COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]    From Life To Death To Life!
 
[1]       SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 579A]
 
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  20  That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.   Deuteronomy 30:19 – 20, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
 
This scripture deals with a difficult time for Almighty God’s (YHWH’s)people in that they were given a choice of winning His favor or going after and following the many false gods of the people around them as they were about to cross the Jordan into the promise land.  And
Deuteronomy 32:47, [AV] “For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.” Brings out the important choice they must make.  They could choose to serve the True God or the false puppet gods of Satan the Devil of the nations per Joshua 24:15, [AV] “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  As the Prophet Jeremiah so succinctly put it, they could per Jeremiah 32:39, [AV] “And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:”  Yes, as shown at Deuteronomy 4:4, [AV] “But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.” It was important to be totally with the True God, and what they had to do to do this is given at Deuteronomy 4:40, [AV] “Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.”  And the True God did per Genesis 17:7, [AV] “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”  
 
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO, 
 
1) http://iris89.conforums.com/ 
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/ 
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/ 
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/ 
 
5) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/ 
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/ 
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/ 
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/thread/1417398076/last-1417398076/Digital+Book+On+18+Part+Follow+Christ+Bible+Study 
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89 
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
 
[2]       From Life To Death To Life!
 
To fully understand what happens to mankind at death, we must understand first how man got here in the first place, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Genesis 1:27-31, Authorized King James Bible: (AV) shows that God created mankind and every living thing on the earth. Man was originally intended by God to live for ever so what happened? "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17, AV) However, Adam, the first man, disobeyed God and all of mankind inherited Death as a result, "And the serpent (Satan the Devil) said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5, AV), and " And the LORD God said unto the serpent (Satan the Devil), Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:" (Genesis 3:14, AV). Therefore, eventuality of Death came upon all of mankind that descended from Adam, all of us; it was NOT God's original purpose for mankind, " Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12, AV). But God loved mankind and provided a means for obedient mankind to eventually have this sentence lifted from him/her, " For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (Romans 5:17, AV) and " For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:19, AV). Now that we have seen how Death came to be on mankind, we need to look at the condition of the dead to understand what happens when one dies, " His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Psalms 146:4. AV), " For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten" (Ecclesiastes 9:5, AV), " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." (Ecclesiastes 9:10, AV), and "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20, AV). There is no 'soul' that goes somewhere at death since we are living souls, " And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7, AV), " And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Jesus) was made a quickening spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45, AV), " And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45, AV). The Bible clearly shows that, " Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4, AV), and " And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3:23, AV). Therefore, when we die we cease to exist, but God holds out to all obedient mankind a hope for a resurrection onto a perfect earth under his kingdom, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10, AV). Clearly there is hope for life again in a righteous kingdom under Jesus on earth as he taught us to prey for, but how will we get into this kingdom when it is established if we are already dead, i.e., non-existent in any form? It will be by means of a resurrection or recreating of us by God, " Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." (Isaiah 26:19, AV) and " O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!" (Job 14:13, AV). "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matthew 22:31-32, AV), " But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." (Daniel 12:13, AV) This concept of a resurrection may be difficult for some to accept, but temporary resurrections have already occurred, "And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee," (1 Kings 17:22-24, AV), " These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13, AV). However what Jesus Christ taught all of his followers to pray for "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10, AV) was a permanent resurrection into a righteous kingdom under him as its king, and this will be "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:39-40, AV), "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" (John 11:23-24, AV), " And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:15 AV), and "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:26-29, AV). Therefore, it is clear that at present all of mankind will die, be non-existent until the end of this system when Jesus Christ will set up his kingdom on earth, and then, if we have won God's favor be resurrected to life in a righteous kingdom under Jesus Christ as its king.
 
APPENDIX:  Genesis 3:1-24:
 
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 ¶  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 ¶  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 ¶  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12  And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14 ¶  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16 ¶  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 ¶  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20 ¶  And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 ¶  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22 ¶  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23  Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Authorized King James Bible; AV).
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION – BOTH TRUE AND FALSE – AT   WWW.JW.ORG

COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]    Hell? What Really Is The Biblical Hell?
 
[1]       SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 581A]
 
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.   Romans 1:20 – 21, [AV]
 
Clearly many fail to appreciate Almighty God’s (YHWH’s) power and that He created all there is, but the wise do as the Apostle Paul showed in his letter to Timothy as testified to at 1 Timothy 1:17, [AV] “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  And the Prophet Isaiah revealed the same reality at Isaiah 40:21, [AV] “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?”  Yes, He created all things once more testified to at Isaiah 40:26, [AV] “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”  And this is also noted at 2 Peter 1:3, [AV] “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”
Therefore, He is per Revelation 4:11, [AV] “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”  It is imperative that we per Psalms 50:23, [AV] “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.”  
 
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO, 
 
1) http://iris89.conforums.com/ 
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/ 
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/ 
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/ 
 
5) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/ 
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/ 
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/ 
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/thread/1417398076/last-1417398076/Digital+Book+On+18+Part+Follow+Christ+Bible+Study 
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89 
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
 
[2]        Hell? What Really Is The Biblical Hell?
 
For different people this question, What Really Is The Biblical Hell? Brings different things or images to mind. Hell is generally thought of as a place of punishment for sin. Concerning sin and its effect, the Bible shows, " That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:21, AV).
In addition, the Bible also state: " For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23, AV). As the punishment for sin is death, the fundamental question in determining the true nature of hell is: What happens to us when we die ?
Does life of some kind, in some form, continue after death? What is hell, and what type of people go there ? What is the hope for those in hell? The Bible answers all of these questions.
 
Is there life after death? Does something inside us, a soul or a spirit, survive the death of the body? Think on how the first man, Adam, came to have life, " And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7, AV); therefore, though breathing sustained his life, putting "the breath of life" into his nostrils involved much more than simply blowing air into his lungs. It meant that God put into Adam's lifeless body the spark of life-"the force of life," which is active in all earthly creatures, " And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die." (Genesis 6:17, AV), and " All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died." (Genesis 7:22, AV). This animating force was referred to in the Bible as the 'spirit,' " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26, AV). This 'spirit' can be likened to an electric current that activates a light bulb or an appliance and enables it to perform its intended function. Since current never takes on the features of the equipment it activates, this life-force likewise does not take on any of the characteristics of the creatures it animates. It has no personality and no reasoning ability.
 
However where does this 'spirit' go when a person dies? The Bible shows, " His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Psalms 146:4, AV). Thus, when a person dies, his life-activating force or 'spirit' does not go on existing in another realm as a spirit creature, " Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7, AV). This means that any hope of future life for that person now rests entirely with God.
 
The ancient Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato held that a soul inside a person survives death and never dies, and so do many fundamentalist, Catholics, and Orthodox. However what does the Bible teach about this soul? In, " And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7, AV), it clearly shows that man did not receive a 'soul' but became a living 'soul' or person. The Bible speak of a soul's doing work, craving food, being kidnapped, experiencing sleeplessness, and so forth, " And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people." (Leviticus 23:30, AV), " When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after." (Deuteronomy 12:20, AV), " My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word." (Psalms 119:28, AV). Therefore, the Bible shows a person himself/herself is a 'soul.' Thus, when a person dies, the 'soul' dies also since they are one and the same, " Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4, AV).
 
Now the question is, what is the condition of the dead? When pronouncing sentence Upon Adam, Jehovah stated: " In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:19, AV). Where was Adam before God formed him from the dust of the ground and gave him life? Nowhere, he simply did not exist! When he died, Adam returned to that state of complete absence of life. The condition of the dead is made clear in the Bible, " For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." (Ecclesiastes 9:5, AV) and " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." (Ecclesiastes 9:10, AV). According to the Bible, death is a state of nonexistence. The dead have no awareness, no feelings, no thoughts!
 
What is the common end for all of mankind? Unending torment or the common grave?
Since the dead have no conscious existence, hell cannot be a fiery place of torment where the wicked suffer after death. Therefore, what is hell? Examining what happened to Jesus after he died helps to answer that question. The Bible writer Luke recounts: " He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption." (Acts 2:31, AV). Where was this hell to which even Jesus went? The apostle Paul wrote: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, AV). This clearly shows that Jesus was in hell, the grave, but he was not abandoned there, for he was raised up, or resurrected. Consider also the case of the righteous man Job, who suffered much for his integrity to God. Wishing to escape his plight, he pleaded: " O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!" (Job 14:13, AV)(Note, In the King James Bible, AV, the Greek word Hades is rendered 'hell' in each of its ten occurrences in the New Testament. For more information see a reliable interlinear lexicon such as "The Diaglott-interlinear," "The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures," or "The Emphatic Diaglott). How unreasonable to think that Job desired to go to a fieryhot place for protection! To Job, "hell" was simply the grave, where his suffering would end. The Bible hell, then, is the common grave of mankind where good people (even Jesus went there for parts of 3 days)as well as bad ones go.
 
What is hellfire? Could it be that the fire of hell is symbolic of all-consuming, or thorough, destruction? Separating fire from Hades, or hell, the Scriptures say: " And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Revelation 20:14, AV). "The lake" mentioned here is symbolic, since death and hell (Hades) that are thrown into it cannot literally be burned.
 
The lake of fire has a meaning similar to that of the fiery Gehenna (hell fire in KJV, AV) that Jesus spoke of at, " But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." (Matthew 5:22, AV), "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:47-48, AV). Gehenna the ancient Greek word often translated as 'hell fire' occurs 12 times in the original ancient Greek manuscripts, and it refers to the valley of Hinnom, outside the walls of Jerusalem. When Jesus was on earth, this valley was used as a garbage dump, "where the dead bodies of criminals, and the carcasses of animals, and every other kind of filth was cast." (Smith's Dictionary of the Bible). These fires were kept burning by adding sulfur to burn up the refuse. Jesus used that valley as a proper symbol of everlasting destruction. As does Gehenna, the lake of fire symbolizes eternal destruction.
 
Death and Hades are "hurled into" it in that they will be done away when mankind is freed from sin and the condemnation of death. Willful, unrepentant sinners will also have their 'portion' in that lake, " But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8, AV). They also will be annihilated forever. On the other hand, those in God's memory who are in hell, the common grave of mankind, shall have a marvelous future.
 
The common grave of mankind, hell will be emptied, as shown, " And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." (Revelation 20:13, AV). Clearly the Bible shows hell will be emptied, As Jesus promised, " And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43 AV) and " And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:15, AV).
 
In the new world of God's making, resurrected humans who comply with his righteous laws will never need to die again, as shown at " He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah 25:8, AV). Jehovah (Yahweh), " And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4 AV), What a blessing is to be provided for those in hell, " And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3, AV)
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION – BOTH TRUE AND FALSE – AT   WWW.JW.ORG

COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]    Discourse on Repentance
 
[1]       SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 583A]
 
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.   1 John 4:8, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
 
Yes, Micah revealed that Almighty God (YHWH) was a God of mercy who wanted all to turn around to doing right at Micah 7:18, [AV] “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” 
 
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO, 
 
1) http://iris89.conforums.com/ 
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/ 
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/ 
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/ 
 
5) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/ 
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/ 
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/ 
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/thread/1417398076/last-1417398076/Digital+Book+On+18+Part+Follow+Christ+Bible+Study 
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89 
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
 
 
[2]        Discourse on Repentance:
 
WHY REPENTANCE IS NECESSARY:
 
The subject of repentance can not be understood unless we first understand why repentance is necessary; therefore, let's look at what the scriptures have to say on the subject:
 
" Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12 AV) which shows that repentance is necessary as sin entered the world.
This is also clearly shown by, "9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14 AV).
 
This is further made clear by, " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23 AV) therefore making clear we need to turn our lives from sin and repent.
 
LIVES MUST BE BROUGHT IN HARMONY WITH GOD'S (YHWH'S) WORD:
 
Let's see what the Bible has to say with regard turning our life around.
 
First consider:
 
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4:17-24 AV) which clearly shows we must strip off the old personality with its works of uncleanness and greed. This would include depraved sexual lust, God dishonoring false dogma, greed, hate of fellow man, hedonism, lasciviousness, etc.
 
Now consider:
 
" For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:" (1 Peter 4:3 AV) which just reinforces what was said in Ephesians, clearly showing we must turn our lives around and STOP walking in "lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries [these would include belief in false dogma, practices and traditions including hero worship]:"
 
Likewise:
 
" Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:" (Colossiams 3:5-10 Av). This scripture once more clearly shows we must STOP practicing "fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:" Therefore we can see for true repentance, we must cease and decease from practices that are NOT approved by God (YHWH).
 
TRUE REPENTANCE REQUIRED WHEN ONE TURNS TO GOD:
 
Clearly the Bible shows true repentance required when one turns to God; let's review a pertinent scripture on this subject:
 
" But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 26:20 AV). Ah, here we see, we must do works that "meet for repentance." What could some of these works be? Well some of these words would be ceasing to do the things one previously did that go against his laws and principles and that bring dishonor to him. What are some of these? Well as previously shown, these would be such things as lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries [these would include belief in false dogma, practices and traditions including hero worship], of course it would not be limited to simply not doing these wrongs, but would require effort to counteract the effects of your previous wrongs such as exposing false dogma, starting to love your fellow man, and ceasing to live a hedonistic life style and warning others against such things as deviant sex, illegal drug use, and other debasing things.
 
Remember:
 
" The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 AV). This should clearly behoove us to turn our life around. It should be clear that Almighty God (YHWH) takes no delight in those who refuse to do so. This is made clear, "11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live." (Ezekial 33:11-16 AV).
 
In fact:
 
" I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." (Luke 15:7 AV), clearly shows that God (YHWH) and his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) are made joyful by sinners who truly repent.
 
ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED FOR REPENTANCE:
 
We must gain accurate knowledge to strip off the old personality as clearly shown by:
 
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." (Romans 12:1-3 AV) which clearly shows we must make our lives over to be acceptable to God (YHWH) and this can only be done by "not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" which we all know is through study to gain accurate knowledge so "not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind". Likewise, "through the grace given unto me," we should, " So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." (Romans 12:5 AV).
 
To help others and ourselves to come to an accurate knowledge, we should:
 
" 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 AV). We must study God's (YHWH's) word and let others in a spirit of neighbor love know the truth also.
 
Last, but definitely not least, we must:
 
"9 Be not guilty of falsehood one to another: having stript off the old man, together with his practices,
10 And having put on the new-who is being moulded afresh unto personal knowledge, after the image of him that hath created him,-" (Colosians 3:9-10 Rotherham Bible)
 
CHRISTIAN TEACHING EMPHASIS REPENTANCE:
 
At " And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14 AV) Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) gave the command to his true followers to witness to the nations and this is clearly emphasized as follows:
 
"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 AV). Therefore, for true repentance acceptable to God (YHWH) and his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) to take place action on our part to make the word of God (YHWH) know to others is required.
 
In fact, this is so important that repentance can only take place:
 
" And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:47 AV)
 
This truth is further highlighted as:
 
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:30 AV). From this we can see ignorance will no longer be tolerated clearly showing ignorance of God (YHWH) dishonoring dogma and of his laws and principles will no longer be tolerated by God (YHWH) or by his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves). Therefore, it is truly important, as shown by this scripture to turn our life around.
 
Also, true repentance requires faith:
 
"And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21 AV) clearly that our leader, Christ Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) the only " For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5 AV) " taught publickly and from house to house"; therefore it is clear we to should "Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
 
Last, but not Least:
 
" And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:47 AV); which is in complete harmony with the commission Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) put on ALL his genuine followers as follows, " And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14 AV)
 
WHAT HAPPENS IF IN A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS WE COMMIT A SIN?:
 
First we must remember our savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua or YHWH saves) is compassionate in carrying out his assignment given to him by his Father (YHWH), "19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:19-28 AV).
 
" My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" (1 John 2:1 AV); clearly shows we have an "advocate with the Father" who will assist those genuinely trying to live their lives in harmony with God's (YHWH's) will so we should fear not in these cases.
 
This compassionate nature of our savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua or YHWH saves) is made even clearer by:
 
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Galations 6:1-2 AV). As can be seen from this scripture that if one inadvertently takes a false step we are under obligation to "ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." This would be of no purpose if the errant one's mistake could not be corrected.
 
Therefore, because we are all sinners, in order to merit the mercy and compassion of our leader Jesus Christ (Yeshua or YHWH saves) we must:
 
" Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." (Revelation 2:5 AV), thus true repentance is the key to our savior extending his love and mercy to us.
 
NOW, WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR MERCY?:
 
First, we must confess our sins and wrong beliefs to God (YHWH) through his Son and only mediator between God and man, and not to some false mediator or go between such as a priest, statue of a saint or the Virgin Mary, etc.
 
" He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13 AV)
 
And:
 
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:9 AV).
 
And:
 
" I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah." (Psalms 32:5 AV)
 
So we can see from the above scriptures, it is necessary to confess our sins to God (YHWH) through his Son and only mediator between God and man, and not to some false mediator or go between such as a priest, statue of a saint or the Virgin Mary, etc.
 
HOWEVER, NO REPENTENCE IS POSSIBLE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ACCEPT GOD'S MERCY AND THEN RETURN TO A WILLFUL PRACTICE OF DISBELIEF AND SIN:
 
It is clearly shown that it is impossible for those who once enlightened willfully return like " But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:22 AV) to gain the benefits of repentance, or in other words, once saved is not always saved:
 
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:" (Hebrews 6:4-11 AV)
 
And:
 
"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31 AV)
 
And:
 
"For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:" (2 Peter 2:20-22 AV).
 
As can clearly be seen, as stated at the beginning of this section "it is impossible for those who once enlightened willfully return like " But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:22 AV) to gain the benefits of repentance, or in other words, once saved is not always saved:"
 
MERCY AND COMPASION LIKE THE MERCY AND COMPASSION OF OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST IS REQUIRED OF US:
 
Just as Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) extends mercy and compassion to us, we must also extend it to others:
 
"Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
3 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4 AV)
 
And:
 
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15 AV)
 
Which clearly shows that if we are genuine followers of our leader and savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua or YHWH saves) we must be like him and extends mercy and compassion to others.
 
LAST, WHAT IS THE INDICATION OF TRUE REPENTANCE?:
 
Clearly we must first:
 
" If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14 AV)
 
We must turn back from our former wrong course of action and false belief:
 
"When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live." (Ezekial 33:13-16 AV)
 
And:
 
"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekial 18:30-31 AV)
 
This need to turn your life around and repent is once more emphasized in the New Testament:
 
" Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;" (Acts 3:19 AV)
 
Last, but not least, remember we must confess our transgressions to God (YHWH) in prayer through his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) who is the only " For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5 AV), and as his assignment from his Father (YHWH) mediates towards us " But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." (Hebrews 8:6 AV):
 
" He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13 AV)
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
The Trinity is False Doctrine ¡V w/Historical Note and Links
 
PART I :The doctrine of the Trinity is a false belief that there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another. Thus in the words of the Athanasian Creed: ¡¥the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God.¡¨ (The Catholic Encyclopedia, New York; 1912, Volume XV, page 47).
 
First, to be true all would have had to exist for all of time since as we all know Yahweh (YHVH) has always existed, ¡§ Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.¡¨ (Psalms 90:2 AV). However, Jesus Christ the claimed second member of this false doctrine was the first of Yahweh (YHVH), ¡§ Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:¡¨ (Colossians 1:15 AV), ¡§ 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;¡¨ (Revelation 3:14 AV), ¡§ And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.¡¨ (John 17:5 AV), ¡§ What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?¡¨ (John 6:62 AV), and ¡§ Jesus (Jehoshua) said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.¡¨ (John 8:58 AV); from these scriptures we can see Jesus (Jehoshua) was created by Yahweh (YHVH), had been used by Yahweh (YHVH) in the creation of the earth and the creatures on it, and had previously been in heaven with him before coming down to earth and being born of a virgin, Mary. Now, the Holy Spirit is not a spirit in the sense of being a heavenly creature such as God or Jesus (Jehoshua) or the angels, but Yahweh¡¦s (YHVH) active force; By far the majority of occurrences of ru'ach and pneu'ma relate to God¡¦s spirit, his active force, his holy spirit. The Holy Spirit has been demonstrated not to be a spirit person since people can descend on people being baptized, ¡§Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus (Jehoshua) also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. 23 And Jesus (Jehoshua) himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,¡¨ (Luke 3:21-23 AV), ¡§One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter¡¦s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.¡¨ (John 1:40-41 AV), and ¡§ How God anointed Jesus (Jehoshua) of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.¡¨ (Acts 10:38 AV)¡¦; from these we can clearly see the Holy Spirit is a different type of entity or substance from either Yahweh (YHVH) or Jesus (Jehoshua). This clearly invalidates the Trinity since it requires the ¡¥Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God¡¦ be one substance which clearly they are not.
 
Further, the concept of the Trinity would require all claimed members of it to be equal if there is to be one God and not three, and this is clearly not the case, ¡§ Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.¡¨ (John 14:28 AV), ¡§Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.¡¨ (Phillipians 2:5-8 AV), ¡§ But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.¡¨ (1 Corinthians 11:3 AV), ¡§ And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.¡¨ (1 Corinthians 15:28 AV), and ¡§ Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.¡¨ (John 5:19 AV). From these we can see Jesus (Jehoshua) clearly acknowledged that his father, Yahweh (YHVH), was his superior, i.e., greater than he; therefore, we can see the so called members of the Trinity are not equal as they would need to be for any possibility for the Trinity to be reality; just another proof of it being false.
 
Now for the Trinity to be true, all worship would have to be directed to this ¡¥three Gods in one¡¦ but this is not the case as clearly shown, ¡§ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.¡¨ (Matthew 4:10 AV), ¡§But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.¡¨ (John 4:23-24 Av). As we see, Jesus (Jehoshua) said all worship should be directed to his father, Yahweh (YHVH), and not to him or some icon.
 
Also, if there was, as the Trinity doctrine claims, ¡¥three Gods in one¡¦ and Jesus (Jehoshua) had been put to death on the Cross (stake) who would have resurrected him if he and his father, Yahweh (YHVH), and the Holy Spirit were ¡¥three Gods in one¡¦? Obviously this could not be the case so likewise the Trinity could not be so for this reason alone.
 
The Doctrine of The Trinity defies the universally accepted and historically always held meaning of the words for father and son. Not only does it defy the meaning of these words, it destroys their meaning! This fact is important to realize for God gave us language. It was not invented by man as the evolutionist tries to say. Thus, we are not destroying man made terms, but God-given terms! These terms, as given to us by God, require that the father exists before the son, and for the son to be brought into existence by the father. This universally accepted and recognized definition is what these terms have meant from the beginning of this creation. Therefore, who has given anyone the authority to change these God-given terms now? In fact, The Lord Jesus Christ verifies the meaning of these terms when he says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." John 13:16 "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." John 14:28. Here, he establishes that God is his lord, that he was sent by his lord, that God is his Father, and that his Father is greater than he himself. How could any of these declarations be true if the Doctrine of The Trinity is true? It is clearly impossible for these declarations of The Lord Jesus Christ to be true and the Doctrine of The Trinity to be True! It is easy to see that these words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine of the Trinity are mutually exclusive and opposing views! Some believers in the Trinity use the same argument that the Catholic church put forth at the Council of Constantinople, 381 A.D. that it is a mystery and the words have a unique meaning; however, Now, I ask you why would the Creator want to change the meaning of a word in one place and not else where. He never sought to confuse his followers; this defies not only language, but common sense.
 
Interestingly, there is a scripture, Jeremiah 23:6, that confuses some as they do not understand the nature of ancient Jewish names and titles, and how they all had a meaning as clarified by a brief exert, is NOT a personal name but a title for the messiah (Jesus) as shown by the ¡§Easton¡¦s Revised Bible Dictionary, ¡¨Jehovah our rightousness, rendered in the Authorized Version, "The LORD our righteousness," a title given to the Messiah..¡XJer. 23:6; 33:16.¡¨ Now let¡¦s us look at several Bible translations: ¡§ In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.¡¨ (Jeremiah 23:6 AV), ¡§In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: ¡§The Lord our justice.¡¨ (Jeremiah 23:6 The New American Bible ¡V World Catholic Press, approved at the Vatican by the Pope on Sept. 18, 1970), ¡§In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel itself will reside in security. And this is his name with which he will be called, "Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.¡¨ (Jeremiah 23:6 NWT). This actually shows we are speaking of two different entities or beings, and that title for Jesus (Yeshua) which means ¡§YHWH our righteousness¡¨ is most fitting as he was the first born, first of Almighty God¡¦s creation, Jeremiah 23:5-7 is actually a Messianic prophecy describing the future king sprouting from David¡¦s line to ¡§execute justice and righteousness in the land.¡¨ That king would be Jesus.
 
A discourse on John 1:1 ¡V This is PART V because of length.
 
Now, the word Trinity does not appear in any of the 66 books of the inspired Bible Canon; this would not be logical if it were the center part of Christian belief. This alone, should make it very highly suspect, but when you consider almost all pagan groups had a Trinity, it is obviously something that must have slipped into apostate Christianity from pagan beliefs. This is indeed the case as the Reverend Alexander Hilsop clearly showed in his detailed account of how this came to pass in his book, ¡§The Two Babylons¡¨ by Alexander Hilsop.
 
In summary, even a cursory reading of the scriptures on this subject or of religious history (as found in ¡¥The Two Babylons¡¦ by Alexander Hilsop, and in many other history books of religion) with an open mind, it will be clear that the Trinity is a false doctrine that slipped into Christianity after most had become apostate.
 
PART II :The History of Arius and His Fellow Believers in Scripture Alone to the 16th Century.
 
Ins and outs of religious false dogma starting with the council of Nicea in 325 A.D.
This council may seem a strange place to start discussing how false doctrine started to enter the early Christian church that had drifted from following the teachings of Jesus Christ into backsliding. However, the Council of Nicea marked a real turning point that led from a slight drift from the true teachings of Christ to precipitous jump into false dogma for political reasons. First we need to look at the major players at this council:
Emperor Constantine, a pagan who wanted a fusion of Christian beliefs with pagan beliefs to solidify his empire that was being torn apart over the controversy of religion. He called, even though not a Christian, for the convening of this council.
Bishop Athanasius, a prominent figure in the so called Christian church at the time and a very suave politician who knew what the emperor¡¦s goals were and aimed to fulfill them.
Bishop Arius , a stickler for not deviating from the inspired word of God, the Bible, maintained that ¡¥the Son of God was a creature, made from nothing; that there was a time when he had no existence; that he was capable of his own free will of right and wrong,¡¦ and that, ¡¥were he in the truest sense a son, he must have come after the Father, therefore the time obviously was when he was not, and hence he was a finite being.¡¦
Eusebius Pamphili-Compromising Bishop of Caesarea -Compromising Bishop of Caesarea who supported the ideas of Arius, but switched sides since he was also the ¡¥right hand man¡¦ of the Emperor Constantine and knew maintaining principles and what he knew to be truth would not be in his personal best interest.
 
The Council of Nicea was convened at the order of the Pagan Emperor Constantine and only one sixth of the bishops of Christendom came. Emperor Constantine, who presided over the Council, and he made the opening oration on behalf of the 318 bishops assembled and in praise of the emperor who had convened the assembly. Many doctrines were discussed and Arius, a stickler for maintaining Christian purity, opposed the adoption of most doctrines put forth on the basis they were not in accord to the written inspired word of God (Yahweh (JHVH)). This tried the patience of Constantine because all he wanted was unity in his empire; therefore, he sought a fusion of pagan and Christian beliefs so there would be uniformity. He, Constantine, cared nothing with regard to Christian purity and the inspired word of God, the Bible. On one proposed doctrine, the trinity, the concept of three Gods in one, co-equal, co-substantial, co-eternal much debate arose as Arius hotly contended it was clearly against the inspired word of God, (Yahweh (JHVH)), and the debate continued on for months. At first, Eusebius Pamphilj, Bishop of Caesarea took Arius¡¦s side, but quickly switched when his mentor/boss Emperor Constantine obviously told him to. Even after months of debate, they could not agree as to whether Arius or Athanasius had the truth. Finally, the yet unbaptized pagan Emperor Constantine, decreed in favor of the trinity and declared illegal all religious opinions that were not in line with that dogma.
 
Bishop Arius, however, would not let the matter die as he believed in true worship and felt as the Apostles ¡§ God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.¡¨ (Romans 3:4 AV). Arius's insistence on truth won him the animosity of the Emperor and for this Arius and two other Bsihops that would not compromise were banished. Later many sought to catch Arius and put him to death, but he successfully escaped all of his persecutors and went and preached to nations not under the control of Rome.
 
However, the controversy did not end. While the birth of the Catholic Church may be pinpointed at A.D. 325, when Constantine decided the debate on the trinity held at Nicea in favor of Athanasius and against Arius, it was not until after the year A.D. 440 that the bishop of the Roman see, Leo I, became in fact the first pope, according to history but not the Catholic church. After he became Pope, Leo I, set out, not on a Christian path as a footstep follower of Jesus Christ (Jehoshua), but on a presumptuous path. Beacon Lights of History, Vol. III, Page 244 states, ¡§I will revive government once more upon this earth; not by bringing back the Caesars, but by declaring a new theocracy, by making myself the vicegerent of Christ, by virtue of the promise made to Peter, whose successor I am, in order to restore law, punish crime, head off heresy, encourage genius, conserve peace, heal dissensions, protect learning; appealing to love, but ruling by fear. Who but the Church can do this? A theocracy will create a new civilization. Not a diadem, but a tiara will I wear, a symbol of universal sovereignty, before which barbarism shall flee away. In fact, he and some later Popes tried to gain control over many secular governments and with some success. This was directly against the teachings of the one whom they claimed they were vicegerents of as recorded at James 4:4. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (AV) This is not surprising as in the Apostle Paul's day there were ambitious men like Leo I and he said in a letter to the Corinthians,  Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. (1 Corinthians 4:8 AV)
 
Moving on in time, others took up the cry for pure worship and against the dogma that was only accepted because of an imperial degree. Francis David, superintendent of the Reform Church appeared before the Diet of Torda (1568 A.D.) as a supporter of the pure religion ideas of Arius, and on the other side was Peter Melius, leader of the Transylvanian Reformed Church. Francis David appealed to the Bible alone; whereas, Peter Melius appealed to the results of the Council of Nicea. This debate went on for some days an most considered Francis David had won it, and he was given a hero¡¦s welcome in his home town of Kolozsvar (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania). Francis David then joined forces with Georgia Biandrata another who believed as Arius. The two of them produced a book, "De falsa et vera unius Dei Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti cognitione," (The False and True Knowledge of the Unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). This book contained a historical examination of many learned men who refused to believe the Trinity.
 
However, Francis David and Georgia Biandrata were not the only people of the time wanting to maintain pure worship, there were others. The Spanish theologian Michael Servetus, was a learned scholar that maintained the Bible was the only and ultimate source of truth and the dogma of man was not acceptable to God. For this he and Westphal paid with their lives, both being roasted alive by counterfeit Christians who held for man¡¦s dogma as having a higher authority than God's word (both were supporters of pure worship as exposed by Arius and one was his very distant decendent). The motto of all of these men was Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone).
 
In Belgium, many were accepting the moto, Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone). Van Liesvelt a publisher wanted the common people to know the truth and accept only the scripture and not church dogma. In 1526 A.D. he printed a complete Dutch Bible with this view in mind. In his edition, of 1542 A.D., he put a woodcut picture of the Devil as a bearded monk with a rosary and goat¡¦s feet next to Matthew 4:3, and a marginal note, Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. This infuriated the Catholic church and was used as the basis for getting Val Liesvelt condemned to death. Yet this is exactly what the Bible says as Arius had pointed out approximately a millennium earlier. Another individual that believed the moto, Sola Scriptura¡ (Scripture alone), was an ordained priest William Tyndale. He wanted to let the common people have a chance to learn the truth directly from the word of God, the Bible. He set out to translate the Bible into English and by 1526 he was successful in publishing a new testament in English. However Catholic authorities under the direction of Bishop Tunstall were determined to prevent the common people from reading the Bible. Finally in May 1535 A.D. William Tyndale was arrested in Antwerp, Belgium. He was tied to a stake, strangled, and burned; however his ultimate words were, Lord, open the King of England's eyes!
Actually, much of William Tyndale's translation lives on in the King James Version (AV) and this because the eyes of King Henry VIII of England were opened.
 
Some of the sources (many sent to me as copies of pages or read in libraries in major cities) are:
 
1. A Short History of Christian Doctrine, by Bernhard Lohse [translated from the German by F. Ernest Stoeffler in 1963], 2 nc. Paperback printing 1980.
2. An Essay of the Development of Christian Doctrine by John Henry Cardinal Newman, 6 th. Ed. 2989
3. The International Standard Bible encyclopedia 1982
4. The Formation of Christian Dogma byMartin Warner 1957
5. Gods and the One God by Robert m. Grant 1986
6. The Church of the First Three Centuries by Dr. Alan Lamson 1869
7. ¡§De falsa et vera unius Dei Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti cognitione,¡¨ (The False and True Knowledge of the Unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) by ). Francis David and Georgia Biandrata
8. Beacon Lights of History, Vol. III
9. The Search for The Christian Doctrine of God by R.P. C. Hanson
10. The Story of the Early Church by Dr. Martin Werner
11. Short Story of the Early Church by Dr. H. R. boer
12. The Apostolic Fathers by Robert A. Kraft 1965
13. The Library of Christian Classics edited by Cyril C. Richardson 1953
14. Dictionary of Christian Theology edited by Alan Richardson, 1969
15. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15 th. Ed. 1985
16. The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. I edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson [American Reprint of the Edinburgh Edition] 1885
17. The Influence of Greek Ideas on Christianity by Edwin Hatch
18. Entschlues/Offen-April 1985 (German Jesuit Magazine)
19. Thayer¡¦s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
20. Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus
21. The Two Babylons by Alexander Hilsop
22. New Catholic Encylopeadia
23. Should you Believe in the Trinity WB&TS
24. Masters Thesis, When Will This System of Things or World End, Taken in Relationship with Jesus¡¦s Statement, no oneKnows the Hour or Day Except my Father Who Art in Heaven, Copyright #TXu 217 406, of Oct. 9, 1985 by my husband
25. Several unpublished theological papers by my husband and others.
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION – BOTH TRUE AND FALSE – AT   WWW.JW.ORG

COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES.   With the Scripture of the Day first.
 
[1]       SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 585A]
 
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.   Deuteronomy 32:4, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
 
Almighty God (YHWH) is indeed a rock and a fortress as testified to at Psalms 18:2, [AV] “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”  And the great ruler, Nebuchadnezzar was forced to recognize this reality after his seven years of acting like a beast of the field as shown at Daniel 4:37, [AV] “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”  But, He showed his love for Israel before their rejection of His son, Jesus (Yeshua) at Psalms 98:3, [AV] “He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”  Yes, He is righteous as shown at Romans 3:5, [AV] “But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)”
 
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO, 
 
1) http://iris89.conforums.com/ 
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/ 
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/ 
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/ 
 
5) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/ 
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/ 
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/ 
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/thread/1417398076/last-1417398076/Digital+Book+On+18+Part+Follow+Christ+Bible+Study 
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89 
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
 
 
[2]       Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically gin or orangeberry, Glycosmis pentaphylla.
 
Scientific classification
 
 
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Sapindales
Family:
Rutaceae
Subfamily:
Aurantioideae
Tribe:
Clauseneae
Genus:
Glycosmis
Species:
G. pentaphylla
Binomial name
Glycosmis pentaphylla
(Retz.)
 
DC.
 Orangeberry (Glycosmis pentaphylla), sometimes referred to as gin berry, is a species of plant that ranges through Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It is in the Rutaceae, the same plant family as citrus plants. It is cultivated for its edible pink fruits. In temperate zones, it can be cultivated indoors as a houseplant.  [source - retrieved from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeberry  on  5/23/2013]
 
 Orangeberry, Glycosmis pentaphylla
Cloudforest Expert
 
Posts: 1800
Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA
Climate Zone: Sunset Zone 14, USDA zone 9b
Orangeberry, Glycosmis pentaphylla
 
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/orangeberry.htmI made mention of this plant on the end of anther thread recently, but figured maybe I should start a thread on it too. One person responded they where pleased the get some local results on the plant.
 
I got my seed from Tradewinds Fruit some years ago, and the plants are still in 5 gallon pots, just transfer a slow developer into a 5 gallon pot a year ago and it is growing well, think it got a lot less sun in different location and is not catching up in size. The other two are almost like 5 feet tall including the pot. They year they bloomed, this year they are blooming like crazy and setting fruit sparingly. I wanted to see what the fruit was like, to see if I even wanted to put them in the ground, plus want more size to handle the cold. They take very minor damage most winters, with only a frost cloth over the top, but with the sides not covered., at least down to the mid 20s.When smaller in 2007 when it dropped to 21F preceded by 14 hours below 32F, they were smaller and under the open air patio roof or plant shade house.
 
Now that I have tried the fruit, and they are 80% seed and the rest split between juice and a less then thin, not so chew able skin, I want to plant them now. I figure the fruit berry size should go up, and even be sweeter and better tasting in the ground. Not a lot of juice, but the taste is different, very sweet and good. Not something to fill up on, but a very nice pleasant treat as you walk out i the garden.
 
My berries are not quite 1/2 wide and not quite 1/4 inch thick, but they are only in a 5 gallon pot, and the plants are only less then 5 feet actual height and a couple feet wide. I find that if a plant sets good fruit in a pot, it is always much better in the ground. It has a nick name of Gin Berry, so that must mean something, either they use it for the taste or the sugar.
 
I was surprised to find a number of hits on a google search, when I got them years ago, there was none other then TWF were I got the seeds. Was surprised, even found a University of CA Riverside hit. http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/glycosmis.html
 
They seem a bit more cold sensitive then a regular Citrus, but otherwise seems to have about the same requirements. You can chew the skin and swallow it, but I choose so far to spit it out while eating them in my yard; saving the seeds so far of course. Two good qualifies other then good tasting, sets fruit while and in a pot. that only means they get better in the ground. Oh I guess 3, grows decently fast too.  [source - by DavidLJ48 » Fri Jul 29, 2011as retrieved from    http://www.cloudforest.com/cafe/gardening/orangeberry-glycosmis-pentaphylla-t1452.html   on  5/23/2013]
 
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to  www.jw.org].
 
To see pictures of the fruit and plant and more information on it, go to,  http://growerjim.blogspot.com/2010/01/glycosmis-little-grown-citrus-relative.html
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION – BOTH TRUE AND FALSE – AT   WWW.JW.ORG

COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]   ABRAHAMIC RELIGION - WHAT IS IT? IN TWO PARTS – PART 2  [VOL 587]
 
[1]    SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 587A]
 
He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.   Jeremiah 10:12, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
 
Yes, as stated at Genesis 1:1, [AV] “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  He, as shown by Psalms 24:2, [AV] “For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.”  And reveals that the earth is a sphere and not a flat plane in space as many ancients believed up to the time Christopher Columbus proved otherwise and that the Bible was correct as shown at Isaiah 40:22, [AV] “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:”  
 
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO, 
 
1) http://iris89.conforums.com/ 
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/ 
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/ 
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/ 
 
5) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/ 
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/ 
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/ 
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/thread/1417398076/last-1417398076/Digital+Book+On+18+Part+Follow+Christ+Bible+Study 
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89 
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
  
[2]       ABRAHAMIC RELIGION - WHAT IS IT?  IN TWO PARTS – PART 2 [VOL 587]
 
'"Allah" is a proper name, applicable only to their [Arabs'] peculiar God. '
 
According to the Encyclopedia of Religion:
 
'"Allah" is a pre-Islamic name . . . corresponding to the Babylonian Bel' [source - Encyclopedia of Religion, I:117 Washington DC, Corpus Pub., 1979].
 
For those who find it hard to believe that Allah was a pagan name for a peculiar pagan Arabian deity in pre-Islamic times, the following quotations may be helpful:
 
"Allah is found . . . in Arabic inscriptions prior to Islam" [source - Encyclopedia Britannica, I:643].
 
"The Arabs, before the time of Mohammed, accepted and worshipped, after a fashion, a supreme god called Allah" [Encyclopedia off Islam, I:302, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1913, Houtsma].
 
"Allah was known to the pre-Islamic . . . Arabs; he was one of the Meccan deities" [Encyclopedia off Islam, I:406, ed. Gibb).
 
"Ilah . . . appears in pre-Islamic poetry . . . By frequency of usage, al-ilah was contracted to Allah, frequently attested to in pre-Islamic poetry" (Encyclopedia off Islam, III:1093, 1971].
 
"The name Allah goes back before Muhammad" [source - Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, I:41, Anthony Mercatante, New York, The Facts on File, 1983].
 
"The origin of this (Allah) goes back to pre-Muslim times. Allah is not a common name meaning "God" (or a "god"), and the Muslim must use another word or form if he wishes to indicate any other than his own peculiar deity" [source - Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, I:326, Hastings].
 
To the testimony of the above standard reference works, we add those of such scholars as Henry Preserved Smith of Harvard University who has stated:
 
"Allah was already known by name to the Arabs" [source - The Bible and Islam: or, The Influence of the Old and New Testament on the Religion of Mohammed, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1897, p. 102]
 
"Ilah is the Arabic for "deity". It is cognate to Northwest Semitic ' and Akkadian ilu. The word is from a Proto-Semitic archaic biliteral meaning "god" (possibly with a wider meaning of "strong"), which was extended to a regular triliteral by the addition of a h (as in Hebrew Eloah). ...[omitted as not English characters] with an optional diacritic alif to mark ...; (as is the case with Allah), or (more rarely) with a full alif...; .The feminine is;hah  "goddess", with the article, al...[omitted as not English characters]; according to Lane's 1893 Lexicon referring to the great serpent in particular, "because it was a special object of the worship of some of the ancient Arabs", or the new moon (see also Allat).In Islamic context, an ilah is the concept of a deity, lord or god and does not necessarily refer to Allah. The term is used throughout the Qur'an in passages detailing the existence of Allah as the only Ilah, and of the beliefs of non-Muslims in other Ilah(s)."[source - Wikipedia free Encyclopedia]
 
[source - The Archeology of the Middle East]"[additional references - "South Arabia's stellar religion has always been dominated by the Moon-god in various variations" (Berta Segall, The Iconography of Cosmic Kingship, the Art Bulletin, vol.xxxviii, 1956, p.77).; Isaac Rabinowitz, Aramaic Inscriptions of the Fifth Century, JNES, XV, 1956, pp.1-9; Edward Linski, The Goddess Atirat in Ancient Arabia, in Babylon and in Ugarit: Her Relation to the Moon-god and the Sun-goddess, Orientalia Lovaniensia Periodica, 3:101-9; H.J.Drivers, Iconography and Character of the Arab Goddess Allat, found in Études Preliminaries Aux Religions Orientales Dans L'Empire Roman, ed. Maarten J. Verseren, Leiden, Brill, 1978, pp.331-51); Richard Le Baron Bower Jr. and Frank P. Albright, Archaeological Discoveries in South Arabia, Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press, 1958, p.78ff; Ray Cleveland, An Ancient South Arabian Necropolis, Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press, 1965; Nelson Gleuck, Deities and Dolphins, New York, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1965).; Another Aramaic Record of the North Arabian goddess Han'Llat, JNES, XVIII, 1959, pp.154-55.]
 
Allah - the Moon God The Archeology of The Middle EastThe religion of Islam has as its focus of worship a deity by the name of "Allah." The Muslims claim that Allah in pre-Islamic times was the biblical God of the Patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The issue is thus one of continuity. Was "Allah" the biblical God or a pagan god in Arabia during pre-Islamic times? The Muslim's claim of continuity is essential to their attempt to convert Jews and Christians for if "Allah" is part of the flow of divine revelation in Scripture, then it is the next step in biblical religion. Thus we should all become Muslims. But, on the other hand, if Allah was a pre-Islamic pagan deity, then its core claim is refuted. Religious claims often fall before the results of hard sciences such as archeology. We can endlessly speculate about the past or go and dig it up and see what the evidence reveals. This is the only way to find out the truth concerning the origins of Allah. As we shall see, the hard evidence demonstrates that the god Allah was a pagan deity. In fact, he was the Moon-god who was married to the sun goddess and the stars were his daughters. [source - Yeshua Communications Network]
 
 
"Hubal and Allah the Moon God?Islam: Truth or Myth? start page Introduction to basic facts of history:Moon worship has been practiced in Arabia since 2000 BC. The crescent moon is the most common symbol of this pagan moon worship as far back as 2000 BC. In Mecca, there was a god named Hubal who was Lord of the Kabah. This Hubal was a moon god. One Muslim apologist confessed that the idol of moon god Hubal was placed upon the roof of the Kaba about 400 years before Muhammad. This may in fact be the origin of why the crescent moon is on top of every minaret at the Kaba today and the central symbol of Islam atop of every mosque throughout the world: About four hundred years before the birth of Muhammad one Amr bin Lahyo ... a descendant of Qahtan and king of Hijaz, had put an idol called Hubal on the roof of the Kaba. This was one of the chief deities of the Quraish before Islam. (Muhammad The Holy Prophet, Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar (Pakistan), p 18-19, Muslim)The moon god was also referred to as "al-ilah". This is not a proper name of a single specific god, but a generic reference meaning "the god". Each local pagan Arab tribe would refer to their own local tribal pagan god as "al-ilah". "al-ilah" was later shortened to Allah before Muhammad began promoting his new religion in 610 AD. There is evidence that Hubal was referred to as "Allah". When Muhammad came along, he dropped all references to the name "Hubal" but retained the generic "Allah". Muhammad retained almost all the pagan rituals of the Arabs at the Kaba and redefined them in monotheistic terms. Regardless of the specifics of the facts, it is clear that Islam is derived from paganism that once worshiped a moon-god. Although Islam is today a monotheist religion, its roots are in paganism."[source - Brother Andrew]
 
Was Allah The Moon God of Ancient Arab Pagan? By Syed Kamran Mirza Historical evidences, impartial logic, well versed references and all available circumstantial judgments can very well prove that-(a) Allah name of deity was pre-existed much before the arrival of Islam, ( Pre-Islamic Pagan peoples worshipped Allah as their supreme deity (moon-god). Allah's name existed in pre-Islamic Arab. In ancient Arab the Allah was considered to be the supreme God/deity (as Moon-God) and Arab Pagans worshipped Allah before Islam arrived. Let us examine below some valid questions and answers :Did the Pagan Arabs in pre-Islamic times worship 360 gods? YesDid the pagans Arabs worship the sun, moon and the stars? YesDid the Arabs built temples to the Moon-god? YesDid different Arab tribes give the Moon-god different names/titles? YesWhat were some of the names/titles? Sin, Hubul, Ilumquh, Al-ilah. Was the title "al-ilah" (the god) used as the Moon-god? YesWas the word "Allah" derived from "al-ilah?" YesWas the pagan "Allah" a high god in a pantheon of deities? Yes.Was he worshipped at the Kabah? Yes.Was Allah only one of many Meccan gods? YesDid they place a statue of Hubul on top of the Kabah? Yes.At that time was Hubul considered the Moon-god? Yes.Was the Kabah thus the "house of the Moon-god"? Yes.Did the name "Allah" eventually replace that of Hubul as the name of the Moon god? Yes.Did they call the Kabah the "house of Allah"? Yes.Were al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat called "the daughters of Allah"? Yes.Yusuf Ali explains in fn. 5096, pg. 1445, that Lat, Uzza and Manat were known as "the daughters of God [Allah]"Did the Qur'an at one point tell Muslims to worship al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat? Yes. In Surah 53:19-20.Have those verses been "abrogated" out of the present Qur'an? Yes.What were they called? "The Satanic Verses."[source - Was Allah The Moon God of Ancient Arab Pagan? By Syed Kamran Mirza ]
 
"ALLAH - The Moon GodThe religion of Islam has as its focus of worship a deity by the name of "Allah." The Muslims claim that Allah in pre-Islamic times was the biblical God of the Patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The issue is thus one of continuity. Was "Allah" the biblical God or a pagan god in Arabia during pre-Islamic times? The Muslim's claim of continuity is essential to their attempt to convert Jews and Christians for if "Allah" is part of the flow of divine revelation in Scripture, then it is the next step in biblical religion. Thus we should all become Muslims. But, on the other hand, if Allah was a pre-Islamic pagan deity, then its core claim is refuted. Religious claims often fall before the results of hard sciences such as archeology. We can endlessly speculate about the past or go and dig it up and see what the evidence reveals. This is the only way to find out the truth concerning the origins of Allah. As we shall see, the hard evidence demonstrates that the god Allah was a pagan deity. In fact, he was the Moon-god who was married to the sun goddess and the stars were his daughters."[source - www.abrahamic-faith.com/moon-god.html ]
 
"In fact the common symbol used in much of Islam, the Crescent Moon, like in the Green Crescent the Arab equivalent of the Red Cross, as used by the Ottomans, on most Mosques, etc.  But here is what history and archaeology shows:
 
The symbol of the worship of the moon god in Arabian culture and elsewhere throughout the Middle East was the crescent moon.
 
Archaeologists have dug up numerous statues and hieroglyphic inscriptions in which a crescent moon was seated on top of the head of the deity to symbolize the worship of the moon god. In the same fashion as the sun is pictured above the Egyptian deity.
 
Now there are strong indicators that the heathen god, Baal, was the god of very early antiquity that actually evolved into the present day Moon god "Allah," by way of an intermediary figure, the god "Hubal al'iah."  In fact in his name you can actually see how the name for the pagan Moon god became.
 
While the moon was generally worshiped as a female deity in the Ancient Near East, the Arabs viewed it as a male deity."[source - The Islamic Invasion by Dr. Robert Morey; Harvest Home Publishers, 1992. ISBN 0-89081-983-1]
 
"ALLAH...The term is a contraction of the Arabic al-ilah, "the God." Both the idea and the word existed in pre-Islamic Arabian tradition, in which some evidence of a primitive monotheism can also be found. Although they recognized other, lesser gods, the pre-Islamic Arabs recognized Allah as the supreme God."[source - Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Online Encyclopedia 2000]
 
"Allah was also known as Hubel, ""Among the gods worshiped by the Quraysh, the greatest was Hubal
...
Some additional details on this cleromantic deity, the most powerful of the pagan idols of Mecca, is supplied by the Meccan historian Azraqi ...
Amr ibn Luhayy brought with him (to Mecca) an idol called Hubal from the land of Hit in Mesopotamia. Hubal was one of the Quraysh's greatest idols so he set it up at the well inside the Kab'a and ordered the people to worship it. Thus a man coming back from a journey would visit it and circumambulate the House before going to his family, and would shave his hair before it ... "[Peters, Hajj: The Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places [Princeton University Press, NJ, 1994], pp. 24-25]
 
""Khuza 'ah thus shared the guilt of Jurhum. They were also to blame in other respects: a chieftain of theirs, on his way back from a journey to SYRIA, had asked the MOABITES to give him ONE OF THEIR IDOLS. They gave him HUBAL, which he brought back to the Sanctuary, setting it up within the Ka'bah itself; and it became THE CHIEF IDOL OF MECCA." [Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, Inner Traditions International, LTD. One Park Street, Rochestor Vermont 05767, 1983, p. 5].
 
And this Hubel or Allah the Moon god is indicated to be known by others as the Biblically condemned god, 'Baal.' Commenting on 'Abd al-Muttalib's rediscovery of the well of Zamzam and its treasures, Lings writes:
"... So 'Abd al-Muttalib continued to dig without any actual move being made to stop him; and some of the people were already leaving the sanctuary when suddenly he struck the well's stone covering and uttered a cry of thanksgiving to God. The crowd reassembled and increased; and when he began to dig out the treasure which Jurhum had buried there, everyone claimed the right to share in it. 'Abd al-Muttalib agreed that lots should be cast for each object, as to whether it should be kept in the sanctuary or go to him personally or be divided amongst the tribe. This had become the recognised way of deciding an issue of doubt, and it was done by means of divining arrows inside the Ka'bah, in front of THE MOABITE IDOL HUBAL ..." (Lings, p. 11; bold and capital emphasis ours)
'Amr then asked them to give him an idol he could take to Arab lands where it could be worshipped, and they gave him one named Hubal. This he brought to Mecca and set on a pedestal and ordered the people to worship and venerate it. (The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya), Volume I, translated by professor Trevor Le Gassick, reviewed by Dr. Ahmed Fareed" [Garnet Publishing Limited, 8 Southern Court, south Street Reading RG1 4QS, UK; The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization, 1998], p. 42]
 
In the Collier's CD-ROM Encyclopedia, we find the following information on Baal:
"Referred to as Aliyan (I Prevail), Baal triumphed over the champions he encountered in battle. He came to be distinguished by the name of the locality in which he was adored and by the special character or function attributed to him. Every major aspect of religious life could, moreover, develop the cult of its own Baal. In general, he was credited with being the male author of fertility in soil and flock, and offerings in kind were presented to him at proper festivals." [source - Collier's CD-ROM Encyclopedia]
 
This Baal was considered in earliest times to be the supreme god of the people we now know as Arabs, and cultures usually always maintain there supreme god even though he/she may change his form or even name.  Therefore, this is a very strong indicator that in all probability he evolved into Hubal al'iah who later evolved into Allah, but always remaining the supreme god of the people of the area.
 
"Archaeological, linguistic, and non-Arabic data support the view that there were among the Arabs, long before the emergence of Islam, worshipers of a supreme god known as Allah...leaves little doubt that the Meccans, despite their idolatry, recognized that Allah was Creator and Supreme Provider...Allah was recognized as a High God to whom the inhabitants of the desert and the townsfolk turned in all great difficulties. Two pagan bards, Nabighah and Labid, used the name "Allâh" in connection with the Supreme Deity, while the so-called Hanifs, in their search for an acceptable religion, rejected polytheism and sought freedom from sin by appeal to the will of Allah." [source - Collier's CD-ROM Encyclopedia].
 
Notes: As can be readily seen from the foregoing, it is very likely that Baal evolved into Allah in progressive steps which are indicated to be as follows,
 
Baal evolved into Hubal al'iah and Hubal al'iah into Allah the middle eastern Moon god.
 
How so, the Meccans at the time were pagan heathens and worshipped this heathen god from time im-memorable in his various evolutionary forms.  Of course this is the way heathen beliefs usually progress, but let's look once more at Allah as the modern Moon god.
 
Dr. W. Montgomery Watt, who was Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Edinburgh University and Visiting Professor of Islamic studies at College de France, Georgetown University, and the University of Toronto, has done extensive work on the pre-Islamic concept of Allah. He concludes:
 
"In recent years I have become increasingly convinced that for an adequate understanding of the career of Muhammad and the origins of Islam great importance must be attached to the existence in Mecca of belief in Allah as a "high god." In a sense this is a form of paganism, but it is so different from paganism as commonly understood that it deserves separate treatment" [William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad's Mecca, p. vii. Also see his article, "Belief in a High God in Pre-Islamic Mecca", Journal of Semitic Studies, Vol. 16, 1971, pp. 35-40].
 
Caesar Farah in his book on Islam concludes his discussion of the pre-Islamic meaning of Allah by saying:
 
"There is no reason, therefore, to accept the idea that Allah passed to the Muslims from the Christians and Jews" [Islam: Beliefs and Observations, New York, Barrons, 1987, p. 28].
 
According to Middle East scholar E.M. Wherry, whose translation of the Quran is still used today, in pre-Islamic times Allah-worship, as well as the worship of Ba-al, were both astral religions in that they involved the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars [A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, Osnabruck: Otto Zeller Verlag, 1973, p. 36].
 
But one part time Bible scholar pointed out in simple terms that there is no way that "Allah," could be the same as the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob, creator of all there is, as follows:
 
1) If Allah is a proper name, then he could not be the same god (obviously)[as "YHWH" of the Bible], there is only one name declared as the universal name for all generations, and forever. (YHVH or YHWH)
 
2) If Allah is only a word for god in Arabic, then why did he never reveal that his name is YHWH [in the Quran]? There are many terms used in the Bible that refer to YHWH's attributes, but from the Scriptural standpoint, there is only one proper name, YHWH. Yet, in Muslim tradition, there are 99 Names for Allah. Thus, these two could not be the same.
 
 
THE JEWISH RELIGION:
 
"Judaism, Tanakh, The sacred scriptures of Judaism are comprised of the Tanakh, a Hebrew acronym that stands for Torah (Law or Teachings), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). These are complemented by and supplemented with various originally oral traditions: Midrash, the Mishnah, the Talmud, and collected rabbinical writings. The Hebrew text of the Tanakh, and the Torah in particular, is considered holy, down to the last letter: transcribing is done with painstaking care. An error in a single letter, ornamentation or symbol of the over 300,000 stylized letters which make up the Hebrew Torah text renders a Torah scroll unfit for use, hence a Torah scribe is a specialist skill and takes considerable time to write and check."[reference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
 
"Judaism has seldom, if ever, been monolithic in practice (although it has always been monotheistic in theology), and differs from many religions in that its central authority is not vested in any person or group but rather in its writings and traditions. Despite this, Judaism in all its variations has remained tightly bound to a number of religious principles, the most important of which is the belief that there is a single, omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, transcendent God, who created the universe and continues to be involved in its governance. According to traditional Jewish belief, the God who created the world established a covenant with the Jewish people, and revealed his laws and commandments to them in the form of the Torah. The practice of Judaism is devoted to the study and observance of these laws and commandments, as written in the Torah and expounded in the Talmud. As of 2006, adherents of Judaism numbered around 14 million followers,[1] making it the world's eleventh-largest organized religion." ."[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
 
"The Tanakh is largely an account of the Israelites' relationship with God as reflected in their earliest history until the building of the Second Temple (c. 350 BCE). This relationship is often portrayed as contentious, as Hebrews struggle between their faith in God and their attraction for other gods, and as some Hebrews, such as Abraham (most notably and directly); Jacob, the father of all Israelites - later known as Israel; and Moses struggle with God.
 
According to Orthodox Judaism and most religious Jews, the Biblical patriarch Abraham was the first Hebrew. Rabbinic literature records that he was the first since the generation of Noah to publicly reject idolatry and preach monotheism. As a result, God promised him many children: "Look now toward heaven and count the stars/So shall be your progeny." (Genesis 15:5) Abraham's first child was Ishmael and his second son was Isaac, whom God said would continue Abraham's work and inherit the Land of Israel (then called Canaan), after having been exiled and redeemed. God sent the patriarch Jacob and his children to Egypt, where after many generations they became enslaved. God later commanded Moses to redeem the Israelites from slavery triggering the Exodus from Egypt, when God led the Israelites to Mount Sinai in 1313 BCE (Jewish Year 2448) and gave them the Torah, summarized in the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books, together with Nevi'im and Ketuvim are known as Torah SheB'Ksav: literally the "Written Torah", in contradistinction to the Oral Torah. Eventually, God led them to the land of Israel.
God designated the descendants of Aaron, Moses' brother, to be a priestly class within the Israelite community. They first officiated in the tabernacle (a portable house of worship), and later their descendants were in charge of worship in the Temple in Jerusalem.
 
Once the Israelites had settled in the land of Israel, the tabernacle was planted in the city of Shiloh for over 300 years during which time God provided great men, and occasionally women, to rally the nation against attacking enemies, some of which were sent by God as a punishment for the sins of the people. This is described in the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges. As time went on, the spiritual level of the nation declined to the point that God allowed the Philistines to capture the tabernacle in Shiloh.
 
The people of Israel then told Samuel the prophet that they had reached the point where they needed to be governed by a permanent king, as were other nations, as described in the Books of Samuel. Samuel grudgingly acceded to this request and appointed Saul, a great but very humble man, to be their King. When the people pressured Saul into going against a command conveyed to him by Samuel, God told Samuel to appoint David in his stead.
 
Once King David was established, he told the prophet Nathan that he would like to build a permanent temple, and as a reward for his actions, God promised David that he would allow his son to build the temple and the throne would never depart from his children (David himself was not allowed to build the temple because he had been involved in many wars, making it inappropriate for him to build a temple representing peace). As a result, it was David's son Solomon who built the first permanent temple according to God's will, in Jerusalem, as described in the Books of Kings.
 
The Western Wall in Jerusalem is a remnant of the Second Temple. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism.
 
After Solomon's death, his Kingdom was split into the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. After several hundred years, because of rampant idolatry, God allowed Assyria to conquer Israel and exile its people. The southern Kingdom of Judah, whose capital was Jerusalem, home of the Temple, remained under the rule of the House of David, however, as in the north, idolatry increased to the point that God allowed Babylonia to conquer the Kingdom, destroy the Temple which had stood for 410 years, and exile its people to Babylonia, with the promise that they would be redeemed after seventy years. These events are recorded in the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Jeremiah.
 
After seventy years the Judahites were allowed back into Judaea under the leadership of Ezra, and the Temple was rebuilt, as recorded in the Book of Ezra and the Book of Nehemiah. The Second Temple stood for 420 years, after which it was destroyed by the Roman general (later emperor) Titus. The Israelite temple is to remain in ruins until a descendant of David arises to restore the glory of Israel and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
 
Rabbinic tradition holds that the details and interpretation of the law, which are called the Oral Torah or oral law, were originally an unwritten tradition based upon what God told Moses on Mount Sinai. However, as the persecutions of the Jews increased and the details were in danger of being forgotten, these oral laws were recorded by Rabbi Judah HaNasi (Rabbi Judah the Prince) in the Mishnah, redacted circa 200 CE. The Talmud was a compilation of both the Mishnah and the Gemara (Aramaic for the word Tradition), rabbinic commentaries redacted over the next three centuries. The process of "Gemara" took place in the two major centers of Jewish scholarship, Palestine and Babylonia. Correspondingly, two bodies of analysis developed, and two works of Talmud were created. The older compilation is called the Jerusalem Talmud. It was compiled sometime during the fourth century in Israel. The Babylonian Talmud was compiled from discussions in the houses of study by the scholars Ravina I, Ravina II, and Rav Ashi by 500 C.E., although it continued to be edited later.
 
Common editions of the Talmud today have the Mishnah followed by its associated Gemara commentary. Then, the next Mishnah, often only a few lines or short paragraph, followed by the commentary relevant to that Mishnah which may be pages long, and so on until that particular tractate of Mishnah is completed. There may be many chapters of Mishnah in any given tractate (Ma'sechta in Hebrew). [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
 
 
CHIRITIANITY:
 
The Christian religion came out of Judaism.  When the promised Messiah arrived as recorded in the Book of Matthew, most of the Jews did not accept him.  Therefore, since most of the Jews rejected the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob, creator of all there is, only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua), he rejected them.  Let's look at proof of his rejection from the inspired word of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Issac, Ishmael, Noah, Moses, etc., the creator of all there is.  Let's consider the following scriptural proof of this rejection:
 
Matthew 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? (Authorized King James Bible; AV)
 
Mark 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (AV)
 
Mark 12:10  And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: (AV)
 
Luke 7:30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. (AV)
 
Luke  9:22  Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (AV)
 
Luke 17:25  But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. (AV)
 
Judaism and Christianity are two closely related Abrahamic religions that in some ways parallel each other and in other ways fundamentally diverge in theology and practice.
 
The sacred scriptures of most Christian sects are the Old Testament, which is largely the same as the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament, which comprises four accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus (the Four Gospels, traditionally attributed to his apostles Matthew and John and to Mark the Evangelist and Luke the Evangelist) and several writings by the apostles and early Fathers such as Paul. They are considered to be divinely inspired and together comprise the Christian Bible. Thus Christians consider the fundamental teachings of the Old Testament, in particular the Ten Commandments, as valid, although most reject the Sabbath; however they believe that the coming of Jesus as the messiah and savior of mankind as predicted in the Old Testament, and the fact that Jesus was raised Jewish and became a teacher of Judaism, would shed light on the true relationship between God and mankind - by restoring the emphasis of universal love and compassion the other commandments, by de-emphasizing the more "legalistic" and material precepts of Mosaic Law (such as the dietary constraints and temple rites), since it, the Old Law Covenant has been fulfilled by Jesus (Yeshua), and replaced by the New Covenant of Jesus (Yeshua).   Many Christians believe that the link between Old and New Testaments in the Bible means that Judaism has been superseded by Christianity as the "new Israel" - and some hold that Jesus' teachings described Israel not as a geographic place but as an association with God and promise of salvation in heaven.
 
CLASSIFICATION of Christian groups:
 
There are two basic classifications of Christians, the false (counterfeit) and the true.  "Most religions of the world take a two part single path as they have some good and some bad. However, so called Christianity did NOT follow in the mold of other religions such as the Hindus, Islam, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, etc. Instead, so called Christianity took two different paths. These two paths are as follows:
 
[1] In 325 AD the greater part of the so called Christian faith went apostate to when the good favor of a pagan emperor, a worshipper of the Unconquered Sun. And this branch of apostate Christians went on to commit many atrocities such as the rape of Goa, the Crusades, the Inquisitions, the burning of individuals at the stake for disagreeing with them including one Bruno for simply saying that the earth revolved around the sun; whereas, they said the sun revolved around the earth.
 
[2] A second and much smaller group of Christians that remained genuine Christians and did NOT go apostate, but followed in the footsteps of Christ their leader and savior. These did NOT commit any atrocities.
 
Thus, as can be readily seen, Christianity did not take the same path as most other religions that of having some good and some bad, but instead had a bad large group, and a much smaller good group. The colonial powers, however, brought the bad group to India, Pakistan, the New World [most of South America and North America], and many of the islands of the sea; and they went on committing atrocities in all of these places. This was because the apostate Christians were actually doing Satan the Devils' work per 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and John 5:19, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." (AV).
 
WRONG OPINION HELD BY MANY:
 
Due to the wrong actions, atrocities, committed by the first group, the apostate Christians, "[1] In 325 AD the greater part of the so called Christian faith went apostate to when the good favor of a pagan emperor, a worshipper of the Unconquered Sun. And this branch of apostate Christians went on to commit many atrocities such as the rape of Goa, the Crusades, the Inquisitions, the burning of individuals at the stake for disagreeing with them including one Bruno for simply saying that the earth revolved around the sun; whereas, they said the sun revolved around the earth." Many hold wrong opinions of ALL Christians. Why? Because they have generalized the actions and wrongs of the first group and incorrectly applied them to genuine footstep followers of Christ also, the "[2] A second and much smaller group of Christians that remained genuine Christians and did NOT go apostate, but followed in the footsteps of Christ their leader and savior. These did NOT commit any atrocities."
 
Of course this generalization results in a wrong understanding of Christianity on the part of many. One writer who did NOT understand the crucial difference between these two groups said,
 
"You use one bunch of Christians to expose the bullsh**t propagated by another bunch of Christians. All of the Christians are more than 50% crap."
 
Clearly showing he had no comprehension of the two different paths taken by so called Christianity.
 
Another writer, in this case a Hindu, showed the same lack of comprehension with respect the two different paths taken by so called Christianity and said.
 
"You just using counterfeit christianity as a tool to dissaccociate yourself from the same christians that commited the most horrendous attrocities, live with it, you all have blood stained on your hands, I admit I am ashamed of what the brahmins, what's dont is done, we are doing what we can to uplift the dalits."
 
Obviously this individual also does not understand that so called Christianity took two different paths, and is NOT being rational either as he has shown that he can not bear to hear the truth, the facts? Well let's look at the counterfeit side of Christianity and the atrocities they have committed, and maybe individual like these two will start to realize the truth with respect the two different paths so called Christianity took." [source - Discourse on the Two Paths of So Called Christianity - The Genuine and the Counterfeit by Iris the Preacher 2003]
 
Of course some would take issue with this classification and point to the large groups that exist within Christendom and their fine buildings such as the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), the Lutheran Church, the Methodist, the Church of the East (Orthodox), etc.   But they willfully overlook the fact that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ said is genuine (true) followers would be few in number.   First let's consider both Luke 13:24 and Matthew 7:13-14 to see this reality, it is in both of these that the road followed by true believers would be narrow and cramped, Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Authorized King James Bible: AV); And Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, abroad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (AV); thereby, clearly showing few would be entering the narrow gate "which leadeth unto life." In reality, it will be difficult for even true Christians to enter as testified to at 1 Peter 4:18, "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear." (AV). In order to enter, we must have the right sort of guide, Luke 1:79, "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (AV). Now, if one picks the wrong group, just because it is popular or the so called 'one to belong to in a community' and not because of Bible Truths, there is an important warning given at Matthew 15:14, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (AV). In fact, being with the wrong group can mean you are NOT having fellowship with the Son of God, Jesus (Yeshua) as testified to at 1 John 1:6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not [have] the truth." (AV). This danger is made abundantly clear at Luke 12:32 when Jesus (Yeshua) spoke of his true followers as a little flock and not a large one, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (AV). Simply stated, his true followers will be relatively few in number which should cause all sincere individuals to question whether mainstream religion with its vast membership is heading for the narrow gate!  Therefore, groups with large numbers could not be the genuine (true) followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ or he would in effect become a liar, and he is not that.
 
 
NONE ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS:
 
There are many none Abrahamic religions.   Dharmic religions "are a family of religions that have originated from the Indian subcontinent. They encompass the Vedic religion (now Hinduism), Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.  Dharmic religions are one of the three major schools of religion in the world, the others being Abrahamic religions and Taoic religions. The theology and philosophy of Dharmic Religions center on the concept of Dharma, a Sanskrit term for "fixed decree, law, duty", especially in a spiritual sense of "natural law, reality". It is mostly influential across the Indian subcontinent, East Asia and South East Asia with influence felt throughout the world. These Dharmic religions are very closely interrelated." [references - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
 
Taoic religion "is a religion, or religious philosophy, that focuses on the East Asian concept of Tao ("The Way"; pinyin Dao, Korean Do, Japanese To or Do, Vietnamese Ð?o). This forms a large group of religions including Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto, Yiguandao, Chondogyo, Caodaism, Jeung San Do and Chen Tao . Taoic religion as a world religion group is comparable to Abrahamic religion and Dharmic religion.    Taoic faiths claim at least 500 million members worldwide.
Ancient Chinese philosophies defined Tao and advocated cultivating De in that Tao.   There are ancient schools that have merged into traditions under different names or are no longer active, such as Mohism and many others of the Hundred Schools of Thought, while some such as Taoism persist to the modern day. Taoic religion is usually polytheistic or nontheistic, but henotheistic, monotheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic and agnostic varieties exist, inside and outside of Asia. Taoic religion has Western adherents, though their interpretation may significantly differ from traditional East Asian thought and culture."
 
CONCLUSION:
 
All Abrahamic religions can trace their roots to the descendants of Abraham.
Islam, from the descendants of Abraham's son Ishmael who sometime after the passing of Ishmael became worshippers of a celestial Moon god who was called by many names early on, but eventually became called "Allah."
Judism, from the descendants of Abraham's son Isaac with whom the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Noah, etc., the creator of all there is, made the "everlasting covenant."
Christianity, from the descendants of Abraham's son Isaac whom the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Noah, etc., the creator of all there is, made the "everlasting covenant."   Jesus (Yeshua) Christ was born into a Jewish family as testified to at Matthew 1:18-25, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.   19  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.   20  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.   21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.   22  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,   23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.   24  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:   25  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).   Also, all of his Apostles were natural born Jews.
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION – BOTH TRUE AND FALSE – AT  WWW.JW.ORG