Many Christians thought that Jacob worked seven years for Laban, realized that Laban deceived him to marry Leah, and then worked seven more years before finally getting married to Rachel. However the bible shows that he took both Leah and Rachel immediately before he began serving Laban. For clarity, I advise you to read this Jacob's story in other translations of the Bible aside King James Version (KJV). Meanwhile lets look at look at some of the facts from the Bible: (Genesis 29:21 KJV) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. Please note that the 7 years of service required of Jacob were the total dowry and not the customary waiting period before a wife was given to the groom. In other words, Jacob took Leah after the customary waiting period which was a couple of days just like we read in vs 21. Notice that he said, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled" implying a certain number of d...
For many weeks I have been studying Jesus statement in John 4:24. I dwelt on this verse because I believe that the understanding of the verse is key to the fulfilment of God's desire; for Jesus said, God seeks true worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The question is, have we been fulfilling this God's desire? What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth? (John 4:23-24 ESV) But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. ” In the above verses, Jesus first said, "the hour is coming and is now here". In other words, the type of worship He told the Samaritan Woman has not been practiced by anyone prior to that hour. This new method of worship is what the Father seeks from then onwards. Jesus thereafter said, God is spirit. By this is meant that God cannot be...
You'll notice through a comparison of the four gospels that Mary Magdalene and the disciples went to the tomb a number of times. In some it was still dark, and in some it was already light. It wasn't until it was light on Sunday that they actually discovered that He had risen, in the first visits the tomb was empty. John 20:1-2 Now in the first of the week, Miryam Magdalitha (Mary Magdalene) came to the tomb in the very early morning while it was still dark. And she saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. And she ran and she came to Shimon Kaypha (Simon Peter) and to that other disciple whom Yeshua (Jesus) had loved, and she said to them, "They have taken away our Lord from the tomb, and I don't know where they have laid Him." The above text in John 20, tells us of the first visit by Mary Magdalene when it was dark, the tomb was empty, and she had not been told that Jesus was risen, and only saw the stone rolled away. I will leave it to the reader to co...
Why did Jesus go into the desert for 40 days fasting, praying, and being tested by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13)? A few Old Testament texts might shed light as to why. The two most prominent persons in the Old Testament and in the Jewish faith are Moses and Elijah. Moses led the exodus (Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt), and it was through Moses that God gave his law or Torah to his people. And if you recall, it was Moses and Elijah who had the honour of appearing with Jesus at the Transfiguration to talk with him about “the exodus” that he was to undergo (Luke 9:31). What do Moses and Elijah have to do with Christ’s fasting in the desert? Surprisingly, there is a tie-in: Both Old Testament figures also fasted for 40 days. After traveling through the desert, Moses and the people came to Mount Horeb: (Exodus 34:27-28) “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write down these words, for in accordance with them I have made a covenant with you and with I...
Many people are often unsure what sin is in the New Testament. The lack of clarity is because there are certain life events/ actions that do not have direct examples in the Bible for which they can reference to. For instance, someone that gave to charity might be committing a sin if his sole purpose is to post the action on social media. In such circumstances, how do you determine if your actions are sinful or not. In the New Testament, there are two key parameters for judging sin. The first one is love, the second one is faith. We will begin by taking a close look at these two parameters. Firstly, let’s read Romans Chapter 13 verse 8: (Romans 13:8-10 KJV) Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 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 commandments, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namel...
Every day, Christians in their hundreds of millions make the sign of the Cross and think they are performing an act of faith pleasing to God. But is that really what we are doing? I had heard and read about the true origins of the Cross, and in 2019, I travelled to Ethiopia to celebrate Meskel, which is a celebration of the discovery of the true Cross in Ethiopian orthodox Christianity. I am a truth seeker, and I wanted to get to the truth no matter whose religious feathers are ruffled. I was told that if I wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the Cross, then Israel and Ethiopia were not the best starting point. I was directed to Egypt, and off I went. I engaged the services of a licensed ancient Egyptian historian and we began investigating. And that was when I discovered the Ankh. So, how does the Ankh concern Christ and the Cross? The Ankh is an ancient Egyptian mystical symbol used to represent life. It is most commonly seen being held by Ancient Egyptian gods and was ...
Some people contend that Jesus' ministry was only for the Children of Israel and not for all mankind. To support their claim, these people are quick to cite the following verses from the New Testament: (Matthew 15:24) He (Jesus) answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." (Matthew 10:5-6) These twelve (disciples) Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." It is important to realize first of all that Jesus was born of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham many centuries earlier. Because of obedience and submission to God's will, God's promise to Abraham was two-fold. First, God promised to bless his lineage, namely Isaac, Jacob (Israel), and the Children (descendants) of Israel. Secondly, God promised that from this lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would...
Abraham had two sons, the one by Sarah (a freewoman) and the other by Hagar (a bondwoman). However, we see in Genesis chapter 22 that in three different occasions, God referred to Isaac as the only son of Abraham, in total disregard of Ishmael as a son. So, in what sense is Isaac the only Son of Abraham? (Genesis 22:2 KJV) And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 22:12 KJV) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Genesis 22:16 KJV) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son , thine only son. First notice that the second time the word ‘ son ’ is used in all the above verses, it is in italics, indica...
Most of us are familiar with this portion of the scripture: (Isaiah 59:19 KJV) “…… When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him . The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible seems to suggest that it is the enemy that will come in like a flood. Well the enemy is not the one that will come in like a flood rather it is the Lord that comes in like a flood (a rushing stream). The translators of King James Version of the Bible departed from the ancient versions which resulted in the misconception. The Amplified Version of the Bible puts it better: Isaiah 59:19 (AMP): So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun. For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives [overwhelming the enemy] In other words, He (Jehovah) shall come like a rushing stream which the breath of Jehovah (i.e., a strong and mighty wind) drives. It will mean that...
Most of us are very familiar with the story in Matthew chapter 16 where Jesus said that Simon, who was one of His disciples, is Peter (which means rock). The question is, why did Jesus call him Rock? (Matthew 16:18 KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18 NLT) Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Before we answer the question, it is of note that there are many Believers and non Believers alike, who do not accept Peter as the Rock. They usually twist the above verse and play on words from the Greek translation such as: (Matthew 16:18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art PETROS , and upon this PETRA I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. They say that what Jesus called Simon was " Petros " which refers ...
The answer is Jesus on his way to Damascus.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't disclosed in the bible.
ReplyDelete