham having journeyed from Syria in order to obey the commands of God. Upon digging they found the original foundations of the building. But wanting a stone to mark the corner of the building, Ishmael started in search of one, and as he was going in the direction of Jabal Qubais, the angel Gabriel met him, and gave him the famous black stone. Ibn 'Abbas relates that the Prophet said, the black stone when it came down from Paradise was whiter than milk, but that it has become black from the sin of those who have touched it. (MisWf, book Ii. Ch. iv. pt. 2.) (A Dictionary Of Islam, Thomas Patrick Hughes, 1965, Kaba, p 256)
30. The pagan Arabs practiced polytheism. They worshipped nature, stones. angels and demons. Particular reverence was accorded the three 'daughters of God', and various national, local and family idols. Each tribe gave allegiance to a special protector: one god to whom it turned in time of distress. Our modern altars may have had their beginnings in the stone worship of the ancients. One stone still holds a revered spot in the Arab heart. This is the stone that fell from paradise at the fall of Adam. Pure white it was and housed in a temple built by Seth, Adam's son, until a great flood ravaged the land, destroyed the temple, and buried it under the mud and debris. Tradition relates that the stone remained hidden until Abraham sent his wife Hagar into the desert with their infant son Ishmael. One day, weakened by thirst, Hagar laid her baby on the sand to rest. His fitful thrashings uncovered a spring of clear water near the site of the lost relic. It is told that an angel descended from heaven and helped recover the sacred stone and that Ishmael rebuilt the holy house of Seth with the assistance of Abraham and the archangel Gabriel. This, in brief, is the story of the Kaaba,' holiest building in Islam. (Islam and the Arabs, Rom Landau, 1958 p 11-21)
31. It is clear from these and similar Quranic texts that the original pilgrimage rituals were not so much being described to Abraham as alluded to for the benefit of a Meccan audience that was already quite familiar with them.' It was once again left for later commentators to fill in the details, not of the Hajj, to be sure, which was well known to all, but of Abraham and Ishmael's connection with it. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
32. In this passage he describes how Abraham, at God's urging, performed that original pilgrimage ritual. Abu al-Walid related to us ... (from) Uthman ibn Saj: Muhammad ibn Ishaq reported to me: When Abraham the Friend of the Merciful finished building the sacred House, Gabriel came and said: "Circle it seven times!" and he circumambulated it seven times with Ishmael, touching all the corners during each circumambulation. When they had completed seven, he and Ishmael prayed two prostrations behind the stone [maqam]. He said: Gabriel got up with them and showed him all the ritual stations: al-Safa, al-Marwa, Mina, Muzdalifa, and Arafat. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
33. As these accounts attempt to demonstrate, the complex ritual the Muslims call the Hajj or Pilgrimage can be traced back, in general and in each specific detail, to Adam and, more proximately, to Abraham, whose intent and practices Muhammad was to restore so many centuries later. For the non-Muslim, however, the Meccan rituals are striking remnants of a pagan, albeit Semitic, past in Arabia, which the Prophet of Islam permitted to survive by incorporating them into his own prescriptions. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
34. It was the Zamzam, then, or perhaps the two high places called Safa and Marwa, that established the sanctity of the site of Mecca, though how long before Qusayy we cannot say. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
35. As for archeological evidence, it is sparse indeed, particularly from Arabia, where excavation is still in its very early stage and the sparse results are speculative in the extreme. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
36. In a chapter entitled "The Building of the Ka'ba by the Quraysh in the Age of Barbarism," the Meccan historian at-Azi-aqi (d. 834 C.F.) collected some of the traditions still extent on the early appearance of the House before its substantial reconstruction during the early manhood of Muhammad. Some men from quraysh sat in the sanctuary ... and were remembering the building of the Ka'ba and they described how it was before that time. It was built of dried [unmortared] stones and not with clay or mud. Its door was on ground level and it had no roof or ceiling. The curtain (kiswa) was hung on its wall on one side and was tied to the top of the center of the wall. On the right as one entered the Ka'ba there was a pit where gifts of money and goods for the Ka'ba were deposited. In this pit sat a snake to guard it, which God had sent at the time of the (tribe of) jurhum.... The horns of the ram that Abraham had slaughtered (in place of Isaac or Ishmael) were hanging on the wall facing the entrance. The were ornaments hanging in it which had been given as gifts. (Azraqi 1858: 106) Tabari tells a story from Ibn Ishaq that casts a little more light on the earlier building: The, reason for their [the Quraysh's] demolition of the ka'ba (early in the seventh century C.E.) was that at this time it consisted of loose stones rising to somewhat above a man's height, and they wished to make it higher and roof it over since some men, Quraysh and others, had stolen the treasure of the Ka'ba, which was kept in a well in its interior. (Tabai-i, Annals 1.1130 = Tabari vi: 51) By this account the Ka'ba does not appear to be a house at all but rather some kind of enclosure built around a pit or dry well, an enclosure that was, however, draped with a cloth curtain (kiswa) in a manner to give it the appearance of a tent. ... A tent like structure makes more sense, and it has been plausibly suggested that the later cubiform stone building, the ancestor of the one that stands in Mecca today, succeeded a square or quadrangular tent and so was distinguished from the round tents of the inhabitants of the settlement.19 The sequence would not be very different, then, from the Israelite one: the Ark of the desert wanderings continued to be housed in a tent even after its transfer to urban Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:17); and when it was finally housed in a stone building, that "holy of holies" was likewise a ka'ba, twenty cubits in length and width and height (1 Kings 6:20). (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
37. Nor was Mecca's the only Such building in Arabia. An early Muslim historian of the antiquities, Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, reported the presence of other ka'bas in and around the peninsula: The Banu al-Harith lbn Ka'b had in Najran a ka'ba which they venerated. ... The Iyad had another ka'ba in Sindad, (which is located) in a region between Kufa and Basra (in Iraq). (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
38. We cannot say, then, how typical the obviously crude Meccan structure was. But whether typical or not, its primitive and makeshift architecture comes as no surprise: not only was it situated in a wadi, and so vulnerable to the normal destructive consequences; but the Meccan Ka'ba was also built to serve people who were originally nomads and who had, even by the late sixth century, so little skill at construction that they required the assistance of a foreign carpenter to put a timber roof on the edifice. But for all that, it was a temple and had all the primary characteristics of such: a quadrangular cella oriented to the cardinal compass points, 20 a sacred rock and sacred spring, a characteristic haram with the usual privileges of the right of asylum, and so on. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
39. Although it is true that the primary liturgy connected with the Mecca building, the ritual circumambulation, was performed outside, there is almost no trace, either before or under Islam, of the notion that the interior of the Ka'ba was in any way more sacred than the surrounding Haram. Access to it was controlled, as we shall have many occasions to see, but exclusively, it would appear, on the grounds of political privilege. ...The Ka'ba was not, then, a more sacred haram within the larger Haram that surrounded it. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
40. According to Muslim tradition, this had been a part, though not a structural part, of the building from the beginning, that is to say, from Adam's original construction of the House of God. But the tradition also remembered that the stone had come from Abu Qubays, a mountain overlooking Mecca." The two strands of tradition were harmonized in an account whereby the stone was concealed on Abu Qubays during the era of the Flood, when Adam's original Ka'ba was destroyed, and then restored to Abraham for inclusion in his version of the Ka'ba. But the harmonization was not perfect. Other traditions recollected that the Black Stone, or at least its inclusion in the Ka'ba, was of much more recent origin. Ibn Sa'd says that the Quraysh brought it down from Abu Qubays only four years before Muhammad's first revelation. 21 In another account, from al-Fakihi, it is traced back to the Quraysh's first reconstruction of the building, possibly at the time of Qusayy. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
41. But if, as seems equally likely, the stone was originally one of the portable betyls of the early settlers at Mecca, its incorporation into the structure of the Ka'bal like the depiction of similar stones on the walls of temples at Madain Salih and elsewhere, would signal the decision of nomads to make a fixed settlement." (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
42. It has been suggested, for example, that a low wall, and so the hijr enclosure, once surrounded the Ka'ba on all sides and marked the area within which the idols were worshiped through sacrifice,31 or, more enticingly but less convincingly, that the hatim represents the remains of the apse of a Christian church oriented toward Jerusalem, which, it will be seen, was the direction in which once Muhammad prayed while he was still at Mecca. The word hijr itself means "inviolable" or "taboo," and it occurs once in that sense in the Quran (6:137-139), in reference not to the area near the Ka'ba but to animals and crops earmarked as belonging to the gods, a sense that supports the contention that the hijr, whatever its original extent, may have served as a pen for the animals destined for sacrifice to the idols around the Ka'ba.33 Whether it was so used in Muhammad's own lifetime seems doubtful, however, at least on the evidence of the Muslim authorities. As the hijr is portrayed in Muhammad's day, it was a place of common assembly where political matters were discussed, or people prayed, or, as it appears, slept. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
43. Al-Fakihi then records a tradition traced back to Ibn Abbas stating that there is an inscription on the maqam saying: "This is the House of God, He put it on the quadrangles of His throne, its sustenance will come from this and that, its people will be the first to suspend its sanctity." (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
44. If pilgrims are drawn to it, so too are historians, who see in the source called Zamzam a plausible explanation of why there was a sanctuary in the wadi of Mecca in the first place. In the nineteenth century Julius Wellhausen pronounced the Zamzam "the only spring of Mecca and so likely the origin of the holy place as well as the city," and other authorities have generally been inclined to agree. There are problems, however. Other wells quenched Mecca," as Ibn Ishaq reveals when speaking of the Zamzam. Zamzam utterly eclipsed the other wells from which the pilgrims used to get their water, and the people went to it because it was in the sacred enclosure and because its water was superior to any other; and also because it was the well of Ishmael, son of Abraham. Because of it the Banu Abd Manaf behaved boastfully towards the Quraysh and the other Arabs. (Ibn Ishaq 1955: 65) The Zamzam was not, then, unique; it was simply superior, and the basis of that superiority-leaving aside the debated question of the quality of its water-was that its origin went back to Abrahamic days, when, as we have seen, it was miraculously discovered and saved the life of Ishmael. Zamzam, it was argued, was thus mentioned in the Bible, particularly if one accepted its identification with the miraculous life-saving spring mentioned in Genesis 21:19. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
45. Safa and Marwa ... This is as much as the Quran says. But the Muslim tradition offers two explanations for the practice, one "pagan" and one "Abrahamic." As we have already seen, the latter simply identifies Hagar's frantic search for water for the infant Ishmael with the ritual running between the hills before her providential discovery of the Zamzam. What is obviously an older and more primitive explanation has to do with two humans named Asaf and Na'ila, members of the jurhum: (The Quraysh) adopted Asaf (or Isaf) and Na'ila by the place of Zamzam, sacrificing beside them. They were (originally) a man and a woman of jurhum ... who copulated in the Ka'ba so God transformed them into two stones .... But God alone knows whether this is the truth. (Ibn Ishaq 1955: 37) Despite Ibn Ishaq's explicit misgivings, the colorful story became current in the Muslim authors and has been the point of departure for a wide variety of attempts to explain the reality, if any, behind the story and its connection with the "running" ritual .17 The names, which have to do with stones, appear to be Aramaic rather than Arabic and so have suggested foreign origins. What were transparently sacred stones, or perhaps stone idols-the jurhum story may reflect an etiological myth or be a distant echo of some form of ritual prostitution at the Ka'ba or nearby 48 were originally worshiped atop the "high places" of Safa and Marwa and then brought down somewhere in the vicinity of the Ka'ba by Qusayy himself. The circumambulation ritual continued to be performed at the two hills, but thereafter sacrifices were offered at the new sites of the idols. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
46. The construction of the Ka'ba is described in the Quran as the work of Abraham and Ishmael (2:127), and the circumstantial evidence suggests that this may have been a common belief among the pre-Islamic Quraysh. Yet there is no evidence, Quranic or circumstantial, that such a claim was made by Muhammad or had been accepted by the pagan Quraysh for the various Hajj rituals. Their association with Abraham appears to have occurred well after the Hajj had been embraced as an acceptable and meritorious way for a Muslim to worship God (Quran 2:197; 3:97). Absent the Abrahamic motif, the Hajj of Muhammad's Mecca disintegrates into an obscure series of acts centering not on Mecca but on the mountain called Arafat, eleven miles east of the city The Hajj, it has been maintained, originally had nothing to do with Mecca, as even the Islamic version of the ritual testifies: the climax of the Muslim Hajj was and is the "standing" at Arafat, followed by a procession to Mina and sacrifice there, after which the pilgrim was free to remove the ritual vestments." More, it was common knowledge that not the Quraysh but the Sufa, and later the Tamim, held the religious offices, the so-called "permission" (ijaza), at Arafat and Mina." And not only was Mecca not part of the original Hajj; there may have been no trading in the city in connection with its own rituals. Such, at any rate, one might conclude from the fact that the famous pilgrimage fairs-and Mecca is never numbered among them-are associated with Arafat and Mina and that the Quraysh seem to play no major role in them. 14 Thus the Meccan ritual was at some point joined to the Hajj, probably by Muhammad himself. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
47. It may well have been Muhammad himself who determined that the Arafat ritual was the "Great Hajj" and the Umra the "Lesser," a distinction nowhere apparent in pre-Islamic times. The distinction between Umra and Hajj is already present in the Quran (2:197), but the latter ritual, which became an obligation for every Muslim, may be a composite of several different cult activities some at Mecca, some at shrines outside the city, woven, whether by Muhammad or by someone earlier, into a single liturgical act. The "running" between Safa and Marwa, for example, originally belonged to neither the Umra nor the Hajj, and some Muslims in fact protested its inclusion in either, objections that were presumably silenced by the revelation of Quran 2:158. There is no evidence that Muhammad substantially altered any of the basic rituals of the Meccan pilgrimages, whereas he did modify the chaotic "overflowing" (ifada) from Arafat and the time of the departure from Muzdalifa for Mina." So we may assume that the donning of special clothing and the entering into a taboo state was practiced in pre-Islamic Mecca as it was elsewhere in the Semitic world. The ritual in the Haram had chiefly to do with a circumambulation of the Ka'ba, which in Islamic days included the "greeting of the Black Stone," a gesture of touching, pressing, or kissing with abundant precedents in pre-Islamic practice, though of a very different import, as we shall see. Outside the Haram, ritual required the devotee to run back and forth, another type of "circumambulation,"" between the two hills of Safa and Marwa, the sites of the well-known idols of Asaf and Na'ila in pre-Islamic days. This latter ritual ended with the offering of sacrifices at Marwa." (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
48. Nor could they circumambulate the House except in the garment of the Hums. If they had no such garments they had to go round naked. If any man or woman felt scruples when they had no Hums garments, then they could go round in their ordinary clothes; but they had to throw them away afterwards so that neither they nor anyone else could make use of them. The Arabs called these clothes "the cast-off " They imposed all these restrictions on the Arabs, who accepted them and halted at Arafat, hastened from it, and circumambulated the House naked. The men at least went naked, while the women laid aside all their clothes except a shift wide open back and front. (Ibn Ishaq 1955: 87-88) (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
49. The pagan Ka'bah, which became the Palladium of Islam, was an unpretentious cube-like (hence the name) building of primitive simplicity, originally roofless, serving as a shelter for a black meteorite which was venerated as a fetish. At the birth of Islam the structure was that rebuilt in 608 probably by an Abyssinian from the wreckage of a Byzantine or Abyssinian ship destroyed on the shore of the Red Sea. (History Of The Arabs, Philip K. Hitti, 1937, p 96-101)
50. Each pilgrim makes the tawaf or ritual circumambulation of the Ka'ba, a ceremony that has changed little, if at all, since pre-Islamic times. He will make seven circuits of the building, in an anti-clockwise movement, during which he will try to kiss, touch or otherwise greet the famous Black Stone which is set in a silver casing in the eastern corner. Muslims are taught that this is a fragment of the original temple, for the Ka'ba is said to have been rebuilt several times, before, during and after the Prophet's lifetime. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
51. I intend to put forward some of the evidence which has led me to think that the way in which the question is usually answered, both in the traditional Muslim literature and in works of modern scholarship, produces an inadequate account of the origins and development of the Muslim sanctuary, and I wish to propose the outlines of an alternative way of envisaging the islamization of the Meccan sanctuary. ... The process of islamization is not seen to involve any radical changes in the organization of the sanctuary, nor in the ceremonies associated with it. ... the Muslim sanctuary at Mecca continues to be seen as basically a continuation of the sanctuary of pagan times in the same place, and the islamization of that sanctuary continues to be associated with the prophetic career of Muhammad. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
52. The evidence which I wish to concentrate upon in this paper, and which I think is difficult to reconcile with the generally accepted version of the islamization of the Meccan sanctuary, is provided by the use in the Muslim literature of certain terms or names which are connected with the sanctuary at Mecca. ... These names or terms, it must be emphasized, are now applied to some of the most important features of the Muslim sanctuary at Mecca, but the evidence seems to show that they originated independently of that sanctuary and only later came to be used to designate features of it. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
53. Snouck Hurgronje's argument, which has become one of the most widely accepted ideas of modern scholarship on the beginnings of Islam, was that the adoption of the Meccan sanctuary by Muhammad has to be seen as a reaction to the rejection of him by the Jews of Medina. Only in the face of this, rejection, according to Snouck Hurgronje, did Muhammad move towards the arabization of his religion, a move in which the adoption of the Meccan sanctuary was an important step. And only at this time did Muhammad begin to formulate the doctrine that the Meccan sanctuary had been founded by Abraham, an idea which grew out of his contact with the Jews of Medina. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
54. It seems that the Muslim sanctuary at Mecca is the result of a sort of compromise between a pre-existing pagan sanctuary and sanctuary ideas which had developed first in a Jewish milieu. ... At a certain stage in the development of the new religion the need arose to assert its independence, and one of the most obvious ways in which this could be done was by establishing a specifically Muslim sanctuary. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
55. The Ka'ba itself is frequently said to have been demolished and rebuilt.7 The Black Stone is on a number of occasions removed from the Ka'ba and then restored to its place.8 The stone called Maqam Ibrahim is moved around by floods and by human actions.9 The well of Zamzam is "discovered" on two separate occasions.10 Al-Masjid al-Varam, explained as the mosque containing the Ka'ba at Mecca, is several times rebuilt and enlarged. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
56. even Muslim tradition recognized that the history of the sanctuary and its incorporation by Islam could not be presented as a simple, straightforward development. ... Furthermore, the traditional material on the history of the sanctuary is hardly of a sort to inspire confidence in it as a record of historical events. Sometimes we find the same basic material being made to refer to two allegedly separate events (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
The second part of this member of Islam's statement has already been debunked in answers to SELF-DECEPTION PART 2, so refer back to that.
SELF-DECEPTION PART 4:
One member of Islam said, <<"This is the exactly how trouble began with the Jews. Because God promissed the land to Abraham and his decendants, the Jews became jealous and rebellious and wanted to claim the land all for themselves without giving any share to Ishmael's descendants. (They still don't want to share it with anyone.)
The trouble began in the next chapter with the realization that Abraham had as yet no children with which to fulfill the covenant!!! Before the covenent was made, Abraham had only one wife (Sarah). Both Abraham and Sarah were in old age (around 90) and therefore chances of producing a child now were very low.
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." ( Genesis 16:1-2) Abram agreed and did what Sarai said.
So Sarah got Hagar married to Abraham, perhaps she could bear Abraham a son, and indeed she did bore him a son. He was called Ishmael and was therefore half Hebrew and half Egyptian (Abraham was Hebrew [i.e. not a Jew but more of an Arab] and Hagar was Egyptian [again not a Jewess]). When Hagar became pregnant, Sarah realised what was about to happen, that the son of Hagar would be the inheritor of Abraham, so she began to mock and abuse Hagar. This is when God sends an angel to Hagar with the message:
"You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Gen. 16:11)
Please note the context of the verse you just read and tell me how the words "he will be a wild donkey of a man" fit in this verse? God wants to heal the wounds of Hagar because she was being mocked and teased and he sends a message to calm her and give her hope and good news. Does it make sense therefore that God begins to say words like "He will be a wild donkey of a man" while trying to heal her wounds?? No it doesn't. It only makes sense that later on when the Jews realised the truth, they editted the books of moses and tried to make Ishmael (the first born of Abraham) look really bad.
(compare with this verse from the Holy Qur'an: Then woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say: "This is from Allah", to traffic with it for a miserable price. Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby" [Holy Qur'an 2:75])
Now Isaac was born when Ishmael was 13 years old. When Isaac was around two years old, Sarah saw that Ishmael was mocking with him. So she got angry and became jealous of him and told Abraham to send Ishmael and Hagar away from here. So Hagar and Ishmael were forced to flees into the desert where she finds refuge beside a spring of water (called ZamZam water in Arabic):
The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." [Genesis 21:8-10]
"... she [Sarah] said unto Abraham: 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac...' And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba." (Genesis 21:9,10,14) (very sad)
So there was always jelousy on the parts of Jews and descendants of Isaac. Those verses speak about covenant being made to Abraham and his decendants and not to the Jews or Isaac alone. Don't get me wrong. We Muslims do not say that Isaac was not blessed. We say that he too was blessed and we believe him as one the most righteous prophets of God. We just don't like the fact that the Jews and Christians exclude Ishmael and his descendants from the covenents when in fact God Himself has mentioned in many verses in the Bible that he will make Ishmael a "great nation":">>
Now most of this has already been debunked in the answers to SELF-DECEPTION PART 2, so refer back to that.
Also, Numbers 34:1-29 makes clear that the everlasting covenant and land grant was CLEARLY ONLY WITH ISRAEL THE DESCENDENTS OF ISAAC AS FOLLOWS, "[b]And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) 3 Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: 4 And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon: 5 And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea. 6 And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border. 7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: 8 From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad: 9 And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border. 10 And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham: 11 And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward: 12 And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about. 13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: 14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: 15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising. 16 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 17 These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance. 19 And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23 The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. 29 These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan." (AV). So it is easy to see that their claims are just delusional and have no basis in fact, reality, the truth.
CONCLUSION:
Thus as can clearly be seen, The first granting of title occurred around 1,500 B.C. when the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael gave land title to the ancient Hebrews, nation of Israel, to perpetuity in an everlasting covenant. Before that no one had title, but only possession of land; to wit, that was the beginning of land titlement. And this was by the highest possible authority of all, the creator of all there is, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, the highest authority in the universe so his absolute right to grant title to whom he pleased is of course beyond challenge.
So why the argument over whom Palestine rightfully belongs today? Because many Ishmaelites, the greedy ones, want to destroy world peace and tranquility due to their greed for land that is NOT theirs. The Ishmaelites control over 98 percent of the middle east, and some are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews, even to have the less than two (2) percent of the land that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael gave to them in perpetuity. This is the crux of the problem - GREED.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG[/b]
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] GENUINE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS (YESHUA) NEED TO SHOW LOVE BY WARNING OF FALSE DOCTRINES AND RELIGIONS:
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [409B]
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Acts 15:25 – 29, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
In the First Century there was much dissention whether circumcising was required of the gentiles (non-Jews) entering the Christian congregation so the Apostles and older men held a meeting in Jerusalem to figure out just what was required. They judged that since the Old Law Covenant had been replaced by the New Covenant instituted by Christ the requirements specific to the Old Law Covenant were no longer binding on new ones (gentiles) entering the congregation. This was quite different than the ways of the Jewish leaders as made clear at Matthew 23:4 – 5, [AV] “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,” And as Galatians 5:1, [AV] shows, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’
[2] GENUINE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS (YESHUA) NEED TO SHOW LOVE BY WARNING OF FALSE DOCTRINES AND RELIGIONS:
INTRODUCTION:
It is a genuine (true) follower of Jesus (Yeshua) obligation to warn all about false religion and doctrine. All genuine (true) followers should show love to all by exposing false doctrine so they have an opportunity to get in good standing with Jesus (Yeshua) and his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) per John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me." (American Standard Version; ASV); and this in keeping with what Jesus (Yeshua) said at Matthew 22:37-40, "And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets." (ASV).
Exposure of false religion and doctrines would of course include the exposure of false religious books that many claim falsely came from the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob, creator of all there is, Almighty God (YHWH) by an angel or some other medium including ones that are a knockoff of the Bible. To understand why, let's look at what the Bible actually is. It is NOT the product of one committee or strongman. It has over 40 individual writers who wrote under divine inspiration/guidance putting the thoughts of God (YHWH) into the words of men much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. In other words one real author, God (YHWH), and many scribes each of whom wrote in his own style over a period of approximately 1,600 years. All of what people call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.
To wit, the Bible is the ONLY book God (YHWH) ever inspired men to write as his scribes. In other words, God is its author and men only put his thoughts given to them by divine inspiration into their own words, the words of men. Not only that, all the other writers of later so called religious guidance books borrowed from it and made changes in accord with their strong man or so called prophet. Take the example of Joseph Smith who borrowed from it to write the Book of Mormon, but failed to give credit or source to the Bible and twisted some borrowed things into bizarre distortions. Other examples are of course the bizarre writings of David Koresh the Prophet of the Branch Dividians of Waco, Texas; and the Quran, etc.
WHY EXPOSURE IS NECESSARY AND LOVING:
Now all need to be showing love to their neighbors including Jews and telling them of the first step toward salvation given at John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (AV). Messages of hate assist no one in learning the truth per John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Authorized King James Bible; AV).
With respect post of exposure of false religions, doctrine, traditions, etc., they have a worthy objective; to wit, enabling individuals to correct their wrong path. Articles of exposure of wrong are NOT ones of hate, as are many of others, but ones that expose false doctrine and wrong practice to lovingly give all the correct information so they can bring their life in harmony with the will of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ and his Father, Almighty God (YHWH). All should read these articles instead of writing hate literature and articles making false accusations. In any article I write you will find not one word of hate or bashing, only truth. They are posted to assist all in knowing the truth, per John 8:32, and to assist all in making a change in their lives by getting out of groups and/or religions that practice false doctrine and wrong practices.
All need to learn about love and that includes warning others with respect false doctrine and wrong practices instead of thinking of hate as many do and attacking the messenger who brings them the truth. One writer wrote,
Quote:
Love is patient and is kind, love does not envy. Love does not brag, is not proud, does not behave itself inappropriately, does not seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil. does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things... I Corinthians 13
Love is the power of faith. Faith needs love to be made perfect, because perfect faith results in faithfullness and faithfullness is a work of love. Faith and love go hand in hand because faith wants to believe, just as love trusts, faith sees through the darkness and weathers the storm, just as love endures all things, and faith seeks to put God first just as love always gives. 1 Corinthians 13 :4-7 Our faith is not just knowledge about God but a personal relationship with Him as Lord, and any relationship requires love to succeed, to endure trials and to grow, including our relationships with one another because we are called to be family in the Lord and to love one another. The perfect example of faith powered by love is seen in the life of Jesus Christ, who manifests Gods love ...
Because love is the power of faith we should focus on love, seize it and cultivate it... and we can because God is love, and He imparts that love to us when we draw near to Him as the scripture says... whatever touches what is holy shall become holy Leviticus 6:27, and love is of the Holy Spirit. By faith we draw near to God through sincere prayer, entering into His presence, because when Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain separating God and man was torn in two from top to bottom... Mathew 27:51 Gods promise says that if we draw near to Him then He will draw near to us, James 4:8 and when He who is Holy draws near to us then our spirits are sanctified by His Holy Spirit as His holiness is imparted to our spirits. If we allow God to fill our hearts with His Holy Spirit then we are filled with the love of God because love is the pre-eminate characteristic of God's holiness. Because God is the source of our love, love is the fruit of faith... Galatians 5: 22
When we submit to the love of God we have combined faith with love and have the power to fulfill the royal law, which is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul... Mathew 22:37-39 If we keep the royal law James 2:8 we are being faithful and are perfecting faith by faithfullness... James 2:22 If we love God we will seek to please Him and keep the royal law because the royal law embraces Gods will and all of His commandments. Without love we can't fulfill the royal law because we can't love the Lord unless we have love. To manifest the love of God is to overcome sin, whereas to not manifest the love of God is to sin. For the royal law is not to know about the Lord, but to love the Lord... and to love one another as ourselves. We can't do one without the other, because we can't truly love God whom we can't see if we don't love mankind who is made in the image of God. When we love one another we are manifesting our love for God whom we can't see by loving His image. If we love one another then we also love God because we can't love the reflection without loving its source. And if we love God we will love Jesus Christ and allow Him to reign in our hearts, keepings all of His commandments John 14:21 by subduing the will and power of the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that faith working through love does the will of God by turning the thought into reality which pleases Him and fulfills the royal law...
Faith without love is incomplete, residing only in the mind as knowledge, and knowledge of Gods will alone can not perfect us by saving us from sin but allowing Jesus Christ to reign in our hearts. If knowledge of Gods will alone could save us then salvation would have been through the law of Moses or even a Christian law handed down by Jesus, and there would not have been any need for Christ to die for our sins Galatians 2:21 and dwell in our hearts. If Jesus reigns in our hearts then the love of Christ also reigns because He is the manifestation of Gods love. The heart without the love of God does not have Jesus Christ and the soul without the Spirit of Christ is not born again Romans 8:9 and cannot be perfected by being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ which is true salvation and the result of faith. But the soul which manifests the love of God has been washed clean by the Holy Spirit Romans 15:16 and manifests the spirit and glory of Jesus Christ... "[source - Simon Strahler]
Which does a very good job of summarizing what love is all about.
CONCLUSION:
If one fails to lovingly warn others with respect false religion, doctrine, etc., it is quite possible Almighty God (YHWH) might reject him/her for not showing love by warning his/her neighbor. So be diligent in sounding the warning.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] PALESTINE BELONGS TO THE HEBREWS PER THE EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH THE SEEDS OF ISAAC, NOT ISHMAEL:
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [410B]
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Revelation 2:4 – 5, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
The Apostle Luke highlighted the need to repent and be one with Almighty God (YHWH) in purpose at Acts 26:12, [AV] “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” And the Apostle Saul at Revelation 2:26, [AV] said, “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Clearly, both were showing the need for repentance if we are to win God’s approval.
[2] PALESTINE BELONGS TO THE HEBREWS PER THE EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH THE SEEDS OF ISAAC, NOT ISHMAEL:
INTRODUCTION:
Let's first gain an understanding of the granting of land title. Now let's look at what land title is from an encyclopedia, <<" Title is a legal term for an owner's interest in a piece of property. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership. Conveyance of the document may be required in order to transfer ownership in the property to another person. Title is distinct from possession, a right that often accompanies ownership but is not necessarily sufficient to prove it. In many cases, both possession and title may be transferred independently of each other. [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia].">>
Land title is different from possession. Let's illustrate this with an example provided by an encyclopedia, << The three elements of title are possession, the right of possession, and the right of property. Possession is the actual holding of a thing, with or without any right thereto. The right of possession is the right to legitimacy of possession (with or without actual possession), the evidence for which is such that the law will uphold it unless a better claim is proven. The right of property is that right which, if all relevant facts were known (and allowed), would defeat all other claims. Each of these may be in a different person.
For example, suppose A steals from B, what B had previously bought in good faith from C, which C had earlier stolen from D, which had been a heirloom of D's family for generations, but had originally been stolen centuries earlier (though this fact is now forgotten by all) from E. Here A has the possession, B has an apparent right of possession (as evidenced by the purchase), D has the absolute right of possession (being the best claim that can be proven), and the heirs of E, if they knew it, have the right of property, which they cannot prove. Good title consists in uniting these three (possession, right of possession, and right of property) in the same person(s).[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia].">>
Now note, something could have been stolen, squatted on, centuries earlier but that does NOT give the person in charge title in any way.
NOW LET'S CONSIDER WHOSE LAND PALESTINE REALLY IS:
Now let's look at who was the granter of title to land in Palestine and to whom:
Genesis 15:18 records the conferring of legitimate title to the Promise Land to the Hebrews (Jews) by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael as follows for a record to all men for all of time, "In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:" (American Standard Version; ASV). That this was to be their land per the promise of the creator of all there is, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael is also made clear in Deuteronomy 10:11, "And Jehovah said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people; and they shall go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.." (ASV). And, this fact is even shown in the New Testament at Hebrews 11:9, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:" (ASV).
Now the "Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish" says this of the inheritance of the Hebrews, the promised land, <<"The land of promise is constantly spoken of as the inheritance of Israel: the land flowing with milk and honey was given to them by God. #De 4:21 Ps 105:11, &c. So when Israel returns to take possession of the land in a future day, it is still called their inheritance. #Eze 45:1, &c. This all shews that they were and will be an earthly people, but God blessed them on earth in relationship with Himself as Jehovah, and will again bless them on earth when they own the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. In connection with this God calls Israel His inheritance: He hath chosen them for His own inheritance. #Ps 33:12 78:62, &c.[source - Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish]">>
In fact the true God (YHWH) of Abraham had very specific instructions with respect the land in the area he had given them in lawful perpetuity as the supreme being, the maker of all there is as shown at Deuteronomy 19:14, "Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it." (ASV); and Job 24:1-2, "Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days? 2 Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof." (ASV); and Proverbs 22:28, "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." (ASV); and Proverbs 23:10, "Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:" (ASV). But squatters have violated all these righteous commands of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham. And as shown by Easton's Bible Dictionary, <<" Landmarks could not be removed without incurring the severe displeasure of God." [source - Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary]>>.
In fact, the Eclectic Notes on the Bible on Deuteronomy 19:14 notes, <<" Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark "Thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have fixed in thine inheritance," shows that there is a divine apportionment which is not to be interfered with. The inheritance is common to all; all are sons, children, brethren, and have a common portion in Christ and in the Spirit. But in detail each has an assigned portion, and it is to be our care, according to Deuteronomy, that our neighbour has his full portion. This is in keeping with the spirit of grace and consideration for the good of others which marks the book. We have no daughters of Zelophehad here desiring inheritance for themselves; our care here is that our neighbour's inheritance shall not be infringed upon. The inheritance is enjoyed in a neighbourly way; I can only enjoy your bit of it as you enjoy it, and therefore if I remove your landmark I really defraud myself! It is our interest to see that our neighbours enjoy their full assigned portion. In great part we enjoy the inheritance through our brethren; it is blessed to see them enjoying their portion; no one moving spiritually would wish to curtail it in the least degree. This stands in marked contrast with slaying our neighbour, even though such a thing should be done unwittingly. It emphasises the neighbourly character in which the inheritance is taken up. We get on together by fully recognising the portion assigned to each.
If any one's landmark is removed it is not only a wrong done to him, but it tends to impoverish all by interfering with the way in which God has given things. The clerical principle has greatly tended to remove landmarks, and has deprived the people of God of what divine favour would have made available in the brethren generally. The arrangements of men, and human order, are simply a removal of landmarks "which they of old time have fixed in thine inheritance." The commandments of the Lord #1Co 14:37 are fixed landmarks, and are not to be disregarded; they would give to each one his true spiritual place amongst the brethren for the benefit of all. Many of our neighbours have had their landmarks removed, and we all suffer from it, but our care should be to give full place to what is assigned by God to each. The inheritance will only be truly and spiritually enjoyed as we are set together in affection, and each holds his portion in relation to the common joy. To be self-centred, or to move independently of one's brethren, is really to lose the good of what God has given to others for our benefit as joint-heirs with them." [source - Eclectic Notes - eclectic Notes on the Bible]>>.
Another Bible dictionary says, <<"<<"Promised Land held in trust. Even the people Israel, to whom God had given the land for them to enjoy as landowners, were told by Jehovah that they were not actually owners of it but only held it in trust. He said concerning the sale of a family land estate: "So the land should not be sold in perpetuity, because the land is mine. For you are alien residents and settlers from my standpoint." (Le 25:23) God had ousted the Canaanites from the land for their disgusting practices. He warned he would also take away all title from Israel and drive them out of the land if they followed such practices, and when they later did, they were sent into exile. (Le 18:24-30; 25:18, 19; 26:27-33; Jer 52:27) After 70 years of desolation of their land, from 607 to 537 B.C.E., God mercifully reestablished them, but this time under Gentile domination. Eventually, in 70 C.E., the Romans completely destroyed Jerusalem and scattered its people.
Within the nation, tribes were assigned sections of the land or cities inside the boundaries of other tribes. Priests and Levites had cities with pasture grounds. (Jos 15-21) In turn, within the tribes families were allotted inheritances. These divisions became smaller as families subdivided their own allotments because of increase in numbers. This resulted in thorough cultivation and use of the land. Inheritances were not allowed to circulate from one tribe to another. To prevent this, women who inherited land (because there were no living brothers) had to marry within the tribe to hold their inheritance.-Nu 36:1-12." [source - Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2]>>.
Earliest grant of title takes precedence over later grants:
Now, how does this apply to the granting of title to the land of Palestine? Well the grant of title to Palestine is the oldest recorded grant of title in all human history and occurred about 1,500 B.C., by the creator of all there is, and was in fulfillment of an earlier promise that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael had made to Abraham. Therefore, with respect the land of Palestine, the land was granted to the Hebrews, the descendents of Abraham through Isaac, and it was granted before any other land was granted to anyone. So title to the land of Palestine was granted by the highest possible authority and was the first grant of legitimate title ever made; therefore, the grantees, the Hebrews, have the strongest possible title due to the fact the grantor was the highest possible authority and it was granted at the earliest time.
Of course some try to deny that by questioning the Bible, but their objection is without standing. Let's look at the facts. Of course many members of Islam reject what the Bible says, but is this reasonable considering that their Quran like the Book of Mormon is nothing but a knockoff of the Bible? Now the well known rule of precedence is that the earlier document shall have precedence over the later that used information from it just as the earlier granting of land title takes precedence in any title search or action at law over the later. Many overlook the fact that the Bible is NOT the product of one committee or strongman as was the Quran and the Book of Mormon. It has over 40 individual writers who wrote under divine inspiration/guidance putting the thoughts of God (YHWH) into the words of men much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. In other words one real author, God (YHWH), and many scribes each of whom wrote in his own style over a period of approximately 1,600 years. All of what people call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.
ISLMIC DENIALS OF THE TRUTH, THE FACTS:
One member of Islam said, <<" Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. [Genesis 12:1-3]
God in this verse is speaking to Abraham and NOT the Jews or Isaac exclusively. Abraham's "nation" was through prophet Isaac (through which Moses and Jesus were born) AND ALSO through prophet Ishamel (through which prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) was born. So you cannot filter out the Muslims here.">>, but missed what was said at Genesis 17:15-22, "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 [b]And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham." (AV). So as can be seen from verse 19 and 22 that the everlasting covenant would be ONLY through Abraham's seed through Isaac and NOT through Abraham's seed through Ishmael.
So we can see that many in Islam delude themselves with respect whether the everlasting covenant was established with both Ishmael and Isaac; when in reality it WAS ONLY ESTABLISHED with Isaac.
OTHER BACKUP FOR TITLE TO PALESTINE:
First, One Muslim actually posted an article on Jews in Yemen that contained the following account proving that the land belongs to the Hebrews,
<<" Perhaps this is a moment to be less visionary and more historical. Perhaps also we need to re-focus from how the Middle East problem looks from the perspective of top-down peace-making efforts in distant Oslo or even Camp David to a closer look at the fabric of coexistence of Sephardic and Oriental Jewries with Muslim and Arab societies during the 13 centuries before the re-founding of Israel. In this way, we may be able to discover threads of understanding that might lead us at least part of the way through the maze of current perplexities. In particular, might yet the Yemeni Jewish historical trajectory, from the Arab World to Israel, provide unexplored avenues for narrowing the Muslim-Jewish divide?" [source - http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=1690 ]>>.
Now notice this clearly shows that the Hebrews had occupied the land that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael and established a nation that existed for over 1,000 years when it says, <<" the 13 centuries before the re-founding of Israel.">>, so those saying Israel is a new nation clearly do NOT know what they are speaking about, actually it is the oldest operating government on earth that just took a hiatus for some centuries. Now where was this kingdom? It is in the land called Palestine.
Second, The New Compact Bible Dictionary published by Zondervan Books says this with respect the site where the squatting Dome of the Rock Mosque sits, <<"Temple, the name given to complex of buildings in Jerusalem which was the center of the sacrifical cult for the Hebrews. Three temples stood successively on Mt. Moriah (II Chron. 3:1) in Jerusalem: Solomon's, Zerubbabel's, and Herod the Great's....the Dome of the Rock Mosque which stands on the site of the Temples of Solomon and Herod.">> so clearly this land belongs to the Hebrews even though it was swiped from them by <<" Islamic tradition holds that when Muslims first entered the city of Jerusalem under the leadership of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (also known as Umar or Omar) in 637, the ruins of the Temple were being used as a rubbish dump by the Christian inhabitants, perhaps in order to humiliate the Jews and fulfill Jesus' prophecy that not a stone would be left standing on another there; Caliph Omar (contemporary of Muhammad, who had died a few years earlier), ordered it cleaned and performed prayer there. According to some sources, he also ordered a mosque to be constructed at the spot, upon which site the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built several decades later." [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on Temple Mount]>>. However, no where did Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab ever buy the land and/or obtain title from the Hebrews who held rightful title and ownership.
The modern government of the Hebrews has been most graceful in permitting the continued squatting of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on property to which they hold title and have not even requested rent from the land so illegally occupied. Now some may question, WRONGLY, the Hebrews ownership, but the restrictions placed on Jews visiting this area solidify the point beyond doubt as follows, <<" The Rabbis have ruled that Jews may not enter specific areas (approximately 15%) of the Temple Mount [3] because of the danger of entering the area of the Temple courtyard and the difficulty of fulfilling the ritual requirement of cleansing oneself with the ashes of a red heifer (see Numbers 19), and declared it punishable with kareth, or death by heavenly decree [4]. The boundaries of the areas to be avoided, while having large portions in common, are delineated differently by various rabbinic authorities.
Many Rabbis have "imposed a blanket ban on access for Jews to the entire Temple Mount"[5], given the uncertainty about the location of the permitted areas, an opinion still supported by Rabbis such as Ovadia Yosef, Avraham Shapiro, Eliahu Bakshi-Doron, and Israel Lau. In August 1967, the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Isser Yehuda Unterman and Yitzhak Nissim, in concert with other leading rabbis, asserted that "For generations we have warned against and refrained from entering any part of the Temple Mount."
However, many other rabbis, including Shlomo Goren, former Chief rabbi of Israel, Chaim David Halevi, Dov Lior, Yosef Elboim, Ysrael Ariel, Shar Yeshuv Hacoen and Yuval Sharlo have "strongly encouraged" Jews to visit the permitted sections of the Temple Mount. [6]. During Maimonides' residence in Jerusalem, a synagogue stood on the Temple Mount alongside other structures; Maimonides prayed there. The law committee of the Masorti movement (Conservative Judaism in Israel) has issued two responsa on the subject, both holding that Jews may visit the permitted sections of the Temple Mount. One responsa allows such visits, another encourages them." [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on Temple Mount]>>.
Even Muslim's have acknowledged that the Al-Aqsa Mosque sits on the site of the Temple of Solomon, property of the Hebrew nation as follows, <<"The main reason that the Temple Mount is holy in Judaism is that it was the site of the Temple. This fact provides a reason for its holiness in Islam; it is still considered to be the orthodox Islamic position. A Brief Guide to al-Haram al-Sharif, a booklet published in 1930 by the "Supreme Moslem Council", a body established by the British government to administer waqfs and headed by Hajj Amin al-Husayni during the British Mandate period, states:
"The site is one of the oldest in the world. Its sanctity dates from the earliest times. Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings." A footnote refers the reader to 2 Samuel 26:25.
More recent examples include a fatwa issued by the Saudi Sheikh M. S. al-Munajjid, quoted on IslamOnline, 18 March 2001, stating that: Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) was the first of the two qiblahs (prayer direction), and is one of the three mosques to which people may travel for the purpose of worship. And it was said that it was built by Sulayman (Solomon), as stated in Sunan an-Nasa'i and classed as authentic by al-Albani." [source - - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on Temple Mount]>>.
So there can be NO disputing that a great Hebrew nation existed and had title given by the highest authority possible, the creator of all there is, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, and that they built cities and grand temples on this land granted to them.
Third, Another Bible dictionary with a more amplified account of the Temple of Solomon says, <<"A divine habitation, sacred place or sanctuary, either physical or spiritual, that is employed for worship. The Hebrew word heh·khal', translated "temple," also means "palace." The Greek hi·e·ron' and na·os' are both rendered "temple" and may refer to the entire temple complex or to its central edifice; na·os', meaning "sanctuary" or "divine habitation (dwelling)," at times refers specifically to the sacred inner rooms of the temple.
Solomon's Temple. King David entertained a strong desire to build a house for Jehovah, to contain the ark of the covenant, which was "dwelling in the middle of tent cloths." Jehovah was pleased with David's proposal but told him that, because he had shed much blood in warfare, his son (Solomon) would be privileged to do the building. This was not to say that God did not approve David's wars fought in behalf of Jehovah's name and His people. But the temple was to be built in peace by a man of peace.-2Sa 7:1-16; 1Ki 5:3-5; 8:17; 1Ch 17:1-14; 22:6-10.
Cost. Later David purchased the threshing floor of Ornan (Araunah) the Jebusite on Mount Moriah as the temple site. (2Sa 24:24, 25; 1Ch 21:24, 25)[[Note, King David purchased the land from his subject to build the temple and did not swipe it as Muslim Calips later did; therefore, he had good title.]] He amassed 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and copper and iron in great abundance, besides contributing from his personal fortune 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of silver. He also received as contributions from the princes, gold worth 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics and silver worth 10,000 talents, as well as much iron and copper. (1Ch 22:14; 29:3-7) This total, amounting to 108,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold and 1,017,000 talents of silver, would be worth $48,337,047,000 at current values. His son Solomon did not spend the entire amount in building the temple; the remainder he put in the temple treasury.-1Ki 7:51; 2Ch 5:1.
Workmen. King Solomon began building the temple for Jehovah in the fourth year of his reign (1034 B.C.E.), in the second month, Ziv, following the architectural plan that David had received by inspiration. (1Ki 6:1; 1Ch 28:11-19) The work continued over a seven-year period. (1Ki 6:37, 38) In exchange for wheat, barley, oil, and wine, Hiram king of Tyre supplied timbers from Lebanon along with skilled workers in wood and stone, and one special expert, also named Hiram, whose father was a Tyrian and his mother an Israelitess of the tribe of Naphtali. This man was a fine workman in gold, silver, copper, iron, wood, stones, and fabrics.-1Ki 5:8-11, 18; 7:13, 14, 40, 45; 2Ch 2:13-16.
In organizing the work, Solomon conscripted 30,000 men out of Israel, sending them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 for a month, with a two-month stay at home between shifts. (1Ki 5:13, 14) As burden bearers, he conscripted 70,000 from among the "alien residents" in the land, and as cutters, 80,000. (1Ki 5:15; 9:20, 21; 2Ch 2:2) As foremen over the work, Solomon appointed 550 men and apparently 3,300 as assistants. (1Ki 5:16; 9:22, 23) It appears that, of these, 250 were Israelites and 3,600 were "alien residents" in Israel.-2Ch 2:17, 18...
History. This temple existed until 607 B.C.E., when it was destroyed by the Babylonian army under King Nebuchadnezzar. (2Ki 25:9; 2Ch 36:19; Jer 52:13) Because of the falling away of Israel to false religion, God permitted the nations to harass Judah and Jerusalem, at times stripping the temple of its treasures. The temple also suffered periods of neglect. King Shishak of Egypt robbed it of its treasures (993 B.C.E.) in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon, only about 33 years after its inauguration. (1Ki 14:25, 26; 2Ch 12:9) King Asa (977-937 B.C.E.) had respect for Jehovah's house, but to protect Jerusalem he foolishly bribed King Ben-hadad I of Syria, with silver and gold from the treasures of the temple, to break his covenant with Baasha king of Israel.-1Ki 15:18, 19; 2Ch 15:17, 18; 16:2, 3.
After a period of turbulence and neglect of the temple, King Jehoash of Judah (898-859 B.C.E.) oversaw its repair. (2Ki 12:4-12; 2Ch 24:4-14) In the days of his son Amaziah, Jehoash king of Israel robbed it. (2Ki 14:13, 14) King Jotham (777-762 B.C.E.) did some construction work on the temple area, building "the upper gate." (2Ki 15:32, 35; 2Ch 27:1, 3) King Ahaz of Judah (761-746 B.C.E.) not only sent the treasures of the temple to Tiglath-pileser III, king of Assyria, as a bribe but he also polluted the temple by building an altar patterned after one in Damascus and by replacing the copper altar of the temple with it. (2Ki 16:5-16) Finally he closed the doors of Jehovah's house.-2Ch 28:24.
Ahaz' son Hezekiah (745-717 B.C.E.) did what he could to undo the bad works of his father. At the very beginning of his reign, he reopened the temple and had it cleaned up. (2Ch 29:3, 15, 16) However, later on, for fear of Sennacherib king of Assyria, he cut off the doors and the doorposts of the temple that he himself had caused to be overlaid with gold and sent them to Sennacherib.-2Ki 18:15, 16.
But when Hezekiah died, the temple entered a half century of desecration and disrepair. His son Manasseh (716-662 B.C.E.) went beyond any of Judah's previous kings in wickedness, setting up altars "to all the army of the heavens in two courtyards of the house of Jehovah." (2Ki 21:1-5; 2Ch 33:1-4) By the time of Manasseh's grandson Josiah (659-629 B.C.E.), the formerly magnificent edifice was in a state of disrepair. Evidently it was in a disorganized or cluttered condition, for High Priest Hilkiah's finding the book of the Law (likely an original scroll written by Moses) was an exciting discovery. (2Ki 22:3-13; 2Ch 34:8-21) After the temple's repair and cleansing, the greatest Passover since the days of Samuel the prophet was celebrated. (2Ki 23:21-23; 2Ch 35:17-19) This was during the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. (Jer 1:1-3) From this time until the temple's destruction, it remained open and in use by the priesthood, though many of the priests were corrupt.
The Temple Built by Zerubbabel. As foretold by Jehovah's prophet Isaiah, God raised up Cyrus king of Persia as a liberator of Israel from the power of Babylon. (Isa 45:1) Jehovah also stirred up his own people under the leadership of Zerubbabel of the tribe of Judah to return to Jerusalem. This they did in 537 B.C.E., after 70 years of desolation, as Jeremiah had foretold, for the purpose of rebuilding the temple. (Ezr 1:1-6; 2:1, 2; Jer 29:10) This structure, though not nearly so glorious as Solomon's temple, endured longer, standing for nearly 500 years, from 515 B.C.E. to very late in the first century B.C.E. (The temple built by Solomon had served about 420 years, from 1027 to 607 B.C.E.)
In Cyrus' decree he ordered: "As for anyone that is left from all the places where he is residing as an alien, let the men of his place assist him with silver and with gold and with goods and with domestic animals along with the voluntary offering for the house of the true God, which was in Jerusalem." (Ezr 1:1-4) Cyrus also returned 5,400 vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Solomon's temple.-Ezr 1:7-11.
In the seventh month (Ethanim, or Tishri) of the year 537 B.C.E., the altar was set up; and in the following year, the foundation of the new temple was laid. As Solomon had done, the builders hired Sidonians and Tyrians to bring cedar timbers from Lebanon. (Ezr 3:7) Opposition, particularly from the Samaritans, disheartened the builders, and after about 15 years those opposers even incited the king of Persia to ban the work.-Ezr 4...
The Temple Rebuilt by Herod. This temple is not described in any detail in the Scriptures. The primary source is Josephus, who personally saw the structure and who reports on its construction in The Jewish War and Jewish Antiquities. The Jewish Mishnah supplies some information, and a little is gained from archaeology. Therefore the description set forth here is from these sources, which in some instances may be open to question.-PICTURE, Vol. 2, p. 543.
In The Jewish War (I, 401 [xxi, 1]), Josephus says that Herod rebuilt the temple in the 15th year of his reign, but in Jewish Antiquities (XV, 380 [xi, 1]), he says it was in the 18th year. This latter date is generally accepted by scholars, although the beginning of Herod's reign, or how Josephus calculated it, is not established with certainty. The sanctuary itself took 18 months to build, but the courtyards, and so forth, were under construction for eight years. When certain Jews approached Jesus Christ in 30 C.E., saying, "This temple was built in forty-six years" (Joh 2:20), these Jews were apparently talking about the work that continued on the complex of courts and buildings up until then. The work was not finished until about six years before the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E.
Because of hatred and distrust of Herod, the Jews would not permit him to rebuild the temple, as he proposed, until he had everything prepared for the new building. For the same reason they did not consider this temple as a third one, but only as a rebuilt one, speaking only of the first and second temples (Solomon's and Zerubbabel's).
As to Josephus' measurements, Smith's Dictionary of the Bible (1889, Vol. IV, p. 3203) says: "His horizontal dimensions are so minutely accurate that we almost suspect he had before his eyes, when writing, some ground-plan of the building prepared in the quartermaster-general's department of Titus's army. They form a strange contrast with his dimensions in height, which, with scarcely an exception, can be shown to be exaggerated, generally doubled. As the buildings were all thrown down during the siege, it was impossible to convict him of error in respect to elevations." [source - Insight to the Scripture, Vol. 2]>>.
EVERLASTING COVENANT ESTABLISHED WITH WHOM?
One member of Islam said, <<""A great Nation" Who is the "great nation" in the world that was promissed in that verse? It is a fact the Muslims are all over the world and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, starting 600 years after Christianity.
"and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing"
When Muslims prayer 5 times a day, we mention Abraham by name and mentions the blessings that Allah had bestowed on Him and his descendants. We say:
"O Allah, bless our Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you have blessed Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely you are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. O Allah, be gracious unto Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you were gracious unto Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely you are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious" (http://muslim-canada.org/salaat.html#salawat)
We repeat this no less than 15 times during the 5 daily prayers in a day. And those who perform additional prayers, they recite these words many more times. At any moment in time, people are praying one of their prescribed 5 daily prayers around the world, some are praying (1) the morning prayer before sunrise, some are praying (2) the afternoon prayer, some, (3) the evening prayer before sunset, some, (4) the evening prayer after sunset and some, (5) the night prayer. And consider that everyday millions of Muslims are praying 5 times a day around the world, and if you add this up, that it a lot of praising and glorifying the Holy Prophet and Abraham and his decendants (pbut) constantly all the time.">>, but clearly overlook once more the fact that, yes, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham said Ishmael would be a great nation per Genesis 17:20, "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (AV). However, nowhere did the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael EVER SAY THE EVERLASTING COVENANT would come through Ishmael's line, but clearly said it would come through the line of Isaac, his half brother the son of Abraham's wife Sarah at Genesis 17:4-17, "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. 15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." (AV). As can clearly be seen, deluded members of Islam look at Genesis 17:7-9 and say Ah we are the everlasting covenant people, but fail to notice Genesis 17:15-16 and Genesis 17:19 which clearly shows they ARE NOT PART OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT as that comes through Abraham's seed Isaac and NOT Ishmael.
This fact is clearly noted in a world renown Bible commentary as follows, <<"19, 20. The blessings of the covenant are reserved for Isaac, but common blessings were abundantly promised to Ishmael; and though the visible Church did not descend from his family, yet personally he might, and it is to be hoped did, enjoy its benefits." [source - Jamieson, Faussett, Brown (JFB) Commentary]>>; and in the Eclectic Notes on The Bible, <<"thou shalt call his name Isaac: Abraham intercedes for Ishmael, but God dwells on Isaac- 'Laughter'. Faith can laugh when God acts purely from Himself, and in His own power. Abraham could not laugh over Ishmael, because what was of the flesh came in there, but the one who could laugh over Isaac could pray, in the sense of grace, for Ishmael. Ishmael speaks of Israel according to the flesh. God would bless him in hearing prayer-a finger-post to blessing for Israel if they had taken note of it- but Isaac was the one with whom His covenant would be established, the One brought in in resurrection power, as Rom. 4 would suggest. God's goodness was there for Ishmael. He ever cared for stubborn and rebellious Israel-a nation truly like Ishmael, "a wild ass of a man". But whenever a cry of need came, even from perverse and rebellious Israel, God heard it. Ishmael's history would have been most instructive for Israel if they had taken heed to it. God was saying to them by it, If you only cry to me you will get blessing. But they were too proud to take the place of need, and therefore they missed the blessing. They claimed the privileges of the covenant without realising what was involved in the sign of the covenant. Therefore they did not keep the covenant; they always had confidence in the flesh; they were never truly circumcised. God had to tell them that they were uncircumcised in heart and ears. And that is why they are now fallen and cut off. Their history is a solemn warning to all who take up divine things in a fleshly way." [source - Eclectic Notes on The Bible]>>; and the Geneva Bible Footnotes says, <<"17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an {g} everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him.
(g) The everlasting covenant is made with the children of the Spirit. A temporary promise is made with the children of the flesh, as was promised to Ishmael." [source - Geneva Bible Footnotes of 1599]>>. So it can be seen they have deluded themselves once more by not considering the Biblical caveats.
ISLAM THRIVES ON DECEIT AND MISLEADING WITH REGARD TO WHICH OF ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN THE EVERLASTING COVENANT APPLIES TO:
One member of Islam said, <<"This is the exactly how trouble began with the Jews. Because God promissed the land to Abraham and his decendants, the Jews became jealous and rebellious and wanted to claim the land all for themselves without giving any share to Ishmael's descendants. (They still don't want to share it with anyone.)
The trouble began in the next chapter with the realization that Abraham had as yet no children with which to fulfill the covenant!!! Before the covenent was made, Abraham had only one wife (Sarah). Both Abraham and Sarah were in old age (around 90) and therefore chances of producing a child now were very low.
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." ( Genesis 16:1-2) Abram agreed and did what Sarai said.
So Sarah got Hagar married to Abraham, perhaps she could bear Abraham a son, and indeed she did bore him a son. He was called Ishmael and was therefore half Hebrew and half Egyptian (Abraham was Hebrew [i.e. not a Jew but more of an Arab] and Hagar was Egyptian [again not a Jewess]). When Hagar became pregnant, Sarah realised what was about to happen, that the son of Hagar would be the inheritor of Abraham, so she began to mock and abuse Hagar. This is when God sends an angel to Hagar with the message:
"You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Gen. 16:11)
Please note the context of the verse you just read and tell me how the words "he will be a wild donkey of a man" fit in this verse? God wants to heal the wounds of Hagar because she was being mocked and teased and he sends a message to calm her and give her hope and good news. Does it make sense therefore that God begins to say words like "He will be a wild donkey of a man" while trying to heal her wounds?? No it doesn't. It only makes sense that later on when the Jews realised the truth, they editted the books of moses and tried to make Ishmael (the first born of Abraham) look really bad.
(compare with this verse from the Holy Qur'an: Then woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say: "This is from Allah", to traffic with it for a miserable price. Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby" [Holy Qur'an 2:75])
Now Isaac was born when Ishmael was 13 years old. When Isaac was around two years old, Sarah saw that Ishmael was mocking with him. So she got angry and became jealous of him and told Abraham to send Ishmael and Hagar away from here. So Hagar and Ishmael were forced to flees into the desert where she finds refuge beside a spring of water (called ZamZam water in Arabic):
The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." [Genesis 21:8-10]
"... she [Sarah] said unto Abraham: 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac...' And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba." (Genesis 21:9,10,14) (very sad)
So there was always jelousy on the parts of Jews and descendants of Isaac. Those verses speak about covenant being made to Abraham and his decendants and not to the Jews or Isaac alone. Don't get me wrong. We Muslims do not say that Isaac was not blessed. We say that he too was blessed and we believe him as one the most righteous prophets of God. We just don't like the fact that the Jews and Christians exclude Ishmael and his descendants from the covenents when in fact God Himself has mentioned in many verses in the Bible that he will make Ishmael a "great nation":">>
Now most of this has already been debunked in the answers to SELF-DECEPTION PART 2, so refer back to that.
Also, Numbers 34:1-29 makes clear that the everlasting covenant and land grant was CLEARLY ONLY WITH ISRAEL THE DESCENDENTS OF ISAAC AS FOLLOWS, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) 3 Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: 4 And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon: 5 And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea. 6 And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border. 7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: 8 From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad: 9 And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border. 10 And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham: 11 And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward: 12 And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about. 13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: 14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: 15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising. 16 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 17 These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance. 19 And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23 The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. 29 These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan." (AV). So it is easy to see that their claims are just delusional and have no basis in fact, reality, the truth.
CONCLUSION:
Many in Islam are delusional and do not recognize reality as was clearly shown by using some of their writings and bouncing them against the facts. Makes one think of John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).
This fact is clearly shown by the inability of many to distinguish between cause and effect in the crisis between Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Israel (year 2006). Many point to the number killed and which side did it, i.e., hospital in Israel and town of Qana in Lebanon, but ignore the fact that both are but effects of a causative act. Now the causative act that resulted in so much adverse effects, destruction and death, was a surprise unprovoked across boarder attack by a criminal organization, Hezbollah, given tacit approval by the government of Lebanon who even permits members of this group to be members of its parliament. So this attack was the 'trigger' and/or cause responsible for all the adverse effects, death and destruction, that results; therefore, total responsibility for all the effects rest solely on this criminal organization and the Lebanese government for permitting their operation in Lebanon.
The same holds true for Islam's belief in ERROR put forth by greedy Ishmalites, that hold over 98 percent of the entire middle east, yet are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews to occupy the less than 2 percent given them by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael that Ishmael. Why? Simply, they do NOT want to recognize who really was the promised seed; whereas, in reality it was Isaac as made clear at Genesis 17:19-21, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." (AV). So this scripture makes it clear that Isaac is the line through which the covenant is made, and NOT Ishmael, who was only stated to become a 'great nation.'
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG [/b]
MANY TRY TO TWIST THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE TO SUPPORT THEIR FALSE IDEAS, 411B
There is a book that by its many pages, Brings peace and joy and hope to humankind. Its wondrous thoughts are charged with such great power; It brings life to the “dead,” sight to the “blind.”, That precious book is God’s own Holy Bible. Its words were penned by men whom God inspired, By men who truly loved their God Jehovah, And by his holy spirit they were fired. [SOURCE = RETRIVED FROM “Sing Out Joyfully to Jehovah: ON 30/10 / 2019]
HOW SO? LET’S LOOK AT HOW BELIEVERS IN QURAN TWIST IT AT 61:6 TO TRY AND CLAIM MUHAMMAD IS FOUND IN THE BIBLE;
“Pickthall
And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic.
Sahih Intl
And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad." But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic."
Yusuf Ali
And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, "this is evident sorcery!"’
BUT REALLY THE SCRIPTURE THEY ARE REFERRING TO IN THE HOLY BIBLE SUPPORTS NO SUCH THING. IT REFERS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE MESSENGER AND NOT MUHAMMAD. THE PRIMARY SCRIPTURE IN THE BIBLE THEY ARE REFERRING TO IS JOHN 14:26 THAT READS AS FOLLOWS:
But the helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you. [New World Translation Revised; NWTR]
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. [Authorized King James; AV]
but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, *he* shall teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all the things which I have said to you. [Darby Bible of 1890; DARBY]
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. [English Standard Version; ESV]
and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you. [Youngs Literal Translation of the Bible; YOUNGS]
NOW LET’S CONSIDER JUST WHO OR WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS BY FIRST CONSIDERING WHAT THE WORD SPIRIT REFERS TO PER A BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA:
“The Greek pneu?ma (spirit) comes from pne?o, meaning “breathe or blow,” and the Hebrew ru?ach (spirit) is believed to come from a root having the same meaning. Ru?ach and pneu?ma, then, basically mean “breath” but have extended meanings beyond that basic sense. (Compare Hab 2:19; Re 13:15.) They can also mean wind; the vital force in living creatures; one’s spirit; spirit persons, including God and his angelic creatures; and God’s active force, or holy spirit. (Compare Koehler and Baumgartner’s Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, Leiden, 1958, pp. 877-879; Brown, Driver, and Briggs’ Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1980, pp. 924-926; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by G. Friedrich, translated by G. Bromiley, 1971, Vol. VI, pp. 332-451.) All these meanings have something in common: They all refer to that which is invisible to human sight and which gives evidence of force in motion. Such invisible force is capable of producing visible effects.
Another Hebrew word, nesha·mah? (Ge 2:7), also means “breath,” but it is more limited in range of meaning than ru?ach. The Greek pno·e? seems to have a similar limited sense (Ac 17:25) and was used by the Septuagint translators to render nesha·mah? [SOURCE = RETRIVED FROM Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1 ON 30/10/ 2019]
NOW LET’S LOOK AT HOLY SPIRIT IN SPECIFIC:
“God’s Active Force; Holy Spirit. By far the majority of occurrences of ru?ach and pneu?ma relate to God’s spirit, his active force, his holy spirit.
Not a person. Not until the fourth century C.E. did the teaching that the holy spirit was a person and part of the “Godhead” become official church dogma. Early church “fathers” did not so teach; Justin Martyr of the second century C.E. taught that the holy spirit was an ‘influence or mode of operation of the Deity’; Hippolytus likewise ascribed no personality to the holy spirit. The Scriptures themselves unite to show that God’s holy spirit is not a person but is God’s active force by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will.
It may first be noted that the words “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (KJ) found in older translations at 1 John 5:7 are actually spurious additions to the original text. A footnote in The Jerusalem Bible, a Catholic translation, says that these words are “not in any of the early Greek MSS [manuscripts], or any of the early translations, or in the best MSS of the Vulg[ate] itself.” A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, by Bruce Metzger (1975, pp. 716-718), traces in detail the history of the spurious passage. It states that the passage is first found in a treatise entitled Liber Apologeticus, of the fourth century, and that it appears in Old Latin and Vulgate manuscripts of the Scriptures, beginning in the sixth century. Modern translations as a whole, both Catholic and Protestant, do not include them in the main body of the text, because of recognizing their spurious nature.—RS, NE, NAB.” [SOURCE = RETRIVED FROM Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1 ON 30/10/ 2019]
IN REALITY WE CAN THINK OR UNDERSTAND THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ELECTRICAL TERMS BY THINKING OF ALMIGHTY GOD AS THE ELECTRICAL POWER PLANT AND THE HOLY SPIRIT AS ELECTRICITY EMITTING FROM THIS ENERGY SOURCE. CLEARLY, NO EARTHLY MAN IS THE HOLY SPIRIT; THEREFORE THIS, JOHN 14:26 AND SIMILAR SCRIPTURES, THAT SOME MUSLIMS ARE FANCIFULLY TWISTING TO CLAIM THIS AND SIMILAR SCRIPTURES POINT IN ANY WAY TO THE FALSE PROPHET MUHAMMAD. ALSO, REMEMBER THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS BOTH ALMIGHTY GOD’S SON AND THE PRINCE OF PEACE. THIS WOULD CLEARLY ELIMINATE A VIOLENT MAN, WHO COMMITTED GENOCIDE BY KILLING AND ENTIRE JEWISH TRIBE – MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN [SOURCE = RETRIVED FROM “ http://www.inquiryintoislam.com/2015/06/muhammad-and-genocide-of-jews.html ‘ ON 30/10/ 2019] , WHO WAS A HIGHWAY ROBBER IN THAT HE ROBBED A CARAVAN, AND WAS A PEDOPHILE WHO MARRIED A SIX YEAR OLD FEMALE AND CONSUMMATED IT WHEN SHE WAS NINE YEARS OLD [SOURCE = RETRIVED FROM “Sahih al-Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 234” ON 30/10/2019], EVEN IF AS THE MUSLIMS CLAIM THIS AND SIMILAR SCRIPTURES APPLIED TO AN EARTHLY MAN WHICH IT DOES NOT AS THE NEXT SCRIPTURE CLEARLY SHOWS IT COULD NOT APPLY TO MUHAMMAD:
JOHN 14:27 SAYS, “ I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give it to you the way that the world gives it. Do not let your hearts be troubled nor let them shrink out of fear” [New World Translation Revised; NWTR]
CLEARLY, MUSLIM CLERICS AND SCHOLARS UNDERSTANDING WITH RESPECT THE HOLY BIBLE IS MOST DEFICIENT OR THEY WOULD NEVER PRETEND TO FIND A VIOLENT MAN SUCH AS MUHAMMAD, SOME OF HIS EVIL ACTS PREVIOUSLY LISTED AS BEING THE HELPER JESUS CHRIST, THE PRINCE OF PEACE AND SON OF ALMIGHTY GOD AS SENDING AS THE HELPER.
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[/b] COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] WORLD GONE MAD - LEBANON A CASE STUDY
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [412B]
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalms 90:12, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Yes, our days are numbered, and as Deuteronomy 32:28 - 29, [AV] “For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. 29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” This reality is further emphases at Psalms 51:6, [AV] “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
[2] WORLD GONE MAD - LEBANON A CASE STUDY
INTRODUCTION:
Are we living in the last days foretold at Matthew 24:7, "For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places." (The Darby Bible; DB). The 20th. Century was the most murderous period in recorded history and the beginning of the 21th is already starting to show a worst record. The Worldwatch Institute states: "Three times as many people fell victim to war in the 20th century as in all the wars from the first century AD to 1899." Even if we know the sorrow of losing one's loved ones in warfare, it is still hard to imagine such misery and pain multiplied millions of times.
What is behind all this hate and turmoil? The source is given at Ephesians 6:12-13, "because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against principalities, against authorities, against the universal lords of this darkness, against spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies.
13 For this reason take to you the panoply of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having accomplished all things, to stand." (AV).
A lot of this hate and turmoil today is being caused by members of a religion that claims to be a religion of peace, but spews out hatters and those causing turmoil as if there is no tomorrow. In this case study, we will learn the facts through a case study of the recent Lebanese-Israel battle of July-August 2006.
A LOOK AT THE FACTS WITH RESPECT A RELIGION THAT CLAIMS TO BE A RELIGION OF PEACE:
Let's see what the Weekend Australian (newspaper) had to say on the matter,
Quote:
" Did you know that 90-95% of the conflicts in the world today are Muslims fighting non-muslims or each other?
Islam is intolerant of other religions, so much so that Christians in Nigeria, Sudan and middle eastern countries are killed for practicing their religion. Muslims are also responsible for burning down their churches. Sydney has recently seen an attack on four churches for similar reasons. (December 16, 2005) How can we tolerate such intolerance?" [source - The Weekend Australian, November 26-27, 2005]
Now, let's consider the facts as continually revealed in the world news that shows if any thing that the newspaper editor may have been a little low when he said 95 percent of the violence in the world was caused by Muslims. Let's look at some facts:
(1) World Trade Center - 9/11 - unprovoked attack and mass murder by Muslims.
(2) London Subway Bombing by Muslims
(3) Continued mosque bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(4) Suicide bombings in Israel by Muslims.
(5) Suicide bombing of a wedding reception in Jordan by Muslims.
(6) Daily roadside bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(7) Train bombings in Spain my Muslims.
(8) Riots and car burnings and murders in France by Muslims.
(9) Suicide bombings in Iraq by Muslims, a daily occurrence.
(10) Car and truck bombings in Iraq by Muslims, a daily occurrence.
(11) Unprovoked murder of 8 Israelis and the kidnapping of 2 by Muslims to provoke turmoil and violence in Lebanon and Israel by Muslims.
(12) Unprovoked murder of 2 Israelis and the kidnapping of 1 by Muslims to provoke turmoil and violence in Gaza by Muslims.
(13) Bombing of restaurants and cafes in Bali, Indonesia by Muslims.
(14) Bombing of a trains in India by Muslims.
(15) Take over of a grammar school in Russia resulting in the deaths of many students by Muslims.
(16) Attempted shoe-bombing of a plain by a Muslim.
(17) Conspiracy to bomb about 10 planes going from UK by Muslims.
(18) Attempted murder of several Indian politicians in Kashmir by Muslims.
(19) Many violent acts by Muslims in Afghanistan, a daily occurrence.
(20) Murder of a girl by Shiite Muslims in Iran.
(21) And the list could go on and on, get it?
Says a lot about a religion that claims to be a religion of peace, but spawns those filled with hate and violence. Obviously, there is a major problem here that is NOT being effectively dealt with. As one forward looking group of Muslims that are NOT hiding from the facts said,
<<"[b]Muslims must look inward and put a stop to many of our religious leaders who spend most of their sermons teaching hatred, intolerance and violent jihad. We should not be afraid to admit that as Muslims we have a problem with violent extremism. We should not be afraid to admit that so many of our religious leaders belong behind bars and not behind a pulpit. Only moderate Muslims can challenge and defeat extremist Muslims. We can no longer afford to be silent. If we remain silent to the extremism within our community then we should not expect anyone to listen to us when we complain of stereotyping and discrimination by non-Muslims; we should not be surprised when the world treats all of us as terrorists; we should not be surprised when we are profiled at airports. Simply put, not only do Muslims need to join the war against terror, we need to take the lead in this war." [source - Free Muslim Coalition, http://www.freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=148] >>.
A CASE STUDY OF MUSLIM (Shia) CAUSED VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL-LEBANON IN 2006:
Status quo, For years there has been no serious violence along the boarder between Israel and Lebanon and the neighbors for the most part have co-existed peacefully. The only violence had been occasional rockets shot at Israel by a criminal organization, Hezbollah who the Lebanese government had given sanctuary. Lebanon had been warned by the United Nations to disarm all militias such as the criminal organization of Hezbollah, but did not do so.
Disruption of status quo, In mid July 2006 the evil criminal organization of Hezbollah choose to disrupt the mostly peaceful status quo and pull the proverbial trigger to ignite a major battle due to their unwarranted hate and lust for violence.
How did they pull the proverbial trigger and with what results? In mid July they sent a group of murders and kidnappers across an international boundary to murder eight Israelis and to kidnap two Israelis. This was the wicked spark that ignited a real battle that took over 900 lives and caused major property damage.
Of course, the criminal organization of Hezbollah is completely responsible for all that resulted from their unwarranted criminal act. However, many in IslamT clearly show they have the inability to distinguish between cause and effect in the crisis between Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Israel (year 2006). Many point to the number killed and which side did it, i.e., hospital in Israel and town of Qana in Lebanon, but ignore the fact that both are but effects of a causative act. Now the causative act that resulted in so much adverse effects, destruction and death, was a surprise unprovoked across boarder attack by a criminal organization, Hezbollah, given tacit approval by the government of Lebanon who even permits members of this group to be members of its parliament. So this attack was the 'trigger' and/or cause responsible for all the adverse effects, death and destruction, that results; therefore, total responsibility for all the effects rest solely on this criminal organization and the Lebanese government for permitting their operation in Lebanon.
WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS WICKED ACT BY HEZBOLLAH?
Let's look at the facts, Many in Islam hold the belief in ERROR put forth by greedy Ishmalites, that hold over 98 percent of the entire middle east, yet are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews to occupy the less than 2 percent given them by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael that Ishmael. Why? Simply, they do NOT want to recognize who really was the promised seed; whereas, in reality it was Isaac as made clear at Genesis 17:19-21, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." (AV). So this scripture makes it clear that Isaac is the line through which the covenant is made, and NOT Ishmael, who was only stated to become a 'great nation.'
Therefore, greed and hate is at the root of this turmoil between Israel-Lebanon, and it is greed of members of a wicked criminal organization, Hezbollah, and their backers.
THE GREAT FARCE:
Now Hezbollah is committing a great farce by telling many Lebanese that they will rebuild south Lebanon when in reality NO REBUILDING WOULD BE NECESSARY if Hezbollah had NOT pulled the proverbial fuse and caused the battle in the first place due to their hate and love for violence. Also, Hezbollah is NOT replacing the lives that were lost due to their wicked acts.
Yet many Many overlook the fact, the reality, that no damage would have been done to Lebanon if the criminal organization Hezbollah that they gave sanctuary had not sent a group over into Israel to murder and kidnap Israelis. So when looking at reality what is so great about them helping to rebuild the damage that resulted from their criminal act? It is nothing but a hollow sham to obfuscate the fact that they, alone, are responsible for all that occurred. Everyone should wake up to reality per John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (DB).
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COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] ISHMAEL THE WILD ONE WHO BECAME A GREAT NATION
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [413B]
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:7 – 8, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
This scripture is bringing out that those who are greedy and always striving for more regardless of how much they already have per Proverbs 15:27, [AV] “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.” As Proverbs 17:23, says, [AV] “A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.” Also, 1 Samuel 8:3, [AV] stresses the same reality, “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” Yes, he who gives is better as shown by Psalms 126:6, [AV] “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
[2] ISHMAEL THE WILD ONE WHO BECAME A GREAT NATION
INTRODUCTION:
Abraham had two sons, Isaac by his wife Sarah, and Ishmael by his wife's servant, Hagar the concubine or secondary wife. His youngest son, Isaac, was the one through whom the everlasting covenant was to be established as recorded at Genesis 9:16, "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and Genesis 17:7, " And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." (AV); and Genesis 17:19, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.' (AV).
However, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael told , Hagar the concubine or secondary wife, his wife's servant at Genesis 16:11, "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction." (AV); and Genesis 17:20 says, "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (AV). So Ishmael was to become a great nation, but the everlasting covenant was to come through his half brother's line and not his.
Now, Ishmael had twelve sons as recorded at Genesis 25:12-16, "Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: 13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, 14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, 15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations." (AV).
Ishmael grew up a true child of the desert, wild and wayward, and not interested in spiritual things as was his half brother Isaac.
ISHMAEL'S LIFE:
The Concise Bible Dictionary says, <<" Son of Abraham and Hagar the bondmaid of Sarah. Before he was born, when Hagar ran away because of the severity of her mistress, the angel of the Lord appeared to her, and told her to return to her mistress: her seed should be numberless, and she was to call her son's name Ishmael, which signifies 'El shall hear.' He would be a wild man, his hand would be against every man, and every man's hand against him. Abraham prayed that Ishmael might live before God, but typically he represents the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, hence though God answered that He would bless Ishmael, and multiply him exceedingly, he should also beget twelve princes, and God would make him a great nation; yet the covenant should be established with Isaac. When Ishmael was thirteen years old Abraham circumcised him, and all the men of his house. In this act Abraham acknowledged in faith that the blessing asked for his natural seed could not be had through the strength of the flesh: all the mercies of God are secured in resurrection.
At the 'great feast' when Isaac, the child born after the Spirit, was weaned, Ishmael mocked, and Sarah besought Abraham to cast out both mother and son. This was grievous to Abraham, but God, having approved the suggestion, he rose early in the morning, and providing them with some bread and a bottle of water he sent them away. The water was soon consumed, and Hagar in despair placed Ishmael under a shrub, and departed so as not to see him die. The angel of God called to her, shewed her a well, and the child was saved. God was with the lad, for he was the seed of Abraham; he dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. At first he was located in the wilderness of Beer-sheba and afterwards at Paran, a region between Canaan and mount Sinai. His mother chose a woman of Egypt for his wife. His twelve sons are recorded, and their 'towns' and 'castles,' or encampments, according to their nations, are spoken of. Ishmael was present at the burial of his father and lived 137 years. #Ge 16:11-16 17:18-26 25:9-17 28:9 36:3 1Ch 1:28-31." [source - Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish]>>.
And,
The Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary says of Ishmael, <<"Abraham's eldest son, by Hagar the concubine #Ge 16:15 17:23 He was born at Mamre, when Abraham was eighty-six years of age, eleven years after his arrival in Canaan #Ge 16:3 21:5 At the age of thirteen he was circumcised #Ge 17:25 He grew up a true child of the desert, wild and wayward. On the occasion of the weaning of Isaac his rude and wayward spirit broke out in expressions of insult and mockery #Ge 21:9,10 and Sarah, discovering this, said to Abraham, "Expel this slave and her son." Influenced by a divine admonition, Abraham dismissed Hagar and her son with no more than a skin of water and some bread. The narrative describing this act is one of the most beautiful and touching incidents of patriarchal life #Ge 21:14-16 See Easton on HAGAR 1583 Ishmael settled in the land of Paran, a region lying between Canaan and the mountains of Sinai; and "God was with him, and he became a great archer" #Ge 21:9-21 He became a great desert chief, but of his history little is recorded. He was about ninety years of age when his father Abraham died, in connection with whose burial he once more for a moment reappears. On this occasion the two brothers met after being long separated. "Isaac with his hundreds of household slaves, Ishmael with his troops of wild retainers and half-savage allies, in all the state of a Bedouin prince, gathered before the cave of Machpelah, in the midst of the men of Heth, to pay the last duties to the 'father of the faithful,' would make a notable subject for an artist" #Ge 25:9 Of the after events of his life but little is known. He died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years, but where and when are unknown #Ge 25:17 He had twelve sons, who became the founders of so many Arab tribes or colonies, the Ishmaelites, who spread over the wide desert spaces of Northern Arabia from the Red Sea to the Euphrates #Ge 37:25,27,28 39:1 "their hand against every man, and every man's hand against them." [source - Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary]>>.
HAGAR THE CONCUBINE OR SECONDARY WIFE THE MOTHER OF ISHMAEL:
Let's look at the life of the mother is Ishmael the concubine or secondary wife, the servant of Abraham's wife Sarah, so as to better understand why he was conceived and later sent away. Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary says, <<" Hagar, Flight, or, according to others, stranger, an Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid #Ge 16:1 21:9,10 whom she gave to Abraham (q.v.) as a secondary wife #Ge 16:2 When she was about to become a mother she fled from the cruelty of her mistress, intending apparently to return to her relatives in Egypt, through the desert of Shur, which lay between. Wearied and worn she had reached the place she distinguished by the name of Beer-lahai-roi ("the well of the visible God"), where the angel of the Lord appeared to her. In obedience to the heavenly visitor she returned to the tent of Abraham, where her son Ishmael was born, and where she remained #Ge 16:16 till after the birth of Isaac, the space of fourteen years. Sarah after this began to vent her dissatisfaction both on Hagar and her child. Ishmael's conduct was insulting to Sarah, and she insisted that he and his mother should be dismissed. This was accordingly done, although with reluctance on the part of Abraham #Ge 21:14 They wandered out into the wilderness, where Ishmael, exhausted with his journey and faint from thirst, seemed about to die. Hagar "lifted up her voice and wept," and the angel of the Lord, as before, appeared unto her, and she was comforted and delivered out of her distresses #Ge 21:18,19 Ishmael afterwards established himself in the wilderness of Paran, where he married an Egyptian #Ge 21:20,21 "Hagar" allegorically represents the Jewish church #Ga 4:24 in bondage to the ceremonial law; while "Sarah" represents the Christian church, which is free." [source - Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary]>>.
WHY THE DISMISSAL OF HAGAR?
Let's look at the facts as many do NOT understand why Hagar and her son, Ishmael, were dismissed from the household of Abraham. Let's see what the Commentary on the Old Testament, 1973, has to say, <<"A year later Isaac was born; Ishmael was now 14. (Ge 16:16; 21:5) Five years after that, in 1913 B.C.E., on the day of Isaac's being weaned, Ishmael was caught "poking fun" at his younger half brother. (Ge 21:8, 9) This was no innocent child's play on the part of Ishmael. Rather, as implied by the next verse in the account, it may have involved a taunting of Isaac over heirship. The apostle Paul says these events were "a symbolic drama" and shows that the mistreatment of Isaac by the half-blooded Egyptian Ishmael was persecution. Hence, this was the beginning of the foretold 400 years of Israel's affliction that ended with deliverance from Egyptian bondage in 1513 B.C.E.-Ga 4:22-31; Ge 15:13; Ac 7:6; see ISAAC.
Ishmael's demonstration of scorn toward Isaac led to the dismissal of him and his mother from Abraham's household, but not without provisions for their journey. Abraham "took bread and a skin water bottle and gave it to Hagar, setting it upon her shoulder, and the child, and then dismissed her." (Ge 21:14) Some have interpreted this to mean that Ishmael, now 19 years old, was also placed on the back of Hagar, and indeed this is the way some translations read. (JB, Mo, Bagster's LXX) Certain scholars, however, consider the phrase "setting it upon her shoulder" as only parenthetical, inserted to explain how the bread and water were carried, and so, if this phrase is placed in parentheses or set off by commas, the difficulty is removed. Professors Keil and Delitzsch assert that the expression "and the child" depends upon the sentence's principal verb "took," not on the verb "gave" or the word "setting." This tie-in of "the child" with "took" is made by the conjunction "and." The thought, therefore, is this: Abraham took bread and water and gave them to Hagar (placing them on her shoulder) and took the child and also gave it to her"[source - Commentary on the Old Testament, 1973, Vol. I, The First Book of Moses, pp. 244, 245]>>.
And,
Cook's Commentary says, <<" Certain Targums, as well as the Syriac Peshitta, at Genesis 21:9, give Ishmael's remarks the sense of "deriding." Concerning tsa·chaq', "It probably means in this passage, as it has generally been understood, 'mocking laughter.' As Abraham had laughed for joy concerning Isaac, and Sarah had laughed incredulously, so now Ishmael laughed in derision, and probably in a persecuting and tyrannical spirit." Deciding the matter, the inspired apostle Paul clearly shows that Ishmael's treatment of Isaac was affliction, persecution, not childlike play. (Ga 4:29) Certain commentators, in view of Sarah's insistence, in the next verse (Ge 21:10), that "the son of this slave girl is not going to be an heir with my son, with Isaac," suggest that Ishmael (14 years Isaac's senior) perhaps quarreled and taunted Isaac with regard to heirship." [resource - Cook's Commentary by F. C. Cook]>>.
GREED ON THE PART OF MANY OF TODAY'S ISHMAELITES:
Just as their ancestor, Ishmael, was a wild man as brought out by his name which meant, <<" name Ishmael, which signifies 'El shall hear.' He would be a wild man, his hand would be against every man, and every man's hand against him. " [resource - Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish]>>, many of his modern day descendents are wild and greedy and lusted for violence. This fact was noted by an Australian newspaper as follows, <<"" Did you know that 90-95% of the conflicts in the world today are Muslims fighting non-muslims or each other?
Islam is intolerant of other religions, so much so that Christians in Nigeria, Sudan and middle eastern countries are killed for practicing their religion. Muslims are also responsible for burning down their churches. Sydney has recently seen an attack on four churches for similar reasons. (December 16, 2005) How can we tolerate such intolerance?" [source - The Weekend Australian, November 26-27, 2005]>>. Now some will say, not all Muslims are Ishmaelites which is true; however, most of those now being greedy and causing world turmoil are descendents of Ishmael.
Let's look at the facts, Many in Islam hold the belief in ERROR put forth by greedy Ishmalites, that hold over 98 percent of the entire middle east, yet are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Isralites, the descendents of Isaac, to occupy the less than 2 percent given them by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael that Ishmael. Why? Simply, they do NOT want to recognize who really was the promised seed; whereas, in reality it was Isaac as made clear at Genesis 17:19-21, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." (AV). So this scripture makes it clear that Isaac is the line through which the covenant is made, and NOT Ishmael, who was only stated to become a 'great nation.'
No where is this fact more obvious than with respect the Israel-Lebanon conflict of July/August 2006. Greed and hate is at the root of this turmoil between Israel-Lebanon, and it is greed of members Islam who have the spirit of Ishmael in them.
CONCLUSION AND THE BIG QUESTION:
Now the question is why do the greedy Ishmaelites have so much hate for their brother tribe, the Israelites, and so much desire to destroy world tranquility; whereas, they should have a love for their brother tribe, the Israelites, the descendents of Abraham through Isaac and the tribe with which the everlasting covenant was made, and should want peace? At present, many of these greedy Ishmaleites, I am referring only to the greedy ones,falsely claim they have no jobs/employment and blame it on their brother tribe, the Israelites; whereas, the blame actually belongs on the greedy Ishmaleites who would rather spend their time hating and their money on implements of violence instead using their time and resources for the setting up businesses and factories to provide employment. Something is wrong with them for letting greed destroy common sense and a chance to progress, but then they are following in the path of their ancestor, Ishmael.
Why are they so greedy and why do they love violence and putting others down instead of tranquility and friendly relationships in keeping with what Jesus (Yeshua) said at Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and Matthew 5:43, " Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." (AV); and Matthew 19:19, "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and Matthew 22:39, " And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and Matthew 12:31, "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (AV); and Romans 13:9, "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); Galatians 5:14, " For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and James 2:8, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:" (AV).
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG
COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Ilex paraguariensis A With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [414B]
But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:20 – 24, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Yes, Jesus (Yeshua) is the permanent high priest as shown by Hebrews 7:26 – 27, [AV] “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” We must put off the former wrong things we were doing in order to win his approval as testified to at 1 Timothy 4:1, [AV] “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” Also, Romans 6:6, [AV] shows, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Yes, Jesus (Yeshua)is the son of Almighty God (YHWH) as shown by John 1:14, [AV] “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” We should strive per Psalms 51:10, [AV] “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” To permit Him to do this we must per Colossians 3:10, [AV] “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”
[2] THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Ilex paraguariensis A
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Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Mate, Ilex paraguariensis A. St-Hil. var. paraguariensis
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Common names. English: maté, Brazilian tea, Paraguay tea: Guarani: ka'a; Kaingangue: kongóń: Spanish: yerba maté, té de los jesuitas: Portuguese: congonha, erva mate
Maté, with a very restricted distribution outside America, is a tree that produces a raw material for industrialization and consumption as a stimulating infusion. So far, this has been the main use of this somewhat overlooked crop.
Although no archaeological remains have been found that show that it was used in pre-Columbian times. it is assumed that it was the Guarani Indians who taught the Spanish how to use it. However, what seems to be an indirect consequence of the discovery is the fact that the first people to have cultivated this species were the Jesuit missionaries who, around 1670, already had artificial maté plantations. In time, the settlements of Guarani Indians converted to Christianity were to become economically dependent on maté production.
The expulsion of the Jesuits from the Spanish dominions (1767) was a step backwards in the history of maté. There was a return to the forest exploitation method which utilized the natural maté plantations exclusively and inadequately. It may be said that this type of laborious and uneconomical forest management extended up to the first decades of the twentieth century, in spite of maté planting having been renewed in Nueva Germania, Paraguay and in Santa Ana, Argentina, in 1897.
Although very much reduced, maté production did not disappear with the Jesuit plantations. During the remainder of the colonial period, the use of this herb, which had spread extensively, persisted even in the region of the Viceroyalty of Peru, where there was another methyl xanthine stimulant of the same genus: Ilex guayusa Loes. emend. Shemluck, also marketed by the Jesuits from that region in Quito.
It has been established that trade in maté was not interrupted and that it was commonly used in what is now Peru and Ecuador. However, following the independence of the Spanish colonies and the adoption of free trade, English tea began to be introduced into those countries and so maté gradually lost the markets of those Andean countries.
The decline and complete disappearance of the maté plantations in the settlements of Christianized Indians (which ended around 1820 after a series of wars waged in the region between the Spanish and Portuguese Crowns, followed by the struggles for independence) and the policy of isolation and control of international trade maintained by the first governor of independent Paraguay meant that, in the 1820s, Brazil began commercial exploitation of its natural maté plantations.
The most accessible plantations were situated in the vicinity of Curitiba, Paraná, and as they were slowly exhausted they were gradually replaced by the others located towards the west. The Brazilian product, which then began to spread on the markets as "Paranagua maté", was considered to be of inferior quality to that from Paraguay. However, in the course of time it replaced the Paraguayan product, a development which became more marked after the war of the Triple Alliance ( 1870).
At the end of the nineteenth century, the limitations of the exhaustive exploitation of this forestry resource stimulated efforts to produce large plantations of I. paraguariensis once again. Eventually. these efforts were successful, especially in Argentina.
At the same time as the increase in Argentinian maté production, the extraordinary expansion of the agricultural frontiers in traditional maté-growing states of southern Brazil (Paraná, Santa Catarina. Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul) took place. Regrettably, the disappearance of enormous areas of natural forests in those states jeopardized the conservation of maté's genetic richness.
The complicated economic history of this crop (barely sketched out here) which is characterized by periods of scarcity alternating with periods of excessive demand, the sporadic but real existence of periods during which it was adulterated with other plants and the most common method of preparation—maté sucked through a small tube—considered by many to be unhygienic, had a bearing on the limited spread of maté outside southern South America.
Its main use is in infusions prepared as tea with leaves and dried stems which have been industrially shredded. Generally speaking, it is drunk by tilling small gourds (maté gourds or cuias) with maté. to which boiling water is gradually added, the liquid being sucked up through a metal tube (the bombilla). Infusions of cimarrón, or bitter maté, are usually modified with sugar (sweet maté), milk or aromatic herbs. Other methods of consumption are boiled maté, tereré (maté prepared with cold water, common in Paraguay and northeastern Argentina), liqueurs prepared with maté, ice-creams, desserts, etc. The industry also produces compound maté (which contains aromatic and/or medicinal herbs), soluble maté and maté teabags.
The aqueous infusion of maté owes its stimulant properties to the caffeine content (between 1 and 2 percent) so that, 60 minutes after consuming maté, an average of 80 to 120 mg of this pseudoalkaloid is consumed. Its nutritional qualities are due to its content of vitamins A, C and B complex and the existence of minerals (P, Ca and Fe).
Argentina, the main producer and consumer, grows around 130000 ha of maté in the northeast of the country (Misiones and Corrientes), which produce about 140000 tonnes per year. Brazil is the world's second producer, followed by Paraguay. For the Argentinan province of Misiones, maté cultivation represents an important part of the country's GDP.
Botanical description
The maté is a dioecious evergreen tree which grows up to 18 m in height. The leaves are alternate, coriaceous and obovate with a serrate margin and obtuse apex. The inflorescences are in corymboid fascicles, the male ones in a dichasium with three to 11 flowers, the female ones with one or three flowers. The flowers are small, and simple, number four or five and have a whitish corolla. The fruit is in a nucule; there are four or five single seed pyrenes (propagules).
Maté flowers in the spring (from October to November), has entomophilous pollination (diptera, hymenoptera) and fruits from March to June; dissemination is endozoic (birds). There is a rudimentary embryo in many externally ripe seeds which causes a long period of germination From the time of sowing.
Ecology and phytogeography
Prominent among the ecological requirements of this subtropical species are climatic conditions, especially mean annual precipitation and an even distribution of rainfall throughout the year. This must not be less than 1200 mm annually and, during the driest quarter—which in the region is winter—the minimum must be 250 mm. I. paraguariensis' wild distribution area is always unaffected by water shortages. The mean annual temperature of the area is approximately 21 to 22°C. The absolute minimum temperature that this species is able to tolerate is -6°C, even though winter snows are frequent on the plateaus and mountain regions to the south of Brazil and east of Misiones.
It requires lateritic, acid (pH between 5.8 and 6.8) soils that are of medium to fine texture.
Figure 30 shows the natural distribution of I. paraguariensis. The area of economic cultivation of maté coincides approximately with the main dispersion area of the var. paraguariensis.
Genetic diversity
There is still no exhaustive modern picture that explains in biological terms the infraspecific variability of this species, which is widely dispersed geographically in South America. Up to the present, taking as a basis the morphological characteristics alone, at least two varieties are recognized: I. paraguariensis A. St-Hill var. paraguariensis (cultivated maté, almost completely glabrous) and I. paraguariensis var. vestita (Reisseck) Loes. (not acceptable for industrialization, of dense pubescence). Both varieties coexist in limited areas of Brazil.
The wild species closest to I. paraguariensis belong to the subgenus euilex Loes., subsection repandae Loes. Only I. cognata Reisseck lives in the distribution area of maté. I. cognata is very little known; its vernacular name is chá do mato and it is used to adulterate maté.
A number of wild species of Ilex are sympatric with genuine maté and have been, or are, used to manufacture the product although, up to the present and according to the legislation in force, they are to be considered adulterations. Of those most frequently referred to, the following deserve mention: Ilex affinis Gardner (the ca' a chirí or congonha of Goyaz, a species abundant in central Brazil and northeastern Paraguay); I. dumosa Reisseck var. guaranina Loes. (yerba seńorita, aperea ka'a, cauna, caá chiri), native to Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, the producer of a bitter-tasting maté and supposedly cultivated in Misiones by the Jesuits to produce their famous "caá miní" maté; I. theezans, C. Martius ex Reisseck (cauna de folhas largas, ca'a na, congonha), a good substitute for I. paraguariensis, found in Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. I. brevicuspis Reisseck, known as cauna or voadeira, like the previous species, is a faithful companion of I. paraguariensis in plant communities characteristic of the region—where Araucaria is also prominent—but the product obtained from its experimental industrialization is of low quality.
Outside the natural area of distribution and production of maté, in northwestern Argentina and southeastern Bolivia, Ilex argentina Lillo, a related species that is known not to accumulate caffeine but theobromine, has been used to prepare maté. It is a tree characteristic of the area of transition between the forests of Myrtaceae and alder (Alnus spp.) of the phytogeographical province of the yungas.
Known cultivars of I. paraguariensis. The infraspecific classification of I. paraguariensis is still under study. Consequently, the correspondence between the biological varieties and the horticultural varieties of genuine maté is not clear. Following is a list of some of the varieties recognized as such by growers in the three countries: Erva de talo roxo, Erva de talo branco, Erva piriquita (Brazil); Caá verá, Caá manduví, Caá panambi, Caá cuatí, Caá ńú, Caá eté, Caá mi, Caá chacra, Caá-je-he-ni (Paraguay); Yerba colorada, Yerba seńorita, Caá miní (Argentina).
INTA in Argentina recently began to distribute seeds of clones and selected clonal progeny which, following comparative trials, demonstrated their superiority.
In wild South American Ilex species and in the maté-growing region, the risks of genetic erosion are high because the natural forest is gradually giving way to agroforestry and livestock production, a process accentuated by the relatively low germinating capacity of many species (especially that of maté). As no suitable method has yet been discovered for maintaining the germinating capacity of I. paraguariensis for prolonged periods, there are no seed banks of the species. Nevertheless, at the Cerro Azul de Misiones experimental agricultural station in Argentina, a maté clonal garden began to be developed in 1976, complemented by the nursery started in 1986 with I. paraguariensis of various origins and with other species of Ilex.
Cultivation practices
In the wide and varied economic production area of maté, the practices for the cultivation or exploitation of natural maté vary considerably in their technical aspects, resulting in different yields per hectare.
Three methods of production can be distinguished which are arranged here in increasing order of importance reflecting the use of techniques and their yields:
Extractive exploitation of the natural forest. Here the richness of natural maté plantations is utilized. Harvesting is not mechanized and the pruning system is generally incorrect. This form of production is diffused mainly in Brazil.
Mixed system or system for the enrichment of the natural forest. This consists of increasing the number of natural plantations and reconstituting those that have been lost. In Brazil, where this method is most commonly practiced, it is called densifying the maté plantation. Since, generally speaking, this technique is accompanied by others that increase the yield, such as cultivation care and improved pruning methods, the higher production cost is compensated for.
Cultivated maté plantations. This is undoubtedly the best system, and came into general use in Argentina around 1915. In spite of higher costs, the yield per hectare greatly increases. Complemented by measures such as improvement in the layout of plantations (which have evolved from trees planted in quincunxes, with spaced out plants used by Jesuits, to cultivation following contour lines, with a high density per hectare and use of the corte mesa pruning and plant management system), with well-timed pruning, cultivation work and harvesting, this system enabled Argentinian production to exceed that of Brazil, in spite of the former being carried out in a very reduced area and even outside the environments most suited for maté. For example, rising from a density of 1000 to 1500 plants per hectare (still fairly widespread) to a density of 2500 or 4000 plants per hectare, production can increase from around 1000 to 1800 kg to 2100 to 3300 kg per hectare.
The corte mesa system not only increases the yield but is also better suited to mechanical harvesting.
Yields are improved by: planting following contours; the use of natural or introduced cover (rape, legumes, etc.); fertilization (NPK); weed control (mechanical and/or using herbicides); suitable phytosanitary treatments; and rational harvesting. The relevant experiments have been going on for some years but, regrettably, their results have not become generalized. The introduction into cultivation of improved cultivars is much less widespread.
Conventional propagation techniques. Sexual propagation ("seeds" = pyrenes). This is the most common reproduction technique. In the case of maté, the advantage of sexual propagation lies in the fact that the variability in descendants may give rise to individuals better suited to different environments (which on other occasions may not be desired).
The seeds are harvested in the region (from February to April). They must be stratified or sown immediately, otherwise they quickly lose their viability.
Stored at 5°C, they maintain a very reduced germinating capacity (1.7 to 6.6 percent) for a further 11 months. The relatively short period of viability together with the low germination rate (immature embryos, phytosanitary problems) have undoubtedly been the cause of the difficulties in its cultivation spreading to other continents in the past.
Agamic reproduction. Grafting, propagation by cuttings and layering are not very widespread. It is relatively difficult to obtain rooted cuttings and this is generally achieved by using young branches from the stools, irrespective of whether plant hormone treatment is used. Additional experiments are necessary if the intention is to increase the rooting percentage.
In vitro cultivation of I. paraguariensis is being tried out in Brazil and Argentina by various research groups, with varying results which still do not clearly indicate which are the economically viable techniques for the clonal reproduction of selected individuals.
According to the Under-Secretariat for Agriculture and Livestock, in Argentina in 1988, the average yield of semi-processed maté was 1220 kg per hectare.
Prospects for improvement
The limitations of cultivation are due to the fact that there is no demand for the product on a macroeconomic scale. The recurrent cycles of surplus supply, low prices, disinvestment in plantations, scarcity of raw materials, high prices—very often linked with international trading terms between producer countries, which result in a greater distortion—have historically acted against a stable supply of the product in terms of quality and quantity. Even worse, they have discouraged the continuation of basic and/or applied research, which cultivation and processing require. The partial or total absence of knowledge concerning maté biology, plant chemistry, dietetics, agronomics and industrialization have made it difficult to adopt international standards which would lay down norms for the quality of the product and improve and guarantee it over time, depending on its distribution to the major international markets for the production of methyl xanthine infusions.
Potential areas for the introduction of this crop are subtropical regions with acid soils and a water supply similar to those of the species' natural area of dispersal.
It has recently been suggested that Ilex verticillata, a North American species, could be a source of biodegradable detergents because of its high saponin content. Since research regarding similar subjects is being continued on I. paraguariensis and, furthermore, since other related species are studied even less than maté from the chemical point of view, it would be advantageous to go into these aspects more deeply.
Ilex argentina is also a possible caffeine-free maté and is, moreover, remarkable for its richness in liver-protecting phenolics similar to those in artichokes (Cynara scolymus).
There are also reports of a range of non-traditional uses for I. paraguariensis, for instance as a source of edible oils, furfural and cosmetics.
Finally, the importance of the wild Ilex species in genetic improvement of the crop should be mentioned.
Lines of research
* Botanical: Infraspecific variability of I. paraguariensis and how it is related to other species of the genus; an updated chorology; crossing systems of I. paraguariensis and other species of Ilex; inheritance of sex.
* Physiology of the seed and micropropagation methods.
* Plant chemistry: Cycle of the xanthines in the species and its relatives; toxic and undesirable compounds of allied species; analytical determination of the infusion's flavour components.
* Updating, from the food point of view and with relation to allied species.
* Architecture of the individual of I. paraguariensis and of allied species; phenology and adaptation of these trees to mechanical harvesting.
* Industrialization: Improvements in the drying and accelerated seasoning systems without organoleptic losses; alternative industries with cultivation by-products.
* New ways of consuming and presenting the product.
Bibliography
* Abbott, T.P. et al. 1990. Major extractable components in Asclepias linaria (Asclepiadaceae) and Ilex verticillata (Aquifoliaceae), two potential hydrocarbon crops. Econ. Bot., 44(2): 278-284.
* Filip, R. et al. 1989. Estudio de compuestos presentes en Ilex argentina Lillo (Aquifoliaceae). Anal. Asoc. Quim. Argent., 77(4): 293-297.
* Fontana, H.P. et al. 1990. Estudios sobre la germinación y conservación de semillas de verba maté (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) . Infor. Técn.. 52: 14. Estación Exper. Agrop. Cerro Azul, INTA.
* Giberti, G.C.1989. Los parientes silvestres de la yerba maté y el problema de su adulteración. Dominguezia, 7(1): 3-21.
* Gomez Vara, M.E. et al. 1980. Investigaciones sobre la tecnología de la yerba maté. Informe, 4:226. APRYMA.
* Grondona, E.M. 1953. Historia de la yerba mate. Rev. Argent. Agron., 20(2): 68-95.
* Grondona, E.M. 1954. Historia de la yerba mate. II. Sinonimia, cariología y distribución geográfica. Rev. Argent. Agron., 21 (1): 9-24.
* Linhares, T.1969. História econômica do mate. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Editôra Livraria José Olympio.
* Loesener, T. 1901. Monographia Aquifoliacearum, l. Nola Acta Acad. Caes. Leop. Carol. German. Nat. Cur., 78: VIII + 600.
* Loesener, T. 1942/60. Aquifoliaceae. In H. Harms & Mattfeld, eds. Nat. Pflanzenfam, 2nd ed., p.36-86. Berlin.
* Martínez-Crovetto, R. 1980. Yerba mate: usos no tradicionales y posibilidades. Participar. 2(12): 58-61.
* Porto, A. 1943. História das Missőes orientais do Uruguai, I. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ministry of Education and Health.
* Prat Kricun, S.D. et al. 1986. Yerba mate: informe de investigaciones realizadas. Período 84-85. Misiones, Convenio INTA-CRYM y CRYM-Asoc. Coop. EEA.
* Schultes, R.E. 1979. Discovery of an ancient guayusa plantation in (source - retrieved from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/1492/mate.html on 3/21/2013)
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] THE FACE OF WORLD TERRORISM AND VIOLENCE
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [415B]
But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Isaiah 41:8, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Yes, Israel (the Jews) were to be a special people to Him as long at, Exodus 19:5, [AV] “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:.” This is also stated at Deuteronomy 7:6, [AV] “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” But this special condition was only to last as long as they were obedient as made plain at Matthew 3:9, [AV] “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” Yes, they needed to remain faithful as shown by James 2:23, [AV] “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” They failed to live up to their part of the bargain.
[2] THE FACE OF WORLD TERRORISM AND VIOLENCE:
INTRODUCTION:
Today, all we hear on the world news is acts of violence and terrorism. When we look at who these people are that are committing violence and/or acts of terrorism and/or plots of terrorism, we invariable find that the source is individuals/groups who are a part of Islam.
Now, why is this? It is because many individuals in Islam are full of hate and a lust for violence; whereas, members of other so called religious groups in our modern age are concerned about going about their business and making a living, enjoying life, and practicing live-and-let live. Others, not members of Islam, do not plan to hurt others and just want to live in peace and this includes the Israelites.
When these haters and individuals who have a lust for violence do NOT have any members of what ever group they hate, they turn on each other as shown by the world news. This fact was clearly shown in an article by London Times Writer, By Ashraf Khalil, A Times Staff Writer in his article of August 24, 2006 as follows:
<<" KHAN YUNIS, Gaza Strip - It's blazing hot every day; the electricity comes and goes. And when there's no electricity, there's no water. Nobody has any money, but everyone, it seems, has a weapon... doctors, police and mental health professionals here. Men are beating their wives and fighting with their neighbors. Families are living on the generosity of relatives and credit from merchants, both of which are starting to run dry. Youth are turning to petty crime. In Khan Yunis, a gritty southern Gaza city that features a thriving gunrunning trade, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Wafi's police force struggles to keep up. "People have a lot of weapons, and the slightest things set them off," he said... But so far, the citizens of Gaza haven't turned on the new government.
Instead, they may be turning on one another.
Thousands of young Palestinian men belong to armed militant groups. The militarization of Gazan society makes it more likely that otherwise harmless scuffles will turn deadly.
In a personal conflict, "they end up using the weapons that they have to defend against the occupation against each other," said Abu Thaer, a spokesman for the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade militia."[source - article at London Times Web Site By Ashraf Khalil, A Times Staff Writer on August 24, 2006]>>.
INTERESTING FACT:
These haters and individuals who have a lust for violence may not have a job or enough money to feed their family, but they always have money for more bullets and other weaponry. Strange, but true.
They rail against poor economic opportunity, but instead of trying to improve their lot by investing in business and industry, they spend their money and time hating and planning/committing acts of violence. Of course, what is needed are some level headed individuals who are not haters that are willing to spend their money and time on productive endeavors.
Take the negative Palestinians relationship with the Israelites as an example. If they would stop hating the Israelites and start working with them to improve their lot, the Gaza strip for example, would become an economic powerhouse and the same holds true for south Lebanon. The Israelites are excellent businessman and industrialist, and if these two groups courted their assistance and cooperated with them instead of always trying to start conflicts with them, the entire region would prosper. Remember, all money spent on weapons and hatred is money NOT spent on productive efforts, i.e., increasing the Gross National Product and/or the Gross Regional Product.
In ancient times, Israelite King David and the King of Lebanon worked together and this proved to be to the mutual benefit of both parties. The same would prove true also in the modern world in the State of Israel, the Palestinians, and the Lebanese worked together; they would all mutually benefit.
Why do the Palestinians and the Lebanese not want to form a mutually beneficial economic situation for all by working together with the State of Israel? Simple, they would rather hate Israel and take their lust for violence out on Israel or each other when Israel is not available. This is just plain stupid, and beneficial to no one.
IS THIS A CHARACTER DEFECT WITH REGARD THE DESCENDENTS OF ISHMAEL?
Actually this counterproductive hating and a lust for violence appears to be a character defect with regard to the descendents of Ishmael and has even rubbed off on other Muslims.
<<"Ishmael grew up a true child of the desert, wild and wayward, and not interested in spiritual things as was his half brother Isaac."[resource - Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary]>>. So it is quite possible that this counterproductive trait was inherited. And the Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish says, "<<He would be a wild man, his hand would be against every man, and every man's hand against him." [source - The Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish]>>, confirms this trait of Ishmael. Now if you look at many members of Islam today you can clearly see this trait, and it can clearly be seen in the criminal organization of Hezbollah to whom the Lebanese gave sanctuary and in many of the Palestinians of today. Of course, this would also apply to many Islamic groups.
Even a brief look at world news in the last five years clearly indicates this character defect of Ishmael has been carried over to his modern descendents and those whom it 'rubbed' of on.
Now, let's consider the facts as continually revealed in the world news that shows if any thing that the newspaper editor may have been a little low when he said 95 percent of the violence in the world was caused by Muslims. Let's look at some facts:
(1) World Trade Center - 9/11 - unprovoked attack and mass murder by Muslims.
(2) London Subway Bombing by Muslims
(3) Continued mosque bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(4) Suicide bombings in Israel by Muslims.
(5) Suicide bombing of a wedding reception in Jordan by Muslims.
(6) Daily roadside bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(7) Train bombings in Spain my Muslims.
(8) Riots and car burnings and murders in France by Muslims.
(9) Suicide bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(10) Car and truck bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(11) Unprovoked murder of 8 Israelis and the kidnapping of 2 by Muslims to provoke turmoil and violence in Lebanon and Israel by Muslims.
(12) Unprovoked murder of 2 Israelis and the kidnapping of 1 by Muslims to provoke turmoil and violence in Gaza by Muslims.
(13) Bombing of restaurants and cafes in Bali, Indonesia by Muslims.
(14) Bombing of a trains in India by Muslims.
(15) Take over of a grammar school in Russia resulting in the deaths of many students by Muslims.
(16) Attempted shoebombing of a plain by a Muslim.
(17) Conspiracy to bomb about 10 planes going from UK by Muslims.
(18) Attempted murder of several Indian politicians in Kashmir by Muslims.
(19) Many violent acts by Muslims in Afghanistan.
(20) Murder of a girl by Shiite Muslims in Iran.
(21) Conspiracy to bomb trains in Germany - as previously posted for you.
(22) And the list could go on and on, get it?
OF COURSE NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE AFFLICTED WITH THIS CHARACTER DEFECT AND CONCLUSION:
One group of honest Muslims admitted that evil Muslims were the cause for world terror and most of the world's violence, and issued an apology, <<"We are so Sorry for 9-11, By Kamal Nawash in 2004, This September 11 marks the third unforgettable anniversary of the worst mass murder in American history.
After September 11, many in the Muslim world chose denial and hallucination rather than face up to the sad fact that Muslims perpetrated the 9-11 terrorist acts and that we have an enormous problem with extremism and support for terrorism. Many Muslims, including religious leaders, and ?intellectuals? blamed 9-11 on a Jewish conspiracy and went as far as fabricating a tale that 4000 Jews did not show up for work in the World Trade Center on 9-11. Yet others blamed 9-11 on an American right wing conspiracy or the U.S. Government which allegedly wanted an excuse to invade Iraq and ?steal? Iraqi oil.
After numerous admissions of guilt by Bin Laden and numerous corroborating admissions by captured top level Al-Qaida operatives, we wonder, does the Muslim leadership have the dignity and courage to apologize for 9-11? If not 9-11, will we apologize for the murder of school children in Russia? If not Russia, will we apologize for the train bombings in Madrid, Spain? If not Spain, will we apologize for suicide bombings in buses, restaurants and other public places? If not suicide bombings, will we apologize for the barbaric beheadings of human beings? If not beheadings, will we apologize for the rape and murder of thousands of innocent people in Darfour? If not Darfour, will we apologize for the blowing up of two Russian planes by Muslim women? What will we apologize for? What will it take for Muslims to realize that those who commit mass murder in the name of Islam are not just a few fringe elements? What will it take for Muslims to realize that we are facing a crisis that is more deadly than the Aids epidemic? What will it take for Muslims to realize that there is a large evil movement that is turning what was a peaceful religion into a cult?
Will Muslims wake up before it is too late? Or will we continue blaming the Jews and an imaginary Jewish conspiracy? The blaming of all Muslim problems on Jews is a cancer that is destroying Muslim society from within and it must stop.
Muslims must look inward and put a stop to many of our religious leaders who spend most of their sermons teaching hatred, intolerance and violent jihad. We should not be afraid to admit that as Muslims we have a problem with violent extremism. We should not be afraid to admit that so many of our religious leaders belong behind bars and not behind a pulpit. Only moderate Muslims can challenge and defeat extremist Muslims. We can no longer afford to be silent. If we remain silent to the extremism within our community then we should not expect anyone to listen to us when we complain of stereotyping and discrimination by non-Muslims; we should not be surprised when the world treats all of us as terrorists; we should not be surprised when we are profiled at airports. Simply put, not only do Muslims need to join the war against terror, we need to take the lead in this war.
As to apologizing, we will no longer wait for our religious leaders and ?intellectuals? to do the right thing. Instead, we will start by apologizing for 9-11. We are so sorry that 3000 people were murdered in our name. We will never forget the sight of people jumping from two of the highest buildings in the world hoping against hope that if they moved their arms fast enough that they may fly and survive a certain death from burning. We are sorry for blaming 9-11 on a Jewish or right wing conspiracy. We are so sorry for the murder of more than three hundred school children and adults in Russia. We are so sorry for the murder of train passengers in Spain. We are so sorry for all the victims of suicide bombings. We are so sorry for the beheadings, abductions, rapes, violent Jihad and all the atrocities committed by Muslims around the world. We are so sorry for a religious education that raised killers rather than train people to do good in the world. We are sorry that we did not take the time to teach our children tolerance and respect for other people. We are so sorry for not rising up against the dictators who have ruled the Muslim world for decades. We are so sorry for allowing corruption to spread so fast and so deep in the Muslim world that many of our youth lost hope. We are so sorry for allowing our religious leaders to relegate women to the status of forth class citizens at best and sub-humans at worse.
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] DISCOURSE ON PURGATORY: PART 1
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [416B]
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: Genesis 5:22, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Enoch was a pre-flood person who walked with God unlike his contemporaries and won his approval in a wicked pre-flood world. And the same is true with respect Noah per Genesis 6:9, [AV] “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” And the first King of Palestine (Israel), King David also acknowledged he walked with Almighty God (YHWH) at Psalms 23:1, [AV] “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Showing he had God’s backing because of this.
[2] DISCOURSE ON PURGATORY: [PART 1 OF 2 ]
INTRODUCTION:
Does it exist or is it a myth? Let's examine the facts. In doing so we will first examine the Catholic Doctrine [RCC] on same as follows:
EXERT FROM THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA:
"Purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions. The faith of the Church concerning purgatory is clearly expressed in the Decree of Union drawn up by the Council of Florence (Mansi, t. XXXI, col. 1031), and in the decree of the Council of Trent which (Sess. XXV) defined: "Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught in Councils and very recently in this Ecumenical synod (Sess. VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii) that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeavor to have the sound doctrine of the Fathers in Councils regarding purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held and believed by the faithful" (Denzinger, "Enchiridon", 983). Further than this the definitions of the Church do not go, but the tradition of the Fathers and the Schoolmen must be consulted to explain the teachings of the councils, and to make clear the belief and the practices of the faithful.
Temporal Punishment
That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wis. x, 2), but still condemned him "to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow" until he returned unto dust. God forgave the incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the "land of promise" (Num., xx, 12). The Lord took away the sin of David, but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God's enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (II Kings, xii, 13, 14). In the New Testament as well as in the Old, almsgiving and fasting, and in general penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (Matt., iii, 8; Luke, xvii, 3; iii, 3). The whole penitential system of the Church testifies that the voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of true repentance That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wis. x, 2), but still condemned
Venial Sins
All sins are not equal before God, nor dare anyone assert that the daily faults of human frailty will be punished with the same severity that is meted out to serious violation of God's law. On the other hand whosoever comes into God's presence must be perfectly perfectly pure for in the strictest sense His "eyes are too pure, to behold evil" (Hab., i, 13). For unrepented venial faults for the payment of temporal punishment due to sin at time of death, the Church has always taught the doctrine of purgatory.
So deep was this belief ingrained in our common humanity that it was accepted by the Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the pagans, long before the coming of Christianity. ("Aeneid," VI, 735 sq.; Sophocles, "Antigone," 450 sq.)." [source = Catholic Encyclopedia]
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
Now let's look at what the Bible has to say on the subject. Interestingly at Psalms 145:4, "His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return into his earth: in that day all their thoughts shall perish." (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB); Now if this is the case, how can the souls that are "therein detained be aided by the suffrages of the faithful and principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the alter....It is the common teaching of Catholic theologians that (1) indulgences may be applied to the sourls detained in purgatory; and (2) that indulgences are available for them by way of suffrage." [source = "The Catholic Encyclopedia, NY 1911, Vol XII, pages 575, 578, 579]. And how would this concept of purgatory as put forth by the RCC harmonize with Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord." (DRCB)? Or with Job 3:17, "There the wicked cease from tumult, and there the wearied in strength are at rest." (DRCB)?
Nor would this doctrine harmonize with Ezekiel 14:4, "Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, the same shall die." (DRCB) which clearly shows only two possible states. Or James 5:20, "He must know that he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way shall save his soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins." (DRCB) which clearly does not recognize the existence of an 'in-between place;' as neither does Josue 10:32-37, "And the Lord delivered Lachis into the hands of Israel, and he took it the following day, and put it to the sword, and every soul that was in it, as he had done to Lebna. 33 At that time Horam, king of Gazer, came up to succour Lachis: and Josue slew him with all his people so as to leave none alive. 34 And he passed from Lachis to Eglon, and surrounded it, 35 And took it the same day: and put to the sword all the souls that were in it, according to all that he had done to Lachis. 36 He went up also with all Israel from Eglon to Hebron, and fought against it: 37 Took it, and destroyed it with the edge of the sword: the king also thereof, and all the towns of that country, and all the souls that dwelt in it: he left not therein any remains: as he had done to Eglon, so did he also to Hebron, putting to the sword all that he found in it." (DRCB).
HOW SIN IS CLEANSED:
The Bible clearly shows sin is NOT cleansed through payment of indulgences to release someone from Purgatory; this is clearly shown at 1 John 1:7-9, "But if we walk in the light, as he also is in the light, we have fellowship one with another: And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity (DRCB) which shows that sin is forgiven, not by the payment of indulgences, but on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ. And this fact is ratified by Revelation 1:5, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth, who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (DRCB); and by Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of his, grace," (DRCB); and Revelation 7:9 & 14, "After this, I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." And 14 And I said to him: My Lord, thou knowest. And he said to me: These are they who are come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (DRCB).
CHRIST DIED ONCE SO CONTINUOUS SAYING OF MASS BRINGS NO RELIEF:
Hebrews 7:26-27 highlight that Christ died once for us not continually setting the pattern, "For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens: 27 Who needeth not daily (as the other priests) to offer sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, in offering himself." (DRCB); and this is also affirmed at Hebrews 9:26-28, "For then he ought to have suffered often from the beginning of the world. But now once, at the end of ages, he hath appeared for the destruction of sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment: 28 So also Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many. The second time he shall appear without sin to them that expect him unto salvation." (DRCB). And made very clear at 1 Peter 3:18, "Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit," (DRCB).
GOD'S (YHWH'S) GIFT OF LIFE IS FREE:
That God's (YHWH's) gift of life is free and not requiring payment of indulgences is made clear at Acts 8:18-20, "And when Simon saw that, by the imposition of the hands of the apostles, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying: Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I shall lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said to him: 20 Keep thy money to thyself, to perish with thee: because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money." (DRCB); and affirmed at Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God." (DRCB). And Romans 6:23 shows the wages of sin is death, "For the wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord." (DRCB).
TESTING OF ONE'S WORTHINESS IS DURING LIFE, NOT AFTER DEATH:
Individuals will be tested with respect worthiness during life and not after death as shown at 1 Peter 1:7, "That the trial of your faith (much more precious than gold which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (DRCB); and further testified to at Malachi 3:1-3, "Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold, he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. 2 And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller's herb: 3 And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice." (DRCB).
PURGATORY IS NOT EVEN MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE:
Nowhere can you find the word Purgatory in the Bible, not even in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible from which all quotes in this discourse have been taken. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "It is impossible to point out in any writing of the first four centuries any passage which describes the state of any of the faithful departed as one of acute suffering...Still less would it be possible to show that the intermediate state was regarded by them as one in which satisfaction was made for sin." [source = The Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 th. Edition - 1907, Volume XX, page 121 ]. Even the Catholic Encyclopedia says, "There is no clear and explicit scriptural text in favour of prayers for the dead, except the above test of II Machabees" [Note, this book, II Machabees, is not a part of the legitimate Bible canon, but a part of the Apochrypha][source = The Catholic Encyclopedia, NY 1908, Volume IV, page 654 ].
NOT FROM THE BIBLE, BUT A TEACHING OF MEN:
Let's face it the doctrine of Purgatory is based on the teachings of men and is covered by 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of unbelievers, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine unto them." (DRCB). The Catholic Encyclopedia, previously quoted in the Excerts From the Catholic Encyclopedia part of this discourse says, "That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wis. x, 2), but still condemned.... That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wis. x, 2), but still condemned" [source = The Catholic Encyclopedia ]. Clearly the words of men as nothing like this is found in the Bible as previously shown.
TRADITION MAKES VOID THE WORD OF GOD (YHWH):
Some feel their tradition is more important than the Word of God (YHWH), but the Bible clearly shows otherwise at Matthew 15:1-3 & 6-9, "Then came to him from Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, saying: 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answering, said to them: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for your tradition? For God said:" and "And he shall not honour his father or his mother: and you have made void the commandment of God for your tradition. 7 Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying: 8 This people honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me. 9 And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men." (DRCB); and this is warned against at Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit: according to the tradition of men according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ." (DRCB).
CONCLUSION:
Clearly the Bible shows the doctrine of Purgatory is a teaching of men and in no way from God (YHWH). In fact, the Bible clearly shows that the hope for the dead is through a resurrection and not the paying of indulgences as made clear at John 5:28-29, "Wonder not at this: for the hour cometh wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God. 29 And they that have done good things shall come forth unto the resurrection of life: but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment." (DRCB).
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Discourse on the Bible:
INTRODUCTION:
There are many different writings and books that various groups have considered/believed to be holy books, but why so. Many have been considered holy books based on human tradition such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Rig Veda, etc., and others for which divine inspiration are claimed, but which are actually just knockoffs from the Bible such as the writings of David Korash, the Book of Morman, the Quran (Koran), etc. However, there is only one book, actually a book of books, the Bible which actually was written by man acting as scribes who were given the thoughts of God (YHWH) and put them into the words of men.
Specifically, the Bible is NOT the product of one committee or strongman. It has over 40 individual writers who wrote under divine inspiration/guidance much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. In other words one real author, God (YHWH), and many scribes each of whom wrote in his own style over a period of approximately 1,600 years. All of what people call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.
To wit, the Bible is the ONLY book God (YHWH) ever inspired men to write as his scribes. In other words, God is its author and men only put his thoughts given to them by divine inspiration into their own words, the words of men. Not only that, all the other writers of later so called religious guidance books borrowed from it and made changes in accord with their strong man or so called prophet. Take the example of Joseph Smith who borrowed from it to write the Book of Mormon, but failed to give credit or source to the Bible and twisted some borrowed things into bizarre distortions. Other examples are of course the bizarre writings of David Koresh the Prophet of the Branch Dividians of Waco, Texas; and the Quran, and the Book of Wiccim.
INSPIRED BY GOD (YHWH) AND NOT BY HUMANS:
All other so called 'holy books' have been inspired by men such as the Rig Veda which is a collection of early writings about nature and life by the early inhabitants of India, or the so called Egyptian Book of the Dead which is of similar nature but deals more specifically with the items of nature that the early Egyptians considered gods such as the sun, frogs, and other things of nature. Now the Bible is a quite different entity which does NOT consider things of nature as gods, but only the Creator of Heaven and Earth a god, Almighty God (YHWH) which Exodus 20:3 says, "Thou hast no other Gods before Me." (Young's Literal Translation; YLT). Clearly showing there is but one true God (YHWH) through whom all came into being at his discretion.
This fact, that the Bible was inspired by God (YHWH) is testified to at 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "Every scripture inspired of God `is' also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. 17 That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work." (American Standard Version; ASV); and this is affirmed, also, at 1 Thessalonians 2:13, "And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, `even the word' of God, ye accepted `it' not `as' the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe." (ASV).
MAN WROTE UNDER INSPIRATION FROM GOD (YHWH):
As shown at Exodus 20:1-2, "`And God speaketh all these words, saying, 2 I `am' Jehovah thy God, who hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of servants." (YLT); and reaffirmed at Isaiah 7:7, "thus saith the Lord Jehovah, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass." (ASV); and the fact that these divinely inspired individuals wrote not their own words, but simply put the thoughts of God (YHWH) into the words of men as testified to by God's (YHWH's) own son, Jesus (Yeshua) at John 14:10, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works." (ASV).
Clearly men were moved to write by God's (YHWH's) spirit as testified to at 2 Peter 1:20-21, "this first knowing, that no prophecy of the Writing doth come of private exposition, 21 for not by will of man did ever prophecy come, but by the Holy Spirit borne on holy men of God spake." (YLT); and 1 Thessalonians 2:13, "And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, `even the word' of God, ye accepted `it' not `as' the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe." (ASV).
Unlike other so called 'holy books' that were written as men observed nature or were moved by self interest, the Bible was written by men who were moved by God's (YHWH's) spirit as testified to at Acts 3:21, "whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old." (ASV); and at Acts 28:25, "And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the prophet unto your fathers," (ASV).
NOW WHAT DOES INSPIRATION MEAN:
The dictionary definition, "The infusion or arousal within the mind of some idea, feeling, or impulse, especially one that leads to creative action. 2. The state or quality of being inspired, 3. Divine influence exerted upon the mind or spirit; especially , the divine influence underlying prophetic or scriptural revelation. [source = Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN # 0-308-10309-2). Now of all these definitions, the one of interest is the third dealing with divine influence
being exerted. This is further defined by Ezekiel 1:3, "the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him." (ASV). This divine inspiration is further testified to at Habakkuk 2:2, "And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it." (ASV); and at Daniel 7:1-2 & 7, "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel hath seen a dream, and the visions of his head on his bed, then the dream he hath written, the chief of the things he hath said. 2 Answered hath Daniel and said, `I was seeing in my vision by night, and lo, the four winds of the heavens are coming forth to the great sea;" and "7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booty unto them?" (ASV).
PROPHECY PROVES THE BIBLE TO BE OF DIVINE ORIGIN:
Whereas, other so called 'holy books' that are NOT knockoffs of the Bible deal mostly with nature and if they deal with prophecy, they deal with it in very general terms; whereas, the Bible gives very specific prophecies that have all come true at the predicted time. As 2 Peter 1:21 says, "For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit." (ASV); and at Isaiah 46:9-10, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; `I am' God, and there is none like me; 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not `yet' done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure;" (ASV). Also, this is testified to at many other places in the Bible such as at Deuteronomy 18:22 (part of the Torah), "that which the prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, and the thing is not, and cometh not -- it `is' the word which Jehovah hath not spoken; in presumption hath the prophet spoken it; -- thou art not afraid of him." (ASV); and at John 14:29, "And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe." (ASV).
AS an example of this fulfillment of prophecy as given in God's (YHWH's) word, the Bible, just consider some of the prophecies given centuries before the incarnation of his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) that were fulfilled by him as follows:
Prophecy Fulfilled When Jesus Was Crucified:
[ 1. Betrayed by a friend - Psalms 41:9 - John 13:18-27 - 460 BCE ]]
[ 2. Thirty (30) of silver thrown in Temple - Zechariah 11:13 - Matthew 27:3-5 - 518 BCE ]
[ 3. Betrayed for thirty (30) pieces of silver - Zechariah 11:12 - Matthew 26:14-15 - 518 BCE ]
[ 4. Potters field bought for thirty (30) pieces of silver&Zechariah 11:13 - Matthew 27:6-10 - 518 BCE ]
[ 5. Forsaken by His disciples - Zechariah 13:7 - Mark 14:27-50 - 518 BCE ]
[ 6. Falsely accused by false witnesses - Psalms 35:11-21 - Matthew 26:59-61 - 460 BCE ]
[ 7. Remained silent before accusers - Isaiah 53:7 - Matthew 27:12-14 - 732 BCE ]
[ 8. Was wounded and bruised - Isaiah 53:4-6 - 1 Peter 2:21-25 - 732 BCE ]
[ 9. Spit upon and beaten - Isaiah 50:6 - Matthew 26:67-68 - 732 BCE ]
[ 10. Was mocked - Psalms 22:6- 8 - Matthew 27:27- 31 - 460 BCE ]
[ 11. Fell under the cross (stauros) - Psalms 109:24- 25 - John 19:17, Luke 23:26 - 460 BCE]
[ 12. Had hands and feet pierced - Psalms 22:16 - John 20:24-28 - 460 BCE ]
[ 13. Was crucified with thieves - Isaiah 53:12 - Matthew 27:38 - 732 BCE ]
[ 14. Prayed for His enemies - Isaiah 53:12 - Luke 23:34 - 732 BCE ]
[ 15. His own people rejected him - Isaiah 53:3 - John 19:14-15 - 732 BCE]
[ 16. Was hated without cause - Psalms 69:4 - John 15:25 - 460 BCE ]
[ 18. People wag their heads - Psalms 22:7; Psalms 109:25 - Matthew 27:39 - 460 BCE]
[19. He was stared at by people - Psalms 22:17 - Luke 23:35 - 460 BCE]
[ 20. Gamblers divided his clothes - Psalms 22:18 - John 19:23-24 - 460 BCE ]
[ 21. He became very thirsty - Psalms 22:15 - John 19:28 - 460 BCE ]
[ 22. He was given gall & vinegar - Psalms 69:21 - Matthew 27:34 - 460 BCE ]
[ 23. He committed himself to God - Psalms 31:5 - Luke 23:46 - 460 BCE ]
[ 24. His forsaken cry - Psalms 22:1 - Matthew 27:46 - 460 BCE ]
[ 25. His bones not broken - Psalms 34:20 - John 19:32-36 - 460 BCE ]
[ 26. Was buried in tomb of a rich man - Isaiah 53:9 - Matthew 27:56-60 - 732 BCE ]
[ 27. A darkness came over the land - Amos 8:9 - Luke 23:44-45 - 804 BCE ]
[ 28. His heart was broken - Psalms 69:20;Psalms 22:14 - 460 BCE ]
[ 29. His side pierced - Zechariah 12:10 - John 19:34-37 - 648 BCE ]
Prophecies Fulfilled Concerning His Birth:
[ 1. Born of the seed of women - Genesis 3:15 - Galatians 4:4 - 1513 BCE ]
[ 2. Born to a virgin Hebrew - Isaiah 7:14 - Matthew 1:18-25 - 732 BCE ]
[ 3. Children are killed by Herod - Jeremiah 31:15 - Matthew 2:16-18 - 580 BCE ]
[ 4. Born of the family line of Jesse - Isaiah 11:1 - Luke 3:32 - 732 BCE ]
[ 5. Born into the Tribe of Judah - Genesis 49:10 - Revelations 5:5 - 1513 BCE ]
[ 6. Born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2 - Matthew 2:1-6 - 717 BCE ]
[ 7. Seed of David - Jeremiah 23:5 - Luke 3:31 - 580 BCE ]
[ 8. Seed of Jacob - Numbers 24:17 - Luke 3:34 - 1473 BCE ]
[ 9. Seed of Isaac - Genesis 21:12 - Luke 3:23-34 - 1513 BCE ]
[ 10. Seed of Abraham - Genesis 22:18 - Matthew 1:1 - 1513 BCE ]
Prophecies on his Personality:
[ 1. His zeal for this Father (YHWY) - Psalms 69:9 - John 2:15-17 - 460 BCE ]
[2. His existence before creation - Micah 5:2 - 1 Peter 1:20 - 717 BCE ]
[ 3. He shall be called Lord - Psalms 110:1 - Acts 2:36 - 460 BCE ]
[ 4. Called Immanuel (God with us) - Isaiah 7:14 - Matthew 1:22-23 - 732 BCE ]
[ 5. Anointed by the Spirit (HS) - Isaiah 11:2 - Matthew 3:16-17 - 732 BCE ]
[ 6. He is a Prophet - Deuteronomy 18:18-19 - Acts 3:18-25 - 1473 BCE ]
[ 7. He will be a Priest - Psalms 110:4 - Hebrews 5:5-6 - 460 BCE ]
[ 8. He will be a Judge - Isaiah 33:32 - John 5:22-23 - 732 BCE ]
[ 9. He will be a King - Psalms 2:6 - John 18:33-37 - 460 BCE ]
Prophecies Concerning his Public Ministry:
[ 1. Will be preceded by a messenger - Isaiah 40:3 - Matthew 3:1-3 - 732 BCE ]
[ 2. He would perform miracles - Isaiah 35:5-6 - Matthew 9:35 & 11:4 - 732 BCE ]
[ 3. Ministry to begin in Galilee - Isaiah 9:1-2 - Matthew 4:12-17 - 732 BCE ]
[ 4. Would teach with parables - Psalms 78:1-4 - Matthew 13:34-35 - 460 BCE ]
[ 5. He would preach in temple - Malachi 3:1 - Matthew 21:10-12 - 443 BCE ]
[ 6. Enter Jerusalem on a donkey - Zechariah 9:9 - Matthew 21:1-7 - 518 BCE ]
[ 7. Stone of stumbling to Jews - Isaiah 28:16; Psalms 118:22 - 1 Peter 2:6-8 - 732 BCE ]
Prophecies Concerning his Resurrection and Ascension:
[ 1. Raised from the dead - Psalms 16:8-11 - Acts 2:24-31 - 460 BCE ]
[ 2. Only begotten Son of God (YHWH) - Psalms 2:7 - Acts 13:32-35 - 460 BCE ]
[ 3. Ascended to God (YHWH) - Psalms 68:18 - Ephesians 2:8-10; John 6:26 - 460 BCE ]
[ 4. Seated at the Right Hand of God (YHWH) - Psalms 110.1 - Hebrews 1:3-13 - 460 BCE]
Another remarkable prophecy that was very specific was the one given at Isaiah 44:28-29, "That saith of Cyrus, `He is' my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." (ASV); and Isaiah 45:1, "Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:" (ASV), which secular history shows was fulfilled over two hundred years in the future as it does of the prophecy about how Cyrus would capture Babylonia at Isaiah 44:27, "that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers;" (ASV). This fact can be verified in most world history books and in "Ancient Near Eastern Texts," edited by J. Pritchard, 1946, and of course in the Bible.
CANDOR OF BIBLE SCRIBES SHOWS THEIR TRUTHFULNESS:
Unlike writers of so called other 'holy books' the writers (scribes) of the Bible showed outstanding candor in their writings even testifying to their own shortcomings under divine guidance as shown at Numbers 20:12, "And Jehovah saith unto Moses, and unto Aaron, `Because ye have not believed in Me to sanctify Me before the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore ye do not bring in this assembly unto the land which I have given to them.'" (YLT); and at Jonah 1:1-3, "Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah." (ASV) clearly here the prophet Jonah is testifying in candor to his own lack of faith and wrong doing; and at Mark 14:66-67 and 71-72, "And Peter being in the hall beneath, there doth come one of the maids of the chief priest, 67 and having seen Peter warming himself, having looked on him, she said, `And thou wast with Jesus of Nazareth!'" and "and he began to anathematize, and to swear -- `I have not known this man of whom ye speak; 72 and a second time a cock crew, and Peter remembered the saying that Jesus said to him -- `Before a cock crow twice, thou mayest deny me thrice;' and having thought thereon -- he was weeping." (YLT). Examples such as these are found throughout the Bible of candor on the part of the writers (scribes) which is definitely not found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Rig Veda, the so called holy book of the Zoroastrians, etc.; once more showing the great difference between the Bible, which is the only book ever inspired by God (YHWH) and so called other 'holy books.'
BIBLE DIRECT GLORY TO GOD AND NOT TO MEN:
Unlike many other so called 'holy books' the Bible directs glory to God (YHWH) and not to men such as the Egyptian Pharaohs, many ancient rulers, and the Roman Emperors that claimed to be gods. This is made vividly clear at Psalms 113:3-5, "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same Jehovah's name is to be praised. 4 Jehovah is high above all nations, And his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like unto Jehovah our God, That hath his seat on high," (ASV); and at Isaiah 40:22-23, "`It is' he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; 23 that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity." (ASV); and at 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, "For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, `are called': 27 but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; 28 and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, `yea' and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: 29 that no flesh should glory before God. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31 that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (ASV); and at many other places such as Revelation 7:12.
ARCHAEOLOGY HAS CORROBORATED MANY BIBLE ACCOUNTS:
So many Bible accounts have corroborated
so many Bible accounts that it would require many books to significantly deal with them all. However, but a few of these are Genesis 19:24-25, "and Jehovah hath rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah, from the heavens; 25 and He overthroweth these cities, and all the circuit, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which is shooting up from the ground." (YLT) has been corroborated by Geologist recently when they ascertained that the area mentioned had been involved in a catastrophic explosion followed by rain of sulphur. Also, a recent expedition found extensive underwater remnants of a civilization that flourished and died app. 4,000 years ago that now is submerged beneath the south end of the Dead Sea.
Another example is Joshua 1:4, "From this wilderness and Lebanon, and unto the great river, the river Phrath, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great Sea -- the going in of the sun -- is your border." (YLT). This has been confirmed by the discovery at an excavation at Boghazkeui, Turkey, the ancient site of the Hittite capital where over 10,00 clay tablets in the Hittite cuneiform script and other languages have been found.
Another example is 1 Kings 14:25-26, "And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 26 and he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made." (ASV). This was verified by a finding in 1830 of writings on the outer wall of Egyptian temple at Karnak that when deciphered was found to be a record of Shishnak's victory.
Another example is 2 Kings 3:4-5, "Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel." (ASV). This was verified with the finding of the Moabite stone in 1868 [now preserved in the Louvre, Paris] which gives King Mesha's version of his revolt against Israel.
Another example is 2 Kings 18:13, "Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them." (ASV). In 1847 to 1851, Layard excavated Assyrian King Sennacherib's great palace at Kuyunjik, and uncovered clay cylinders, now called King Sennacherib's Prism, giving his boastful version of the invasion of Judah, [now preserved in the British Museum].
Another example is Acts 17:22, "And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Ye men of Athens, in all things, I perceive that ye are very religious." (ASV). The Ares, or 'Mars Hill," rocky hill northwest of Acropolis of Athens still remains to confirm the Beble record of setting for Paul's discourse, and a plaque there contains a copy of a part of his speech.
Now if any want to know more, go and read one of the many books written on archaeology corroboration of Bible accounts, many can be found in any large metropolitan library.
THE BIBLE IN HARMONY WITH TRUE SCIENCE:
Let's review a few examples such as Genesis 1:11 & 21 & 25, "And God saith, `Let the earth yield tender grass, herb sowing seed, fruit-tree (whose seed `is' in itself) making fruit after its kind, on the earth:' and it is so." And "21 And God prepareth the great monsters, and every living creature that is creeping, which the waters have teemed with, after their kind, and every fowl with wing, after its kind, and God seeth that `it is' good." And "And God maketh the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, and God seeth that `it is' good.", all of which we all now know to be true do to the findings of scientist.
And Job 26:7, "He is stretching out the north over the empty place, hanging the earth upon nothing." (New World Translation; NWT). For many centuries it was believed that the sun revolved around the earth, and one so called Christian group, actually a counterfeit Christian group, actually burned an individual at the stake on orders from Rome, one Giordano Bruno, executed in 1600 for a belief and teaching of the Copernican's system, the belief that the earth revolved around the sun, as they taught as truth the Ptolemaic system, the belief that the sun revolved around the earth, can you imagine that. Also, some religious groups and so called 'holy books' stated that the earth was supported by a giant turtle, can you imagine such nonsense; but the Bible contains no such nonsense in the legitimate canonical books. And Isaiah 40:22, "`It is' he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;" (ASV). For many centuries it was believed that the earth was flat and if you traveled too far you would fall off, but the Bible correctly said, "above the circle of the earth" revealing that it was a globe. Once more proving the Bible always was in harmony with true science. Of course this was NOT true for the many so called 'holy books,' the knockoffs from the Bible excluded.
ITS PRESERVATION IN FACE OF SEVERE OPPOSITION SHOWS THAT IT TRULY IS THE WORD OF GOD:
The fact that the Bible still exist after such severe opposition throughout the ages is testimony to the fact that it is the word of God (YHWH). This fact was foretold in advance at Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever." (ASV); and 1 Peter 1:25, "'The saying of Jehovah endures forever." Well, this is the 'saying,' this which has been declared to you as good news." (NWT). Through the ages many efforts were made to eliminate the Bible and many individuals were burned at the stake for either publishing, distributing, and/or possessing a copy of the Bible, but we still have it as God (YHWH) made provisions for its preservation and today it has been translated into over 2,000 languages and more copies are in existence of it than any other book on earth; in fact more copies of it have been printed than all other so called 'holy books' sure says a lot.
SEE PART 2 IN VOL 417B
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] DISCOURSE ON PURGATORY – PART 2
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [417B]
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Ephesians 2:1 – 2, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
As the Bible shows at 1 Timothy 5:6, [AV] “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” Clearly showing that those who seek to live a hedonistic way of life are NOT winning Almighty God’s (YHWH’s) pleasure. Yes, we must be careful not to become overcome with evil and false doctrine per Romans 12:21, [AV] “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Yes, the judgment of this world is near at hand, and as revealed at John 12:31, [AV] “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.’ Please give heed to James 4:5, [AV] “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”
[2] DISCOURSE ON PURGATORY – PART 2
ALL OF THE BIBLE IS VALUABLE:
That all of the Bible is beneficial and NOT outdated is brought out at Romans 15:4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope." (ASV); and John 20:31, "but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name." (ASV).
JESUS (YESHUA) AND THE APOSTLES FREELY QUOTED FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Jesus (Yeshua) and his apostles clearly quoted from the Old Testament [Hebrew Testament] clearly showing that they considered all of it as the inspired word of God (YHWH) as it truly is. This is clearly shown at Luke 4:17-21, "And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears." (ASV); and at Luke 24:27 & 44-45, "And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." And "And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures;" (ASV). Also, there many more scriptures showing that Jesus (Yeshua) and his apostles clearly quoted from the Old Testament.
In fact, many of these scriptures contain examples for our benefit today, one example being shown in Luke 17:26-30, "And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: 30 after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed." (ASV).
BIBLE TO BE VIEWED AS A UNIFORM WHOLE:
The Bible is shown to be clearly a uniform whole at 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is Inspired of God and beneficial." (NWT); therefore, the reading of it on a regular basis is important. This is testified to at Matthew 4:4, "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (ASV); and Deuteronomy 6:4-7, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength. These commandments which I give you this day are to be kept in your heart; you shall repeat them to your sons, and speak of them indoors and out of doors, when you lie down and when you rise." (The New English Bible; NEB); and 2 Timothy 3:15, "You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God's salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus." (Living New Testament; LNT); and Acts 17:11, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
FOR THE RIGHT INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE, WE MUST LOOK TO GOD (YHWH):
We must look to God (YHWH) for the correct interpretation of the Bible and not to men as testified to at Genesis 40:8, "They replied, 'We have each had a dream and there is no one to interpret it for us.'" (NWT); and Daniel 2:28, "but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he discloses to king Nebuchadnezzar what is to happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your brain in bed are these:" (The Bible, A New Translation, by James Moffatt, D.D., D.Litt., M.A.; ANT); and Matthew 11:25, "And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him." (ASV).
Remember that the 'RIGHT' explanation is always harmonious with the rest of God's (YHWH's) word as brought out at 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "Every inspired scripture has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, or for reformation of maners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind." (NET); and Acts 15:14-15, "Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written," (ASV). Also, as brought out by Matthew 16:4, "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of Jonah. And he left them, and departed." (ASV); and Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (ASV).
EVENTS IN FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY POINT OUT MEANING:
Actually, events in fulfillment of prophecy point out Bible meaning as shown by Matthew 1:18 & 22-23, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." And "22 Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us." (ASV); and Acts 2:4 & 14-21, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." And "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, `saying', Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words. 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is `but' the third hour of the day. 16 but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams: 18 Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable `day'. 21 And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (ASV).
Remember, personal interpretation may lead to twisting of scriptures as shown by 2 Peter 3:15-16, "and the long-suffering of our Lord count ye salvation, according as also our beloved brother Paul -- according to the wisdom given to him -- did write to you 16 as also in all the epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, among which things are certain hard to be understood, which the untaught and unstable do wrest, as also the other Writings, unto their own destruction." (ASV). Also, adding to or taking away from the words of the Bible is wrong as shown at Revelation 22:18-19, "I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book:
19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book." (ASV).
CONCLUSION:
As can be seen from the foregoing, the Bible is truly the word of God (YHWH) and NOT of man as are all the other books in existence. It is the only book God (YHWH) has ever inspired to be written and that God (YHWH) used divinely inspired men to record his thoughts in the words of men. So as we can see, the proposition stated in the introduction has been proved past any reasonable doubt to all individuals who are honest with themselves. Of course there will be many individuals who will not accept this, and this is to be expected; and that is why we have the saying you can lead a horse to water, but you can not make him drink. These are the ones who want to believe myths and legends and figuratively say, 'my mind is made up, please do NOT confuse me with facts.'
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Many have asked questions on when will be the culmination of the end times, but the Bible clearly says as Matthew 24:36, "'But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not even the Son; only the Father." (The New English Bible; NEB). Clearly if even Jesus (Yeshua) does not know, but only his Father (YHWH), NO human knows; therefore, listen not if someone, even a church leader, puts forth a date for the culmination of the end times. Anyone doing so, no matter his rank or prominence, is simply a false prophet. Note, this does NOT apply to those giving possible periods of time as probabilities, but to those only who put forth dates. The fact is, we are living deep into the final period, or end times, before the culmination of the end times.
The Bible actually mentions what the signs will be showing this system is drawing close to its end. However, it list four (4) specific things that must pass and/or occur before the culmination of the end times. Three of these are detailed below and were written by others and not myself.
Four Items
1. Who will prove to be the King of the North?
2. They will say peace and security
3. The governments will turn on religion
4. They will turn on the JW and then his rath and the end comes.
# 2
In an article entitled, "The Nuclear Threat-Removed for Good!"
"Peace and Security"-A Counterfeit
It should be obvious that the nuclear threat is far from gone. Still, despite political, economic, and social unrest, the nations seem in the main to be optimistic. A steady endeavor to defuse the danger has been apparent since the UN International Year of Peace in 1986.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has in the last decade turned its doomsday clock-its method of indicating the probability of nuclear war-from 3 minutes before midnight back to 17 minutes before midnight. In 1989 the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute noted that "hope for peaceful conflict resolution is better founded than in any other year since the end of World War II."
In recent years the United Nations has been strengthened to deal with international trouble spots. Its success, while not total, has been sufficient to contribute to a general spirit of optimism. The future will likely bring additional breakthroughs. Cries of "peace and security" will probably become louder and more intense. They may even gain in credibility.
But beware! "Whenever it is that they are saying: 'Peace and security,'" warns the Bible, "then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape." Thus, cries of "peace and security" will signal God's time "to bring to ruin those [who through pollution, nuclear and otherwise, are] ruining the earth."-1 Thessalonians 5:3, 4; Revelation 11:18.
Note that the Bible does not say that the nations will achieve "peace and security." They will apparently be talking about it in a unique way, expressing an optimism and a conviction not hitherto felt. The chances of achieving peace and security will appear to be closer than ever before. Despite a continuing nuclear threat, the nations will be lulled into a false sense of security.
True Christians, however, will not be deceived. With keen interest they will look beyond human peace and security to something better!
# 3
In an article entitled, "Peace for the False Messengers!"
Shortly, "crazed" members of the UN will be maneuvered by Jehovah to turn on false religion, as described at Revelation 17:16: "These will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire." This will mark the start of the great tribulation that is referred to at Matthew 24:21 and that will climax at Armageddon, the war of the great day of God the Almighty. Like ancient Babylon, Babylon the Great will meet up with the judgment pronounced at Jeremiah 51:13, 25: "'O woman residing on abounding waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your profit making. Here I am against you, O ruinous mountain,' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'you ruiner of the whole earth; and I will stretch out my hand against you and roll you away from the crags and make you a burnt-out mountain.'" Corrupt, warmongering nations will follow false religion into destruction as Jehovah's day of vengeance catches up with them also.
In an article entitled, "Executing Babylon the Great"
Again Jehovah uses human rulers in executing judgment. "For God put it into their hearts to carry out his thought, even to carry out their one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished." (Revelation 17:17) What is God's "thought"? To arrange for the executioners of Babylon the Great to band together, in order to destroy her completely. Of course, the rulers' motive in attacking her will be to carry out their own "one thought." They will feel that it is in their nationalistic interests to turn upon the great harlot. They may come to view the continued existence of organized religion within their boundaries as a threat to their sovereignty. But Jehovah will actually be maneuvering matters; they will carry out his thought by destroying his age-old, adulterous enemy at one stroke!-Compare Jeremiah 7:8-11, 34.
Yes, the nations will use the scarlet-colored wild beast, the United Nations, in destroying Babylon the Great. They do not act on their own initiative, for Jehovah puts it into their hearts "even to carry out their one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast." When the time comes, the nations will evidently see the need to strengthen the United Nations. They will give it teeth, as it were, lending it whatever authority and power they possess so that it can turn upon false religion and fight successfully against her "until the words of God will have been accomplished." Thus, the ancient harlot will come to her complete end. And good riddance to her!
# 4
In an article entitled, "Stand Still and See the Salvation of Jehovah!"
Who Will Lead Gog's Attack?
Gog of Magog is identified as Satan the Devil in his debased position since 1914. As a spirit creature, he cannot carry out his attack directly, but he will use human agencies to do his deeds. Who will these human agencies be? The Bible does not give us details, yet it does give us certain indications that can help us to identify who they will be. As world events unfold in fulfillment of Bible prophecies, we will gradually get an ever clearer picture. Jehovah's people avoid speculation but remain spiritually alert, fully aware of political and religious developments that fit into the framework of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
The prophet Daniel sheds light upon a final attack against God's people, writing: "He [the king of the north] will certainly go forth in a great rage in order to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. And he will plant his palatial tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration."-Daniel 11:44, 45.
In the context of the Bible, "the grand sea" was the Great Sea, or the Mediterranean, and "the holy mountain" was Zion, of which Jehovah said: "I, even I, have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain." (Psalm 2:6; Joshua 1:4) Thus, in a spiritual sense, the land "between the grand sea and the holy mountain" represents the prosperous spiritual estate of anointed Christians. They are no longer identified with the sea of humanity alienated from God, and they are looking forward to ruling with Christ Jesus in the heavenly Kingdom. Clearly, God's anointed servants, along with their loyal companions of the great crowd, will be the target of the king of the north when he launches his vicious attack in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy.-Isaiah 57:20; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 14:1.
In an article entitled, "How Will God's Servants React?"
What will servants of God be expected to do once they come under attack? Again, the reaction of God's typical nation in the days of Jehoshaphat sets the pattern. Note that its citizens were commanded to do three things: (1) take their position, (2) stand still, and (3) see the salvation of Jehovah. How will God's people today act in harmony with these words?-2 Chronicles 20:17.
15 Take their position: Without wavering, God's people will continue to hold to their position of active support for God's Kingdom. They will continue to maintain their position of Christian neutrality. They will be "steadfast, unmovable" in their loyal service to Jehovah and will continue publicly to praise Jehovah for his loving-kindness. (1 Corinthians 15:58; Psalm 118:28, 29) No present or future pressure can shake them from this divinely approved position.
Stand still: Jehovah's servants will not try to save themselves but will place their implicit trust in Jehovah. Only he is capable of rescuing his servants out of world chaos, and he has promised to do so. (Isaiah 43:10, 11; 54:15; Lamentations 3:26) Trusting in Jehovah will include trusting the modern visible channel that he has clearly been using for decades to serve his purposes. As never before, true Christians will then need to place their confidence in fellow worshipers authorized by Jehovah and his reigning King to take the lead. These faithful men will direct God's people. Ignoring their direction could end in disaster.-Matthew 24:45-47; Hebrews 13:7, 17.
See the salvation of Jehovah: Salvation will be the reward for all those who hold to their position of Christian integrity and who trust in Jehovah for deliverance. Until the final hour-and to the extent they can-they will announce the arrival of the day of Jehovah's judgment. All creation must know that Jehovah is the true God and that he has faithful servants on earth. Never again will there be the need for a prolonged controversy over the rightfulness of Jehovah's sovereignty.-Ezekiel 33:33; 36:23.
With renewed energy, God's people will enter into the new world, eager to sing a victory song, even as did the Israelites of old after their deliverance through the Red Sea. Forever grateful to Jehovah for his protection, individually and collectively, they will echo words of long ago: "Let me sing to Jehovah, for he has become highly exalted. . . . Jehovah is a manly person of war. Jehovah is his name. . . . Your right hand, O Jehovah, can shatter an enemy. And in the abundance of your superiority you can throw down those who rise up against you; you send out your burning anger, it eats them up like stubble. . . . You in your loving-kindness have led the people whom you have recovered; you in your strength will certainly conduct them to your holy abiding place. . . . You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, an established place that you have made ready for you to inhabit, O Jehovah, a sanctuary, O Jehovah, that your hands have established. Jehovah will rule as king to time indefinite, even forever."-Exodus 15:1-19.
#'s 1, 3, 4
In an article entitled, "The Final Victory of Michael, the Great Prince"
The Final Victory of Michael, the Great Prince
"During that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of the sons of your people."-DANIEL 12:1.
"WHO is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice to send Israel away?" (Exodus 5:2) These were Pharaoh's challenging words to Moses. Refusing to acknowledge the supreme Godship of Jehovah, Pharaoh was determined to keep Israel in slavery. Other rulers have shown a similar disdain for Jehovah, and the kings of Daniel's prophecy are no exception. (Isaiah 36:13-20) Indeed, the king of the north has gone further. The angel says: "He will exalt himself and magnify himself above every god; and against the God of gods he will speak marvelous things. . . . And to the God of his fathers he will give no consideration; and to the desire of women and to every other god he will give no consideration, but over everyone he will magnify himself."-Daniel 11:36, 37.
2 Fulfilling these prophetic words, the king of the north rejected "the God of his fathers" (or, "his ancestral gods," The New English Bible), be it the pagan gods of Rome or the Trinitarian divinity of Christendom. Hitler used Christendom for his own ends but evidently planned to replace her with a new, Germanic church. His successor promoted outright atheism. Thus the king of the north has made a god of himself, 'magnifying himself over everyone.'
3 The prophecy continues: "To the god of fortresses, in his position he will give glory; and to a god that his fathers did not know he will give glory by means of gold and by means of silver and by means of precious stone and by means of desirable things." (Daniel 11:38) In fact, the king of the north placed his trust in modern scientific militarism, "the god of fortresses." All through the time of the end, he has sought salvation through this "god," sacrificing enormous wealth on its altar.
4 "He will act effectively against the most fortified strongholds, along with a foreign god. Whoever has given him recognition he will make abound with glory, and he will actually make them rule among many; and the ground he will apportion out for a price." (Daniel 11:39) Trusting in his militaristic "foreign god," the king of the north has acted most "effectively," proving to be a formidable military power in "the last days." (2 Timothy 3:1) Those who supported his ideology were rewarded with political, financial, and sometimes military support.
"In the Time of the End"
5 Daniel 11:40a reads: "In the time of the end the king of the south will engage with him in a pushing." This and the following verses have been viewed as having a fulfillment in our future. However, if "the time of the end" here means the same as it does at Daniel 12:4, 9, we should look for the fulfillment of these words throughout the last days. Has the king of the south 'pushed' the king of the north during this time? Yes, indeed. After the first world war, the punitive peace treaty was surely a 'pushing,' an incitement to retaliation. After his victory in the second world war, the king of the south targeted fearsome nuclear weapons on his rival and organized against him a powerful military alliance, NATO. As the years went by, his "pushing" included high-tech espionage as well as diplomatic and military offensives.
6 How did the king of the north react? "Against him the king of the north will storm with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships; and he will certainly enter into the lands and flood over and pass through." (Daniel 11:40b) The history of the last days has featured the expansionism of the king of the north. During the second world war, the Nazi "king" flooded over his borders into the surrounding lands. At the end of that war, the successor "king" built a powerful empire outside his own boundaries. During the Cold War, the king of the north fought his rival in proxy wars and insurgencies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He persecuted genuine Christians, limiting (but by no means stopping) their activity. And his military and political offensives brought a number of lands under his control. This is exactly as the angel prophesied: "He will also actually enter into the land of the Decoration [the spiritual estate of God's people], and there will be many lands that will be made to stumble."-Daniel 11:41a.
7 Nevertheless, even though-from the viewpoint of his rival-the king of the north has loomed as a menacing presence, he has not achieved world conquest. "These are the ones that will escape out of his hand, Edom and Moab and the main part of the sons of Ammon." (Daniel 11:41b) In ancient times, Edom, Moab, and Ammon were situated roughly between Egypt and Syria. They can be taken to represent nations and organizations today that the king of the north targeted but was unable to bring under his influence.
'Egypt Will Not Escape'
8 The angel goes on to say: "He will keep thrusting out his hand against the lands; and as regards the land of Egypt, she will not prove to be an escapee. And he will actually rule over the hidden treasures of the gold and the silver and over all the desirable things of Egypt. And the Libyans and the Ethiopians will be at his steps." (Daniel 11:42, 43) Even the king of the south, "Egypt," did not escape the effects of the expansionist policies of the king of the north. He suffered, for example, a notable defeat in Vietnam. And what of "the Libyans and the Ethiopians"? These neighbors of ancient Egypt might well foreshadow nations that are, geographically speaking, neighbors of modern "Egypt" and that at times have been followers of, 'at the steps of,' the king of the north.
9 Has the king of the north ruled over 'the hidden treasures of Egypt'? Well, he has certainly not conquered the king of the south, and up until 1993 the world situation made it seem unlikely that he will. But he has had a powerful influence on the way the king of the south used his financial resources. Because of fear of his rival, the king of the south has devoted huge sums each year to maintaining a formidable army, navy, and air force. To this extent the king of the north could be said to have 'ruled over,' controlled, the disposition of the wealth of the king of the south.
Final Campaign of the Northern King
10 Does the rivalry between the two kings continue indefinitely? No. The angel told Daniel: "There will be reports that will disturb him [the king of the north], out of the sunrising and out of the north, and he will certainly go forth in a great rage in order to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. And he will plant his palatial tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will have to come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him."-Daniel 11:44, 45.
11 These events are yet future, so we cannot say in detail how the prophecy will be fulfilled. Recently, the political situation regarding the two kings has changed. The bitter rivalry between the United States and Eastern European countries has cooled. Further, the Soviet Union was disbanded in 1991 and no longer exists.-
12 So who is the king of the north now? Is he to be identified with one of the countries that were part of the old Soviet Union? Or is he changing identity completely, as he has a number of times before? We cannot say. Who will be the king of the north when Daniel 11:44, 45 is fulfilled? Will the rivalry between the two kings flare up again? And what of the huge nuclear stockpiles that still exist in a number of lands? Only time will provide the answers to these questions.
13 One thing we do know. Soon, the king of the north will conduct an offensive campaign that will be triggered by "reports that will disturb him, out of the sunrising and out of the north." This campaign will immediately precede his "end." We can learn more about these "reports" if we consider other Bible prophecies.
14 First, though, notice that these acts of the king of the north are not said to be against the king of the south. He does not come to his end at the hands of his great rival. Similarly, the king of the south is not destroyed by the king of the north. The southern king (represented in other prophecies as the final horn to appear on a wild beast) is destroyed "without [human] hand" by God's Kingdom. (Daniel 7:26; 8:25) In fact, all earthly kings are finally destroyed by God's Kingdom at the battle of Armageddon, and this evidently is what happens to the king of the north. (Daniel 2:44; 12:1; Revelation 16:14, 16) Daniel 11:44, 45 describes events leading up to that final battle. No wonder "there will be no helper" when the king of the north meets his end!
15 What, then, are the other prophecies that shed light on the "reports" that move the king of the north to set out to "devote many to destruction." And who are the "many" that he will want to destroy?
A Report Out Of the Sunrising
16 Before the final battle, Armageddon, a great enemy of true worship must be destroyed-harlotlike Babylon the Great, the worldwide empire of false religion. (Revelation 18:3-8) Her destruction is foreshadowed by the pouring out of the sixth bowl of God's wrath on the symbolic river Euphrates. The river dries up "that the way might be prepared for the kings from the rising of the sun." (Revelation 16:12) Who are these kings? None other than Jehovah God and Jesus Christ!
17 The destruction of Babylon the Great is graphically described in the book of Revelation: "The ten horns that you saw [the 'kings' ruling in the time of the end], and the wild beast [the scarlet-colored wild beast, representing the United Nations organization], these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire." (Revelation 17:16) Truly, the nations 'destroy much flesh'! (Daniel 7:5) But why will the rulers, including the king of the north, destroy Babylon the Great? Because 'God puts it into their hearts to carry out his thought.' (Revelation 17:17) The report "out of the sunrising" may well refer to this act of Jehovah, when, in a way that he chooses, he puts it into the hearts of human leaders to annihilate the great religious harlot.-Daniel 11:44.
A Report Out Of the North
18 But there is another target for the wrath of the king of the north. The angel says that he will "plant his palatial tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration." (Daniel 11:45) In Daniel's time, the grand sea was the Mediterranean, and the holy mountain was Zion, once the site of God's temple. Hence, in the prophecy's fulfillment, the enraged king of the north conducts a military campaign against God's people! In a spiritual sense today, "between the grand sea and the holy mountain" locates him in the spiritual estate of God's anointed servants, who have come out of "the sea" of alienated mankind and have the hope of ruling on heavenly Mount Zion with Jesus Christ.-Isaiah 57:20; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 14:1.
19 Ezekiel, a contemporary of Daniel, also prophesied an attack on God's people "in the final part of the days." He said the hostilities would be initiated by Gog of Magog, representing Satan the Devil. (Ezekiel 38:16) From which direction, symbolically, does Gog come? Jehovah, through Ezekiel, says: "You will certainly come from your place, from the remotest parts of the north." (Ezekiel 38:15) Hence, the report "out of the north" may well be Satan's propaganda inciting the king of the north and all the other kings to attack Jehovah's people.-Compare Revelation 16:13, 14; 17:14.
20 Gog organizes this all-out assault because of the prosperity of "the Israel of God," who, with the great crowd of other sheep, are no longer part of his world. (Galatians 6:16; John 10:16; 17:15, 16; 1 John 5:19) Gog looks askance upon "a people gathered together out of the nations, one that is accumulating [spiritual] wealth and property." (Ezekiel 38:12; Revelation 5:9; 7:9) In fulfillment of these words, Jehovah's people are prospering today as never before. In many lands in Europe, Africa, and Asia where they were once banned, they now worship freely. Between 1987 and 1992, well over one million "desirable things" came out of the nations to Jehovah's house of true worship. Spiritually, they are wealthy and peaceful.-Haggai 2:7; Isaiah 2:2-4; 2 Corinthians 8:9.
21 Viewing the Christian spiritual estate as "open rural country" ripe for the taking, Gog makes a supreme effort to wipe out this obstacle to his total control of mankind. (Ezekiel 38:11) But he fails. When the kings of the earth attack Jehovah's people, they will 'come all the way to their end.' How?
A Third King
22 Ezekiel says that Gog's attack is the signal for Jehovah God to rise up in behalf of his people and destroy Gog's forces "on the mountains of Israel." (Ezekiel 38:18; 39:4) This reminds us of what the angel tells Daniel: "During that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of the sons of your people. And there will certainly occur a time of distress such as has not been made to occur since there came to be a nation until that time. And during that time your people will escape, every one who is found written down in the book."-Daniel 12:1.
23 In 1914, Jesus-the heavenly warrior Michael-became King of God's heavenly Kingdom. (Revelation 11:15; 12:7-9) Since then, he has been standing 'in behalf of the sons of Daniel's people.' Soon, though, he will "stand up" in Jehovah's name as an invincible Warrior-King, bringing "vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus." (2 Thessalonians 1:8) All nations of the earth, including the kings of Daniel's prophecy, will "beat themselves in lamentation." (Matthew 24:30) With evil thoughts still in their hearts toward 'Daniel's people,' they will perish forever at the hands of 'Michael, the great prince.'-Revelation 19:11-21.
24 Do we not long to see that grand triumph of Michael and of his God, Jehovah? For that victory will mean "escape," survival, for true Christians. (Compare Malachi 4:1-3.) Hence, looking to the future with eager anticipation, we bear in mind the words of the apostle Paul: "Preach the word, be at it urgently in favorable season, in troublesome season." (2 Timothy 4:2) Let us keep a firm hold on the Word of life and diligently seek Jehovah's sheep while the favorable season continues. We are on the homestretch in the race for life. The reward is in sight. May all be determined to endure to the end and thus be among those who will be saved.-Matthew 24:13; Hebrews 12:1. [source = another Bible scholar who got the information from various publications of the Watchtower Bible and Track Society]
Now is a very critical time and it is imperative that all footstep followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ keep themselves apart from the things of the world, i.e., the worldly system of wrong doing and sin. Or as Jesus (Yeshua) stated it at Mark 12:17, "And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him." (American Standard Version; ASV). Now just what are the world's or Caesar's things and what are the things owing to God (YHWH)? Let's find out:
THE WORLD RULERS SHOULD BE SHOWN RESPECT, BUT NOT WORSHIP:
Clearly in Romans 13:1-7 it is shown what is owed to worldly rulers, "Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the `powers' that be are ordained of God. 2 Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from the same: 4 for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore `ye' must needs be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake. 6 For this cause ye pay tribute also; for they are ministers of God's service, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute `is due'; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor." (ASV); and Titus 3:1, "Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work," (ASV); and 1 Timothy 2:1-3, "I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; 2 for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;" (ASV); and Acts 26:1-3, "And Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defence: 2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before thee this day touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews: 3 especially because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently." (ASV).
WE SHOULD PAY OUR TAXES FOR SERVICES RENDERED:
The Bible clearly shows we should pay taxes for services rendered which of course are many, and this is made clear at Luke 20:21-25, "And they asked him, saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest not the person `of any', but of a truth teachest the way of God: 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, 24 Show me a denarius. Whose image and superscription hath it? And they said, Caesar's. 25 And he said unto them, Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." (ASV); and highlighted by Romans 13:7, "Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute `is due'; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor." (ASV).
TRUE CHRISTIANS SHOULD OBEY THE WORLD'S LAWS FOR CONSCIENCE SAKE IF THEY DO NOT TRANSGRESS THE WORD OF GOD (YHWH):
This is clearly shown in Romans 13:5-6, previously quoted and in 1 Peter 3:16-17, "having a good conscience; that, wherein ye are spoken against, they may be put to shame who revile your good manner of life in Christ. 17 For it is better, if the will of God should so will, that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing." (ASV); and at Acts 24:16, "Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offence toward God and men always." (ASV).
TRUE CHRISTIAN SUBJECTION TO POLITICAL AUTHORITIES DOES NOT IGNORE SUPREME AUTHORITY OF GOD (YHWH):
As was highlighted in the introduction by a quote from Jesus (Yeshua) at Mark 12:17, "And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him." (ASV) we are to render our obedience first to God (YHWH), and only to worldly rulers when they do NOT demand what is only due God (YHWH). This fact was even recognized by Caliph Saladin who was a Muslim as being a fact, and reinforced by Matthew 22:21, "'Then pay Caesar what is due to Caesar, and pay God what is due to God.'" (the New English Bible; NEB); and at 1 Peter 2:13-15, "Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme; 14 or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:" (ASV).
OUR WORSHIP AND DEVOTION IS TO GOD (YHWH) AND NOT TO CAESAR:
Our worship and devotion belong to God (YHWH) and not to Caesar as shown at Psalms 66:8-9, "Bless our God, all nations; let his praise be heard far and near. He sets us in the land of the living; he keeps our feet from stumbling." (NEB); and at Revelation 7:9-10, "After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of `all' tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb." (ASV); and at Revelation 14:6-7, "And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having eternal good tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7 and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters." (ASV).
CONCLUSION, WHEN CAESAR'S LAWS CONFLICT WITH GOD'S (YHWH'S) LAWS:
Now when the laws of the land conflict with God's (YHWH's) laws, we must obey the laws of God (YHWH) as they take precedence over all others. This is clearly shown by the example of several of the Apostles at Acts 5:27:29, "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, We strictly charged you not to teach in this name: and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men." (ASV); and reaffirmed at Acts 5:19-20, "But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said, 20 Go ye, and stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this Life." (ASV); and by Acts 4:18-20, "And they called them, and charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye: 20 for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard." (ASV).
This was also testified to in the Old Testament [Hebrew Testament] at Daniel 3:16-17 by example, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego have answered, yea, they are saying to the king Nebuchadnezzar, `We have no need concerning this matter to answer thee 17 Lo, it is; our God whom we are serving, is able to deliver us from a burning fiery furnace; and from thy hand, O king, He doth deliver 18 And lo -- not! be it known to thee, O king, that thy gods we are not serving, and to the golden image thou hast raised up we do no obeisance.'" (Young's Literal Translation; YLT); and at Exodus 1:17-20, "And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive; 18 and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, `Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?' 19 And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, `Because the Hebrew women `are' not as the Egyptian women, for they `are' lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them -- they have borne!' 20 And God doth good to the midwives, and the people multiply, and are very mighty; 21 and it cometh to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He maketh for them households;" (YLT).
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[/b]COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] MANY IN ISLAM ARE CORRUPTED IN THEIR OUTLOOK AND WORLD VIEW DURING THEIR FORMATIVE YEARS – READ AND LEARN
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [418B]
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:9 – 10, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
We do not want to displease our Creator, Almighty God (YHWH), and here are six steps that should be taken to please him as given in the Bible.
Step 1, John 17:3, [AV] “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Step 2, John 3:16, [AV] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Step 3, Luke 5:32, [AV] “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Step 4, Acts 3:19, [AV] “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”
Step 5, Mark 8:8:34, [AV] “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Step 6, Matthew 28:19 - 20, [AV] “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
[2] MANY IN ISLAM ARE CORRUPTED IN THEIR OUTLOOK AND WORLD VIEW DURING THEIR FORMATIVE YEARS – READ AND LEARN
INTRODUCTION – Most of an individual’s thoughts about race, outlook on the world, and how they make sense of the world around them are developed very early in life before they ever go to school. This REALITY is overlooked by many intentionally as they want to assign later behavior to schools or other institutions since they can not face reality that the parents, religious institutions, and acquaintances are really responsible. As one expert group on development put it:
(QUOTE) “People develop best intellectually, emotionally and inter-personally when their formative years are free of repression, natural disasters, malnutrition, polluted water and armed conflict, according to UNICEF. The formative years of a child differ, however, based on the specific type of development in question. According to PBS, when considering the development of attachments to caregivers, the first five years of life are the most important. PBS indicates that therapy helps some adults develop attachments even when they are deprived of connections during their first five years. [[SOURC - RETRIEVED FROM https://www.reference.com/world-view/ages-formative-years-child-e6eb4d1869967ad4 ON 11/21/2016]” (QUOTE)
PROJECTION OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S BAD QUALITIES ON NONE RESPONSIBLE CAUSES – Many try to project bad actions later on life on other entities instead of accepting reality as to the causative formative year learning. This is especially so with respect to members of Islam. Take for example, Iftikhar Ahmad, of the Islamic School of London, He tries to assign responsibility to state schools of the United Kingdom. Yet he claims to be an expert on education with over 40 years of experience in that field. However, he tries to assign radicalization of some Muslims to education received to state schools, and even tries to justify this erroneous conclusion by stating none of the students of a few Muslim Faith Based Schools in the United Kingdom became terrorist. However, he overlooks reality since he fails to recognize these may not come from the same pool of Muslims in that country as the ones who became radicalized.
Yes, the Muslims in the United Kingdom are not one monolithic pool or group, but made up of several who bring up their children very differently. Many Muslims bring up their children in love and to hate violence such as members of the Free Muslim Coalition. To learn more on this group, go to APPENDIX 1 On The Free Muslim Coalition – below.
However, many Muslims in the United Kingdom instruct their children knowingly or unknowingly to hate, love violence, and a disregard for the person and property of others. This bad instruction at home during the formative years is further amplified in many mosques and by individuals they are around during their formative years. The fruits of this become clearly evident years later with over 800 Muslims from the United Kingdom actually traveling to the middle east to become co-murders and/or partners in murder an terrorism with murder groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. In fact, ISIS actually used one such individual from London as their beheading executioner. And as we all know the ones who were corrupted during their formative years blew up buses, tube carriages, and committed many other atrocities in the United Kingdom. To learn more about how important the formative years are to the outlook and how individuals view the world around them, go to APPENDIXES 2 TO 6 on THE FORMATIVE YEARS
No where is the fact that many children are corrupted with respect their future outlook and world view as many male adult Muslims view toward sex. To wit, a view it as a right to have by rape or force with non-Muslim young females. As shown in one article, “DESIRABLE VS. UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS IN A ‘NUTSHELL’”
FORMATIVE YEARS AND SOME MALE MUSLIM’S OUTLOOK ON SEX:
Here are actual realities especially towards none Muslims of their bad actions due to bad influence in their formative years:
(QUOTE) “Muslim rape gangs that go out and systematically rape young girls of the host country.
Let’s look at some examples. Muslim Child-Rape Gangs in Britain, the facts.
While Muslim groups have sought to discredit the police investigations by claiming "Islamophobia," it recently emerged that British police had known for more than a decade that Muslim rape gangs were targeting young girls in England, but they ignored evidence because they were afraid of being accused of racism.
AND here is a news item on an actual court case in Australia that vividly illustrates the point of how many Muslim males are corrupted during their formative years to believe none Muslim females are to be taken for sex and rape is not wrong if the victim is NOT a Muslim.
(QUOTE) “By Sharon Lapkin
FrontPageMagazine.com | December 15, 2005
In Australia this week amidst anger over an Islamic man's rape conviction and the bashing of two Aussie life savers, working-class locals erupted in a rampage of anger and brawling in some of the worst racial riots in decades. But there is more to the story than is being repeated in the American mainstream media....
Four days after he set foot in Australia, the rape spree began. And during his sexual assault trial in a New South Wales courtroom, the Pakistani man began to berate one of his tearful 14-year-old victims because she had the temerity to shake her head at his testimony.
But she had every reason to express her disgust. After taking an oath on the Qur'an, the man - known only as MSK - told the court he had committed four attacks on girls as young as 13 because they had no right to say "no." They were not covering their face or wearing a headscarf, and therefore, the rapist proclaimed: "I'm not doing anything wrong."
MSK is already serving a 22-year jail term for leading his three younger brothers in a gang rape of two other young Sydney girls in 2002. In his own defence, he argued that his cultural background, was responsible for his crimes.[source - FrontPageMagazine.com, December 15, 2005, in an article by Sharon Lapkin]” [/quote]
APPENDIX 1 ON THE FREE MUSLIM COALITION
The Free Muslims Coalition believes that there can NEVER be a justification for terrorism.
The Coalition believes that fundamentalist Islamic terror represents one of the most lethal threats to the stability of the civilized world. The existence of Islamic terrorists is the existence of threats to democracy. There is no room for terrorism in the modern world and the United States should take a no-tolerance stance on terrorism in order to avoid another tragedy, along the lines of 9-11. With the added threat of biochemical weapons, the call to defeat terrorism has never been so urgent.
Among Islamic scholars, the concept of jihad ranges in definition from the personal struggle against temptation to holy war. All calls for jihad to create an Islamic state should be rejected as heretic and a threat to modern society. The Coalition feels that the concept of jihad should be reinterpreted for a modern day context in which holy war is obsolete. No holy war needs to be waged; there is no clear and present threat to Islam; the only war that needs to be waged in the modern world is one against terrorists and extremists. As militant Islamic fundamentalism increases, the Coalition will wage a battle of minds as we bring Islam into the 21st century and introduce a doctrine which is compatible with democracy and modern living.
So far, the few Muslims who choose to speak up against militant extremist Islam have faced threats of violence and accusations of being anti-Islam. In effect, the message disseminated by radical Muslims is that merely discussing Islamic terrorism is to be construed as an attack on Islam.
More effectively, Muslim extremists have quelled criticism against them from peaceful Muslims by adopting popular Muslim and Arab causes. A case in point is the adoption of the Palestinian cause. The issue of Palestine and the suffering of the Palestinians is the single most important issue that unites the entire Muslim and Arab world. No issue evokes the passion of Muslims and Arabs as much as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is so important to Arabs and Muslims that every extremist group from Morocco to Indonesia that seeks legitimacy and a following, places the "liberation" of Palestine at the forefront of their agenda. For example, recall that Saddam Hussein responded to the world's request that he leave Kuwait by insisting that Israel first evacuate the West Bank and Gaza. Osama Bin Laden also invoked the Palestinian issue to justify 9-11. Iran has made the Palestinian issue its most important foreign policy priority since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The clever adoption of the Palestinian cause has made it difficult for peaceful Muslims to attack terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda. The real aim of organizations such as Al-Qaeda is not just the "liberation of Palestine" but the creation of a fundamentalist Muslim empire made up of every Muslim nation. This desire to create a Muslim empire is based on the delusion that modernity is a threat to Islam and the idea that the Muslim community has strayed from God and if they were to return to a strict interpretation of Islam that the problems in the Muslim world would be solved. It is this exact mentality spurned of paranoia, ignorance and fear that inspired and supported the Taliban and the creation of a medieval society in Afghanistan.
The Coalition rejects the urgent desire by extremist groups to create a strict Islamic empire as a justification for terrorism. The coalition rejects the use of terrorism to help Palestinians. The coalition rejects the use of terrorism under any circumstances and will challenge the terrorists' propaganda machines head on.
The Coalition will seek to raise the peaceful voices of Muslims world wide. The terrorist and extremist Muslims will no longer go unchallenged. Their days of sympathetic leaching off the Muslim community are numbered. [sourc - retrieved from http://www.freemuslims.org/issues/terrorism.php on 11/24/2016]
APPENDIX 2 on FORMATIVE YEARS:
Developmental status of children Access to good-quality care and education programmes outside the home are important in providing children with the basic cognitive and language skills they need to flourish in school. Such programmes can also help foster social competency and emotional development. In fact, it is widely recognized that early childhood care and education form the foundation of a high-quality basic education. Questions on attendance in organized early childhood care and education were first collected in the birth registration and early learning module during the second round of MICS (MICS2). For the third round of MICS (MICS3), conducted mainly in 2005 and 2006, information about preschool attendance was again collected in the birth registration and early learning module. Beginning with the fourth round of MICS (MICS4), questions on attendance in early childhood care and education were included in the consolidated early childhood development module included in the questionnaire for children under 5. Mothers or primary caregivers are asked whether each child aged 36 to 59 months living in the household is currently attending any organized early learning or early childhood education programme, whether public or private, and for how many hours per week. In some cases, the question is customized to make specific reference to relevant country examples of early childhood education programmes. Early childhood development is multidimensional, encompassing several aspects of a child’s well-being: physical, social, emotional and mental. In general, development takes place in a series of predictable and common stages: Children become progressively more independent and learn increasingly advanced skills and capacities as they grow older. However, children develop at different speeds and may reach developmental milestones at different times. What is considered normal child development also varies across cultures and environments, since expectations and parenting strategies may differ not only among countries but also among cultural, ethnic or religious groups within the same country. In 2007, UNICEF commissioned a review of existing tests, measures and items used to establish the developmental status of children aged 0 to 6 years, with a specific focus on those tested cross-culturally. This work led to a recommendation to create a set of age-specific indicators in five developmental domains: motor, language, cognitive, social-emotional and learning. In early 2008, a validation study of the recommended items was conducted with the goal of producing a reliable and feasible set of items to be used in the MICS. The validation study was conducted in two countries: Jordan and the Philippines, in close collaboration with local UNICEF offices. Data were collected from approximately 900 children aged 3 to 6 years in each of the two countries, with an even distribution between boys and girls. Both urban and rural regions of each country were also represented. A subsample of the total was also used for reliability testing (both testretest and inter-rater reliability). The recommended set of questions was tested alongside several other validated tools, including, for example, the Early Development Instrument,4 and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.5 All items used in the study were translated into the appropriate local languages. A series of factor analyses were also conducted to detect the underlying factors and item integrity (using all variables from each of the various instruments). These factor analyses resulted in a long (48-item) and short (18-item) set of items covering six developmental domains: language, cognitive, physical, social, emotional and approaches to learning, with each demonstrating excellent reliability and validity. Items are based on benchmarks that children would be expected to have reached if they are developing like the majority of children of the same age. Following discussion and consultation between UNICEF and a broad group of experts, the 18-item draft early childhood development index (ECDI) was field tested in February 2009 in Mombasa, Kenya. After the field work experience in Kenya, further revisions were made to the draft index and the number of items was reduced from 18 to 10. The original language and cognitive domains were collapsed into one domain (literacy-numeracy), [[SOURC - RETRIEVED FROM https://www.unicef.org/earlychildhood/files/Brochure_-_The_Formative_Years.pdf ON 11/21/2016]
APPENDIX 3 on FORMATIVE YEARS:
The Formative Years by Lisa Grajewski, MA American psychologist and behaviorist, B.F. Skinner said, “Education is not just the filling of a pail; it is the lighting of a fire.” University Synagogue’s Pre-School has been lighting a fire in the minds and souls of PreSchool students since 2006. Now in its fifth year, the program has gone from being a pre-school at University Synagogue to University Synagogue’s Pre-School. Directed by award winning early childhood educator Heidi Kahn, the Pre-School has grown into a diverse consortium of programs for not only its Pre-School students but members of the students’ families and PreSchool faculty as well. Just as the formative years of a child count as some of the most important years, so too have the first five years of the Pre-School proven to be salient to its growth. Kahn and the faculty have nurtured the school and helped it develop and grow into a healthy place for children to learn, grow and thrive. Kahn takes a holistic approach to early childhood education. The environment at University Synagogue’s Pre-School is warm, nurturing and provides requirements necessary to build strong, early development; however, she ensures that the staff and families are educated as well. One of the new programs the Pre-School is involved in for the 2011 – 2012 school year is Irvine Unified School District’s School Readiness Program. A partnership between University Synagogue and IUSD, the program provides support and services to the PreSchool, the students and families, ensuring the children’s readiness for kindergarten. Some of the specifics of the program include: teacher training and support; classroom strategies designed to work with the routines and environment of children; individualized interventions to meet students’ and families’ unique strengths and needs; and parent workshops ranging from kindergarten readiness to challenging behavior. Most recently, Sandy Avzaradel, M. Ed. (IUSD) and Haley Goldberg, MFT met with 40 of the Pre-School families, answering questions about kindergarten readiness and helping families navigate the transition from PreSchool to primary school. And there is also the traditional side of Pre-School. Kahn has creatively interwoven early childhood enrichments, including art, singalongs, storytelling, photography, creative dance, sports and even math and science into the daily curriculum. All of the Pre-School classes are taught by accredited, early childhood education staff, with special appearances made by December 2011 University Synagogue congregants and members of the greater Orange County community, which include other synagogues and Jewish organizations. Finally, in addition to the traditional developmental components of education, the Pre-School offers a warm and creative representation of the Jewish values and culture that provide its foundation. Regardless of the religion or culture of the student, everyone celebrates the Jewish holidays together in a way that is comfortable and welcoming. Understanding the importance of early childhood development and the formative years, the Pre-School also offers programs that are open to the public and provide outreach to every member of the student’s family and the greater community at large. The programs are designed to introduce the members and nonmembers to the environment and ethos of the Pre-School and build community within the framework of the Pre-School’s culture. Beginning at the age of three months, parents and their infants can join the Cuddle Club, a walking club that meets Wednesday mornings or join parents and toddlers in a warm and nurturing setting for Parent and Me. These programs also provide an opportunity for a child to make a comfortable transition into the academic environment, such as in the case of Nicole Green, who said, “Our experience at University Synagogue Preschool has been priceless. We have been at the school since our oldest daughter, Leah, was 6 months old. We participated in the Cuddle Club every week. It was wonderful! Leah got time to engage other babies, and I got time to engage other parents… As Leah grew into a toddler, we then participated in the weekly Parent and Me program… All of this great preparation made her transition into the two-year-old classroom nearly effortless last fall. Leah was surrounded by familiar faces and familiar routines, as now she would participate in her first classroom experience without me present three days a week. Yes, we had our days of separation sadness, which quickly became history as she realized she was still surrounded by people who loved her and cared for her and were really fun to be with… Now my youngest daughter Clara is 1˝ years old and participating in the weekly Parent and Me program. I am once again amazed at how she has taken to the structure and music and crafts and snack time. I know she too will have a smooth transition into her independent class time next fall.” It is evident that all of the programs, from Cuddle Club to the Pre-School, provide an opportunity for parents to develop new friendships and for children to interact with children of similar age.” Within the community of families is a strong commitment and turnout by parents and family members. Parents and significant caregivers of students meet regularly to organize fundraisers for the school, support and promote programs, welcome new families and support Pre-School faculty. Andrea Norman, the mother of twin boys attending the Pre-School stated, “The experience [of having children in the school] inspired my volunteering as one of the Parent Committee presidents, so that I might be a small part of helping in providing the school and the teachers with the extras that are needed each year to give our children all that they do.” Nadine Dubery, a Pre-School parent, was recently pleasantly surprised by the dedication of parents, remarking, “You should know that this type of participation is unique and does not [always] happen at other preschools.” The dedication of faculty and staff is evident in the responses of parents. Norman went on to say, “University Pre-School has provided a safe, warm, loving, and creative environment in which my children have been nurtured for three years. They have grown and blossomed and love going to school.” For Dubery the Pre-School holds an extraordinary element. Her daughter Lili “just loves her teachers and her classroom, the yard and her new friends… each day is an awesome adventure in learning and becoming more self expressed for her… ” She went on to say, “Your [Heidi Kahn] leadership, love, warmth and energy are not taken for granted for even one second… We may have to adopt another child, so that we can continue coming to your pre-school when Lili is finished there!” Adding to the uniqueness of University Synagogue is the richness and diversity of students, family and faculty. Families represent almost every continent on the planet – a tribute to the openness and diversity of University Synagogue. And then there are the dozens of cultures across students and staff, creating an environment rich in cultural awareness and providing fodder for creatively educating the young minds and souls about the diverse world they live in. The first five years of life are formative – even a pre-school. It is important to have that guide or caregiver who can take one through developmental milestones, nurture, love, educate and discipline – sometimes all at once. Perhaps it is best said by another parent, Jennifer Anderson, a mother to three-year-old twins: “I feel so incredibly fortunate to send my children to this pre-school, and why I believe it stands out from the rest is something that I cannot even quantify, because it is a feeling; a feeling I get when I walk into this pre-school… every time I walk into University Synagogue Pre-School, I feel like I am coming home.” [SOURC - RETRIEVED FROM http://www.universitysynagogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/The-Formative-Years.pdf ON 11/21/2016]
APPENDIX 4 on FORMATIVE YEARS:
Neurological research shows that the early years play a key role in children’s brain development.
Babies begin to learn about the world around them from a very early age – including during the prenatal, perinatal (immediately before and after birth) and postnatal period.
Children’s early experiences – the bonds they form with their parents and their first learning experiences – deeply affect their future physical, cognitive, emotional and social development.
Optimizing the early years of children’s lives is the best investment we can make as a society in ensuring their future success. [SOURC - RETRIEVED FROM http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/importance-early-childhood-development ON 11/21/2016]
Formative years critical for child’s development, success throughout life
June 12, 2011, Sunday
GEORGE TOWN: The first five years of a child’s life often called the formative years, are absolutely critical for the development, performance and success of the child throughout his life, said Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: Rosmah (centre) sings with children at the opening of the International Conference on Early Childhood and Special Education (ICECSE). — Bernama photo
The Prime Minister’s wife said the importance of early childhood development had been acknowledged by economists, behavior scientists, educators, neuroscientists and biologists.
“The formative period was said to be the best window of opportunity that we must seize or we will forever lose the vast human potential that exists in these children,” she said in her speech at the opening of the International Conference on Early Childhood and Special Education (ICECSE), here yesterday.
She said recent neuroscience research shows that development of the brain over the first five years is more rapid, intensive and vulnerable to external influences or the environment.
“With the proper environmental stimulation, the child’s cognitive development can be developed early. For example, 80 per cent of the child’s intelligence at age 18 has been developed by the age of six,” she said.
Rosmah said from economic perspective, early childhood education and development was the foundation of quality human capital.
“Early childhood education is also said to have a snowballing effect in increasing the preparedness of a child to study,” she said.
Thus, Rosmah said, to promote early childhood education, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) was initiated under the banner of Permata Negara.
She said the Permata Pintar, Permata Seni and Permata Insan were launched to complement the ECEC programme.
“I am pleased to announce that the Permata Pintar children have been doing the country proud,” she said.
Rosmah said they won gold and bronze medals at the third Apec Future Scientist Conference in Taipeh this year, one was selected to enter the Genius Olympiad competition in New York and another student had received a scholorship to join a course on theory of numbers at Johns Hopkins University next week.
“Just yesterday we were informed that the Permata Programme is shotlisted for best global education which will be announced at a summit to be held in New Delhi,” she said.
She said within a span of four years, 600 Permata centres had been established throughout the country involving more than 20,000 children. — Bernama [SOURC - RETRIEVED FROM http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/06/12/formative-years-critical-for-child%E2%80%99s-development-success-throughout-life/ ON 11/21/2016]
APPENDIX 5 on FORMATIVE YEARS:
Preschoolers (3-5 years of age)
Developmental Milestones
Skills such as naming colors, showing affection, and hopping on one foot are called developmental milestones. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (like crawling, walking, or jumping).
As children grow into early childhood, their world will begin to open up. They will become more independent and begin to focus more on adults and children outside of the family. They will want to explore and ask about the things around them even more. Their interactions with family and those around them will help to shape their personality and their own ways of thinking and moving. During this stage, children should be able to ride a tricycle, use safety scissors, notice a difference between girls and boys, help to dress and undress themselves, play with other children, recall part of a story, and sing a song.
Positive Parenting Tips
Following are some of the things you, as a parent, can do to help your preschooler during this time:
* Continue to read to your child. Nurture her love for books by taking her to the library or bookstore.
* Let your child help with simple chores.
* Encourage your child to play with other children. This helps him to learn the value of sharing and friendship.
* Be clear and consistent when disciplining your child. Explain and show the behavior that you expect from her. Whenever you tell her no, follow up with what he should be doing instead.
* Help your child develop good language skills by speaking to him in complete sentences and using "grown up" words. Help him to use the correct words and phrases.
* Help your child through the steps to solve problems when she is upset.
* Give your child a limited number of simple choices (for example, deciding what to wear, when to play, and what to eat for snack). [SOURC - RETRIEVED FROM http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html ON 11/21/2016]
APPENDIX 6 on FORMATIVE YEARS:
Racism learned
New research suggests prejudices may form at a much earlier age, but it also offers hope that biases can be unlearned
New research suggests prejudices may form at a much earlier age, but it also offers hope that biases can be unlearned
For more than four decades, the notion that racism and physical prejudice don’t fully develop in humans until the teen or adult years has been at the root of research into racism. Popular scientific belief had been that children, who only develop the ability to express racial preferences at around age 3, gradually develop those preferences over time and only cement them well into their teen years.
But new research not yet published by Mahzarin Banaji, a renowned Harvard University psychologist, brain researcher, and racism and physical prejudice expert, and colleagues suggests that even though they may not understand the “why’’ of their feelings, children exposed to racism tend to accept and embrace it as young as age 3, and in just a matter of days.
“We have known for a very long time that children process information differently than adults. That is a given,’’ says Banaji. “But what has changed, where racism and other prejudice are concerned, is that we had far over-calculated how long it takes for these traits to become imbedded in a child’s brain. It’s quite shocking really, but the gist of it is that 3- and 4-year-olds demonstrate the same level and type of bias as adults. This tells us that children ‘get it’ very, very quickly, and that it doesn’t require a mature level of cognition to form negative biases.’’
Banaji’s study, conducted with two Harvard peers, examined how children and adults identified ambiguously featured faces as happy (smiling) or angry (frowning). They showed 263 white children, between the ages of 3 and 14, a number of graphically drawn facial images in different skin tones from very light tan to brown, and asked them to describe them as happy or angry.
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One part of the test showed the children a set of faces that were an “inconclusive’’ light tan color that could have represented a white person or a black person. In that segment, most of the children, without prompting, described the faces as black, and also, no matter the facial expression in the drawing, as angry.
Conversely, those faces the children said they believed to be white - even the faces bearing frowns - were almost exclusively described as happy.
When the white children were asked to compare white faces with Asian faces, the outcome was the same: The Asian faces, and the faces that they perceived to be Asian, were described as angry. And the white faces were almost exclusively happy, the children said.
A group of black children tested in the study revealed equal favorability and negativity biases, regardless of whether they perceived the test faces to be black or white. In other words, the black children showed no pro-black or pro-white bias.
So the $64,000 question: Will the physical prejudices young children learn early in life stick with them into adulthood?
Maybe not.
“As children age, let us say past 10, environment begins to play a tremendous role in how they perceive in-group and out-group people - people who look like them, and people who do not,’’ Banaji says. “So the good news is that even a child whose parents make no conscious effort to teach [him] not to be prejudiced can shed that prejudice if he finds himself in a diverse enough place and consistently observes in-group and out-group people interacting positively and as equals.’’
“The odds of aging children losing or at the very least lessening their bias against out-group people are only increased, of course, when responsible adults in their lives consciously place their children in a position to see different groups interacting as equals,’’ Banaji adds.
“It is not the fault of the children that they grow up to see a majority of power and influence concentrated among one race,’’ she says. “So if we don’t act in their lives, as they age, to show context to that imbalance, they may continue to believe that one group is better or worse than the other, based on nothing more than color, features, or expressions.’’
James H. Burnett III is a Globe reporter. He can be reached at james.burnett@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesBurnett. [SOURC - RETRIEVED FROM https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/06/09/harvard-researcher-says-children-learn-racism-quickly/gWuN1ZG3M40WihER2kAfdK/story.html ON 11/21/2016]
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COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Garcinia Tinctoria With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [419B]
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:7 – 9, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Jesus (Yeshua) condemned such like ones in his day per Matthew 13:13 – 16, [AV] “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!” Wonder not at this, as it was foretold at Isaiah 29:13 – 15, [AV] “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. 15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?”
[2] THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Garcinia Tinctoria
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Matau, Garcinia Tinctoria, Garcinia is a plant genus of the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is highly disputed, with various sources recognizing between 50 and about 300 taxa as specifically valid. Commonly, the plants in this genus are called saptrees, mangosteens (which may also refer specifically to the purple mangosteen, G. mangostana), garcinias or, ambiguously, "monkey fruit".
Garcinia species are evergreen trees and shrubs, dioecious and in several cases apomictic. Many species are threatened due to habitat destruction, and at least G. cadelliana from South Andaman Island is almost or even completely extinct already.
The fruit are a food source for several animals, such as the archduke butterflies (Lexias) of tropical eastern Asia which relish the sap of overripe mangosteens.
Many species of Garcinia have fruit with edible arils, but most are eaten locally; some species' fruits are highly esteemed in one region, but unknown just a few hundred kilometres away. The best-known species is the purple mangosteen (G. mangostana), which is now cultivated throughout Southeast Asia and other tropical countries, having become established in the late 20th century. Less well-known, but still of international importance, are kandis (G. forbesii) with small round red fruits with subacid taste and melting flesh, the lemon drop mangosteen (G. intermedia) with yellow fruit that look like a wrinkled lemon, and the thin-skinned orange button mangosteen (G. prainiana).
In addition, mangosteen rind (exocarp) extract is used as a spice. It figures prominently in Kodava culture, and G. multiflora is used to flavour and colour the famous bún rięu soup of Vietnam, where this plant is known as h?t ?i?u mŕu. Gambooge (G. gummi-gutta) yields a spice widely used in South Asia, in particular in Kerala, where it is called kodumpulli.
Most species in Garcinia are known for their gum resin, brownish-yellow from xanthonoids such as mangostin, and used as purgative or cathartic, but most frequently – at least in former times – as a pigment. The colour term "gamboge" references the gambooge, whose obsolete scientific name is G. cambogia.
Hydroxycitric acid, a toxic appetite suppressant found in mangosteen rind.
Extracts of the exocarp of certain species – typically gambooge, but also purple mangosteen – are often contained in appetite suppressants such as Hydroxycut, Leptoprin or XanGo. But their effectiveness at normal consumption levels is unproven, while at least one case of severe acidosis caused by long-term consumption of such products has been documented. Furthermore, they may contain significant amounts of hydroxycitric acid, which is somewhat toxic and might even destroy the testicles after prolonged use. Fruit extracts from bitter kola (G. kola) have been claimed to be effective at stopping Ebola virus replication in laboratory tests,its seeds are used in folk medicine. G. mannii is popular as a chew stick in western Africa, freshening the breath and cleaning the teeth.
G. subelliptica, called fukugi in Japanese, is the floral emblem of Mobuto and Tarama on Okinawa. The Malaysian town of Beruas – often spelled "Bruas" – derives its name from the seashore mangosteen (G. hombroniana), known locally as pokok bruas. (source - retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcinia on 1/21/2013)
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
How this tree and other plants absorb water from the ground. Plants have developed an effective system to absorb, translocate, store, and utilize water. Plants contain a vast network of conduits, which consists of xylem and phloem tissues. These conducting tissues start in the roots and continue up through the trunks of trees, into the branches and then into every leaf. Phloem tissue is made of living elongated cells that are connected to one another and responsible for translocating nutrients and sugars (carbohydrates), which are produced by leaves for energy and growth. The xylem is also composed of elongated cells but once the cells are formed, they die. The walls of the xylem cells still remain intact and serve as an excellent peipline to transport water from the roots to the leaves.
The main driving force of water uptake and transport into a plant is transpiration of water from leaves through specialized openings called stomata. Heat from the sun causes the water to evaporate, setting this ‘water chain’ in motion. The evaporation creates a negative water vapor pressure. Water is pulled into the leaf to replace the water that has transpired from the leaf. This pulling of water, or tension, occurs in the xylem of the leaf. Since the xylem is a continuous water column that extends from the leaf to the roots, this negative water pressure extends into the roots and results in water uptake from the soil. [adapted from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=follow-up-how-do-trees-ca ]
Clearly this clever water transport system shows a superior intelligence of the Creator (YHWH).
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG
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