The Study of the Bible (part Two) - What To Do With the Bible

LESSON II. WHAT TO DO WITH GOD’S WORD
(Dos and Don’ts --- More Rules)

A. What To Do

1. Hearken to the word of the Lord.

“Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the
LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.” (I Kings 12:24)

2. Desire the word of the Lord.

“Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:7)

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (I Peter 2:2)

3. Believe the word of God.

“When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they
believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” (John 2:22) The example for us given by the disciples is to believe the scripture.

“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” (I Thessalonians 2:13)

4. Obey the words of the Lord.

“Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned
from going against Jeroboam.” (II Chronicles 11:4)

“He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.” (Exodus 9:20-21)

5. Study the Scriptures.

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour,
especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” (1 Timothy 5:17)

6. Remember the word.

“Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 11:16)

“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 11:18)

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

7. Speak the word.

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were
assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

“For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God
giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” (John 3:34)

Proclaim the word --- Jeremiah 7:2; 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:8.

Preach the word --- Acts 8:25; 15:35-36; 16:32; 19:10; 13:5.

8. Publish the word.

“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” (Psalm 68:11)

“And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.” (Acts 13:49)


9. Continue in the word.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;” (John 8:31)

10. Tremble at the word of the Lord.

“Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” (Isaiah 66:5)

B. What Not To Do

1. Don’t Despise the word of the Lord.

“Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.” (Numbers 15:31)

2. Don’t Go Beyond the word of the Lord.

“And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.” (Numbers 22:18)

3. Don’t Reject the word (You reject the word by disobeying it.)

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. ¶ And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the command-ment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:23-26)

4. Don’t blaspheme the word of God. (You blaspheme the word of God by disobeying it.)

“To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” (Titus 2:5)

5. Don’t rebel against the words of God.

“Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:” (Psalm 107:11)

6. Don’t make the word of God of none effect through tradition.

“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:13)

7. Don’t corrupt the word of God.

“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:17)

8. Don’t handle the word of God deceitfully.

“But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2)
9. Don’t conceal the words of the Holy One.

“Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.” (Job 6:10)

10. Don’t add to or take away from the words of the book.

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this
book.” (Revelation 22:18-19)

A Study of the Bible (Part One) - Why The Bible Was Written

“Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. ¶ Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. (Psalm 109:1-6)










O Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.

Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?


LESSON I. WHY THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN

The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor. (Proverbs 22:12)

There are two questions that must be answered first in the study of Bible history, Bible texts, and Bible manuscripts & translations. The first of these questions is: “Why did God give us his knowledge? The answer to this, of course, must be found in God’s book of knowledge, the Holy Bible.

Ҧ Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day,
even to thee.” (Proverbs 22:17-19)

God gave his knowledge to man “that thy trust may be in the LORD”. God wants us to trust him and that is why he gave us knowledge of himself, of the creation, of his grace, and of the Saviour, etc. The word of God puts a lot of emphasis on trusting in the LORD.

Rule number one: Don’t put your confidence in man. Trust in the LORD and confidence in man are opposite each other. Confidence in man will hinder your trust in the LORD. “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” (Psalm 118:8)

Rule number two: Don’t respect the proud and don’t turn aside unto lies. “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” (Psalm 40:4)

Rule number three: Don’t be proud yourself. “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.” (Proverbs 28:25)

Rule number four: Don’t fear man. “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)

Rule number five: Trust in the Lord. “When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;” (Isaiah 57:13)

Rule number six: Get your heart fixed. Trusting in the Lord will fix your heart. In Bible study, the study of the Bible, and in your Christian life, you need a fixed heart. “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” (Psalm 112:7)

Rule number seven: Don’t trust in the world (or Egypt), worldly wisdom, or vanity. “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.” (Isaiah 30:1-3) “Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.” (Job 15:31)

The second question is: Why did God put his words into writing? And again, the answer to this must be found in the Bible. [(But before answering this question, think about this for a moment: Why would you let anybody teach you that your King James Bible is corrupt and has errors without first telling you why God spoke and why God wrote his words.) The reason for God giving his knowledge and writing his words and its purpose determines the answer to some other questions that come after.]

“Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” (Proverbs 22:20-21)

God put his words into writing to make us certain of the words of truth. God wants us to be certain of the truth and to be able to answer with words of truth. This, of course, ties in with preservation of the words of the Lord.

It is verses like Psalm 12:6-7; Proverbs 22:20-21; Psalm 119:41-43 that gives us the doctrine of scripture preservation.
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Psalm 12:6-7

Now, notice what these verses say. “The words of the LORD are pure words.” If you have the words of the LORD, then, you have his pure words. If you don’t have his pure words, then you don’t have his words.

“as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” This phrase definitely puts the preservation of the pure words of the LORD on the earth.

“tried in a furnace”. What could that mean? Obviously, somebody has tried to destroy God’s pure words. In spite of that, David said that God would preserve them for ever.

“Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” Proverbs 22:17-21

Aren't God's words wise words?

Not your head --- apply your heart to God's knowledge.
[“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11]

God made his knowledge known to you "That thy trust may be in the LORD".

God wrote his knowledge to make you "know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth".

Now if you have any doubts about the above and to be sure not to do injustice to the scripture, let's follow the Holy Spirit's directions for Bible interpretation, that is, compare scripture with scripture (spiritual words with spiritual words) [1 Corinthians 2:12-13].

Notice that according to Psalm 119:41-43, According to God's word (the word of truth) shall we have to answer reproach just as in Proverbs 22:21, with the words of truth we have to answer reproach.

In Acts 26:25, Paul refers to the word of God as "the words of truth". [I hope you would agree that what Paul said in Acts 26:1-25 is the word of God.]

The last reference is Eccl 12:9-11. There's that knowledge in verse nine. Compare also "he gave good heed" to "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." ( Psalms 119:9)

"The preacher sought to find out acceptable words" (verse 10). Isn't that what a preacher does when he studies for a sermon? "that which was written was upright". (Although he may use other sources,) isn't the word of God "that which was written" what he should study and preach? Isn't the word of God upright?

And there again are "The words of the wise". These words of the wise are "as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies" when they are preached. These wise words, these words of truth, are words "which are given from one shepherd". That "one shepherd" would be God. These words must be the words of God.
[Now we have seen all three places in the Bible where the phrase "words of truth" is.]

Now, my dear brother, after the above study, why would you not believe that Proverbs 22:20-21 is referring to being certain of the words of God?



Now, seeing that the purpose for God putting his words in writing is to make us certain of the truth, we then know that God’s words must be available to us in an infallible book. For if we have no infallible authority, how can we be certain of the words of truth?

Whatever men may say, there is only one honest answer to this. The truth is that without an infallible authority, we can’t be certain of anything.

A Few Old Testament Notes and References

GENESIS 1 --->
There are three heavens in this chapter. The first heaven, the one where fowl fly above the earth, is in verse 20. The second heaven, where the sun, the moon, and the stars are (verses 14-18), is between two great bodies of water (verses 6-8). And the third heaven is in verse one. Compare verse one with verse one in chapter two. Notice that in chapter one, "the heaven" is singular in contrast to the plural "heavens" in chapter two.

According to Psalm 104:30, at the time that God created the animals, He renewed the face of the earth. Verses 3 - 31 of chapter 1 is not a description of the original creation. Verses 3 - 31 is the renewing of the face of the earth after the original earth was destroyed in verse 2.

The earth was covered "with the deep as with a garment" (Psalm 104:5-6). When God rebuked Lucifer, saying, "thou shalt be brought down" (Isaiah 14:15), "the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" where the earth was with Lucifer on it, forcing the earth down into the waters. "And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep."

God rebuked the waters and they fled and hasted away from the earth (Psalm 104:6-7) when He said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters" (Genesis 1:6-8).

GENESIS 1:2 --> REF. Genesis 7:18 These are the only two verses with the phrase "the face of the waters".

GENESIS 3:8 --> "the voice of the LORD God walking"

GENESIS 3:19 --> REF. Genesis 18:27;

GENESIS 13:10 --> REF. Isaiah 51:3; Ezekiel 28:13; 31:8-9

GENESIS 19:24 --> REF. Joshua 10:11

GENESIS 21:1-3 --> "the LORD did unto Sarah" The birth of Isaac is a type of the birth of Jesus Christ. See Matthew 1:18,20 and Luke 1:35.

GENESIS 21:19 --> This is the first mention of God opening someone's eyes. When God opens your eyes, he reveals "the deep things of God" (I Corinthians 2:10). You can, then, fill your bottle and give someone else a drink.

GENESIS 21:26 --> The word `wot' is in the Bible ten times and it is never a problem to understand that the word means know by simply reading the sentence. Since the word `wot' means know and the word as initials stands for word of truth, and the word is not a problem to understand, a great truth is revealed. That is, knowledge comes from having the word of truth, the word of truth is not a problem to under-stand, and changing the words of the word of truth does not make it easier to understand, although liars claim that it does (Romans 1:25). (The other verses are Genesis 44:15; Exodus 32:1,23; Numbers 22:6; Joshua 2:5; Acts 3:17; 7:40; Romans 11:2; Philippians 1:22)

GENESIS 23:6 --> "thou art a mighty prince" REF. Genesis 32:8

GENESIS 24:27 --> REF. Genesis 32:10

GENESIS 25:5 --> This verse is a type of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

GENESIS 26:19 --> REF. John 4:14

GENESIS 29:7 --> REF. John 21:15-17

GENESIS 31:32 --> Jacob unknowingly cursed Rachel to die. Although Laban didn't find his `gods', Rachel did take them and she died in 35:18.

GENESIS 32:28 --> REF. Hosea 12:3-4

GENESIS 32:29 --> REF. Judges 13:18

GENESIS 37:2-4 --> All three verses show Joseph as a type of Christ.

GENESIS 37:8 --> Joseph as a type of Christ.

GENESIS 37:13-14 --> REF. I Samuel 17:17-18

GENESIS 37:31 --> Joseph as a type of Christ - see Revelation 19:13

GENESIS 41:40,43 --> Joseph as a type of Christ - see Philippians 2:10

GENESIS 41:55 --> Joseph as a type of Christ - see John 2:5

GENESIS 42:8 --> Joseph as a type of Christ - see John 1:11

GENESIS 43:23 --> Joseph as a type of Christ - see Luke 24:36. When Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples, and said, "Peace be unto you", they should have known who he was because of Judges 6:23.

GENESIS 45:3 --> Joseph as a type of Christ - see Luke 24:38

GENESIS 45:5 --> REF. Genesis 32:30

GENESIS 45:26-27 --> Joseph as a type of Christ - see Mark 16:14 and Luke 24:35

GENESIS 50:10 --> REF. Job 2:13

GENESIS 50:20 --> REF. Psalm 76:10

EXODUS 2:17 --> Moses as a type of Christ

EXODUS 12:46 --> REF. Numbers 9:12 and John 19:33

EXODUS 14:13-15 --> REF. II Chronicles 20:17

EXODUS 14:24 --> REF. I Samuel 11:11

EXODUS 15:3 --> REF. Isaiah 42:13

EXODUS 17:6 --> I Corinthians 10:1-4

EXODUS 19:4 --> Isaiah 40:31

EXODUS 19:10-11 --> Using the DAY AS A THOUSAND YEARS SYSTEM, this is a prophecy that after two thousand years, the LORD will come back (around the year 2000), and we are to be ready by the time of the third thousand years (the millennium).

EXODUS 20:1-17 --> THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

I. I Timothy 2:5; I Corinthians 8:4-6
II. I Corinthians 10:7,14
III. Colossians 3:8; II Timothy 2:19
IV. Galatians 4:10-11; Colossians 2:16-17; Romans 14:5-6
V. Ephesians 6:2
VI. I John 3:14-15
VII. Ephesians 5:3-5
VIII. Ephesians 4:28
IX. Ephesians 4:25
X. Ephesians 5:3

EXODUS 20:24 --> REF. Deuteronomy 12:5


EXODUS 20:25 --> REF. Deuteronomy 27:5; Joshua 8:31

EXODUS 21:2-11 --> This is the instructions for Hebrew servants under the law. For the duty of the Christian servant and master, see I Timothy 6:1-2; Colossians 4:1; Ephesians 6:5-9; I Corinthians 7:20-24

EXODUS 21:12 --> REF. Exodus 20:13; Genesis 9:5-6; Leviticus 24:17; Numbers 35:30-31

EXODUS 21:15 --> REF. Exodus 20:12

EXODUS 21:16 --> REF. Exodus 20:15

EXODUS 21:17 --> REF. Exodus 20:12

EXODUS 21:18 --> REF. II Timothy 2:24

EXODUS 21:19 --> REF. Romans 12:18

EXODUS 21:20 --> REF. Exodus 20:13

EXODUS 21:22 --> REF. II Timothy 2:24

EXODUS 21:28-29 --> REF. (see verse 12)

EXODUS 21:33-35 --> REF. Romans 12:18

EXODUS 21:36 --> REF. (see verse 12)

EXODUS 22:1-4 --> REF. Exodus 20:15

EXODUS 22:5-6 --> REF. Romans 12:18

EXODUS 22:14 --> REF. Romans 12:18

EXODUS 22:16 --> REF. I Corinthians 7:36

EXODUS 22:18 --> REF. Galatians 5:20

EXODUS 22:19 --> REF. Romans 1:26-27

EXODUS 22:20 --> REF. Exodus 20:3-5

EXODUS 22:22-24 --> REF. I Timothy 5:1-10; James 1:27

EXODUS 22:31 --> REF. Romans 12:1-3

EXODUS 23:1 --> REF. Ephesians 4:25

EXODUS 23:4-5 --> REF. Romans 12:18


EXODUS 24:12 --> REF. Exodus 32:15-16; John 17:8

EXODUS 28:4 --> Six garments are listed here, matching Ephesians 6:14-17, where six pieces of armour are listed. Compare Exodus 29:5-6.

EXODUS 32:7-14 --> REF. Numbers 14:11-20; 16:44-50

EXODUS 32:15-16 --> REF. Ezekiel 2:9-10; Revelation 5:1

EXODUS 33:12 --> REF. John 10:3; Ephesians 2:8

EXODUS 33:14 --> REF. Hebrews 13:5-6; John 14:27; Romans 5:1

LEVITICUS 10:1 --> REF. Exodus 30:9

LEVITICUS 17:7 --> REF. Deuteronomy 32:17 (see other references there)

LEVITICUS 18:5 --> REF. Ezekiel 20:11

LEVITICUS 26:29 --> REF. Deuteronomy 28:53-57

NUMBERS 14:43 --> REF. II Chronicles 15:2; Ezra 8:22

NUMBERS 24:14 --> "LATTER DAYS" REF. Deuteronomy 4:30; 31:29; Jeremiah 23:20; 30:24; 48:47; 49:39; Ezekiel 38:16; Daniel 2:28; 10:14; Hosea 3:4-5

NUMBERS 27:17 --> REF. I Kings 22:17

NUMBERS 33:52 --> REF. Deuteronomy 12:2-3; Isaiah 2:16

DEUTERONOMY 3:26 --> REF. II Corinthians 12:8-9

DEUTERONOMY 6:6-7 --> REF. Psalm 1:2

DEUTERONOMY 17:14 --> REF. I Samuel 8

DEUTERONOMY 23:24 --> THE ORIGINAL ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET

DEUTERONOMY 28:53-57 --> REF. II Kings 6:28-29

DEUTERONOMY 29:19-20 --> REF. Exodus 32:32-33

DEUTERONOMY 30:14 --> REF. Romans 10:8

DEUTERONOMY 30:20 --> REF. Deuteronomy 32:44-47; Colossians 3:4; I John 5:11-12


DEUTERONOMY 31:3 --> With verse 8, shows Joshua as a type of Christ

DEUTERONOMY 31:26 --> God gave us the Bible to be a witness against us.

DEUTERONOMY 32:1 --> REF. Proverbs 8:8

DEUTERONOMY 32:4 --> REF. Psalm 31:5

DEUTERONOMY 32:17 --> REF. Leviticus 17:7; II Chronicles 11:15; Psalm 106:37

DEUTERONOMY 33:2 --> REF. Jude 14

JOSHUA 1:6 --> "Be strong and of a good courage." This admonition is given to Joshua three times in Deuteronomy 31 (verses 6,7,23), and again, three times here in verses 6,7, and 9. It takes a lot of courage to be one of God's leaders. The man of God must continually seek encouragement in prayer and the word of God (verse 8). Also, notice the admonition is repeated in verse 18. This makes a total of seven times. Only the last time, it comes from God's people. Applying this to the days of the week, the man of God needs daily encouragement, but will seldom get it from the people of God whom he serves (about 1/7). REF. Joshua 10:25

JUDGES 6:14-17 --> Gideon here reminds us of Moses in Exodus 4.

JUDGES 7 --> Gideon / Phurah - Moses / Aaron

JUDGES 13:18 --> The name of the angel of the LORD is secret. (?)

I SAMUEL 1:15 --> REF. Psalm 62:8

I SAMUEL 4:9 --> I Corinthians 16:13

I SAMUEL 7:8 --> Ephesians 1:16

I SAMUEL 8:7 --> I Samuel 12:12

I SAMUEL 16:11 --> David as a type of Christ - "he keepeth the sheep"

I SAMUEL 16:12 --> David as a type of Christ (see Song Of Solomon 5:10)

I SAMUEL 16:13 --> David as a type of Christ (see Luke 3:21-22)



I SAMUEL 16:18 --> David as a type of Christ (see Exodus 15:3 and Isaiah 42:13) REF. II Samuel 17:8

I SAMUEL 17:17-18 --> REF. Genesis 37:13-14

I SAMUEL 17:45 --> David as a type of Christ (see Mark 11:9-10 and John 12:13)

I SAMUEL 19:4 --> Matthew 20:27-28

I SAMUEL 19:5 --> REF. Jonah 1:14; II Kings 21:16; 24:4; Matthew 27:4

I SAMUEL 19:5 --> David as a type of Christ (see John 15:25)
(see also Job 2:3, and others)

I SAMUEL 19:12 --> REF. II Corinthians 11:33

I SAMUEL 20:1 --> David as a type of Christ (see John 18:23)

I SAMUEL 22:2 --> David as a type of Christ (see Hebrews 2:10)

I SAMUEL 22:23 --> David as a type of Christ

I SAMUEL 25:28 --> David as a type of Christ (see Luke 23:13-14)

I SAMUEL 29:3 --> David as a type of Christ (see Luke 23:13-14)

I SAMUEL 29:9 --> REF. II Samuel 14:17,20; 19:27 - David as a type of Christ (see Galatians 4:14)

II SAMUEL 5:1 --> David as a type of Christ (see Ephesians 5:30)

II SAMUEL 7:22 --> "base in mine own sight" like Paul

II SAMUEL 8:15 --> David as a type of Christ in the millennium *

II SAMUEL 17:8 --> REF. Proverbs 17:12 / Exodus 15:3; I Samuel 16:18

II SAMUEL 17:10 --> REF. Isaiah 42:13

I KINGS 5:3 --> David as a type of Christ

II KINGS 4:29 --> REF. II Kings 9:1; Job 38:3

II KINGS 4:42-44 --> REF. Luke 9:13-17


II KINGS 7:3 --> REF. Jeremiah 8:14

II CHRONICLES 13:12 --> REF. Hebrews 2:10

II CHRONICLES 23:10 --> REF. Psalm 149:6

II CHRONICLES 25:3 --> REF. II Kings 14:5-6

II CHRONICLES 25:4 --> REF. Deuteronomy 24:16

EZRA 7:10 --> II Timothy 2:1-2

NEHEMIAH 9:27 --> REF. Obadiah 21

NEHEMIAH 13:11 --> REF. Hebrews 10:24-25

JOB 2:3 --> Job 9:17; Psalm 119:78, 161; Lamentations 3:52; John 15:25

JOB 2:13 --> REF. I Samuel 31:13; Ezekiel 3:15

JOB 3:1 --> REF. Jeremiah 20:14-15

JOB 4:8 --> REF. Galatians 6:7

JOB 6:10 --> REF. Acts 20:27

JOB 26:1-4 --> REF. Matthew 12:34-37; Mark 8:38; Romans 1:16; Acts 26:25; II Corinthians 6:7; Hebrews 1:3; Job 4:3-4; Acts 26:25; Galatians 6:1-2,6; Titus 2:1; Job 27:11; Acts 26:25; Colossians 4:6; I Peter 3:15; Psalm 119:41-43; Proverbs 22:20-21; Ephesians 4:29; Job 27:11; Acts 20:27; I Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 2:15; I Corinthhians 2:12-13; Acts 26:25; Numbers 22:35; Ephesians 5:18; Isaiah 11:2; Acts 6:10; Revelation 16:13-14; James 3:15; I Corinthians 2:11; Job 32:7-9

JOB 27:11 --> REF. Job 26:3; 6:10

JOB 32:9 --> REF. I Corinthians 1:21

JOB 38:19 --> REF. John 14:6

PSALM 1:1-3 --> REF. Jeremiah 17:7-8

PSALM 2:2 --> REF. Luke 2:26

PSALM 8:4 --> REF. Job 7:17-18

PSALM 56:4,10 --> "I will praise his word" - compare Psalm 71:22 and 138:2

PSALM 103:20 --> REF. I Samuel 15:1


PSALM 119:41-43 --> According to David, the way to answer reproach is according to God's word. Also, he asked God not to take the word of truth out of his mouth. David must have believed that he had the word of truth, even without having the original that Moses wrote about 300 years before.

PSALM 119:78 --> REF. Psalm 119:161; I Samuel 19:5; John 15:25

PSALM 147:19 --> "He sheweth his word unto Jacob". Could this have something to do with the translation of the word of God into the English language by the King James Version translators, since James and Jacob are english equals of the same name from Greek and Hebrew ?

PROVERBS 6:23 --> REF. Psalm 119:105

PROVERBS 15:24 --> REF. Colossians 3:1-2

PROVERBS 17:12 --> REF. II Samuel 17:8

PROVERBS 19:8 --> REF. Job 28; 32:7-8; 34:16; Psalm 49:3; 111:10; 119:34, 99-100, 104, 125, 130, 169; Proverbs 1:5; 2:1-6; 3:13; 9:10; 12:11; 14:29; 15:21, 32-33; 17:27; 18:1-2; II Timothy 2:19

PROVERBS 22:17-21 --> The reason that God made known his words and his knowledge to man is "THAT THY TRUST MAY BE IN THE LORD" (verse 19). The reason that God put his words in writing is that you can "KNOW THE CERTAINTY OF THE WORDS OF TRUTH" (verses 20-21). REF. Psalm 119:128. So, even without the promise of preservation of the "pure words" of the LORD in Psalm 12:6-7, any christian who is willing to believe just these five verses in Proverbs will know that God kept his word pure without allowing it to be corrupted with error of any kind. You can't know the certainty of the words of truth without having a completely inerrant authority.

PROVERBS 23:26 --> REF. Colossians 3:1-3

ISAIAH 2:16 --> REF. Numbers 33:52

ISAIAH 9:2 --> REF. John 1:5

ISAIAH 10:25 --> REF. Hebrews 10:37

ISAIAH 19:14 --> REF. Proverbs 26:11; II Peter 2:22

ISAIAH 42:11 --> Jesus Christ is the Rock. We are members of his body. Christians are "the inhabitants of the rock". We sing and "shout from the top of the mountains".

ISAIAH 43:1 --> REF. John 10:3 / I Corinthians 6:19-20;7:23

JEREMIAH 17:15 --> The answer to the question is I Peter 1:25. "But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." Of course, the corrupt version of I Peter 1:25 changes the `is' to `was' to support the lie that the word of God is no long-er available as a completely pure, inerrant, and infallible authority for the child of God. (See the NIV, NASV, etc.)

JEREMIAH 30:9 --> REF. Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25. THE 2ND COMING OF DAVID THE KING. DAVID WILL AGAIN BE KING OVER ISRAEL IN THE MILLINIUM.

JEREMIAH 31:9 --> "rivers of water" REF. Psalm 1:3

LAMENTATIONS 3:51 --> "MINE EYE AFFECTETH MINE HEART" This verse goes with Matthew 6:22-23; Colossians 3:22; Psalm 101:3; Numbers 33:52 and the second part "BECAUSE OF ALL THE DAUGHTERS OF MY CITY." ESPECIALLY WITH Job 31:1 and II Peter 2:14. What you see with your eyes affects your heart and the condition of your heart affects your fellowship with God. Jeremiah was told by the word of the LORD not to take a wife (Jeremiah 16:1-2). When a man of God is alone, he should be careful to take heed to Job 31:1.

LAMENTATIONS 3:52 --> REF. Job 2:3

EZEKIEL 3:15 --> REF. Job 3:13

EZEKIEL 18 --> This is the place in the Bible where God revealed to me that salvation in the old testament, under the law, was much different than salvation in the new testament. As anyone can see from one reading of this chapter, righteousness under the law depended on a man's works, and if a man turned from his righteousness, he would die in his sin. This death was not only physical death, but also spiri-tual death as well. This is quite obvious by comparing verse 32 with Psalm 116:15.

EZEKIEL 18:31 --> REF. Psalm 51:10

MICAH 2:7 --> "do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?" If a man's walk with God is right, then God's words will do good to him. He will esteem the words of God more than physical food (Job 23:12). He will delight in the words of the Lord and meditate in them day and night (Psalm 1:1-3). When a man delights and meditates in God's words, he has no desire for the modern translations, which are lacking of the life and power of the word of God (Hebrews 4:12).

HAGGAI -->
1:5 "CONSIDER YOUR WAYS."
1:6 Comparable to modern living, especially the end of the verse.
1:7 "CONSIDER YOUR WAYS."
2:4 Be strong, saith the LORD, three times.
Chapter two says three times more to consider in verses 15 and 18.

A Fork In The Road

Preface



A Fork In The Road


To begin, let me say that most likely there is nothing in this little ‘critique’ that I haven’t heard or read before, and certainly nothing here that will surprise me. It is claimed that our critic is “extremely educated in the topic and has researched plenty”. Well, we’ll see about that. Much education on textual criticism & manuscript evidence is false evidence made to order and twisted information used to prove what someone wanted to prove. “Jared went to NBBC and graduated from Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary.” What did Jared get from this seminary?

From their website [http://www.cbs.edu/about/statement-of-faith.html], the statement of faith, under the heading of The Holy Scriptures, is the following statement. “We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God and inerrant in the original writings. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man, and therefore, are the final authority for faith and life (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).” Notice that their belief of inspiration is in some non-existent, unavailable writings. Then, they say that the Old and New Testaments are the final authority for faith and life. Their authority lies in something that no longer exists although they word their statement in the present tense to deceive you into thinking that they actually have a written authority. “The Old and New Testaments are the final authority for faith.” Which Bible are they referring to? The King James Bible? The New International Version? The New American Standard Version? Neither of these is the answer. They don’t believe in an inspired translation. How about the Greek text? If this is the answer, then, which Greek text? There is no final authority for faith. They are lying.

So what did Jared get from this seminary concerning the Bible version issue? He got deception. What then do you expect from Jared’s ‘extreme education in the topic’? You can expect extreme deception from start to finish.

I have personally studied the Bible version issue, including Bible Version Comparison, Bible History, Manuscript Evidence, “How We Got Our Bible”, and etc. for twenty years. I have read the standard slop that is considered to be scholarly material, The King James Version Debate (1979) by D.A. Carson and The King James Only Controversy (1995) by James White. I have read ‘middle-of-the-road’ type material such as Biblical Criticism (1957) by Wick Broomall and Thy Word Is Truth (1957) by Edward J. Young. These two works are actually very good but as a Bible believer, you must make applications to the word of God instead of the ‘originals’. I have also read other standard works, General Biblical Introduction (1937) by H.S. Miller, The Highest Critics Vs. The Higher Critics (1896) by L.W. Munhall and many real Bible believing works on the subject.

On page 18, Carson poses the question, “how can we know what the Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament authors to write?” And then he wastes 128 pages of ink without ever answering the question. His subtitle is A Plea for Realism. At the end of the second chapter of rubbish, after destroying the Christian’s faith in the Bible, Carson has the nerve to say, “The result is a certain word from God”. I plead for realism. He goes on to say, “The aim of the textual critic is to ascertain, as precisely as possible, what reading of any particular passage is closest to the original, or accurately reflects the original. The first step is to classify the manuscript evidence in such a way as to make it manageable.” ‘Manuscript evidence’, he says? He failed to give you the first piece of manuscript evidence before stating his opinion of the responsibility of the textual critic. The first evidence is the fact that no original of any of the 66 Bible books exists. Do you know what that means? It means that the ‘aim of the textual critic’ is impossible. This shows you that ‘Scholarship’ has the wrong aim to start with. Obviously, if you start going down the wrong road, you will end up at the wrong place. ‘Scholarship’ ends up with no certainty of the words of truth.

“Manuscript evidence” (by the way) can only lead you so far but can never lead to certainty, because manuscript evidence is a shifting sea that can never be certain.” [Jim Leichty.]

All Biblical doctrines, except the doctrine of the Bible, are built on the scriptures. 'Scholarship' builds their doctrine of Biblical Inspiration and Preservation, instead, on so-called 'manuscript evidence'. Bible believers, however, build their doctrine of inspiration and preservation on the 'manuscript evidence' of the scriptures themselves. In other words, the scriptures themselves are the manuscript evidence.

Like with all other doctrines, what we believe concerning the Inspiration and Preservation of the scriptures, what counts is "What saith the scriptures?" not "what saith the scholars?"

On page I, James White begins his forward with the following statement. “In this age of uncertainty, the last thing we need is the suspicion that the Word of God is somehow faulty and misleading.” This statement gives the impression that the writer believes that the Bible is not faulty or misleading. So let us assume at the start that James White is honest and that he is a Bible believer and let us follow. Let’s look at some other ‘manuscript evidence’.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Where did this piece of manuscript evidence come from? It’s in your Bible. It is 1 Thessalonians 2:13. Look it up. According to this ‘manuscript evidence’, a Christian should receive the word of God not as the word of men. You know what the ‘scholars’ say about your King James Bible. They say that it is merely the word of men. Did you know that? They say, “No translation can be inspired”. They say that your English King James Bible that you hold in your hand is not the word of God, but the word of men. “God gave the originals by inspiration but translations are not given by inspiration of God”. Your King James Bible says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. Is your King James Bible the word of God? If so, we wouldn’t want to ‘suspect that it is somehow faulty or misleading’. Remember, “The last thing we need is the suspicion that the Word of God is somehow faulty and misleading”. So if it’s not faulty or misleading, we are going to believe what 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and 2 Timothy 3:16 say.

According to 1 Thessalonians 2:13, a Christian is to receive the word of God as the truth and as the word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. Is your King James Bible scripture? Of course it is. So now that you receive the word of God as it is in truth, the word of God, you will believe what it says. And when you believe it, it will effectually work in you. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13 again. Now let’s correct D.A. Carson. The aim of the textual critic is to believe the word of God and allow it to work effectually. Okay?

Okay. Now we can continue. Now we actually have some basis to what we are doing. With D.A. Carson, you are trying to do something absolutely impossible because you don’t even have a real starting point. Your starting point doesn’t exist. All you will do is run around in circles and end up with less knowledge and certainty than you started with. However, with the Bible believing method, we have a real starting point. We have manuscript evidence that we can believe and know the certainty of. We have the word of God that works effectually.

Is James White actually honest? Of course not. When he says ‘the Word of God’, he means the original manuscripts. Watch this. This is how his statement reads in his mind: “In this age of uncertainty, the last thing we need is the suspicion that the original manuscripts of the word of God are somehow faulty and misleading.” I know this is what he means because he doesn’t believe any book in existence today is the word of God. There are churches with statements of faith that say, “We believe the Bible is the infallible, preserved, inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts”. There are some who are not honest enough to include those last four words even though they should. If you ask him, James White would not apply his statement to any translation. He suspects that every translation of the words of God is somehow faulty and misleading.

In the critique, two books are recommended, "The King James-Only Controversy" by James White and "From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man: A Layman's Guide to How We Got Our Bible".

Let’s hear another recommendation, you know, a second opinion. “The ensuing treatise is intended to be a brief Manual on the Textual Criticism of the New Testament for ordinary students of the Bible, and to induce those who may be disposed to enter more deeply into the important subject of it to prosecute further research in “The Plain Introduction” of Dr. Scrivener, the learned works of Dean Burgon, and in other well-known sources of information upon Textual Criticism.”

Dean John William Burgon is the champion of the defence of the King James Bible against Westcott and Hort’s Greek text and the Revised Version of 1881-1884. He wrote “The Last Twelve Verses of Mark” (1871), “The Revision Revised” (1883), “The Traditional Text” (1896), and “Causes of Corruption” (1896). John Burgon, in fact, proved that the Revised Version should never have been published nor received as the word of God by the body of Christ at all.

Our second opinion, Edward Miller, M.A., said, “I lay down my pen with the conviction derived from the accomplishment of my work, that every Reader who would really understand, and form an opinion for himself upon the great questions at stake, must bestow on the problem which has suddenly emerged into prominence a considerable amount of individual, unprejudiced attention. He will be able to see with which of the two contending parties the Truth must lie: but he must approach the problem in a calm, judicial spirit, must require Proof (as far as Proof is attainable) instead of putting up with Hypothesis, and above all must never cease to exercise a large amount of vigilant sagacity, -in fact, of Common Sense.” [A Guide To The Textual Criticism of the New Testament, 1886.]

Again, Mr. White’s statement is “In this age of uncertainty, the last thing we need is the suspicion that the Word of God is somehow faulty and misleading.” We may be in an age of uncertainty although we do not, in fact, need to be uncertain of the words of God or the words of truth.

More Manuscript Evidence:

Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? (Proverbs 22:20-21)

According to this evidence, God wrote his counsels and knowledge that He would make you certain of the words of truth. This means that you can believe and trust the word of God. When you read the word of God, you can know and be certain that you are reading the words of God and the words of truth.

Remember there are two contending parties. The truth lies with one party and not the other. One party believes that you can be certain of something that does not exist and yet cannot be certain of anything that does exist. The other party (the Bible believers) believes the opposite, that you can be certain of the existing scriptures, but cannot be certain of the non-existent originals. Now with this preface and a Bible believing spirit, and remembering also the advice of Edward Miller – “never cease to exercise a large amount of common sense”, we are ready to proceed.

Blog Titles

Since I have published many articles just in the last couple of days, I thought I would post a list of all of the titles.

READING
Man's Origin, Man's Destiny
His Plague Is In His Head
A Good Soldier
Scientific Creationism
The Blind Watchmaker
The Biblical New Testament Local Church
(Part One)
Present Course of Study
The Biblical Local New Testament Church
(Part Two)
The Biblical New Testament Local Church
(Part Three)
A Guide to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament
Present Course of Study (2)
Networked Blogs
New Line of Thought
Why I Am Baptist
Give None Offence [Introduction to Rightly Dividing the Word]
You're No Daisy; You're No Daisy At All
The Manner of Paul
Psalm 119:1-7
Crowns of the Bible
Salvation in the Church Age
The Spiritual Birth
Did The Body of Christ Begin With Paul?
The Legend of Jimmy the kid
The First Thing A Christian Should Know
A More Sure Word of Prophecy
Breaking Down the Acts 28 Wall of Partition
Isaiah As A Type of the Bible
The Alexandrian Cult Mentality
The Alexandrian Cult Mentality (Part Two)
Man's Origin, Man's Destiny
The Gap Doctrine
The Two Kingdoms
The Bible
None Like Me
Biblical Cosmology
Sundry Times And Divers Manners

These titles are in order from the first to the latest. I hope this helps.

Sundry Times And Divers Manners

I am sorry that this site is temporarily unavailable. I will try to republish as soon as I can. God bless.

Sundry Times And Divers Manners

By Gary N Alford [copyright 2001 by Word of Truth Ministry]

This book clearly refutes the book "Dispensational Salvation" by Dr. M. H. Tabb (1991) and proves that the teaching that salvation is always by faith without works is heresy. [This book also clearly shows the difference between Biblical interpretation and private interpretation.]

http://www.ourchurch.com/view/?pageID=156185

This link will take you to the complete book "Sundry Times And Divers Manners".

Biblical Cosmology

{What the Bible says about the Genesis One Gap, Lucifer and the Sons of God, and the original creation.}






The Beginning




Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.



What is the beginning referred to here in Genesis 1:1?



Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.



Isaiah 40:21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?



Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,



Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.



Mark 13:19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.



Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:



2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.



1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.



John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.



Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;



From three of the verses above (Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6; 13:19), some people get the idea that the beginning in Genesis 1:1 must be the seven day creation since they refer to Adam and Eve at ‘the beginning of the creation’. This, however, is a very narrow minded view. It actually shows me that a person has no interest in spending time and effort to study the scripture. All this person wants to do is skim the surface of God’s word. He knows that there was a seven day creation in Genesis 1-2 and that there was a flood in Noah’s day and that is good enough for him. He thinks there is a bad motive and/or a problem understanding the doctrine or he might have to actually think while studying the scripture. As we look at the various objections I have seen to the ‘gap theory’, you will see that the people who make these objections don’t think about what they are saying. They have tunnel vision that clouds their thinking.



In this case, these verses refer to the beginning of the creation of mankind (humans) which was during the seven day creation. These verses do not necessarily refer to the beginning of the original creation. If you insist that they do, you would be saying that the first things created by God (the beginning of the creation) were Adam and Eve.



Now let’s start at the beginning by stating the three possibilities for Genesis 1:1-2.



First, there is the idea that Genesis 1:1 is just a general statement and the rest of the chapter is a description of that verse. Second, there is the idea that Genesis 1:1-2 is part of the first day. And third, there is the possibility that Genesis 1:1 refers to the original creation, verse 2 refers to the condition of the earth after God’s judgment, and the rest of the chapter is the renewal of the face of the earth which is mentioned in Psalm 104:30.



Here in Genesis 1:1, heaven is singular in contrast to "the heavens" of Genesis 2:1, proving that verses 1:2-31 are not a description of 1:1. In the first verse, there is only one heaven, but after the renewal of the face of the earth (verses 2 to 31), there are three heavens. The first heaven, where fowl fly above the earth, is in verse 20. The second heaven, where the sun, moon, and stars are (verses 14-18) is between two great bodies of water (verses 6-8). The third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2) is in verse 1.



On each of the six days, the day is started with “And God said” – see verses 3, 6, 9, 14, 20, and 24. Even on the sixth day where “And God said” is used twice in regard to a creative act shows that if Genesis 1:2 was part of the first day, there would have been “And God said” ‘let there be an unformed earth’ etc. (or something like that). If Genesis 1:1 were part of the first day, the verse would say, “In the beginning God said let there be a heaven and an earth” or “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, saying, Let there be a heaven and an earth” etc. Genesis 1:1-2 is definitely a separate context from the rest of the chapter.



Psalms 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.



The context of this verse is the creation of man and animals. God created man and animals in Genesis 1 during the renewing of the face of the earth, not during the original creation.



2 Peter 3:4-6 will be discussed later.



From John 8:44 and 1 John 3:8, we can see that the devil “sinneth from the beginning”. This should be a problem for those who put Lucifer’s fall in the garden of Eden. Is Genesis 3 the beginning? Is Genesis 2 the beginning? Is Genesis 1 and 2 the beginning? How long was the time between the Creation of Adam (and Eve) and Genesis 3? Just what is the beginning according to scripture?



Hebrews 1:10 and Isaiah 40:21 defines ‘the beginning’ as the time when God laid the foundation of the earth. Obviously, this puts Lucifer’s fall much earlier than the garden of Eden. The latest it could be is the third day if that is when God laid the foundations of the earth. Our next step is to study what the scriptures say about the foundation of the earth.



The Foundation of the Earth



Job 38:2-11 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?



When God laid the foundations of the earth, he laid the measures of it and stretched a line upon it. The foundations of the earth were fastened upon the corner stone of the earth when it was laid. There were morning stars and sons of God singing and shouting for joy. The ‘morning stars’ and ‘sons of God’ are two names for angels. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus Christ calls himself “the morning star”. As there is ‘the angel of the LORD” (Jesus Christ) and angels and there is ‘the Son of God’ (Jesus Christ) and sons of God (angels in the old testament), there is also ‘the morning star’ (Jesus Christ) and morning stars who are angels. So, in the beginning when God laid the foundation of the earth, the angels were already created and they were singing and shouting for joy at God’s creation.



Psalms 24:1-2 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.



Psalm 24:1 defines the ‘world’ as the earth. However, we will have to search the scriptures to see if there is another definition for the world. Verse two says that God founded the earth upon a body of water. This helps explain that the earth was “standing out of the water and in the water” (2 Peter 3:5).



The original earth was created with a cornerstone at the top of it and a body of water under it as it sat in the body of water like a boat, “standing out of the water and in the water”.



Actually the corner stone was “a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone” which God laid in Zion (Isaiah 28:16), the city of the great King. This city, “the city of our God”, is shaped like a pyramid “in the mountain of his holiness” (Psalm 48:1). The city of our God was situated beautifully on the sides of the north and was the joy of the whole earth (Psalm 48:2). The sides of the north is where Lucifer wanted to ascend to when he rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-14). We can see now that this corner stone of the original earth was a head corner stone (Zechariah 4:7) “on the sides of the north” as Jesus Christ is the head corner stone of the household of God (Luke 20:17; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Ephesians 2:19-22), and was a city shaped like a pyramid. The earth was a precious jewel made of gold, silver, and precious stones with Zion, the city of God comparing to new Jerusalem which is to come and the body of Christ, the household of God of which Jesus is the head corner stone (Proverbs 20:15; 1 Corinthians 3:12; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Revelation 21:10-21). This is a good explanation of why Lucifer was covered with every precious stone (Ezekiel 28:13). Just as “the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground”, Lucifer’s physical composition was made up of the same type of material as the original earth which he lived on.



Mount Zion, the city of God, was the foundations of the earth (Psalm 125:1; 104:5). Lucifer was in this city, he was upon the holy mountain of God, and he walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire (Ezekiel 28:14). These stones of fire were in this mountain city (Ezekiel 28:16). Lucifer was cast out of the holy mountain of God. The "holy mountain of God" is "the city of God" in the sides of the north. That great city, the holy Jerusalem, is "in the sides of the north". The north - the farthest north, the third heaven is obviously where the holy city of God is (Galatians 4:25-26). The city, called a mountain, is shaped like a mountain or pyramid. New Jerusalem is God's replacement for the original earth and will be the home of born again Christians from the church age that are replacements for the angels who have fallen and those who will fall and follow Satan. Sons of God (angels) were the inhabitants of the original earth and sons of God will be the inhabitants of New Jerusalem.



Psalms 82

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.



This passage mentions that “the foundations of the earth are out of course”. At what time do you suppose that the foundations of the earth were out of course? During the flood of Noah? Perhaps, but probably not. Another thing that goes unnoticed by anti-gap theorists is that since Genesis 1:6-8, the earth hangeth upon nothing (Job 26:7). There are no foundations of the earth that the earth is fastened upon like in the original creation.



The original earth was created with a cornerstone at the top of it and a body of water under it as it sat in the body of water like a boat, “standing out of the water and in the water”. Then, after that, the foundations of the earth which were fastened to the cornerstone above it were knocked out of course. Sometime later God “stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing”. From that time the congregation of the mighty – the children of the most High have walked on in darkness. These are the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, the spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).



Job 22:2-3 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?



Compare “thou makest thy ways perfect” in verse 3 to “Thou wast perfect in thy ways” in Ezekiel 28:15. Was Lucifer’s wisdom profitable to God? Was God pleased with Satan’s pride in his own righteousness or perfection?



4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?



Was the Almighty afraid of Lucifer’s will (Isaiah 14:13-14), violence, or beauty (Ezekiel 28:16-17)?



5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?



Satan’s wickedness is very great. Are his iniquities infinite?



10 – 11 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.



Darkness is a result of the wrath of God (Isaiah 9:19; Zephaniah 1:15). Darkness was one of the plagues of Moses in the land of Egypt as a result of God’s wrath (Exodus 10:21-22). Darkness is for the separation between the people of God and the people of the devil (Exodus 14:20). Darkness also separates between God himself and sinners (Exodus 20:21; Deuteronomy 4:11; 5:22-23). Darkness is synonymous with evil (Isaiah 45:7; Jeremiah 23:12). The darkness upon the face of the deep in Genesis 1:1 was a result of the wrath of God.



Abundance of waters covered the earth and Lucifer and all the angels that rebelled with him. Since that time they have walked on in darkness (Psalm 82:5).


12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!



“Is not God in the height of heaven?” (verse 12) Yes, God is in the height of heaven even though Lucifer said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven in the sides of the north: like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14)



“And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!” although Lucifer said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:” (Isaiah 14:13)



13 – 14 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.



Notice that someone walks in the circuit of heaven.



15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?



The old way which wicked men have trodden in the circuit of heaven?



16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:



What is “out of time”? Out of time is obviously outside of time. This event took place before time.



“whose foundation was overflown with a flood:”


The foundation of wicked men who walked in the circuit of heaven was overthrown with a flood being cut down out of time.



Flood:



Isaiah 28:1-3 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:



Genesis 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.



2 Peter 3:5-6 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:



Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.



17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?



What can the Almighty do for the angels that sinned?



“Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?” (Job 21:14-15)



Psalms 102:25-27 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.



Hebrews 1:10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.



Job 38:4-14 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.



Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?



Psalms 104:1-9 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.



In verse 6, the earth is flooded by being pushed down into the deep. Verse 7 corresponds to Genesis 1:6-8 where the firmament was made. The firmament divided a body of water (the deep) and made it two bodies of water.



The wrath of God and his actions because of his judgment on Lucifer and the fallen angels is described in 2 Samuel 22, Psalm 18, and Isaiah 24.



2 Samuel 22:8-22 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled. The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice. And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them. And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.



Psalms 18:7-21 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.


There are some scriptures about the beginning that seem to contradict:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Ezekiel 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

If Lucifer was perfect in his ways from the day he was created and In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, how is it then that the devil sinneth from the beginning and He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth?

I believe that THE BEGINNING is a period of 'time' [for lack of a better term] that began when God began to create (Genesis 1:1) and ended when Adam and Eve ate the grapes from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This definition of 'the beginning' reconciles the verses above with other verses that seem to also contradict.

Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

TIME started when Adam and Eve died; the day that they ate the fruit.

Before TIME was THE BEGINNING.

Before THE BEGINNING was ETERNITY.

As for the Question How long was the gap? I have no idea. Lucifer is not an eternal being so we know that he did not exist in ETERNITY. He was created IN THE BEGINNING. IN THE BEGINNING there was some measurement of something like time ("the day that thou wast created" - Ezekiel 28:15). Lucifer was created on or in something called a day. This is, of course, not the same as any day that we know of except possibly in THE BEGINNING a day was a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4). We know that the day Lucifer was created was not a 24 hour day because the first 24 hour day was Genesis 1:3-5. "And the evening and the morning were the first day." I said earlier that TIME started when Adam and Eve ate the fruit. But the 24 hour days had been going since before they were created. And until they ate the fruit did time pass in the same way that it did afterward? According to Genesis 5:5, Adam lived for 930 years. Does that include the 'time' that he lived before Genesis 3?

I know there are more questions than answers concerning time and the passage of time in what I have said. But I can only go on what I see in the scripture. Beyond any doubt the Gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 is a true Biblical Doctrine. The evidence is in my Cosmology study. I don't have all the answers. Just like I don't have all the answers concerning dispensational salvation. Nobody else does either. And the people who don't believe in the Gap can not reconcile scriptures that contradict like I have shown you above and they also twist and contradict scriptures themselves [and take verses out of context] to prove their NO GAP Heresy.


There are some scriptures about the beginning that seem to contradict:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Ezekiel 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

If Lucifer was perfect in his ways from the day he was created and In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, how is it then that the devil sinneth from the beginning and He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth?

I believe that THE BEGINNING is a period of 'time' [for lack of a better term] that began when God began to create (Genesis 1:1) and ended when Adam and Eve ate the grapes from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This definition of 'the beginning' reconciles the verses above with other verses that seem to also contradict.

Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

TIME started when Adam and Eve died; the day that they ate the fruit.

Before TIME was THE BEGINNING.

Before THE BEGINNING was ETERNITY.

As for the Question How long was the gap? I have no idea. Lucifer is not an eternal being so we know that he did not exist in ETERNITY. He was created IN THE BEGINNING. IN THE BEGINNING there was some measurement of something like time ("the day that thou wast created" - Ezekiel 28:15). Lucifer was created on or in something called a day. This is, of course, not the same as any day that we know of except possibly in THE BEGINNING a day was a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4). We know that the day Lucifer was created was not a 24 hour day because the first 24 hour day was Genesis 1:3-5. "And the evening and the morning were the first day." I said earlier that TIME started when Adam and Eve ate the fruit. But the 24 hour days had been going since before they were created. And until they ate the fruit did time pass in the same way that it did afterward? According to Genesis 5:5, Adam lived for 930 years. Does that include the 'time' that he lived before Genesis 3?

I know there are more questions than answers concerning time and the passage of time in what I have said. But I can only go on what I see in the scripture. Beyond any doubt the Gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 is a true Biblical Doctrine. The evidence is in my Cosmology study. I don't have all the answers. Just like I don't have all the answers concerning dispensational salvation. Nobody else does either. And the people who don't believe in the Gap can not reconcile scriptures that contradict like I have shown you above and they also twist and contradict scriptures themselves [and take verses out of context] to prove their NO GAP Heresy.