Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teaching

[blazingthru]

Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teachings
www.falseteachersandteachings.com

There are bound to be those who will both agree and disagree with various points below as you would expect when one has believed a certain doctrine for a long time as it often becomes a way of life or what one would call a mindset. So we must try and keep an open mind while desiring in our heart the real truth of God’s Word as much as the air we breathe. When we truly love God with all our heart, might and soul, this should be a natural occurrence. The other thing we must never do is to underestimate the enemy to perpetuate false teachings. The following is one of my favourite quotes when it comes to remembering how true it is that what is popular is not always truth and what is truth is not always popular.
“A lie can travel halfway around the world, while truth puts on its shoes.” -- Mark Twain (1835-1910).
The enemy has had literally thousands of years of practice when it comes to deception and making changes from the original doctrine taught by the early Church by slowly and subtly introducing false teachers and teachings over time periods of even hundreds of years. Satan knows the Bible and Prophecy better than all of us and has a very good idea of where we are in history and what it is he needs to achieve at any given time on the Biblical time scale. To give one such example, all the early Protestants that departed from the Catholic Church and started many of the mainstream Churches we still have today knew what the Bible taught in regards to who was the antichrist power and yet this truth has been lost by every one of these Churches today. How did this happen? It did not happen overnight and the enemy knew he had plenty of time to achieve his goal by just slowly and subtly pulling the truth from these Churches one piece at a time.
Many false teachers and teachings unfortunately do arise also from those who just choose to see what they want to see or who are motivated by money and or power. But there are those who are also just too trusting of their colleagues. One of the enemy’s favourites is to have one teacher hear a particular doctrine taught by one of their colleagues or someone they trust who has their doctrine wrong, but in trusting this person takes on board their teaching and the false teaching continues to be perpetuated helped along by Satan and his demons by the same process. This may sound a little hard to believe but you would be surprised how history shows that many false doctrines have been spread by this method.

 

[blazingthru]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

Some false teachings are obviously not intentional and many do not realize that the original Greek never had punctuation, chapters or verses. These were all added at a later stage and there is more than ample evidence to prove that punctuation was not divinely inspired and an area that we need to be very careful. To give one such example, consider the placement of the comma in each of the following translations. Speaking of the thief on the cross, the King James says that the thief will be with Jesus in paradise on that very day, while “The Scriptures 1998” © Institute for Scripture Research says that Jesus is telling the thief at that moment that he will be with him in paradise but not on that actual day.

Luke 23:43 KJV “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, To day shall you be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:43 TS98 “And Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Which punctuation is correct? Without going into all the tens of scriptures that would show which one would make these many other passages contradictory, consider for the moment just this one verse.

John 20:17 “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father on Sunday, hence there was no way he could have been with the thief in paradise on the Friday. Jesus rested in the tomb on Friday. The TS98 translation placed the comma in the correct position. The KJV Bible has many such punctuation errors and here is one more example of a misplaced comma.

Acts 19:12 KJV “So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”

According to the punctuation of this verse, we see the diseases departed from the sick handkerchiefs or aprons. The comma should have been placed after the word “sick.” There are many such examples even through the King James Bible as well as other translations that prove that punctuation is not God breathed or inspired and only a thorough study of the Word and comparing scripture with scripture will reveal what is truly correct from the false teachings.

To give an even more elaborate example, here is one where the wrong text was placed in the wrong chapter and verse as well as a misplaced comma, and has caused a lot of confusion with many people including false teachings on the day Jesus was crucified. First, let’s look at Marks account of the same event.

Mark 16:9 “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”

In Matthews account we have two descriptive phrases describing this time period and the extra phrase is not found in Mark 16:9 which says “In the end of the sabbath.” The other problem is that these two time periods contradict each other.

Matthew 28:1 says, “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

The end of the Sabbath which is sunset and dawn are twelve hours apart, so why the apparent contradiction in the above verse? The answer is found in the translation of this passage. By reorganizing the last verse of Matthew 27 and the first verse of Matthew 28, the apparent ambiguity completely disappears. See Matthew 27:62-66.

In Matthew 27:62, a request for a guard on the tomb was made on the Sabbath (the day after the preparation) and that the request was for a guard until the third day. By simply moving the text “in the end of the Sabbath,” from the beginning of Matthew 28:1 to the end of the previous chapter and verse in Matthew 27:66, which is where it should have been placed when punctuation and chapters and verses were added, we would have the following.

Matthew 27:66 “So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch in the end of the sabbath.”
Matthew 28:1 “As it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

Matthew’s account now matches Mark’s account and there is no longer any contradiction. It was the watch guarding the tomb that began at the end of the Sabbath. Since Jesus was to rise the third day, the Roman guards were put in place immediately at the end of the Sabbath because they anticipated that the body of Jesus would be stolen by the Jews sometime on Sunday. Is it any wonder such translations result in so many false teachings?

Almost every Bible translation I have looked at has mistranslated this verse or modified it to try and get around the contradiction. How many Pastors or people that I have asked knew about this? None! What does this tell us? We cannot always rely on what even our Pastors teach us and we must always study the Word diligently like the Bereans and never take it for granted that what we have been taught all our life is correct and we always need to beware of false teachers and teachings.

Which of the following two verses are correct in regards to hell fire? One says they are devoured and the other says they burn for ever and ever. You will note also that they are consecutive verses, which makes it even more interesting.

Revelation 20:9 “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”
Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

In this case verse nine describes the literal event and contains no symbolism while the second verse is symbolic. Is this enough to give us the true from the false? It helps but by comparing scripture with scripture and looking for other passages that relate to this event, we find there is more that reveals beyond doubt the answer to our question.

So again, what does this tell us? You cannot base your theology on one verse and one needs to study the Word of God as a whole looking at all related passages to find the real truth. If the one grey verse cannot be lined up with the several black and white scriptures, then we need to base our findings on the several black and white verses and not the one grey verse. There are many false teachers and teachings on this very difficult topic that so many see what they want to see.

 

[blazingthru]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

The False Teachings from Missing Words

Translating New Testament Greek and Old Testament Hebrew is sometimes a very challenging task that results in many false teachings. The original text is often written in such a way that words which were obviously implied from elsewhere in scripture are often left out. When the translators encounter this situation they have to establish what the missing words are and supply what they believe to be correct, and sometimes words are added to make things read more fluently. There are also many passages in the Bible that have missing words which are not obvious at the time of translating that do not make the scripture incorrect but can make it appear to contradict other scripture or result in false teachers and teachings.

When words have been added that were not in the original text, the King James and the New King James Version show these words in italics so that the reader can see the word has no equivalent in Hebrew or Greek. Do not use Bibles that do not do this or at least do not use them for serious study and understanding of the Word as this leaves the door wide open for more false teachings. When ever you see italics have been added and there is uncertainty about the verse, the truth seeker should always do further research to avoid coming up with a result that causes even more false teachings.

Here is an example of missing words that would not necessarily be obvious at the time of translation without comparing scripture with scripture. Did Jesus prophesy that the cock would crow once or twice before Peter denied him thrice?

Matthew 26:34 “Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.”
Luke 22:34 “And He [Jesus] said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.”
John 13:38 “Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.”
Mark 14:30 “And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.”

Mark 14:67-72 “And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And you also were with Jesus of Nazareth. 68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what you sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely you are one of them: for you are a Galilaean, and your speech agreeth thereto. 71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom you speak. 72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, you shall deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.”

Three of the recorded passages indicate the cock crowing only once (Matthew 26:34; Luke 22:34 and John 13:38), compared to one saying that the cock would crow twice (Mark 14:30). Later in Mark chapter 14 we have three witnesses saying that the cock crowed twice (Mark 14:30; 14:68 and 14:72). When we examine these scriptures together, it seems clear that Mark has put in more detail than the others showing that the cock crowed after Peter’s first denial (Mark 14:68), and that it crowed a second time after his third denial (Mark 14:72). So does this make the other scriptures incorrect? Not at all. Simply the word “twice” is missing from each of them, and they should read as follows:

Matthew 26:34 “before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.”
Luke 22:34 “the cock shall not crow twice this day, before thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.”
John 13:38 “The cock shall not crow twice, till thou hast denied me thrice.”

This is another example of not relying on one passage alone but on all given and related accounts of the event involved. If Mark’s account alone had been missed out, the truth would not have been obtained from the other three accounts would it? Not exactly an issue that false teachings are likely to arise from but shows the need to compare all scripture.

The following example should be considered an important one where the correct verb has been left out by almost every single Bible translation. Have you ever heard that the law was only until John the Baptist quoting Luke 16:16?

 

[blazingthru]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

Luke 16:16 KJV “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached…”

Because of the phrase “The law and the prophets were until John:” some false teachers have preached that the law was no longer binding after John the Baptist died. The truth seeking preacher would know this translation totally contradicts the words of Jesus to begin with and many other passages. Here are just two passages that would contradict.

Matthew 5:17-19 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 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.”

Matthew 19:17 “And he said unto him, Why callest you me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, keep the Commandments.”

Since Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:” and “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35, this can only be called false teaching when one says that the law passed away with John the Baptist. So what did Jesus mean by, “The law and the prophets were until John:” Luke 16:16?

If you are using the KJV or NKJV Bible you will note that the word “were” is in italics, which means that there is was no word for it in the Greek. The literal translation would be, “The law and the prophets until John.” The translators knew there was a verb missing, which is quite common in Greek, and almost all translations added in the verb “were.” However, if they had looked for parallel scriptures to establish what the missing word was, and is what they should have done, they would have found the verse in Matthew 11:13 which says “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” Matthew recorded the verb “prophesied” which Luke missed out. So what this verse says is that the law and the prophets prophesied until John, because they all prophesied about Jesus, who began his ministry in the days of John the Baptist.

They prophesied where he would be born (Micah 5:2), that he would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), when he would be born (Daniel 9:25), how he would die (Isaiah 53), and many other details of his life, and that is all this scripture that Luke 16:16 is saying. It has nothing at all to do with the law being abolished after John the Baptist.

The following is another simple example of find the missing word. In 1 Corinthians 13:3, who do we feed?

1 Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

In this verse the words “the poor” are missing from the original text and it is obvious that something is missing so the extra words have been supplied by the translators. How do we know then that this is the correct interpretation? Again, the answer is found elsewhere in the scripture:

Proverbs 28:27 “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack:”
Matthew 19:21 “go and sell that you have, and give to the poor,”
Mark 10:21 “sell whatsoever you have, and give to the poor,”
Luke 18:22 “sell all that you have, and distribute unto the poor,”
2 Corinthians 9:9 “He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor:”

Here we can conclude that the translators found the correct words to insert so that the meaning is consistent with other scripture. One can see that it is scriptural to sell goods and give to the poor, and this is exactly what this verse is saying.

The following is another common example of a missing word on James the “son” of Zebedee.

Matthew 10:2 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;”

The literal Greek reads, “James the … of Zebedee,” The word “son” is missing. How do we know the word “son” is correct and not “brother” or “nephew” etc? We know simply because it is revealed elsewhere in scripture. Here are two verses.

Mark 10:35 “James and John, the sons of Zebedee,”
Luke 5:10 “James, and John, the sons of Zebedee,”

When we come to a scripture which has had a word (or words) inserted to make it read sensibly, we need to always check that the correct word has been used. We cannot insert any word that we think fits without solid scriptural support. I cannot emphasize enough as to how many wrong teachings have arisen because people take for granted what they read in their translation as if it cannot be in error. There are no errors in the original Greek but there are in the translations.

 

[blazingthru]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

Here is one final example of missing words where the Paul figured that for Christians who study the Word diligently like the Bereans would automatically know what he was referring to and was something the early Church would have never misunderstood as it was so well known and understood by all. Today however, we are losing track of some of the important basics that help us identify between laws that causes so much misunderstanding with the Ten Commandments especially. What spirit would be behind these false teachers and teachings in these final days of Earths history?

Which of these following translations is most accurate and which verse has a word missing, and what word is it that would have previously been obvious to all in the early Church or those who know their Old Testament especially, really well?

Colossians 2:16 KJV “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:”
Colossians 2:16 NKJV “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,”

The first thing to establish here is what Paul is referring to. If we back up to verse 14, there is no chance for error if one checks the original Greek and a clear translation helps greatly of which there are not many as so many did not understand what Paul was referring to. The translators of the KJV Bible apparently understood in this case.

Colossians 2:14 KJV “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

The Greek word for “ordinances” in Colossians 2:14 is “dogma”, pronounced “dog'-mah” and the Strong's definition is “a law (civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical): - decree, ordinance.” Strong's dictionary states this is a law and that this law is ceremonial which is also called the “Ordinances,” the “Book of the Law,” the “Mosaic Law” and the “Law of Moses” etc. The Thayer dictionary is more direct and says the “Law of Moses” outright. Thayer Definition: “The rules and requirements of the Law of Moses; carrying a suggestion of severity and of threatened judgment.”

So now that we know that Paul was referring to the ordinances, which is the Law of Moses etc, we can establish what this law entailed and which translation is most correct. There is an enormous amount of scripture that covers this topic that is primarily in the Old Testament but would be too lengthy, so we are going to use just one clear verse that is a perfect parallel of Colossians 2:16, and is probably where Paul was quoting from when he wrote his letter to the Colossians.

Ezekiel 45:17 “And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.”

The ceremonial law or ordinances with its sacrificial system pointed the people to the coming of Christ. Every time the blood of an animal was shed in the old Jewish temple, it was a reminder to the onlooker that One would come and die for our sins. Thus, John the Baptist pointed to our Lord and declared these significant words, “Behold the Lamb of God.” When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, the veil of the great temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, to signify that the entire ceremonial sacrificial system was forever finished. No longer did the priests need to offer up sacrifices.

The ordinances were what had to be carried out to make reconciliation for the sin of the people. It involved meat offerings and drink offerings, Holy day festivals [feasts] in the monthly new moons and on the various ceremonial sabbaths, such as Passover and the day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) for instance, which were yearly ceremonial sabbaths.

The NKJV said “let no one judge you in food or in drink” where the KJV says “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink.” Which is correct? The translators of the NKJV Bible and many others who failed to understand what Paul was referring to, and were also misled by a “left out word” that was apparently only obvious to some, have wrongly assumed that Paul was referring to unclean foods and unclean drinks. This has two very major problems. The first major problem is that there is no such thing as unclean drinks in the Bible anywhere! Secondly, unclean or unhealthy foods have nothing to do with the sacrificial system. The KJV Bible however, has translated the passage verbatim and is correct. It still however is not clear in what it means by “meat, or in drink” unless you understand thoroughly what the ordinances entailed. If we look back to Ezekiel 45:17 and hundreds of other passages that could be cited, we find that the ordinances consisted of what was called “meat offerings” and “drink offerings.” What word was left out that would have been obvious to really keen Bible students or the early Church and would have helped in having all modern Bible translations more correct? The word “offerings.” For clarity, it would have been better translated as follows.

Colossians 2:16 KJV “Let no man therefore judge you in meat offerings, or in drink offerings, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:”

This passage is now in perfect harmony with all scripture and everything in the above verse is now part of the ordinances that were no longer necessary after the cross. This also informs us that this passage has nothing to do with ANY of the Ten Commandments. These were all part of the sacrificial system Jesus nailed to the cross as Paul explains in verse 14 when Jesus became our one and final perfect sacrifice bringing an end to this sacrificial system and all it entailed.

 

[blazingthru]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

Assumptions in reading the Word

How often have you heard a preacher say, “And Jesus went down into hell and snatched the keys to hell from Satan?” Where do we find such a verse in the Bible? Nowhere! This assumption comes from the following verse in Revelation.

Revelation 1:18 KJV “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Again we have two major problems with this assumption. One is that Revelation is a very symbolic book. Are there really physical keys that can lock a spirit being like Satan or any Angel into someplace? Of course not! It is symbolism. The second problem with this assumption is that the word translated hell in many Bibles is in fact the Greek word “Hades.” This is where these teachers have gone wrong. They put all their reliance on one word that they did not know the true meaning of. The word Hades put simply means the grave. So what does this verse actually say? It says that Jesus has, “the keys to death and the grave.” And what does this mean? The grave could not hold Jesus and so He has conquered both death and the grave.

Here is another symbolic verse on the same topic that refers to a time when death and the grave have been conquered for everyone and are permanently a thing of the past. Parenthesis are added. The lake of fire is the final hell fire which has not happened yet and obviously you cannot throw hell fire into hell fire. This is an identical verse that says that death and the grave are no more. What a glorious day that will be.

Revelation 20:14 KJV “And death and hell [Hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

There are so many examples that could be given and it is not hard to see why there are so many false teachings out there and why so many teachers come to the wrong conclusion reading the Word. The enemy will always have his hand on trying to ensure that we do misinterpret scriptures also and history and experience proves that he has had no trouble establishing false teachers and teachings and to perpetuate them once they are started.

We need to do more than just read the Word, we should always pray before reading it and humbly ask God for wisdom and understanding. We must also always check in minute detail everything that we hear taught from any and all teachers of the Word to make sure they are not false teachings and line up with all other relevant scripture. Using the Strong’s dictionary when uncertain of the meaning of a verse is highly recommended and at times absolutely essential. Always study the Bible as a whole and do not base your theology on one verse when there are others that would give an entirely different picture as we have seen by some of the examples above. Remember also we should always base our understanding on the several black and white scriptures rather than just that one grey scripture that is not totally clear and if ever in doubt about those words in italics, start doing some scripture comparison to find what the correct word is.

 

[aribell]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

The author appears to take some of his own underlying theological assumptions and makes them the basis for seeing some contradictions and errors that might not otherwise exist. For instance, Jesus' words to the thief on the cross next to Him would not cause consternation if one does not believe in soul sleep. Jesus' ultimate ascension into heaven is a separate question than where His soul and spirit were immediately after dying on the cross. So, one can't really judge whether the comma changed doctrine until one sorts out that underlying belief about that space between death and resurrection.

Similarly, the question of the applicability of the Old Testament law to Christian life today does not rest on one word in one verse in Luke 16:16. And it took me the longest time to grasp why the author was taking pains to splice out the verses from Colossians (the meanings of which I felt were clear given either version) until I realized that for him it was necessary to ensure that the verse was interpreted in a way that would leave room for upholding certain dietary restrictions.

Essentially, one has to first accept 7th Day Adventist doctrine before seeing many of the contradictions pointed out here. And so I believe the author crossed the line from exegesis (gleaning meaning from Scripture) to isogesis (inserting meaning into Scripture). He is inserting into Scripture what he needs Scripture to say to uphold what he already believes. It's not a question of grammar, but rather of the underlying theological beliefs.

 

[divya]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

Good information.

NK...surely you don't believe that 7th-day Adventists are the only ones who share the understanding that is written. Not because the person who posts particular information belongs to a specific Christian branch does it mean that such beliefs are limited to that branch. Just thought I would point out that there are other Christians who share such beliefs.

 

[aribell]

My reply was based on going to the specific site that was quoted to see where the author was coming from because the article didn't sound like an objective weighing of different interpretations. An objective weighing would involve an examination of the original languages as well as the history of interpretation and multiple other comparative Scriptures. The fact that these principles were glossed over to make a point is what raised a yellow flag in my mind.

The specific denomination aside, I think the point stands-the author has specific theological ideas in mind that lead him to argue for a different interpretation rather than vice versa.

Sent from my LS670 using LS670

 

[divya]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

My reply was based on going to the specific site that was quoted to see where the author was coming from because the article didn't sound like an objective weighing of different interpretations. An objective weighing would involve an examination of the original languages as well as the history of interpretation and multiple other comparative Scriptures. The fact that these principles were glossed over to make a point is what raised a yellow flag in my mind.

The specific denomination aside, I think the point stands-the author has specific theological ideas in mind that lead him to argue for a different interpretation rather than vice versa.

Sent from my LS670 using LS670

The majority of religious websites have a specific theological position that they have reached and it is up to us to study for ourselves and decide if we agree. I don't believe that articles should necessarily be required to do for us what we should do for ourselves. Perhaps it was meant to encourage us to study.

 

[Sharpened]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

How do we avoid deception? Give up self and sacrifice it daily while doing as Jesus did and said (Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Mark 10:21, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27). This leaves behind an empty vessel He can operate through (Romans 9:23, Ephesians 2:10, 2 Timothy 2:21). He told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread [the Unleavened Bread of His knowledge, words of life (Deuteronomy 32:47, Proverbs 4:13, John 6:63, John 6:68)]” and “Lead us not into temptation (deception, distraction, or anything that empowers the natural man), but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:3-4, Luke 22:40).

For example, 2 Timothy 2:15 says in the KJV, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," but the NIV actually get the translation correct: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." Only those not caught up in a dogmatic mindset will seek to be washed by His pure, Living Water. Ask Him for guidance, no matter how hard or painful it may be.

 

[blazingthru]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

The author appears to take some of his own underlying theological assumptions and makes them the basis for seeing some contradictions and errors that might not otherwise exist. For instance, Jesus' words to the thief on the cross next to Him would not cause consternation if one does not believe in soul sleep. Jesus' ultimate ascension into heaven is a separate question than where His soul and spirit were immediately after dying on the cross. So, one can't really judge whether the comma changed doctrine until one sorts out that underlying belief about that space between death and resurrection.

Similarly, the question of the applicability of the Old Testament law to Christian life today does not rest on one word in one verse in Luke 16:16. And it took me the longest time to grasp why the author was taking pains to splice out the verses from Colossians (the meanings of which I felt were clear given either version) until I realized that for him it was necessary to ensure that the verse was interpreted in a way that would leave room for upholding certain dietary restrictions.

Essentially, one has to first accept 7th Day Adventist doctrine before seeing many of the contradictions pointed out here. And so I believe the author crossed the line from exegesis (gleaning meaning from Scripture) to isogesis (inserting meaning into Scripture). He is inserting into Scripture what he needs Scripture to say to uphold what he already believes. It's not a question of grammar, but rather of the underlying theological beliefs.

I wanted to comment on this passage. The laws concerning diet has not changed, but people decided to misinterpreter scripture so they can eat certain foods, but lets not consider the bible and do the research on those foods people have chosen to eat and see the havoc it raises on the body. Lets not consider the rise in cancer and wide spread diseases. Lets consider the creature itself. Pigs are gluttonous, never knowing when to stop eating. Their stomach acids become diluted because of the volume of food, allowing all kinds of vermin to pass through this protective barrier. Parasites, bacteria, viruses and toxins can pass into the pig's flesh because of over-eating. These toxins and infectious agents can be passed on to humans when they eat a pig's flesh. Besides being gluttons, swine are also extremely filthy animals. They will eat garbage, feces, and even decaying flesh. All that is eaten usually becomes part of the pig's own flesh...Aside from the diseases routinely carried by swine, pork is also a very fatty meat. The toxins in pork are held especially in the fat, which is not isolated from the meat as can be the case in lean beef, but rather, it is dispersed throughout the meat.
It has long been recognized that the meat of shellfish—shrimp, crabs, lobsters, etc.—is especially dangerous. Many illnesses, including instant paralysis, devastate some people every day as a result of eating shellfish. "Shellfish can be placed in a body of water that is contaminated with cholera bacteria, and they will purify the water. Shrimp, oysters, crab, scallops and mussels are particularly efficient at this. They filter large volumes of water every day. Sewage laden with chemicals, toxins and harmful bacteria, parasites and viruses become concentrated in those shellfish. The cause of cholera outbreaks in several areas has been traced to contaminated shrimp, crab, oysters and clams.
The state Legislature of California proposed a law requiring the food industry to label shellfish with a message warning: 'This food may be dangerous to your health.' Why? In a single year, 50 deaths and many hospitalizations were found to have been caused by eating shellfish. Even when stacked in cages, piglets thrive on offal when only the pig in the top cage receives food. Farmers have increased their profits by feeding free raw sewage to pigs. Chicken farmers often keep a hog so they can dispose of dead chickens without having to bury them" (Russell, p. 81).
Some species of fish and shellfish perform a similar role in the water. Dr. Russell notes that "among commonly eaten fish, catfish...always show the highest levels of contamination in chemically polluted water. After chemical spills, local fishermen are warned not to eat catfish" (ibid.).
Even commercially raised catfish are a potential health risk, he notes. "Consumer Reports tested fish bought in multiple markets in the United States. Fish are considered spoiled when bacteria counts are greater than 10 million per gram of flesh. Nearly all catfish had counts that went off the scale at 27 million per gram, even when properly prepared" (ibid.).
Dr. Russell's conclusion? "Although swine help clean the earth, and shellfish and catfish are ideally designed to purify the water, we don't want to eat what they clean up!" (ibid.)
God gives us Laws to protect us not to harm us. He created these creatures to keep the earth clean, not for us to consume.

As for me I am an Adventist for almost three years. not quite but close. I gave up beef and pork and seafood almost 8 years ago. When I post information it is not to support 7th Day Adventist, so many believe that but that is not the purpose, As far as I know and believe, the Adventist do not have a separate doctrine from the word of God. we just adhere to it and people find it to be offensive until they actually sit down and listen and find out that changing their diet does make them healthier. Eating more fruits and veggies makes you feel better and keeps you going. Getting rid of animal protein does incredible wonders for the body. But that is your personal choice. As a whole, you are encouraged by the Adventist not to eat unhealthy foods and you make a decision not to eat Unclean foods but for real who knows what your doing in your own house, its not that there is a test or that your even asked. Its really, and everything that I have learned about being an Adventist, about your personal relationship with God. Also whats important to God should always be important to those who call themselves the child of God.

This is my personal take, People can believe whatever they want to believe, they can take it and run with it if they choose, But they have no excuse when they stand before God. God has given us his word and he has provided a way for us to preserve our lives but some of us choose to go our own way. There is no place in heaven for those folks. As I learn I share. God groups the PIG with the Mouse, Mice is probably the worst of the worst, what will they not eat and climb into and destroy. He groups the PIG with the Mouse and he says they will all be consumed together.

I do not know anyone that eats rats and mice but he groups them together as if you eat the pig you eat the rat and mice. Which is true, you have no ideal what that pig has consumed and you ate it you ate everything. EVERYTHING IT ATE.

Isaiah 66:17

New Living Translation (NLT)


17 “Those who ‘consecrate’ and ‘purify’ themselves in a sacred garden with its idol in the center—feasting on pork and rats and other detestable meats—will come to a terrible end,” says the Lord

Isaiah 66:17

New International Version (NIV)


17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things—they will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 66:17

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

people make themselves holy
and prepare themselves for their garden rituals.
They go into the garden
and devour pork, disgusting things, and mice.
“They will come to an end at the same time,”
declares the Lord.

 

[makeupgirl]

Re: Tips on understanding the Word to avoid being deceived by false teachers and teac

Here is another tip...

Before you study, ask the Holy Spirit for the understanding of his word. He's the only one that can help us to understand thus saith the Lord. And mediate on the word and ask the Lord to help you retain what you studied. You'll be surprise how the Lord brings his verse back to your memory when needed.