Questions and Answers
The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. There is universal acceptance that the number of the commandments which God gave to us, is ten. In fact, the Bible calls this set of commandments from God, “…the Ten Commandments” (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4). There is, however, disagreement as to HOW to number the Ten Commandments. Many professing Christians count the Ten Commandments differently today than the Jews do–and the early New Testament Church did. For instance, the Jews count Exodus 20:2-3 as the First Commandment, which reads, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.” The Jews count Exodus 20:4-6 as the Second Commandment, which reads: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image–any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve [margin: worship] them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth… Centuries before Christ, the ancient Romans celebrated the evenings of February 14th and February 15th as an idolatrous and sensual festival in honor of Lupercus, the “hunter of wolves.” The Romans called the festival “Lupercalia.” In her book, “Customs and Holidays Around the World,” Lavinia Dobler states on page 172: “It was not until the reign of Pope Gelasius that the holiday became a ‘Christian custom.’ As far back as 496, Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia on February 15th to St Valentine’s Day on February 14th.” The Encyclopedia Britannica states on page 336 in its 15th edition, volume 10: “St Valentine’s day as a lovers’ festival and the modern tradition of sending valentine cards have no relation to the saints but, rather, seem to be connected either with the Roman (sexual) fertility festival of the Lupercalia (February 15th) or with the mating season of birds.” The Encyclopedia Americana states that “this pairing off was, of course, linked with sexual immorality.” An article from the Internet (http://www.techdirect.com/valentine/origin.html) gives several descriptions of the origin of Valentine’s Day, including the following: “The first interpretation has this celebration originating as a pagan tradition in the third century. During this time hordes of hungry wolves roamed outside of Rome… The Bible reveals that Jesus Christ was always the Son of God; that is, the second member of the God Family. However, the Bible also reveals that Christ BECAME the Son of Man when He gave up His divine glory and became a human being. Hebrews 1:2 states that God “has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” The very next verse (verse 3) then describes Jesus, God’s Son, in this way: “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” From these two verses in Hebrews 1, we learn that God made the worlds through His Son–John 1 verifies this! In other words, God the FATHER made the worlds through His SON, as Hebrews 1:2 testifies. We also see that Jesus is described as being an exact image of God–a description that is, by itself, an indication of a father and a son. Add to this the fact… It is important that we understand correctly the meaning and usage of the Hebrew word “Elohim,” as many teach that the word “Elohim” either ALWAYS conveys a singular meaning, or that it ALWAYS conveys a plural meaning. However, both of these teachings are WRONG! It is correct that the Bible teaches that God is a Family, presently consisting of TWO immortal God Beings, called in Scripture God the Father and the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It is also correct that the Hebrew word, “Elohim,” translated as “God,” describes the God Family. However, the Bible does NOT teach that the Hebrew word, “Elohim,” ALWAYS refers to more than one God Being in the God Family. A thorough study of the Old Testament reveals that the word “Elohim” CAN refer to the entire God Family, but, depending on the context, it can ALSO refer to EITHER ONE of the God Beings within the God Family. Jeremiah 31:1 is an example where one of the two God Beings, the LORD, speaks about Himself, calling Himself “God,” or “Elohim.” As many other Scriptures reveal, the word “LORD” refers mostly, but not necessarily always, to the Son, Jesus Christ. However, there are a few… Virtually all English Bibles, which we have today, do NOT accurately THE OLD TESTAMENT The Hebrew Bible of the Old Testament consisted originally of 24 books. It is to be divided into three sections: (1) The Law (5 books of Moses) (2) The Prophets (8 books) — The former prophets—Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings (4 books) — The latter prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 12 Minor Prophets (4 books) (3) The Writings (11 books) — Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs (4 books) — Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther (4 books) — Daniel, Ezra/Nehemiah, and Chronicles (3 books) It John 1:1 tells us that the “Word” was God. The “Word” is a reference Jesus Christ, the Son of God, We This is apparently correct. The historical background of the design “December 8 is a very special day for Europe: “Recently Heitz revealed to a French “According to Javier Perhaps no other single event captures the focus of religionists In spite of what people concoct in their own Let’s see what God reveals in His Scientists With that perspective in mind, consider that the In this Indeed there are numerous examples of resurrections, both in the Old (Español: ¿Cómo se puede demostrar realmente lo que enseña la Biblia?) The original writings of the Bible are, in fact, God’s infallible Word. However, in the face of such myriads of beliefs—all claiming the Bible as their source, most people dismiss the real authority of the Book that God has inspired. Both Catholics and Protestants use the Bible as the basis for what they believe and teach. Various translations and versions of the Bible are available, and these differing accounts do reflect the bias of those organizations and individuals who have authored them. However, the Bible transcends both language and translation issues. For example, consider the record found in Acts 2, where the disciples on the Day of Pentecost were led by God’s Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel. In particular, note what occurred for those who heard this message: “Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we HEAR, EACH IN OUR OWN LANGUAGE IN WHICH WE WERE BORN? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamhylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene,…How are we to number the Ten Commandments?
What are the origins of Valentine's Day which is celebrated on February 14?
Was Jesus Christ always the Son–even prior to His human birth?
You teach that in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word, "Elohim," which is translated as "God" in most English Bibles, is a plural word, referring to more than one God Being in the God Family. But Jeremiah 31:1 seems to contradict this assertion. Please explain.
Could you explain the correct original order and number of the books of the Bible?
set forth the order or divisions of the Biblical books, as originally
maintained and inspired by God.
is fairly established today that the Hebrew Bible originally consisted
of 24 books (Compare, The Bible as Literature, The Barnes & Noble
Outline Series, p. 19; The Jerusalem Bible, p. xii: “The Jewish Bible
thus consists of ‘twenty-four books’”; Prof. Felix Just, of Loyola
Marymount University: “Jews count 24″; Encyclopedia Britannica,
copyright 1959, under “Bible”: “The 24 books of the Hebrew Canon have
become 39… in the English Bible, by treating each of the…The Bible teaches that Christ became flesh at His First Coming. Yet you say that Christ already appeared as a human being in Old Testament times. Did He already become flesh on those occasions? Was He still flesh–or did He change to flesh–after His resurrection?
to Jesus Christ (compare Revelation 19:13; 1 John 1:1-3). John 1:14
tells us that Jesus Christ, the “Word,” “became flesh and dwelt among
us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth.”
existed as a God being long before the events took place, which are
described in John 1:14–that is, long before He “became flesh.”
Philippians 2:5-11 tells us that Christ, who was “in the form of God,”
took “the form of a bond servant” and came “in the likeness of men.”
Hebrews 2:14 confirms that Jesus partook of flesh and blood, so that He
could die. As long as He was an immortal Spirit being, He could not die.
are told that God the Father made everything through Jesus Christ
(Hebrews 2:10; Colossians 1:15-17). We also read that no one has ever
seen God at any time (John 1:18). Christ elaborated to explain that no
one has ever seen the form of the FATHER at any time, nor has anyone
ever heard His voice (John 5:37; 6:46). And…Is it true that the design of the European flag has been adopted from a picture of the "Virgin Mary"?
of the European flag, and its biblical significance, is quite
interesting. The Catholic News Agency, Zenit, wrote the following on
December 7, 1999:
in 1955, on that day, the European Ministers’ delegates officially
adopted the European flag designed by Arsene Heitz… The decision was
taken following the 1950 European Council’s… convocation of a
competition to design the flag of the newborn European Community…: 12
stars on a blue background.
magazine the reason for his inspiration. At that time he was reading
the history of the Blessed Virgin’s apparitions in Paris’ Rue du Bac,
known today as the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal. According to the
artist, he thought of the 12 stars in a circle on a blue background,
exactly the way it is represented in traditional iconography of this
image of the Immaculate Conception…
Paredes, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Alcala
in Spain, in statements sent to ZENIT, ‘Heitz listens to God in his
interior; in other words, he prays with his heart and his head. He says
he is profoundly…Does God work out His Master Plan for Man according to a pre-determined time table?
more than that of the return of Jesus Christ. From the first generation
of the Church of God until now, people have been utterly convinced that
Christ would return in their own lifetime. That has led some into
bitter disappointment and even an absolute abandonment and rejection of
their faith!
imaginations, is God actually working out His plan according to a
pre-determined time line?
written Word, and in doing so, let the Bible teach us a true
understanding and a balanced perspective on this important question.
have examined the make-up of this universe, and in their quests, they
have gained remarkable insight about the physical creation of God. One
extraordinary discovery is the approximate age of the universe—about 14
billion years!
Bible introduces God’s creation of mankind, and this event is but a
tiny moment in time from the galactic standpoint.
beginning period for the creation that God accomplished that is
associated with man, we find that the earth, the solar system and the
heavens were already…Hebrews 9:27 states that "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." But aren’t there several instances in the Bible where some were resurrected to life and died again? They did not enter into judgment after they died the first time–did they?
and the New Testament! For instance, 2 Kings 13:21 relates the record
of a dead person who “revived and stood on his feet,” when the bones of
Elisha touched him. There was no magic associated with Elisha’s bones
but it was a demonstration of God’s power and His approval of
Elisha–showing that he died as a servant of God, even though he died
from a sickness (verse 14). Also, John 11:38-44 records the story of
the resurrection of Lazarus who had been dead for several days. We also
read, in Luke 8:49-56, that Christ brought a dead girl back to life. In
the case of the young girl, we read that Christ commanded the parents
“that she be given something to eat” (verse 55) — proving that this
was a resurrection to physical life, as immortal beings have no need to
eat physical food. And after Jesus had died and was resurrected to
immortality, “the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who
had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:52; compare verse 53).
However, all of these were resurrections to temporary physical
lives–not to eternal, immortal life.…How can you really prove what the Bible teaches?
