Lion-like Men in the Bible,

Lion-like Men in the Bible-

2 Sam 23:20 and 1 Chr 11:22 (King James Bible)                          2017-09-01hgk

²⁰ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike (Concordance¹ word #739) men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion (#738) in the midst of a pit in time of snow.    [This verse is identical to that in  1 Chr 11:22 concerning the killing two lionlike men (739) and a lion (738) in a pit.]

COMMENT: 

According to  Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible¹, the original Hebrew for word 'lionlike' (#739)  describing of the two men of Moab killed by Benaiah is -- ariyel or ariel -- meaning "lion of God, i.e., heroic: lionlike man."  "Ariel" comes from root words # 738 and 410. Root word 738 -- ariy or aryeh -- means  a lion or  young lion. And root word 410 -- el -- means: mighty, especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity) God (god) x goodly, x great idol, mighty one, power, strong.

The word  "ariel" describing the two men of Moab that were  killed by Benaiah was translated as "lionlike' in both verses in (2 Sam 23:20 and 1 Chr 11:22) in six versions of the Bible: the King James Bible (KJB), New King James Bible, 21st Century King James Bible,  Authorized  KJB,  Young's Literal Translation, and the Orthodox Jewish Bible.  Seven other versions of the Bible translate it as 'sons of Areil.' These versions include: American Standard Version, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation and the New Life Version.  Several of these versions make footnotes to indicate the meaning of 'areil' was  unknown. Translating the Hebrew word “ariel” (739) as “sons of Ariel" was done even though there is no Hebrew word for “sons” in relation to "ariel" in the Hebrew text. Also 'ariel' appears as a proper name, 'Ariel' only in Ezra 8:16 referring to the name of a Levite not a Moabite, and in Isaiah (29:1,2,7) Ariel refers  to the City of David (or Jerusalem).  There is no indication that 'ariel' refers to a proper name of a Moabite in these two verses about  'lionlike' men in 2 Samuel 23:20 and  1 Chronicles 11:22. Although there is no Hebrew word for warrior or soldier used in the original text, five versions of the Bible used (mostly likely incorrectly) the words: 'warriors or soldiers' -- they were used in the Good News Bible, Easy to Read Bible, English Standard Bible, God's Word, and the New International Version.  The Douay-Rheims 1899 Bible translates "ariel"  (#739) as "lions," but the  next part of the verse says Benaiah killed 'a lion' (aryeh),  which is a different  word  (#738). Benaiah's greatness probably was not because he killed three lions (aryeh); neither was it be because he killed two cubs and a lion as stated in The Message version. 

Adding the suffix “el” in the word "ariel" adds a god-like or super-natural dimension  to the word for lion. Perhaps these men of Moab were "creature-men," i.e.,  genetic hybrids of fallen angels  and animals -- something like the giants or Nephilim as described in Genesis 6:4.  Chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation  describes visions of future judgments involving locusts having the shape of horses, the face of a man and teeth of  lions (vs 7).  In verse 17, there was a vision of horses with heads of lions that issue fire and their  tails were serpents with heads that inflict harm. All of these creatures are wildly bizarre, outside our normal comprehension and may be images that represent something natural to us, but we do not know unless it is revealed by God.  By faith in scripture, we reasonably believe that David killed Goliath, a giant about 9 feet tall* who was very strong having 6 finger and six toes. There are many references to giants in the scriptures (Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 2:11, 20; 3:11, 13; Joshua 12:4; 13:12;15:8; 17:15; 18:16). 

Modern archeology and observations confirm the existence of such giants having 6 fingers, 6 toes and some having two rows of teeth.  Also the ancient Egyptians had elongated heads with skull bone plates and suture patterns unlike those in human skulls.  Elongated skulls of Paracas "people" in Peru also had non-human skull plates and suture patterns as well as DNA “mutations unknown in any human, primate, or animal."²  Possibly these were Nephilim or hybrids of fallen angels and women. In Egypt, the Sphinx of Giza represents a presumed mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human.  Egyptian, Greek and Roman mythology describes many 'god-like' "hybrid" creatures such as centaurs (part man and part horse), Pegasus (a winged horse), Horus (part hawk and part human), Dagon (part fish and part man) and many others³.  Why was the history of some of the greatest nations of the past (Egypt, Greece and the Roman empire) filled with so much mythology or fantasy? Was it fancy? Perhaps there were powerful giants, nephilim and possibly also hybrids created by fallen angels breeding women (Genesis 6:4) and animals but not recognized as real by history but relegated to fantasy or mythology.  Perhaps these myths tell of real hybrid creatures of the past.

There are extra-biblical writings about man-beast hybrid creatures cited in the Bible. Twice the Bible refers to the Book of Jasher (2 Sam 1:18; Josh 10:13).  In the Book of Jasher⁴ (61:15), Jasher tells about a man named Zepho who found a creature like a beast-man hybrid that ate oxen. Jasher described the creature: "from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal."  Zepho killed it with a sword. 

The Bible tells us that Benaiah was one of the thirty mighty warrior men of David. The chief ones were Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah who individually killed 800 men, many Philistines soldiers, or a troop of Philistines (2 Sam 23: 9-12). Another of the thirty was Abishai who, by himself,  killed 300 men (2 Sam 23:18).  Benaiah was mighty because he killed two lion-like men (Concordance word #739: ariel ) from Moab and a lion (2 Sam 23:20-21; 1 Chr 11:22-23).  These two lion-like men according to the definition of the original Hebrew word (ariel : word #739) were heroic men like a 'lion of god' or 'lion-like men.' He also used a staff to kill a 7-foot tall⁵ Egyptian man armed with a spear.  The word for a normal or natural "lion" (#738) is "aryeh."  It is reasonable to believe that God choose the original Hebrew word (739) "ariel" meaning "lion of god" or "lionlike men" to convey the meaning as He wanted understood -- a very different kind of man or creature -- which was exceptionally powerful and dangerous, otherwise killing two "ariel" would not be so worthy of mention. The Bible seldom overstates the facts, but usually simply says so in a simple language.  Therefore it seems that Benaiah was a great warrior because he killed two lion-like men, both powerful creatures being part man and part lion.

 

Footnotes:

*Goliath was 6 cubits and a span (~9 feet) tall (1 Samuel 17:4).

1.     Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong (1995) Thomas Nelson Publishers,  Nashville.

2.     New DNA Testing on 2,000-Year-Old Elongated Paracas Skulls Changes Known History

www. ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/breaking-new-dna-testing-2000-year-old-elongated-paracas-skulls-changes-020914

3.     Mythology:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hybrid_creatures_in_mythology

4.     Book of Jasher:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HseWl7gyL4Y   

NEWS AND NOTES

The Salk Institute in California created a human-pig hybrid embryos. Such human-animal hybrids are often called “chimeras.”  The US Congress introduced  the Human-Animal Hybrid Prohibition Act in 2008 to prevent the creation of human-animal hybrids to protect the dignity and integrity of the humans but the bill failed to pass.  MIT Technology Review estimates that about 20 pregnancies of pig-human or sheep-human chimeras have been accomplished.   So far no scientific paper describing the work has been published.  Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/545106/human-animal-chimeras-are-gestating-on-us-research-farms/

INDEX

INDEX—Articles arranged by date originally posted

Title                                                                            Post Date, original

Lion-like men in Bible                                              September 1, 2017
INDEX                                                                       May 2, 2017
Easter story and criminal saved by mercy                 May 2, 2017
Sex in marriage                                                           May 2, 2017

Any Other Gospel - Cursed                                        July 25, 2016

Serving God Acceptably                                             July 10, 2016

Transformed by Renewing of the Mind                      March 13, 2016

OLDER POSTS BELOW-- (click to see)
Kingdom of God-First priority                                    Feb 5, 2016

Two kinds of life  (flesh vs Spirit)                               Feb 5, 2016

Rapture happens after tribulation                                Jan 21, 2016

Revelation 20                                                              Jan 20, 2016

If older articles are not shown, click "OLDER POSTS" at bottom.

Easter story and the guilty criminal saved by faith

Easter Story and the guilty criminal saved by faith and mercy of God

Mat  27:1,2, 11, 18, 22-25,  40,  45, 50-52, 54, 62-66

1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.

2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

11 When Jesus stood before the governor,  the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said so.”

18 Pilate knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd and said “I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility!”

25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!

Luke 23:32-43--32 Two criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah."

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him

37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?

41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

43 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Mat 28: 45, 50-52, 54, 62-66

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

62 The next day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.

63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while Jesus was still alive, that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb secure.”

66 So they went and made the tomb secure ... and posted  guards.

Mat 28:1-6 --  1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

10  Jesus said to them (women), “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Mat 28: 12-20--

12 The chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, and they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.  ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

COMMENT:

One of the criminals being crucified rebuked the other criminal for not fearing God.  He said that they were both guilty and deserving of death.  That criminal also said that Jesus was innocent having done no wrong. So there the criminal was, nailed to a cross, able to do absolutely nothing, but to ask Jesus to  remember him when he comes into His kingdom. [So that criminal knew Jesus came from God and that His life would not end with the crucifixion, and that Jesus  had a spiritual kingdom.]  So Jesus replied, today you will be with me in paradise.  So here we see that God showed mercy even toward one of the criminals who admitted his guilt and was able to do absolutely nothing to deserve paradise. He simply asked Jesus to remember [have mercy on] him, a criminal worthy of death. And Jesus saved his soul that day -- at the very end of his life. That's what Easter is about-- the good news that God provided salvation for every soul that believes that Jesus came to die and pay the price for their sins if they confess and ask to receive forgiveness.  Eternal life in paradise comes through faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ, and nothing else. It cannot be earned by doing good, only by faith and asking for forgiveness made available by the death of Jesus -- the son of God -- the perfect sacrifice for sin forever.

Last revision: May 2, 2017

Sex in marriage

Sex in Marriage (God's word and view)                         Last revision: 2017-05-02

1 Cor 7:1-5 (KJV) --

1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence (#2133): and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

4 The wife hath not power (#1850) of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.

5 Defraud (650) ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Original Hebrew and Greek Words in the King James Bible

 Word # 2133- eunoia- kindness: euphem. conjugal duty:- benevolence, good will. 

 Word # 1850- exousiazo- to control:  exercise authority upon, being under the (have) power of.

 Word # 650-  apostereo- to despoil, defraud, destitute, keep back by fraud.

Questions:

What is 'due benevolence'?  [Conjugal duty given in kindness]

Who has authority over sex?  [The spouse has authority over the sexual activity of the partner]

What does 'incontinency' mean?  [Lack of self-control or temptation to commit adultery]

Who may be tempted? [Every married person]

How does God say to decrease the temptation to 'incontinency'?  [By not defrauding (denying) your spouse when he or she wants sex]

Who is responsible to decrease temptation?  [Each is responsible to help the other by not defrauding] 

How?  [Both should render sex with kindness when spouse desires and both should exercise self control] 

How often should one render due benevolence?  [Whenever reasonably  possible except for a mutually-agreed time of prayer and fasting]

What does defraud mean? [To keep or hold back what is owed (as in a contract), to cheat, to fail to honor an obligation]

Genesis 2:24--- (God said:) ^‘Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.’

1 Corinthians 6:16 --  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he (God) shall be one flesh.

Hebrews 13:4--  Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge (NKJV).

Comment: God considers sex is an important marital duty (Greek: eunoia’ conjugal duty, benevolence) that is meant to be a kindness in marriage. God created sex to be a good thing for marriage. It is not sinful or a dirty act that God forgives in order to produce babies. Babies are an added blessing. Sex was originally created to be a duty of kindness ordained by God to be enjoyed in marriage — because God originally said “the two shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).  According to the New Testament verse, 1 Corinthians 6:16,  "one flesh" is understood to mean sexual intercourse.  Therefore, sexual intercourse in marriage is a special blessing and a conjugal duty of kindness (benevolence) that helps hold marriages together by reducing the temptation to commit adultery.  

Any other Gospel - Cursed                                                                                    

Twice Paul said that if any preach any other Gospel (other than the one he preached) let them be cursed.

Gal 1:8-9 -- 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

The New Testament says that Jesus^a, Phillip^b and Paul^c preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. 

See footnotes for scriptures:  ^aJesus: Mat 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 8:1. ^bPhillip: Acts 8:1 and ^cPaul: Acts 20:25; 28:31.

The kingdom of God is not physical but spiritual because it cannot be seen by natural eyes,  but only by "spiritual eyes" of born-again Christians (John 3:3).

John 3:3 --  3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Seeking the kingdom of God and God's righteousness should be the first priority for Christians.

Mat 6:33--seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The kingdom of God is invisible to the natural eye because it is spiritual. It is a mater of the faith- in the heart. Not everyone can see it even if it's all around them.

Luke 17:20-21-- And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Whoever obeys the law and teaches others to obey will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:19-- Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of God starts small (like a small seed or stone) and grows to be great (fill the whole earth).

Mat 13:31-32--31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest...

Dan 2:33, 35, 44, 45-- 34 Thou saw (in a dream) that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image ..... 35 and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.... 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  45 ... and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

The kingdom of God started when Jesus was on earth proven by the fact that he cast out demons.

Luke 11:20--But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

The kingdom of God continues with believers who also cast out demons and seek His Kingdom and righteousness.

Mark 16:15-17--And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils (demons); they shall speak with new tongues;

The Lord's prayer starts with the petition, 'Thy kingdom  come, Thy will be done on earth.' The petition is for  God's will to be done now and in the future in an ever increasing way. We also petition God to provide our needs, forgive our trespasses,  and deliver us from evil and temptation as we forgive others. Note the word 'come' in the original Greek (erchomai) is both present and imperfect tense (see Concordance word #2064 in Strong's Concordance*). The imperfect tense of a verb denotes the continuance of an incomplete past action. Therefore we pray that the kingdom which has already come (in the past) will continue to come now and in the future.

Mat 6:9-13--9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Paul declares that we are receiving (present tense) a kingdom which was being received in Paul's time and continues to be received in our time and will continue for those who serve God acceptably.

Heb 12: 27-29-- 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Jesus gave His  Great Commission to Christians  to teach the nations in all the world to obey God's commandments.

Mat 28:18-20--18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Please read 2 Pet 1:2-11 which summarily says Christians need to apply diligence and faith to become partakers of the divine nature  of God, to escape corruption and lusts of the world, to be cleansed of sin, and to grow in love to have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

Please also read the parable in Mark 4:3-20 about the sower who sowed seed (the word about the KOG).

In this parable there are four types of Christians represented by four types of ground: 1. wayside, 2. stony, 3. thorny,  and 4. good soil.

Wayside:  birds that eat the seed represent the Devil that prevents understanding of the word of about kingdom.

Stony: the seed endures only until affliction or persecution comes because of the word of the kingdom.

Thorny:  the word is choked by worldly cares, love of riches, and lust of the world.

Good soil: the word is heard and received and it brings forth much fruit. Hearing and receiving is more than physical--it includes serious attention toward the word, strong faith, having hunger for righteousness, diligence, perseverance and a strong desire to grow and follow God-- and willingness to give up worldly cares and even suffer for the kingdom.

Questions to consider:  How do we  compare ourselves to the different types of soils identified in this parable? 
Wayside: Do we understand and seek the kingdom and His righteousness? 
Stoney: Are we willing to accept  persecution like Paul, who for preaching the gospel, was stoned and dragged out of Lyconium, he arose and went back into the city to encourage the disciples saying "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God' (Acts 14:19-22).  
Thorney: Do we love the things of the world more than the kingdom of God and His righteousness? 
Good soil: Are we growing and fruitful for God? If our understanding of gospel is not primarily about a growing kingdom of God here on earth, seeking His righteousness, obeying and teaching the nations to obeys God's commands, or casting out demons, it may not  be the gospel preached by Christ, Phillip and Paul. It may be different and cursed gospel (Gal 1:8-9).  Are we seeking the kingdom of God here and now on earth, and growing in his righteousness and God's divine nature?                  

*Strong's Concordance of the Bible.                                                                         last revision 8/11/16 hgk

Serving God Acceptably

Serving God Acceptably --Scriptures and comments  

(Abbreviation KOG = kingdom = kingdom of God)
                              

Hebrews 12:26-28 -- 'we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken' (it is on earth and it is unstoppable*)

"26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."

Comments--

1.  Let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably.  Grace is God's enabling power to do every good work  (2 Cor 9:8;  
  Eph 2:10; Eze 11:19; 36:24-27**)

2. with reverence-- Our minds need to "let God be God"--the absolute Almighty, Lord and Creator of all, above all.

3. godly fear -- We  must recognize that pleasing and serving God is the number #1  issue in all things. God is a consuming fire, and none can resist Him.  The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10;  Psalms 111:10**).

Haggai 2:6-9--(quoted in Hebrews 12) 

6 For thus says the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, says the Lord of hosts.

Comments-- God will shake heaven, earth, everything that is not built on Jesus Christ (Heb 12:27)  including all nations. Christ (the desire of all nations) will be revealed to all nations and  His glory and that of His house (the church) will be greater than the former.

We are not to hope to escape troubles or persecution by rapture-- 

John 17:15-- Jesus prays that God not take Christians out of the world--but keep them safe through difficulties.

John 6:39, 40, 44, 54-- All Christians will be raised up (resurrected or raptured) is on the last day, not before.

Mat 6:33-- "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God (KOG) and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."

What is the KOG? It is His will being done on earth (Mat 6:9-13)--including our doing His will . It is not just going to heaven.

What does seeking the KOG and righteousness look like?    Generally -- the KOG and righteousness is not what we see in the world and  hear in the news. It is agape or divine love (1 Cor 13:1-8) of God working through Christians--putting the interests of God and others above self. The KOG includes spiritual warfare and casting out demons, and defeating Satan (Luke 11:20; Eph 6:10-18;  James 4:7). The KOG is seeking and hungering for righteousness in our lives (Mat 5:3-10). It includes the Great Commission:  making disciples and teaching the nations to obey His commands Mat 28:20; 5:19), and growing in love and the stature of Jesus Christ (2 Pet 1:11). Things (needed for life) will be added to you when you seek the kingdom and His righteousness (Mat 6:24-33)

Since we are receiving the KOG (Heb 12:26-28)-- what can we do to try to serve God acceptably?  The Bible says we should do the following:

1. We are instructed to  pray for the Kingdom to come, forgive and seek forgiveness and righteousness (Lord's Prayer, Mat 6:9-13**).

 ⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

2. Study diligently the entire Bible and give special attention to the parables about the KOG (Mat 4:4). ^" But he [Jesus] said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

3. Obey and teach God's Law (Mat 5:19). ¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

4. Grow in love as in 2 Pet 1:2-14 (below).  

2 Pet 1:2-12**--Read these verses about how we become partakers of the divine nature of God  by His divine power to secure an abundant entrance in the KOG as it says in verses 10-11 below:

"10 ... brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

COMMENTS:  To serve God acceptably, we need faith to believe that with God's promises and His enabling grace [2 Cor 9:8--which comes by His spirit], we  can grow in stature and nature of Jesus Christ, bear godly fruit  and extend (enter abundantly)  the KOG-- which will  eventually fill the whole earth.  The growth of kingdom of God on earth is the unstoppable.** To extend the  KOG, God  plans to use His people--the Church.  We choose to be used in His plan by choosing to grow in the nature and love of Christ. The promise is that if we abound to become partakers of the divine nature of God, we will not be unfruitful or barren, but have an abundant entrance into the KOG.

8 Steps to becoming partakers of God's divine nature  and to serve God acceptably starts with faith (according to 2 Peter 1:2-12) --

1. Faith-- is being persuaded that  God is able to perform His promises (Rom 4:21) that we may escape the worldly corruption of our flesh nature God's enabling grace (divine power, 2 Cor 9:8) through diligence (v 5, 10) in seeking the knowledge of God and His grace.  Hosea (4:6) said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Jesus said,  "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God (Mat 4:4).       

        Grace (as described in 2 Corinthians 9:8)--"God is able to make all        grace  abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."  This grace comes through the power of the Holy Spirit (Ezek 36:24-27).

2. Virtue-- goodness, righteousness, morality, integrity, decency, worthiness, purity (according to the dictionary).
3. Knowledge -- We  need a good  knowledge of  the Bible and how it relates to the times we live in. Man shall live by every word that proceeds from God (Mat 4:4).

4. Self Control-- be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by renewing of the mind (Rom 12:1-2).  The flesh nature tries to replace God's ways with man's ways and natural human understanding.

5. Perseverance-- We can not give up too easily (if at all).  We must let God correct us and adjust our direction.

6. Godliness-- Trying to please God by doing what we think He would do. Not selfish.

7. Brotherly kindness --  Practice the many 'one-another' instructions in the Bible.

8. Love-- According to 1 Cor 13:4-6, love is kind, long-suffering, bears all things (not easily offended), not proud, hopes, rejoices in truth, and endures many things (turns the check) and more. We should love one another (even if others don't love us). Love serves God by loving to one another, both in word and deed.

Attitudes toward the Kingdom of God

Mat 5:1-10**- Read verses about the attitudes of the  people in the KOG

They are blessed, meek, poor in spirit, hunger for righteousness and make and peace when possible. They  may suffer for the KOG and receive special blessings from God.

Mark 4:3-20**-- Read verses about the Parable of the sower seed (word of God)  about the KOG.

Comments:  Four types of ground (souls or people) are:   wayside,  stony,  thorny,  and  good soil.
Descriptions of the four types of soil:

1. Wayside:  the seed is eaten by birds, meaning  it is nullified by the lies of the Devil.

2. Stony: the seed endures only until affliction or persecution comes because of the word of the kingdom.

3. Thorny:  the word is choked by worldly cares, love of riches, and lust of the world.

4. Good soil: Word is heard and received and it brings forth much fruit. Hearing and receiving is more than physical--it includes serious attention toward the word, strong faith, having hunger for righteousness, diligence, perseverance and a strong desire to grow and follow God-- and willingness to give up worldly cares and even suffer for the kingdom.  

Strong faith hopes in the word of God and His promises. Faith increases by repeated hearing of God's word (Rom 10:17). Faith without works is dead (James 2:20).  Without faith we cannot please God (Heb 11:6). Man shall live by every word that proceeds from God (Mat 4:4).

Footnotes

* The Kingdom of God is unstoppable: Dan 2:44-45, 7:13-14; Num 14:21; Heb 12:28; Mat 28:20; Ps 110; Ps 2:6-9; Ps 22:27-28.

** To save space, some scriptures are left for you to look up and read.  

Quotes come from the King James Version, with some changes from Old English to modern English  (i.e., saith --> says, etc).   

last revision:    2016-07-10 

Transformed by the renewing of your mind

Transformed by the renewing of your mind.              

Romans 12:2-- be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Psalms 1:1-2--How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!   But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.…

James 1:23-24-- Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

          COMMENT—We are naturally born and trained by the world to think and act worldly—that is, in ways not pleasing to God. Our old nature has a mind set, desires and ideas that should be rejected and abandoned if they are contrary to the Bible.  We are to be fundamentally transformed to develop new desires, new thoughts and adopt new ways to think and act. These new ways will be in agreement with the Bible and the Holy Ghost. So we ought to check to see if our every thought and desire agrees with scripture and what the Holy Spirit says. This is how we grow in love and in the nature and stature of Jesus Christ.

          We are bought and paid for, we are no longer our own. We owe all to God because of what Christ did for us. When we read the word of God, every word should have significance to our life, because Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Mat 4:4). God wants us to live in unity and love one another.

Psalms 133:1-3 -- Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity...For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.

Eph 4:11-13 –

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

COMMENT: Our goal is the knowledge of God and to attain to the fullness and stature of Christ.

2Tim 3:16-17-- All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Proverbs 27:17 -- Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Colossians 3:12 -- Therefore, as elect of God (or God’s chosen people), holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:13 -- Be gentle to one another and having forgiveness for one another, if anyone has done wrong to his brother, even as the Lord had forgiveness for you.

Phil 4:4-5-–

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Colossians 3:16 --  Let the word of Christ be in you in all wealth of wisdom; teaching and helping one another with songs of praise and holy words, making melody to God with grace in your hearts.

Romans 15:14 -- I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

Romans 15:7 -- Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.

1 Cor 13: 3-8--3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.

Mat 6:33-- Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…

          COMMENT:   John 3:3 tells us we cannot even see the kingdom of God unless we are born again, which gives one imputed righteousness. So why should one who is born again seek a righteousness that was already imputed to him. It must be a different kind of righteousness, that of doing right.

1 John 3:10--- Whoever does not [practice] righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.           KJV [NJKV, NASB, MSG]

1 Cor 6:9-10-- Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

COMMENT: Those who do righteousness shall inherit the kingdom of God, but those that do not do righteousness will not (see also Matthew 5:19).

               

1 Timothy 6:11-- Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

1 Corinthians 15:33 -- Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Proverbs 27:6 -- Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

[COMMENT: Truth in love may hurt for a while but it helps prevent sin.]

Proverbs 18:24 -- A man that hath friends must show himself friendly:

Proverbs 22:24 -- Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go.

Phil 2:3-4-- Let nothing be done through *strife, selfish ambition or conceit;* but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.  *NKJV  

Rom 12:10--Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

1 Timothy 6:17-18 --

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;

That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.

Hebrews 3:13  … encourage one another every day.

Colossians 3:13 -- Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Hebrews 10:24 -- And let us continue to consider how to motivate one another to love and good deeds,

Hebrews 13:1--  Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.

James 1:19 -- Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

James 4:11 – Do not slander one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law.

James 5:9-- Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

James 5:16 -- Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed.

1 Peter 1:22 -- Now that you have obeyed the truth and have purified your souls to love your brothers sincerely, you must love one another intensely and with a pure heart.

1 Peter 3:8 -- live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

1 Peter 4:8 -- Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:9  -- Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

Hebrews 13:2 --Be careful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.

1 Peter 4:10 -- God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

1 Peter 5:5 -- You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Leviticus 19:11 -- Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.

John 13:14 -- Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.

Romans 12:10 -- Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:16 -- Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Ephesians 4:2 -- Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

John 13:34 -- A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

John 13:35 -- By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Ephesians 4:32 -- Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Romans 13:8 -- Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

Romans 14:13 -- Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

Romans 15:7 -- Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 16:16 -- Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

1 Corinthians 1:10 -- I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

Ephesians 5:19 -- Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

Colossians 3:13  -- Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 5:21 -- Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Colossians 3:16 --Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Jude 1:20 –- But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,

1 Thessalonians 5:11 --… encourage one another and build each other up.

Hebrews 10:24 --And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

1 John 2:7 -- Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.

1 John 3:11-- For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;

1 John 3:23-- This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.

1 John 4:7 --Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God.

1 John 4:11 --Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:12 --No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

2 John 1:5 --Now I beg you, dear lady, not as though I wrote to you a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

Rom 8:5-9 -- those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. To be carnally minded (or fleshly or wordly minded) is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

Jesus’ Prayer for His Church--John 17:20-23--  “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[a] believe in Me through their word;  that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 

Gal 5:17-22-- 17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.

1 John 1:6-10 -–

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

          COMMENT:  We have fellowship with God when we have fellowship with one another by walking in the light as He is in the light. We need to walk in obedience to the Word with the aid of the Holy Spirit.  We should not deceive ourselves about sin.

God’s Promises and Grace to Help us Become Transformed

2 Cor 9:8 -- And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

          COMMENT:  God’s grace is enablement (by His Holy Spirit) of Christians to do every good work. All things are possible to him who believes.

2 Pet 1:2-11--

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

          COMMENT:  God’s grace working with His promises enables us to become partakers of God’s divine nature by escaping from sin and corruption in the world. Partaking the divine nature is a step by step process of gaining victory over sin through exercising faith in His precious promises. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. I believe this is what Jesus spoke to the seven Churches in the Book of Revelation when he said “to him who overcomes I will give….”

        We need to work to overcome the world, no longer being conformed to the world (or the flesh or old nature). We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we know and do that which is that good and acceptable will of God.

Last  revision-- March 6, 2016