Abraham was Saved as a Gentile

I once heard: "The first Jew [Abraham] was a gentile, and the first gentile [Jesus] was a Jew". A simplistic yet profound statement of God's grace - salvation! What must we do to be saved? It's a question which Christians and Jews (from the beginning of the church - read Acts 15) have been interpreting differently.

Abraham, the father of the Hebrew race, was saved (Gen. 15) 40 years before God instituted circumcision, which was a sign of the covenant He made with Abraham in Gen. 17. Abraham was made righteous (saved) before he was circumcised. He was not under the law, which was not given until much later. Thus, he could not be saved by keeping the law. However, in Gen. 15:6 we read "Then [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned to him as righteousness"

In Acts 15, a council of the church of Jerusalem came together to discuss a big issue, as some believers (remember, these are Jews), even "some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed" (Acts 15:1 & 5), were teaching that "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses (a gentile become a Jewish convert first), you cannot be saved" (v. 1). Some in the early Jewish church thought one must be a Jew before he could become a Christian.........yet, Abraham was not circumcised until 40 years after his salvation.

The question "what must I do to be saved" has always been made more complicated by man than intended by God. The Bible simply says there is only one simply thing we must do to be saved (have eternal life):

1 John 3:23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.

I am always thankful for the example of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43), crucified to Jesus' right hand. He believed, and Jesus told him he would be in paradise with Him that same day. The thief did not have to come down and be baptized, join a congregation, give money to the church, etc.

I pray that you, dear brother or sister.............reader have faith in Jesus alone. That is ALL it takes to save your soul.

God bless you!

Tiny tablet provides proof for Old Testament

Tiny tablet provides proof for Old Testament

The sound of unbridled joy seldom breaks the quiet of the British Museum's great Arched Room, which holds its collection of 130,000 Assyrian cuneiform tablets, dating back 5,000 years.

But Michael Jursa, a visiting professor from Vienna, let out such a cry last Thursday. He had made what has been called the most important find in Biblical archaeology for 100 years, a discovery that supports the view that the historical books of the Old Testament are based on fact.

Searching for Babylonian financial accounts among the tablets, Prof Jursa suddenly came across a name he half remembered - Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, described there in a hand 2,500 years old, as "the chief eunuch" of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.

Prof Jursa, an Assyriologist, checked the Old Testament and there in chapter 39 of the Book of Jeremiah, he found, spelled differently, the same name - Nebo-Sarsekim.

Nebo-Sarsekim, according to Jeremiah, was Nebuchadnezzar II's "chief officer" and was with him at the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC, when the Babylonians overran the city.

according to Irving Finkel, a British Museum expert, is a bill of receipt acknowledging Nabu-sharrussu-ukin's payment of 0.75 kg of gold to a temple in Babylon.

The tablet is dated to the 10th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, 595BC, 12 years before the siege of Jerusalem.

Evidence from non-Biblical sources of people named in the Bible is not unknown, but Nabu-sharrussu-ukin would have been a relatively insignificant figure.

"This is a fantastic discovery, a world-class find," Dr Finkel said yesterday. "If Nebo-Sarsekim existed, which other lesser figures in the Old Testament existed? A throwaway detail in the Old Testament turns out to be accurate and true. I think that it means that the whole of the narrative [of Jeremiah] takes on a new kind of power."

Cuneiform is the oldest known form of writing and was commonly used in the Middle East between 3,200 BC and the second century AD. It was created by pressing a wedge-shaped instrument, usually a cut reed, into moist clay.

The full translation of the tablet reads: (Regarding) 1.5 minas (0.75 kg) of gold, the property of Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, the chief eunuch, which he sent via Arad-Banitu the eunuch to [the temple] Esangila: Arad-Banitu has delivered [it] to Esangila. In the presence of Bel-usat, son of Alpaya, the royal bodyguard, [and of] Nadin, son of Marduk-zer-ibni. Month XI, day 18, year 10 [of] Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Mysterious Clouds Creeping Out of the Arctic

A new NASA satellite has recorded the first detailed images from space of a mysterious type of cloud called “night-shining” or “noctilucent."

The clouds are on the move, brightening and creeping out of polar regions, and researchers don't know why.

"It is clear that these clouds are changing, a sign that a part of our atmosphere is changing and we do not understand how, why or what it means," said atmospheric scientists James Russell III of Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. "These observations suggest a connection with global change in the lower atmosphere and could represent an early warning that our Earth environment is being changed."

The "Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere” (AIM) satellite first imaged the noctilucent clouds May 25. People on the ground began seeing them June 6 over Northern Europe.

The clouds form 50 miles above the Earth’s surface, in an upper layer of the atmosphere called the mesosphere. The puffs of water vapor and crystals appear during summer months above the Northern Hemisphere's pole as well the Southern Hemisphere’s pole in summer.

AIM will record two complete cloud seasons over both regions, effectively documenting an entire life cycle of the shiny clouds for the first time. Researchers hope to figure out why noctilucent clouds form and how they might be related to global climate change.

Source:
Mysterious Clouds Creeping Out of the Arctic
By Dave Mosher, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 28 June 2007 05:38 pm ET

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." (Luke 21:25-26)

These are not things to fear, we are to rejoice: ""And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe." (John 14:29)"

The Sinless "Happy Bible" Coming To Your Town Soon

Did I say the NIV Bible was bad? Well, it just got worse! I saw this posted by a member at the Bereans Online Forum. I copied even his signature, as it is a good one and rather fits the subject!

Subject: The Sinless "Happy Bible" Coming To Your Town Soon
Quote: The Sinless, Wrathless Bible Positive_2Do you feel uncomfortable when you read your Bible because it talks about things like sin, God's judgement and his wrath? Don't you wish you could have a Bible that omitted all that negative and scary stuff? You're in luck!! Kenneth Winston Caine has created The Positive Bible. According to the publisher: Turn to any page in this book. You will be greeted with a Biblical passage that offers hope, help, and encouragement. This collection of advice, instruction, inspiration, assurance, and wisdom, drawn from the King James, Revised Standard, New International, King James Modernized, and The Living Bible translations by scholar Kenneth Winston Caine, has the power and beauty to teach and comfort across the centuries. Ponder just one passage or every one; browse this book at random or read it straight through. Find a problem or question in the index of more than 250 everyday life applications of scripture-from healing to living through grief to nurturing a child- and you will be directed to Biblical wisdom that speaks precisely to you, as timely and relevant to modern culture as the evening newscast. Here is your inspirational guide to the most remarkable of all books-condensed compendium of truth and knowledge that will enrich your entire family for years to come. Ahh yes. There is nothing like making a Bible to suit your own tastes and religious notions. But wait, isn't that the very definition of apostasy? _________________ "Only the small secrets need to be protected. The big ones are kept secret by public incredulity."M McLuhan "Truth comes from the Word of God. Error comes from the pulpit." Donald Grey Barnhous

1 Timothy 4:1
[ Apostasy ] But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Timothy 4:1-3 (in Context)

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
2 Thessalonians 2:2-4 (in Context)

Adonai.........The Most Beautiful Music in the World!

This is no exaggeration! I believe the Adonai CD contains the most beautiful music in the world.

The CD starts out with the Aaronic benediction (Num 6:24-26) in Hebrew which is then repeated in English. It is such a blessing to wake up to this every morning! It is the first thing we hear. I have it memorized in Hebrew & English and find it a great blessing to say it out loud first thing in the morning with the CD.

On Amazon.com


You can hear some of this CD on the beautiful and inspiring Ps 83 Flash presentation on ACwitness.com.

Previously I have mentioned this presentation in my blog: 'Psalm in a bog' linked to Israel's current war

Read Your Bible........but NOT the NIV (New International Version)

Did you know that the NIV Bible has 2000 DELIBERATE changes from the KJV from the singular "thee" to the plural "thou"?????????????? The statement of the translators regarding this is that it was to "soften the accountability"!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. *

Excuse me??????????????????

Deut. 4:2 2"^(A)You shall not add to the word which ^(B)I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Rev. 22:18 18I testify to everyone who hears ^(A)the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone ^(B)adds to them, God will add to him ^(C)the plagues which are written in ^(D)this book;

I have begun to appreciate the KJV of the Bible (though true, some of the wording IS hard to understand - it is then that I go to my NASB, or MKJV for clarification). My favorite study Bible is the NASB.

If you are interested in how our Bible was put together, Dr. Missler has a wonderful briefing pack called How We Got Our Bible. Free to listen or read online here.

*Dr. Chuck Missler. Romans ch. 2 study

Battle of Ezekiel (Eze. 38-39)

A great page on the how, what, when, where, who, etc. of the upcoming Battle of Ezekiel: Russian Invasion of Israel - Ezekiel 38-39 (by Pastor Gary Derechinsky of New Hope Chapel in Arnold, MD).

There is a lot of information packed into this one page. If this subject interests you, I highly recommend it!