Friday, November 11, 2011

Who Is Joseph's Father?

Artwork info below
Matt 1:16  "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."

Luke 3:23 "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli."

There seems to be a contradiction here.  Matthew claims Jacob is Joseph's father and Luke says Heli is Joseph's father.  They can't both be right! 

Those who do not believe that the bible is the inerrant word of God would claim that these two verses are in conflict with each other, creating a contradiction.  How can Christians claim that the bible contains  no errors if the authors can't even get the name of Joseph's father right?!?  That is where the non-believer would stop, but since I believe that the bible is in fact the inspired and inerrant word of God, I have the incentive to try to figure out why these two scriptures seem to be in conflict.  It didn't take me long to find out that...

...Joseph was the son of both Jacob AND Heli. How could that be?  How am I going to twist the words of the bible to make it fit into my beliefs?  I'm glad to say that there was no twisting necessary, just a limited understanding of Jewish law.

Joseph was the genetic son of Jacob, but the genealogical son of Heli.  Let me explain...

Heli died without fathering any children.  Jacob, being Heli’s half-brother, fulfilled the law by marrying Heli’s widow and fathered Joseph. Heli and Jacob both had different fathers (but the same mother), so the genealogies listed were not in conflict with one another.  One was the genealogy of Jacob's biological father and one was the genealogy of his father (his mother's first husband) "by law."

So although "Jacob begat Joseph" through his seed, Joseph (by Jewish law) was legally the "son of Heli."
No contradiction here!

Here is a visual representation of what I'm talking about.  Perhaps this will help clear things up a bit.



Artwork from: http://sfpbiblicalcharacter.pbworks.com/w/page/1716115/Group:-1-Mary-and-Joseph

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STONE HER!!!


Let me begin by sharing the scripture that I'm referring to (all scripture is quoted from the NASB):

John 8:1-11  1”But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?’ 6They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.  7But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’  8Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ 11She said, ‘No one, Lord.’  And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either Go From now on sin no more.’

The contrast we have, between the self-satisfied religious police on the one hand and the idea of a woman, who recognizes her true condition on the other, is the contrast between those who will accept or reject Christ. We see that people who have an experiential grasp of their needs are the same people who will grasp grace. People who do not understand their true condition or after a while become smug and self-satisfied and don’t understand grace are people who often won’t give it as well. We become a people who are so focused on our self-righteousness that we can no longer focus on our own condition.

So, where is the guy?  Both parties are also to be condemned; the man and the woman. Look in Deuteronomy 22:22. There you will find the mosaic requirement: “If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die; the man who lay with the woman and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.” They basically violated the Law by not bringing him before Jesus and they also violated the Law when they set up a trap in the first place. In either case, they are so concerned with the Law that they are ready to violate it in an attempt to trap Jesus.

Why Doesn't God Prove He Exists?


When you ask, "Why doesn't God prove He exists?" what you're really asking is why doesn't God prove His existence again — and this time, to you personally. After all, Adam and Eve couldn't deny His existence when He was walking through the Garden of Eden and speaking with them.  Moses and those led out of Egypt couldn't deny God's existence when He appeared as a pillar of fire by night to protect them and a pillar of smoke by day to lead them.  Nor could they deny His existence when He provided manna from heaven to feed them or caused the Red Sea to part so that they could escape Pharaoh's anger.

Let me ask you this question... what if God did reveal Himself to you?  What if God revealed Himself to you in a way that you could no longer deny His existence? What if He revealed Himself to you in a blinding ray of light with angels singing... would you believe? Be honest.  Would you believe or would you try to find some rational explanation for what you just experienced?  If it's the latter, then there is no reason for God to reveal Himself to you, since you will refuse to believe anyway. It would be a waste of time.  

What if it's the former?  He's revealed Himself to you in a way you cannot deny. What's next?  Well, you'd want to share what you just experienced, right?  Exactly how would you do that?  Well, in this day and age you'd probably take to social media and write about it.  Maybe you would text or even call your friends on your cell phone and tell them what just happened to you.  You'd probably talk to your family face to face and describe everything in great detail.  

I'm sure a lot of your friends and family are like-minded.  They don't believe in the existence of God and if you tried to describe why you now believe God does exits, how do you think they would react?  They'd either think you went off the deep end or they'd want empirical proof.  What would you offer them in way of proof?  What could you show them?  You would have nothing but your word.

Where would that leave you?  In the same place every other Christian finds themselves... in a personal relationship with the living God and the challenge of sharing who He is with people who choose not to believe in His existence.

Every true born again believer in Christ has had a common experience; that moment when we reached out in faith to a God we could no longer deny existed.  At that moment, our spirit, which was once dead, was born again.  In that instant, we were born into a new life and became part of a kingdom that will never end.
We can't prove it, or even adequately explain the change that miraculously happens at that moment, but we know that the experience is true.  Others may mock us and say all manner of evil against us, but we remain steadfast in our belief because we KNOW that what we've experienced is real.  The change in our lives is the most valuable evidence we have.  As God moves in our lives through His Holy Spirit, things begin to change.  What was once normal to us now begin to drop away only to be replaced by something new... something better.  That may convince some, but most will not be convince and brush it aside as you being "religious."

So you see, when you ask Christians why God doesn't prove He exists, you're asking Christians to show you something that you are not able to see until you have been born again of the Holy Spirit.  You've heard the old expression about walking a mile in someone's shoes, well sometimes you have to go through what others have gone through to truly see where they're coming from.  The same is true about Christianity.  In order to see what we see, you have to go through the same experience.  It can't be measured or created by any means of scientific measurement or test known to man.  It can only be experienced through active participation.  If you aren't willing to participate, you'll never know what we know or see what we see.

As a whole, Christians are saddened for those who may never allow God to touch their heart, knowing that the only alternative to eternity in heaven is an eternity in hell.  So we persist; we persevere; we make ourselves available to plant and water the seeds of faith and then pray that there will be a reaping of the harvest of faith.

May all praise and glory be to the living God!!!

Image: 
http://mrg.bz/ETo3Nx


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Dark Light - A Poem


Dark light fills the void of my existence, permeating every corner of my being, bringing a sense of normalcy to a life filled with fierce bonds and woven memories. My soul aches, understanding that this dark light pledges no more than what can be seen.

A shimmer in the dark light dances in the void, calling me forward into its alluring presence. It penetrates my being, dispelling doubts and fears and self-loathing. Turning, finding none who have been influenced by the light there is hesitation, but the light calls to me, sings to me and seems to reach for me.

Approaching this brilliance, I feel no pain as I gaze into its mysterious radiance. Echoes of the pain of past hurts, and of friends lost, no longer reverberate within my soul. The light, within my grasp, is alive and full of life.

My hands extend, my mind opens to the possibilities, my heart once blemished with the stain of sin can now be cleansed. A touch is all I require to set me free. It is here that Jesus has met me, in my dark light, in the void, in my journey to nowhere. It is here that I am set free and set on the path of eternity in the paradise of His love.

(c) 2010 Ken Souza

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Why Islam Will Never Accept the State of Israel



It is a common belief that the "Arab Israel conflict" is a conflict of two peoples fighting over the same piece of land and is therefore one of nationalism. Rarely, if ever, do we hear or read of the religious component to this conflict.

However, if anything, the conflict is more of a "Muslim-Jewish" one than an "Arab-Israeli" one. In other words, the conflict is based on religion -- Islam vs. Judaism -- cloaked in Arab nationalism vs. Zionism. The fact of the matter is that in every Arab-Israeli war, from 1948 to the present, cries of "jihad," "Allahu Akbar," and the bloodcurdling scream of "Idbah al- Yahud" (slaughter the Jews) have resonated amongst even the most secular of Arab leaders, be it Nasser in the 1950s and 1960s or the supposedly "secular" PLO of the 1960s to the present. Indeed, the question must be asked: If this is really a conflict of different nationalisms and not Islamic supremacism, then why is it that virtually no non-Arab Muslim states have full (if any) relations with Israel?

There is a common Arabic slogan that is chanted in the Middle East: "Khaybar, Khaybar! Oh Jews, remember. The armies of Muhammad are returning!" It would be most interesting to know how many people have ever heard what -- or more precisely, where -- Khaybar is, and what the Arabs mean by such a slogan. A short history of the Jews of Arabia is needed in order to explain this, and why Islam remains so inflexible in its hostile attitude towards Jews and Israel.

Friday, November 04, 2011

Why Does the Crucifix "Provoke" Muslims?


The same "provocation," a crucifix, that prompted Muslim students in the United States to complain about "human rights" abuses at a private Catholic university, prompted Muslims in Egypt to murder a man.

First, the American incident: The Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights confirmed that it is investigating allegations that Catholic University violated the human rights of Muslim students by not allowing them to form a Muslim student group and by not providing them rooms without Christian symbols for their daily prayers. The investigation alleges that Muslim students "must perform their prayers surrounded by symbols of Catholicism – such as a wooden crucifix, paintings of Jesus, pictures of priests and theologians which many Muslim students find inappropriate."

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Does The Bible Prove Ghosts Exist?

The practice of necromancy... it's in the bible. 1 Samuel 28:9-21 tells the story of a witch who seemingly conjured up the spirit of Samuel. Is this God's way of telling us that ghosts really do exist? Let's see what this scripture says.  

Brief background: Saul was a king King of Israel. When Saul was walking in fellowship with the Lord, He obeyed God in His command to destroy all demonic practices because it was an affront to God. Saul eventually began disobeying God. God had repeatedly warned him that He would turn His face away from Saul if Saul continued to disobey Him. When the Philistines were preparing to attack, Saul sought out the Lord, but the Lord didn't answer him. It's because of this that Saul sought out a medium to conjure up the voice of Samuel so that he might seek Samuel's council.

1Sam. 28:8-9 "Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to a woman by night; and he said, 'Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.' 9But the woman said to him, 'Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why re you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?'"

Saul had to disguise himself because he couldn't let anyone see that he was visiting someone who performed demonic rituals. The woman was cautious at first, making this stranger aware that she was taking her life into her own hands if she were to assist him. At this time, she was unaware that it was Saul that was asking her to do this.

1Sam. 28:10-12 "Saul vowed to her by the Lord, saying, 'As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.' 11Then the woman said, 'Whom shall I bring up for you?' And he said, 'Bring up Samuel for me.' 12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul saying, 'Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.'"

Now necromancers were used to hearing the voices of the "spirits", and the witch would not have been surprised to hear an audible voice response; in fact, that's what she expected. But when she used her incantations to bring up the usual voice response, God took control over the situation and He actually sent Samuel back from the dead. That terrified the witch. She knew that it had to be God who was performing this act, which made her realize that it was Saul that she was speaking to.

1Sam. 28:13-15a "The king said to her, 'Do not be afraid; but what do you see?' And the woman said to Saul, 'I see a divine being coming up out of the earth.' 14He said to her, 'What is his form?' And she said, 'An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.' And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage. 15Then Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?'"

Saul not only created a terrible sin by disobeying God, but now he has appealed to the occult to get guidance, which was the final straw for God. Read through to verse 21 for the rest of that story. It's easy to misinterpret this piece of scripture and think that God is showing us that ghosts exist and that it's possible to conjure them up and speak with them. The fact is that it was God who caused the REAL Samuel to appear to Saul. 

So, are ghosts real or not? It depends what your definition of "ghost" is. The spiritual realm exists and it is divided into two parts, good and evil.  Unfortunately for us, evil tries every trick in the book to keep us from experiencing a close relationship with God, including mimicking our loved ones or mimicking those who have died in the past in the hopes that we will develop a belief in ghosts, thus watering down our relationship with God. 

Do we honestly believe that God, who is omnipotent, would allow His children to wander around spiritually lost in some sort of limbo state? That He wouldn't have the power or authority to call them home? That a powerless spirit could override the Almighty? Doesn't make sense to me and I'm sure if you see it in that light, it doesn't make sense to you either. 

God said that it was appointed for a man to die once, then judgment. There is no scriptural basis for believing that ghosts are people who have died and who have not figured out how to get to where they need to go. God takes care of that at our death. It's not something we have to figure out on our own. The question is, have we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior so that we can receive the gift of salvation and be assured of eternal life in heaven when we die?

Artwork from: http://freechristimages.org/gallery_A-L/William_Blake_Ghost_of_Samuel_Saul.jpg


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All Human Life Is Faith Based

All humans live a life of faith, whether it’s faith in the Judaeo/Christian God, a false god of another “religion”, human intellect, traditions, etc... no matter what it is, we live a faith based life.

My major faith is that the Judaeo/Christian God of the bible is real. I’ve submitted my life to Him, making mistakes along the way, but still making the effort to stay on that difficult and narrow road that I’ve chosen to remain on. I’ve heard the argument that not believing in something is the absence of faith. That would be true if you want to stop there, but why express an incomplete thought?

Having no faith in something is only half of the equation. If you don’t believe in one thing, then you must believe in another. Often people who don’t believe in God turn to science to back up their claims that God does not exist. Their faith in science is extraordinary! Science, no matter how advanced it is at the moment, has only scratched the surface of all that is out there in the world and in the universe, yet people bow down and worship the god of science rather than the One who created all the laws of this universe. Science will take evidence and extrapolate where that evidence is taking them, almost certain that they will reach a particular conclusion. Often times the most likely outcome must be accepted by faith because the evidence and variables are too great to be relatively sure that they will reach the expected outcome.

Don’t get me wrong, I love science. Science has been used to help billions of people and has given us some answers to how God created the universe. The more diverse the fabric of the universe, the more it reveals the effort God made to create such an intricate place for us to live. It’s when you put the idol of science and human intellect above God that science becomes your belief system; and to have a belief system you have to have faith in that this system of belief is correct, or else why believe in it? Why waste your time on a belief system that you don’t have faith in, right?  

So the question is: “Can you reject the existence of God and explain it as an absence of faith?” The answer is no. In order to reject the existence of God, you had to have made up your mind that there is another explanation for the existence of everything in the universe; an explanation you need to have faith in.

Throughout history, the majority of mankind has tried to live a life apart from God and every single one who has managed to do so, without exception, has met with a most horrible experience at the moment of his or her death... being ushered into eternal suffering with the promise of eventually being thrown into the lake of fire.

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It's A Warning, Not A Threat


There are warnings and cautions on everything, from Styrofoam coffee cups to electrical devices; from chemicals to cigarette packs; from mini-blinds to children’s toys. We don’t feel threatened by them. On the contrary, the warnings and messages of caution are there to protect us and to inform us of any danger that is associated with the labeled item.


Why is it when there is a warning or caution on an item, it’s taken as just that... a warning, but when A Christian tries to warn someone of the impending danger of a life lived without a relationship with God, it’s described as a threat?

Warning: Traveling down the path of destruction leads to spiritual death.

Caution:  Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God

Warning:  Eternal pain and suffering beyond this point.  Do not cross.

Caution:  Door closes at time of death.  Make preparations in advance.

I think when someone labels this type of warning as a "threat," they’re actually thinking of it as a threat to their own way of living. They’re happy with how their life is going and they're willing to wait it out and see what happens when they enter the unknown at the moment of death. Unfortunately, by that time it’s too late to change anything. 

I don’t expect any of my blog articles to change anyone’s heart... that’s God’s job not mine. But I don’t want to just sit by without warning others that a life without Jesus means an eternity of separation from Him in a place of torment.

You can’t blame the stop sign for your accident if you refuse to do what it says.

You can’t blame the doctor for complications from surgery if he tells you to take a week off from work but you go into work anyway and aggravate the injury.

You can’t blame the utility company for cutting off service if you never paid the bill.

Well, you can’t blame God for eternity in hell if you never accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life.

Yes, it’s just that simple. People want to make Christianity complicated, but it’s not.  Jesus said to believe in Him. Confess your sins. Accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life. It’s that easy. He doesn’t expect you to give up everything when you become a Christian. God cleans up your life little by little, day by day. When it comes time to give something up, you’ll WANT to give it up. The longer we walk with the Lord the more we become like Him.

Before you blame someone for “threatening” you with hell, remember that God says you don’t have to go there, but as always, it’s your choice. Whether you've made a choice to follow God or not, you’ve still made a choice.

Image:  http://mrg.bz/RvpEdR


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Repent and be forgiven! Believe and be saved!

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