Category: BIBLE/SCRIPTURE

Grave

A place of burial. A study of the word GRAVE as recorded in the New Testament proves to be very interesting.
Reading of Christ’s crucifixion in Matthew 27 many times causes some confusion:
Matthew 27:52-23 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
At 1st reading it looks like the graves opened and people arose on the day.
But reread vs 23; This happened AFTER HIS RESSURECTION
The Lord Jesus speaking to the religious leaders:
Luke 11:44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
The Lord Jesus speaking to Jews who sought to kill him:
John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
The Lord Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead John 11.
John 11:17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
John 11:31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.
John 11:38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
John 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
The people started to believe Him:
John 12:17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.
The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah 5:8
1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Although Paul does not use the word Grave, He does talk about the dead rising (from their graves) when Christ returns in the air, at the time of the Rapture. Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Apostle John writes about the two witnesses during the first half of the Tribulation:
Revelation 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Fear not the Grave! True believers go to be with the Lord when they die
2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
OR are Raptured.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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Worship  

A Defination: The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.
The Apostle Paul includes worship in His Epistles:

The problem with Religion :
Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Colossians 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Colossians 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

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H.E.A.R. Journal

To aid in understanding while reading Scripture, keep a Journal by using these four Questions:

H (Highlight)
What is a verse(s) that stood out to you in your reading?

E (Explain)
What is the author’s intended meaning in the context of the passage?

A (Apply)
What is the principle to live by today?

R (Respond)
How is the Lord leading you to respond in your relationships and/or situations this week?

Pastor Matt Read
Jersey Church,
Jersey, Ohio

⇛ Also see 7 Steps of Bible Reading

Remember:
WHO SAID IT?  TO WHOM WAS IT SAID? How does it apply today to me?

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The Bible Teaches

Jewish History — Old Testament
Ministry of the Lord Jesus — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Transition from Jews to Gentiles — Acts
Events after the Rapture — Revelation

God desires all to be saved —
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.,
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Christ Died for all —
1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.,
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.,
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
People are lost because they refuse to believe —
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Evangelism offers salvation to anyone who believes —
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.,
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Grace can be resisted or rejected —
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Condemnation results in rejecting Christ —
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Study the Scripture
1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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7 Steps of Bible Reading 

To better understand the Bible, as you read, take Pen and Paper in hand and answer the following seven questions.

1 What does this Passage say?

2 What does this passage Mean to its original audience?

3 What does this passage tell us about God?

4 What does this passage tell us about Man?

5 What does this passage demand of Me?

6 How does this passage change the way I relate to People?

7 What does this passage prompt me to pray to God?

Donny Mathis & Matt Rogers
Jersey Church, Jersey, Ohio

To summarize:
WHO SAID IT? TO WHOM WAS IT SAID? How does it apply today to me?

⇛ Also see H.E.A.R. Journal

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Some WORLD and BIBLE EVENTS AD

Some WORLD and BIBLE EVENTS

DATE-AD                     EVENT
1 Saddles first used in Rome
4 Herod the Great dies
5 Paul born
6 Judea becomes a Roman providence
Jesus visits Temple as a boy
7 Zealots in Judea rebel against Rome
14 Tiberius succeeds Caesar Agustus as Roman Emperor
26 Pontius Pilate appointed governor
John the Baptist begins his ministry
27 Jesus begins his ministry
30 Jesus crucified; ascends into heaven; Pentecost, church begins
35 Saul’s conversion on Damascus road
40 Herod Agrippa appointed king of Judea
43 London England founded; first definite reference to Diamonds
46 Saul/Paul begins first missionary journey
50 Romans begin using soap
54 Claudius poisoned by order of his wife;
Nero becomes emperor
57 Paul writes letter to Romans; Paul imprisoned in Caesarea
59 Paul’s voyage to Rome
60 Paul writes ‘prison letters’
62 Paul released from prison
64 Fire burns much of Rome; Nero blames Christians for setting it
66 Painting on canvas
67 Paul martyred
68 Romans destroy Jewish religious commune of the Essene sect. Before Essenes were captured they hid their library of Bible manuscripts in a cave in Qumram by the dead sea (to be discovered in 1948)
70 Romans destroy Jerusalem
73 960 Jews commit mass suicide at Masada while under Roman attach
74 China open silk trade with the west
75 Rome begins construction of famous coliseum
79 Vesuvius in Italy erupts killing 30,000 people and burying cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum
95 Apostle John writes Revelation

*Dates are best extimates

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Some WORLD and BIBLE Events BC

DATE-BC                     EVENT
Creation to 1400 BC
Adam expelled from Garden of Eden
Noah builds the ark
2500
Egyptians discover papyrus and ink for writing and build first libraries
Iron objects manufactured in the ancient Near East
Egyptians import gold from Africa
Semitic chieftain, Sargon conquers Sumer to become first “World Conqueror”
Horses domesticated in Egypt: Chickens domesticated in Babylon:
Bows and arrows used in warfare
2000
Immigration of northern Asians to North America;
Stockbreeding and irrigation used in China;
Stonehenge, England, a center for religious worship;
Bellows used in India allowing for hotter furnace temperature
Glass made by the Mesopotamians;
Ziggurats build in Mesopotamia;
Earliest discovered drug;
Ethyl alcohol, used to alleviate pain
1960
Abram born
1885
Abram 75, Called by God
Abram 86, 1st son, Ishmael born to Hagar
Abram 99, Named Abraham by God
1860
Promised son, Isaac born to Sarah 90 and Abraham 100
1800
Esau & Jacob born to Rebecca and Isaac 60, Abraham is 160 years old
Jacob flees to Haran (his mother’s brother)
1815
Joseph born to Rachel and Jacob
Egyptians use irrigation systems to control Nile flooding;
Spoked Wheel invented in the ancient Near East;
Horses used to pull vehicles
Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers
Joseph rules Egypt
1705
Joseph dies
Babylonian mathemations already understand cube and square root;
Hammurbi of Babylon provides first of all legal codes
Egyptian papyrus document describes medical and surgical procedures
1526
Moses is born
Sundial used in Egypt; Mexican sun-pyramid built
1446
Moses leads children of Israel exodus from Egypt
Ten Commandments given to Moses by God
1444
Israel camps at Mt Sinai
1406
Moses dies; Hebrews enter Canaan
First period of Chinese literature,
Intricate clock used in China
Palace of Krossus on Isle of Crete destroyed by earthquake

*Dates are best extimates

⇛ continue reading Some WORLD and BIBLE Part 2

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Scripture 3

Without the Bible, the Holy Scripture, we have nothing to base our beliefs on. The Bible is God’s word about man and his relationship to God.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The Lord Jesus told how important Scripture is:
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
 Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
 Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Study the Word
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Reason to Study
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Doctrine a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
Reproof an expression of blame or disapproval.
Correction the action or process of correcting something, used to introduce an amended version of something one has just said.
Instruction detailed information telling how something should be done, operated, or assembled.
Righteousness the quality of being morally right or justifiable.
2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Perfect having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.
Furnished to supply with what is useful or necessary, to fit out, provide, equip.
And to conclude:
1 Corinthians 2:12-16 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

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THE BIBLE God’s Book

The Bible is a Revelation from God, of the fall of man, the way of salvation and God’s plan and purpose for the ages. It speaks of:
Four Persons: God the father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and Satan
Three Places: Earth, Heaven, Hell
Three classes of people: Jew, Gentile and Believers
The Scriptures were given to man a little at a time, “at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets” Hebrews 1:1, “… holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21 during a period of 1600 years, from 1492 BC to 100 AD. There are 66 books, 39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament. The books wee written by about 40 different authors. By Kings, David and Solomon, by statesmen, Daniel and Nehemiah, by priests, Ezra, by Moses, raised by Egyptians, by herdsmen, Amos, prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah, a tax collector, Matthew, fisherman, Peter, James and John who “were unlearned and ignorant“ Acts 4:13, a man well versed in Jewish Law, Saul (Paul).
The Old and New Testaments were not separate and distinct books, but rather are two halves of a whole. The New in “enfolded” in the Old, and the Old is “unfolded” in the New. One cannot understand Leviticus without Hebrews, or Daniel without Revelation or Isaiah 53 without the Gospels. Hidden in the Old Revealed in the New.
Three kinds of language in the Bible: Figurative, Symbolical and Literal. Such expressions as “Harden not your heart” are Figurative, there meaning is made clear by the context. Symbolic language like the description of Nebuchadnezzars’ “Colossus”, Daniel’s “four wild beasts” or Christ in the midst of the “seven candlesticks” are explained either in the same chapter or elsewhere in Scripture. Literal are true statements as “the true gospel is the Death, Burial and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus”.
Three things that must be avoided when handled in God’s word:
Misinterpretation of Scripture
Misapplication of Scripture
Dislocation of Scripture
We must not overlook the “Parable” form of imparting truth. In the Gospels it is used as a “Mystery Form” of imparting truth. Matthew 13:10-13 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The Old Testament is preparation for Christ; The Gospels Manifest Him to the world; In Acts He is preached and His Gospel Propagated; in the epistles His gospel is explained; and in Revelation all the purposes of God through Christ are consummated.

READ … STUDY … OBEY …

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Another Gospel

2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Romans 10:9-13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

At one time there were two gospels; One for the Jew and one for the Gentile!

But as the Apostle Paul got more into his ministry and the Jews were persecuted and scattered the Gospel became (1 Corinthians 15:1-4/Romans 10:9-13) the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, according to the scriptures!

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