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Golden Lampstands of Iowa

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 The Person of Christ is a work by various authors about the most precious subject in all the scriptures - God's Son, Jesus Christ.  Some subjects include the Perfect Servant, the Eternal Sonship of Christ, the Incarnation of Christ, the Deity of Christ, the Impeccability of Christ, His Pre-existance, His Moral Glories, the Atonement  Work and others.

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John Dennison

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 Sketches of Jewish Social Life

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Bible Verse Finder

The Online Bible Verse Finder provides a free way to add the ability to your site visitors to find a Bible verse directly from your page.  The Bible verse finder is available along with the dictionary under the link titled "Online Bible Search" or here.

Instructions for the Bible verse finder

1. Select this link Bible Verse Finder.

2. Choose a Bible version in which to find your verse (ASV -American Standard Version, BBE - Bible in Basic English, DBY - Darby "New Translation",  GFR - God's Word for Readers,  KJV - King James Version, WEB - World English Bible, YLT - Young's Literal Translation, or the ESV - English Standard Version) 

3. Click "Go" to launch the Bible verse finder.

The results of your bible verse finder search will be different with each Bible version since the language in each Bible version is slightly different.

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Genesis 3:15" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 3:15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 4:3" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 4:3  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground.

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Had Satan any history previous to his appearing in the Garden Of Eden?

or does the expression in Ezekiel 28" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 28 —”Eden the garden of God,” mean the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were?

Such a thought as that Satan fell in the earthly Eden is entirely foreign to the Genesis account, where Satan is presented to us at once as the seducer of man. His fall is always considered in the Scriptures as from heaven not on earth. To rest such a theory as that Satan fell in the Eden of Genesis 2," TARGET="_blank">Genesis 2, on the words, “Thou wast in Eden,” (Ezekiel 28:13)," TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 28:13), is like balancing a pyramid on its apex. The word Eden is ‘edhen (from ‘adhan, to be delighted), and simply means a place of delight. It would be like saying that when Paul was caught up into Paradise, it must have been into the garden of Eden, for the same Greek word paradeisos is used there. As there is a heavenly and an earthly paradise, we may believe there is a heavenly as well as an earthly Eden. It is noticeable that “the garden of Eden” does not necessarily mean that the garden and Eden are the same, for in ver. 8 we read, “God planted a garden in Eden”, and in ver. io, “A river went out of Eden to water the garden”; thus the two are distinguished. This garden is never called “the Garden of God”, as in Ezekiel 28:13" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 28:13 (“In Eden, the garden of God. . . thou wast.”) The Genesis “garden” is rather the garden of man. The description of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28:12-15" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 28:12-15 (for it is surely he) must be taken as a whole, revealing his created glories (v. 12), and the place of delight, perfectly suitable to his nature prepared for him by God. Next his covering is described. The beauty of the place seems to have been rather mineral than vegetable. He was the anointed cherub that coyered (i.e., the throne of God?). “He was in the holy Mountain of God and he walked up and down (same word and mood employed of Enoch) in the midst of the stones of fire.” All this is perfectly foreign to the earthly paradise of Genesis 2." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 2. The account goes on—”Thou wast perfect in all thy ways, from the day that thou wast created till iniquity was found in thee.” The earthly “garden of Eden” was prepared by• God for man at his creation, and we have no reason to believe he was long in Eden before he fell. Is it not a fantastic theory that all that we have read in Ezekiel, beginning with “Thou was in Eden . . . till iniquity was found in thee”, must be squeezed into man’s unfallen, sojourn in the garden! We do not make ourselves responsible for speculations attributed to those who believe Satan fell long previously! to man. We do not profess to be “wise above that which is written,” but we regard the theory of Satan’s fall in the Adamic garden of Eden’ as quite untenable and as subversive of all sane scriptural interpretation.
W.H.

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Is going to the doctor a sign of weak faith?

No.

Some forms of faith-healing teaching states that since God is capable of healing the body as an answer to our prayers it would be sinful or at least showing a lack of faith to go to the doctor. Such teaching is seriously flawed.

Do Christians eat healthy food and call it a lack of faith?  Of course we don’t.  We believe that a healthy diet, vitamin supplements, exercise, adequate sleep, avoidance of toxic substances such as tobacco and alcohol contribute to a long-life and disease-free lifestyle.  Why would going to the doctor be any less of a sound and healthy choice? The fact that God can and does perform miracles of healing does not mean we should always expect a miracle instead of seeking the help of individuals who possess the knowledge and skill to assist us.

If the water pump in your car breaks, do you wait for God to fix it and keep driving until the engine overheats?  No.  You get a mechanic to replace it right away.

The Bible speaks of health care in a positive light but with the knowledge that it is limited. Isaiah 1:6" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 1:6 talks about binding up wounds.  James 5:14" TARGET="_blank">James 5:14 speaks of anointing the sick with oil.  The Good Samaritan poured in oil and wine to the wounds of the man on the side of the road in Luke 10:34." TARGET="_blank">Luke 10:34.  Timothy took wine for his stomach infirmity in 1 Timothy 5:23." TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 5:23.  Revelation 3:18" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 3:18 says that the blind should anoint their eyes with eye salve.

Luke is the best-known doctor in the Bible.  His vocabulary and mention of various illnesses mentioned in his gospel show us that he was very aware of the meager technology of his day.  Although the Great Physician, Christ, was capable of healing what earthly physicians cannot, he does not condemn the use of medical treatments.

The numerous miracles that Christ performed are evidence that God can, and is willing, to heal when all humanly known remedies fail.  Mark 5:25-30" TARGET="_blank">Mark 5:25-30 is the story of a woman who spent all that she had on doctors for a bleeding disorder.  Her faith in Christ linked her to the power that was in him.

Should a believer go to the doctor?  Yes.  Should we view medical science as superior to God’s ability to heal?  No.

The elders who visit the sick man in James 5" TARGET="_blank">James 5 anoint him with oil and pray for him that he would be raised up again.  Although we have much far superior medicine available than mere olive oil, we should have the same prayerful attitude toward healing in our prayers.

The answer to the above question is from the examples of scripture.  I’ll now relate a story from a friend from Guatemala who now lives here in the United States.  One morning while living in Guatemala my friend Cupertino awoke to see his son with a severe eye infection.  Both eyes were “as red as tomatoes and swollen closed.”  A simple antibiotic treatment would likely have healed the infection.  However, Cupertino had barely enough money to feed his son, let alone visit a doctor.  He spent the day working with his hoe out in the fields.  Half of the time he worked the soil.  The other half of the day was spent in prayer beneath a nearby tree.  He poured out his heart in tears to God: 

“Lord, you know that my son is at home and very sick.  Please heal him.” 

When he arrived home, his son ran out to meet him with bright eyes. 

After immigrating to the United States, my friend had a severe case of stones in his gall bladder.  After suffering a sleepless night with severe pain, he agreed to go to the hospital. After a successful surgery, he was back at work 7 days later.  If he had been in Guatemala, he likely would have prayed, just as he did the night he was in pain.  The visit to the doctor would not have been an option, let alone surgery.  In both instances, he prayed and availed himself of the best help he had available.  The lesson is that if you have access to good health care, you should not consider it a lack of faith to take advantage of it. 

Shad Sluiter

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Will Science one day enable us to live forever in our physical bodies?  Will we unlock the secret of aging and death?

Today scientists are talking realistically about developing solutions to grow and replace aging organs artificially.  Some even talk about digitizing all aspects of the human brain and literally downloading a person’s personality, memories and creativity into a CD that can be stored and transferred to other beings.  They say that we'll be able to live forever if we want to (and have the money).  Are there are people alive today who will never have to contemplate dying or going to heaven or hell?  Will God allow this to happen?

Live Long Enough to Live Forever

We live in an exciting age when fiction becomes fact faster than we expect.  Some said that God would never allow man to walk on the moon, that flying faster than sound would be deadly on the human body, that the world would starve to death in the 1970’s due to the inability to produce enough food.  Now some scientists are saying we will eventually extend life indefinitely. 

Dr. Ray Kurzweil's is one author who is planning to live long enough to see the dream of eternal life on earth become a reality.  His book Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever. Dr. Kurtzweil says that we will soon discover secrets to aging and gain the capacity to repair and replace enough of our body to life indefinitely.  Artificial intelligence technology will advance to the point where human consciousness, memory and emotions will be able to be transferred to machines and to other beings making it possible to restart life even after one’s body has aged.  Although these concepts remain the subject of science fiction, he believes the future may be closer than we think. He estimates that 2045 is the approximate year in which sufficient advances will be made to achieve indefinite life.   The curve of scientific discovery follows an exponential growth rate, not a linear rate.  Scientific advancements are doubling every 10 years.  He observes:

The 20th century was not 100 years of progress at today’s rate but, rather, was equivalent to about 20 years, because we’ve been speeding up to current rates of change. And we’ll make another 20 years of progress at today’s rate, equivalent to that of the entire 20th century, in the next 14 years. And then we’ll do it again in just 7 years. Because of this exponential growth, the 21st century will equal 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate of progress—1,000 times greater than what we witnessed in the 20th century, which itself was no slouch for change.

Kurzweil is trying his hardest to be alive long enough to be here whenever these breakthrough technologies are developed.  By taking 180 to 210 pills each day – vitamin and mineral supplements – and receiving experimental treatments one day each week from Dr. Terry Grossman at the price of $6,000 per visit, he is buying time.  His book is essentially a life-extension strategy to remain alive until 2045.

Skeptics

There are plenty of skeptics in the scientific community who see problems ahead in the quest to achieve indefinite life. 
Technology may not ever solve the problem of artificial intelligence.  To date, the limitation in artificial intelligence has not been with processing power of computers, but with the software of human intelligence.  Our brains are very complex, but also very slow.  A neuron can fire about once every 5 milliseconds, or about 200 times a second.  A CPU cycle on a 1 Ghz clock speed is about 5 million times faster than any neuron.  The CPU speed will continue to double in the future, but there is no doubling of artificial intelligence because we haven’t figured out how to make computers think like us.
All AI systems we have developed are classified as “weak AI” – these systems are very good at doing specific tasks like OCR (Optical Character Recognition), playing chess, juggling complex schedules for airlines or recognizing trends and patterns in vast amounts of customer purchase data.  But “Strong AI” is the human elements of creativity, insight, self-awareness and wisdom.  Online video game players immediately recognize the difference between human opponents and computer players. An AI opponent can have lightning-fast reaction times, but can be easily fooled.  If all the information in our brain can be stored in a computer before we die and the computer can be programmed to imitate the actions and emotions of a real person, is that person really still alive or does it just a simulation?  We may replace body parts, but can we replace the brain?  There is no Moore’s law of Strong AI because Strong AI doesn't exist.

Evil humans may co-opt future inventions to destroy humanity in stead of preserve it. If a super-intelligent machine is ever invented, it could enslave or exterminate the human race.  While there is Moore’s Law, the exponential growth in speed of CPU power, there also is Murphy’s Law, “What can go wrong, will go wrong”.

Ancient Patriarchs

At one time there was very long life on the earth.  Before the flood of Noah’s day, the age of the Patriarchs, there people living to 900 years and longer.  (Genesis 5:1-20)" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 5:1-20)  The conditions on earth must have been very conducive to prevent diseases or aging.  There are a number of speculations as to why this was so:
•    Perhaps there weren’t as many genetic disorders.  The DNA of people was purer then and not corrupted compared with today. Man has degenerated genetically with time, not improved.
•    Perhaps the atmosphere was different being more dense and moist. 
•    Perhaps there was not as much harmful radiation that today strikes the earth and of course, human beings as well.
•    Perhaps the level of Oxygen content in the atmosphere was higher giving longer life, faster healing and more energy.

Ages of the Patriarchs from Adam to Noah

Something happened after the flood that caused life spans to dramatically contract.  In the generations that followed Noah we see a rapid decline in life span approaching 100 years.  Scientists generally believe that the upper limit for maximum life for the human body is about 125 years.  The reasons mentioned above are mere speculation as to the cause for extended life.

What does the Bible say about sin and death?

God created Adam and Eve with the possibility of living forever.  In the Garden of Eden, in addition to all of the normal types of trees, there were two special trees: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. (Genesis 2:16-17;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:22-23)." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 3:22-23).

The results of sin include death.

Genesis 2:16-17" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 2:16-17  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,  (17)  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Romans 5:12" TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:12  Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Hebrews 9:27" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 9:27  And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Genesis 3:22-24" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 3:22-24  Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--"  (23)  therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.  (24)  He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Bad Fruit?

There was nothing physical about the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Eveil that would cause death. “The tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6)." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 3:6).   It is unlikely that the Tree of Life had any super-nutritional fruit that sustained life.  It was a real physical tree, but it stood for the relationship of eternal life that God gave to Adam as long as he remained obedient.  The source of life is God Himself. 

The eternal life that Adam enjoyed as an innocent man was taken away.  God drove the man from the garden and the Tree of Life as a physical reminder that Adam was no longer permitted to dwell in God’s presence.  He died spiritually by being separated from God.  He later died physically.  Our efforts to obtain eternal existence are frustrated by the fact that we seek them without seeking the Source of Life. 

By barring access to the tree of life, God prevented Adam from living eternally in his fallen state.  Because of the curse of sin, life is filled with sorrow and toil and pain.  An eternal existence in our sinful state would be a curse instead of a blessing.  God limits the number of years we live here physically.  By limiting our lifespan, God gives us enough time to come to know Him and His provision for eternal life through Christ, but spares us the misery of an endless existence in a sinful condition.

The End of the World

The Bible says clearly that we live on a condemned planet.  There is a limit to the patience of God in regards to our behavior.  Just as the judgment that fell on the earth in Noah’s day, God has reserved our world for judgment, not by water, but by fire.

2 Peter 3:10-13" TARGET="_blank">2 Peter 3:10-13  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  (11)  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,  (12)  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!  (13)  But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

If science creates a pathway to indefinite life on earth, it will eventually be interrupted by the coming of Christ in glory.  Those who are alive at his coming will either be received by him into glory or rejected into eternal fire (Revelation 19:14-21;" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 19:14-21; Matthew 24:37-51)." TARGET="_blank">Matthew 24:37-51). 

Millennial Kingdom

Following the return of Christ to the earth, the world will once again experience life spans like those of the ancient Patriarchs.  Revelation 20:1-6" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 20:1-6 tells us about the reign of Christ that lasts 1000 years in a future day.  Isaiah 65" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 65 tells us some details about the life spans of people and the reason for living so long.

Isaiah 65:20" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 65:20  No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.

Long life will flourish in the millennium. Death will occur, but not as we know it.  100 years of age will be considered youthful.  If someone does die at such a young age, it will be assumed that it is because of a direct judgment for some sin committed.  The curse will be throttled and sin contained in the Millennium.  Satan will be bound (Revelation 20:1)." TARGET="_blank">Revelation 20:1).

Following the age of the Millennium God will create an eternal state, much like the Millennium, but with the curse of sin completely eradicated. The bondage that creation is under will be removed. 

Revelation 22:3" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 22:3  No longer will there be anythi ng accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.

Romans 8:19-21" TARGET="_blank">Romans 8:19-21  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  (20)  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  (21)  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Eternal vs. Everlasting

Eternal life is not the same as eternal existence.  “Eternal life” is the quality life.  “Everlasting life” is the duration of life.  A popular image of heaven is a group of winged-like people floating on clouds for everlastingly boring years.  However the view the Bible gives of heaven is always “new” that is “eternal” rather than simply “everlasting”.

There are seven verses in Revelation that tell us about “new things” - a new song, a new name, a new Jerusalem, a new heaven, a new earth.  The difference between the “new songs” of popular music of today and the “new song” of heaven is that by tomorrow, the “new” music of today will be old music very soon.  Not so with the songs of heaven.  It is a song that never grows old.  The new earth, New Jerusalem will never loose its splendor.  The new name, representing our relationship as a child of God, will never loose its impact.  We will never grow bored of being in God’s family.  (Revelation 2:17;" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 2:17; Revelation 3:12;" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 3:12; Revelation 5:9;" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 5:9; Revelation 14:3;" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 14:3; Revelation 21:1-2)" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 21:1-2) .

The promises that God has in store for us are eternal.  God, being infinite, will never cease to amaze and impress.  This is seen in his promise to continually show us his riches in the ages to come.

Ephesians 2:7" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 2:7  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Conclusion

Science may be able to replace and repair body to live long beyond the 125 year threshold.  It may even be able to simulate human behavior with machines.  It might even give us the possibility of transferring thoughts and memories from one old brain to a younger one.  The words indefinite life (barring accidents or unforeseen plague) may be the reality of coming generations.  However, the prospect of an “eternal” life will be the stuff of knowing God and living with him and exploring the “riches of his grace” forever.

Shad Sluiter

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What Tabernacle is referred to in Exodus 33:7-11" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 33:7-11?

According to the sequence of the chapters, the Tabernacle was not yet built. Some have inferred from Deuteronomy 10:1-5" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 10:1-5 that Moses made the Ark during this interval, between his destruction of the first tables and the bringing down of the second, as a receptacle for the second tables which could not be entrusted to Israel. What do you say to this?

Certainly Deuteronomy 10:1-5" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 10:1-5 would bear the above interpretation, “and I made an ark of shittim wood. . . and I put them (the tables of the Lord) in the Ark which I had made.” Yet we must remember that in Deuteronomy, Moses is admittedly only giving a summary of things, so that events spread over a period, are compressed, as occurring almost synchronously. For dates and details we must consult Exodus and Numbers. In Exodus 25:10" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 25:10 the directions as to making the Ark are given to Moses, during his first sojourn on the Mount, but were only communicated to the children of Israel in Exodus 35:12," TARGET="_blank">Exodus 35:12,  after his second sojourn there. Only in Exodus 37:1" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 37:1 does Bezaleel actually make the Ark of shittim wood, in which the tables were eventually placed. We cannot admit that there were two Arks; for it is evident in Deuteronomy 10" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 10 that the tables were to be permanently in the Ark which Moses is said to have made for them—”and there they be as the Lord commanded me.” This was actually done in Exodus 40:20" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 40:20 “And he took and put the testimony into the ark.” There is nothing really contradictory to this in the passages quoted. As for the tabernacle mentioned in Exodus 33:7-11," TARGET="_blank">Exodus 33:7-11, it could only have been a temporary tent of meeting called “The tabernacle of the congregation” (Exodus 33:7)," TARGET="_blank">Exodus 33:7), to which anyone went, who sought the Lord.” After the sin of the golden calf, God would not go up in the midst of the people, so this tent was pitched without the camp. When the actual Tabernacle was constructed and erected, Jehovah once more took His place in the midst of His people (Exodus 25:8;" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 25:8; Exodus 29:45;" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 29:45; Numbers 2:2)," TARGET="_blank">Numbers 2:2), no doubt, on the ground of sacrifice. The other temporary tent would naturally fall into disuse.

W.H.

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