COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]   BOGUS CLAIMS OF THOSE AGAINST WORLD TRANQUILITY WITH RESPECT WHO IS A HEBREW (JEW):

[1]     SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [407B]


These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.   John 16:33,  [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Jesus (Yeshua) shows we will have peace in what he said that was recorded at John 14:27, [AV] “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  Yes, he is are peace per Ephesians 2:14, [AV] “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”  As 1 John 4: 5- 9, [AV] puts it,  “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.  7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”   


[2]     BOGUS CLAIMS OF THOSE AGAINST WORLD TRANQUILITY WITH RESPECT WHO        IS A HEBREW (JEW):

INTRODUCTION:

Many Ishmaelites, the greedy ones, want to destroy world peace and tranquility due to their greed for land that is NOT theirs.   The Ishmaelites control over 98 percent of the middle east, and some are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews, even to have the less than two (2) percent of the land that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael gave to them in perpetuity.

To this end they harass their brother tribe and destroy the peace and tranquility of the world due to their greed.   To stir up violence and destroy world tranquility they throw rockets at the brother tribe's nation and kidnap his soldiers peacefully manning their border post within the land that belongs to them.

Now the question is why do the greedy Ishmaelites have so much hate for their brother tribe, the Hebrews, and so much desire to destroy world tranquility; whereas, they should have a love for their brother tribe, the Hebrews and should want peace?    At present, many of these greedy Ishmaleites, I am referring only to the greedy ones and not to all Ishmaelites of which I am one, falsely claim they have no jobs/employment and blame it on their brother tribe, the Hebrews; whereas, the blame actually belongs on the greedy Ishmaleites who would rather spend their time hating and their money on implements of violence instead using their time and resources for the setting up businesses and factories to provide employment.   Something is wrong with them for letting greed destroy common sense and a chance to progress.

THE BIG QUESTION:

Why are they so greedy and why do they love violence and putting others down instead of tranquility and friendly relationships in keeping with what Jesus (Yeshua) said at Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Authorized King James Bible; AV); and Matthew 5:43, " Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." (AV); and Matthew 19:19, "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and Matthew 22:39, " And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and Matthew 12:31, "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (AV); and Romans 13:9, "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); Galatians 5:14, " For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (AV); and James 2:8, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:" (AV).

Now why are you so full of hate and a desire for violence and so against world tranquility and peace?

As one Australian newspaper noted, <<"[b]Did you know that 90-95% of the conflicts in the world today are Muslims fighting non-muslims or each other? Islam is intolerant of other religions, so much so that Christians in Nigeria, Sudan and middle eastern countries are killed for practicing their religion. Muslims are also responsible for burning down their churches. Sydney has recently seen an attack on four churches for similar reasons. (December 16, 2005) How can we tolerate such intolerance?" [source - The Weekend Australian, November 26-27, 2005]>>.  Says it all.

THEY CAN NOT ACCEPT TRUTH SO THEY REJECT THE BIBLE:

Since they can NOT accept the truth, they reject the word of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, and even some of them have the nerve to call it obsolete.  Let's look at the facts, Of course many members of Islam reject what the Bible says, but is this reasonable considering that their Quran like the Book of Mormon is nothing but a knockoff of the Bible? Now the well known rule of precedence is that the earlier document shall have precedence over the later that used information from it just as the earlier granting of land title takes precedence in any title search or action at law over the later. Many overlook the fact that the Bible is NOT the product of one committee or strongman as was the Quran and the Book of Mormon. It has over 40 individual writers who wrote under divine inspiration/guidance putting the thoughts of God (YHWH) into the words of men much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. In other words one real author, God (YHWH), and many scribes each of whom wrote in his own style over a period of approximately 1,600 years. All of what people call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.

OBFUSCIATION OF THE FACTS AND OUTRIGHT TOTAL GREED:

Outright Greed:

One such obfuscating individual even said the following, <<"I am just thinking how to put the fact that I want my descendants to invade the United States and force all current day Americans into small encampments with little to no food or water, into a nice little verse. Hmmm "Thou shalt murderest the Americans, for the Land is yours....from Utah to Texas...because I say so....who cares about the current day inhabitants; do I look like I care? Punk *** squatters best recognize....Women to children, they shalt leave their homes...I mean my homes, no wait your homes feel me holmes? ...And if they dont leave, then bomb their education centers, places of worship, and their power stations...Ensure that the brutality far surpasses that which was once perpertrated upon ourselves, in fact use the Spanish Inquisition as constant excuse for your murdering, raping and plundering of their wait I mean, your land...It has been written.". Remember those words everyone, for 2,000 years later they can be used as a documented piece of evidence that proves that my descendants are the rightful owners of the United States.">> clearly showing their love of violence and extreme greed.    The above clearly shows their love of violence and greed to grab the land of hother.

This clearly shows how they love to obfuscate and distort the issue of whose land it is, but this has always been the Standard Operating Principle (SOP) of the greedy Ishmaelites.   Let's look at the facts, as previously shown by an Australian newspaper, 95 percent of the violence and destruction we see in the world so far in 2006 has been caused by greedy Ishmaelites, such things as train bombings, their different sects bombing each other's mosques and killing each others members, suicide bombers, road side bombs, bus bombings, kidnapping of other peoples soldiers to ignite violence, going irrationally insane over stupid cartoons, etc.

Of course this has been their SOP from the beginning as shown by what they did in the Eighth Century as one example, In 711 the Visigothic were ruling in Spain and in no way attacking Islam, yet Islam attacked them without any real provocation. Yes, of course they claimed they had provocation, i.e., they claimed that last Visigoth king, Roderick had seduced the young Florinda, daughter of Julian, Visigothic governor of Ceuta in north Africa an apostate (counterfeit) Christian and they were out to avenge this; but clearly two things stand out, First, it was none of their business, Second, there is no evidence that this ever occurred.

Now Let's look at proof that the greedy Ishmaleites were just out to grab land that belonged to others, <<" In 711 CE Tariq ibn Ziyad, the governor of Tangiers, landed in Gibraltar with around 10,000 men, mostly Berbers (indigenous North Africans). He had some of Roderick's Visigoth rivals as allies. In the same or following year in the Cadiz province, Roderick's army was decimated and he is thought to have drowned as he fled. The Visigothic survivors fled to the north of Spain, and within a few years, the Muslims had taken over the rest of the Iberian Peninsula bar a few areas in the Asturian Mountains bordering France.
[source - http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0075_popup9.htm]

As can easily be seen, the greedy Ishmaelites, note this refers only to the greedy Ishmaelites and not all Ishmaelites,  were out to swipe land NOT belonging to them and used Tariq ibn Ziyad, a Muslim general, to accomplish this terrible wrong. This of course is not being peaceful in any way.

Obfuscation by the Greedy Ishmaelites:

They try to obfuscate the issue which is they want the entire middle east of which they now have over 98 percent for themselves, and do not want their brother tribe to have even less than two (2) percent of it even though this very small amount was given to them by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael - what unabated GREED.    They make irrelevant claims such as European Jews (Hebrews) are not really Hebrews and have no right to the land that the creator of all there is gave to the Hebrews, and other bogus claims to 'self justify' their greed.   But facts do not agree with their claims.   Let's look at what one pastor wrote showing the facts from the Bible, <<" The nation of Israel, or the descendants of Jacob multiplied in Egypt into a great and mighty nation from the wombs of Gentile men and women who became Jews by choice. The whole meaning of the word *proselyte* as it relates to the Jewish religion is a Jew by choice. Again, these Gentile women and their children became identified into the tribes of which their male husband descended. These also adopted and inherited all of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These became joint heirs of all the blessings and the promises. You guess the skin color. Were the original Jews really white?
Out of Egypt came a great multitude. Of this multitude it is written that there was also a *mixed* multitude (Exodus 12:38). What are we to make of the word *mixed* except *mingled seed* of the sons, grandsons, and great grandsons unto the fourth generation of Jacob with the Egyptian bloodline. This mixed bloodline multitude stood at Mount Sinai with all the others and swore into the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they would do all that was commanded of them that day (Exodus 19:8). This was in effect a confession of two things: 1.) The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, would become their God and: 2.) The people of Israel would become their people. After this conversion agreement the mixed and mingled multitude became Jews by choice and came under the Covenant of Sinai and they are then after numbered with the nation of Israel. There existed no distinction between these and the others. God made of the converted Gentiles no difference than those he considered Israelites at Mount Sinai. Conversion then to God and the willingness to place one's self under the Almighty God as his worshiper, was considered adoption into the Israel of God. Among males, the final act of conversion was circumcision. Circumcision was considered coming under the binding promises and covenant of Abraham that preceded the Law by 430 years. Children born of this circumcision were thence considered Israelites and members of their respective tribe and expected by faith the fulfillment of the promise of Abraham upon them." [source - Dual Identity, Jew By Choice by Cohen G. Reckart, Pastor and the Bible] >>.

Also, DNA evidence clearly shows that the contentions of the greedy is NOT so.   Let's look at the facts, <<? "Despite their long-term residence in different countries and isolation from one another, most Jewish populations were not significantly different from one another at the genetic level. The results support the hypothesis that the paternal gene pools of Jewish communities from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East descended from a common Middle Eastern ancestral population, and suggest that most Jewish communities have remained relatively isolated from neighboring non-Jewish communities during and after the Diaspora."
- M.F. Hammer, Proc. Nat'l Academy of Science, May 9, 2000
? In addition to oral tradition and copious historical evidence, the genetic evidence stands firmly behind the common ancestry of both Ashkenazim and Sephardim in the Near East, and against any non-Jewish origin for either of these groups. Below are a collection of scientific journal articles including abstracts available worldwide on Pubmed and Medline.
Jewish and middle eastern non-jewish populations share a common pool of Y-chromosome biallelic haplotypes.

Hammer MF, Redd AJ, Wood ET, Bonner MR, Jarjanazi H, Karafet T, Santachiara-Benerecetti S, Oppenheim A, Jobling MA, Jenkins T, Ostrer H, Bonne-Tamir B

Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and Evolution, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; Department of Genetics, Universita degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy; Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.

[Medline record in process]

Haplotypes constructed from Y-chromosome markers were used to trace the paternal origins of the Jewish Diaspora. A set of 18 biallelic polymorphisms was genotyped in 1,371 males from 29 populations, including 7 Jewish (Ashkenazi, Roman, North African, Kurdish, Near Eastern, Yemenite, and Ethiopian) and 16 non-Jewish groups from similar geographic locations. The Jewish populations were characterized by a diverse set of 13 haplotypes that were also present in non-Jewish populations from Africa, Asia, and Europe. A series of analyses was performed to address whether modern Jewish Y-chromosome diversity derives mainly from a common Middle Eastern source population or from admixture with neighboring non-Jewish populations during and after the Diaspora. Despite their long-term residence in different countries and isolation from one another, most Jewish populations were not significantly different from one another at the genetic level. Admixture estimates suggested low levels of European Y-chromosome gene flow into Ashkenazi and Roman Jewish communities. A multidimensional scaling plot placed six of the seven Jewish populations in a relatively tight cluster that was interspersed with Middle Eastern non-Jewish populations, including Palestinians and Syrians. Pairwise differentiation tests further indicated that these Jewish and Middle Eastern non-Jewish populations were not statistically different. The results support the hypothesis that the paternal gene pools of Jewish communities from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East descended from a common Middle Eastern ancestral population, and suggest that most Jewish communities have remained relatively isolated from neighboring non-Jewish communities during and after the Diaspora.

PMID: 10801975, UI: 20300976
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000 Jun 6;97(12):6769-74
? The common, Near-Eastern origin of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews supported by Y-chromosome similarity.

Santachiara Benerecetti AS, Semino O, Passarino G, Torroni A, Brdicka R, Fellous M, Modiano G

Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare, Universita della Calabria, Cosenza, Italy.

About 80 Sephardim, 80 Ashkenazim and 100 Czechoslovaks were examined for the Y-specific RFLPs revealed by the probes p12f2 and p49a,f on TaqI DNA digests. The aim of the study was to investigate the origin of the Ashkenazi gene pool through the analysis of markers which, having an exclusively holoandric transmission, are useful to estimate paternal gene flow. The comparison of the two groups of Jews with each other and with Czechoslovaks (which have been taken as a representative source of foreign Y-chromosomes for Ashkenazim) shows a great similarity between Sephardim and Ashkenazim who are very different from Czechoslovaks. On the other hand both groups of Jews appear to be closely related to Lebanese. A preliminary evaluation suggests that the contribution of foreign males to the Ashkenazi gene pool has been very low (1% or less per generation)." [source - The Peace Encyclopedia]>>.

CONCLUSION:

Now the facts are simple.   The Ishmaelites, the greedy ones, are simply out to destroy world peace and tranquility as a subterfuge to swipe ever more land from others with this clearly being shown in the greedy statement of one of them previously presented.   They care not for facts, only to satiate their greed.   Obfuscation is just another tool in their SOP with respect satiating their greed.

They care NOT for world tranquility and/or peace and hate all others.   Remember John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (AV) and beware of this evil.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Many Muslims Do NOT Respect Order of Law

INTRODUCTION:

Criminals, be they men, women, or children should be prosecuted under law and should NEVER be released due to the criminal acts of others.   No nation and/or police force should ever agree to release criminals and/or those waiting to be tried on criminal charges in order to free victims of other criminal activities.   To do so is NOT in accordance with order of law, and only leads to more criminal acts since the nation and/or police force is shown NOT to have a backbone for enforcing the law as they should.

Criminals should be punished for their criminal acts if respect for law and order is to be maintained against the wicked criminal element.

MANY MUSLIMS BACK THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT:

Many Muslims back the criminal element and want to commit criminal acts to get wicked criminals freed.   Why?   Because they like the criminals, but know they are guilty and will be found so in a court of law in any democratic country.

Let's look at an example where this warped concept is brought into play,  <<"Palestinian officials said they had not received a response to their demand that Israel guarantees that it will free women, children and long-serving Palestinian prisoners before an Israeli soldier seized by Gaza militants is released.

Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, was captured by Hamas-linked militants in a cross-border raid on June 25 that prompted the latest Israeli incursion into Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers were killed.

Dr. Salah Bardawil, a senior Hamas official, said Israel's refusal to guarantee that it would release any Palestinian prisoners if Shalit were freed created a stalemate." [source - article by By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer, "Palestinians brace for more Gaza raids."]>>, when they should return immediately the kidnapped victim, Gilad Shalit, and turn over the wicked murderers that did the wicked act and also the wicked acts of two murders.   No, but instead, they want criminals released that they know are guilty of criminal acts.    Now, if they had asked for a guarantee of fair trials for criminals that would of course be okay.

Now of course this is just one example to this warped evil thinking.   To wit, the entire battle that Hezbollah created and bears full responsibility for in which some Hezbollah criminals  crossed an international boundary and wickedly murdered eight Israelis and kidnapped two with the tacit approval of Lebanon who did nothing about it.   This makes Lebanon an accessory after-the-fact to this heinous crime, and they therefore must bear the responsibility along with Israel for this wicked act.

Now any civilized government would NOT permit a criminal association such as Hezbollah to operate in their country and to have members of this criminal association, Hezbollah, as members of their government, i.e., they are members of the Lebanese parliament, and were licensed to operate a TV station, can you imagine that?

These evil criminals also seek to free guilty criminals in exchange for kidnapped victims.    One criminal act on top of another. 

Order of law must be restored in the middle east or the region is going to go into absolute chaos which will not be in anyone's long term interest.

Criminals must be made to serve out their just sentence and all should respect the order of law process instead of thinking they can commit any evil crime and that their fellow criminals will get them out by another evil act of murder and kidnapping.

CONCLUSION:

Order of law must be implemented in the middle east.   Criminals must be taught to respect law and order, and all governments must come to respect order of law also.   

In addition, hate and violence, must give away to neighbor love and assistance if the middle east is ever to obtain stability.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT    WWW.JW.ORG [/b]

COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]    ISLAM IS DELUSIONAL - DOES NOT RECOGNIZE FACTS  [PART 1 AS 408B AND PART 2 AS 408-1/2B]

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND PART 2 AS 408-1/2B

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;   2 Peter 2:4, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

In the days just before the great flood of Noah’s day the world was very wicked and even some of the heavenly bings revolted against Almighty God (YHWH) and materialized human bodies and married the daughters of mankind as revealed at Genesis 6:4 - 5, [AV] “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.  5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  These evil humans that had deserted God were destroyed in the great flood of Noah’s day, but the disobedient heavenly beings were per Jude 6, [AV] “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”

PART 2 OF ISLAM IS DELUSIONAL – FOES NOT RECOGNIZE FACTS:

PART 2 FROM CONTINUATION OF PART 1 OF 408B

27. But being constantly exposed to torrents, it was destroyed, and was rebuilt by Qusaiy ibn Kilab, who put a top to it. Up to this time it is said to have been open at the roof. (A Dictionary Of Islam, Thomas Patrick Hughes, 1965, Kaba, p 256)
28. The roof was supported within by six pillars, and the statue of Hubal was placed over a wall then existing within the Ka'bah. This took place during the youth of Muhammad. Al-Azraqi, quoted by Burekhardt, says that-the figure of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus was sculptured as a deity upon one of the six pillars nearest the gate. (A Dictionary Of Islam, Thomas Patrick Hughes, 1965, Kaba, p 256)
29. According to the Traditions and the inventive genius of Muslim writers, the Ka'bah was. first constructed in heaven (where a model of it still remains, called the Baitu 'l-Ma'mur) two thousand years before the creation of the world. Adam erected the Ka'bah on earth exactly below the spot its perfect model occupies in heaven, and selected the stones from the five sacred mountains, Sinai, al-Judi, Hire, Olivet, and Lebanon. Ten thousand angels were appointed to guard the structure; but, as Burckhardt remarks, they appear to have been often most remiss in their duty! At the Deluge the Sacred House was destroyed. But the Almighty is said to have instructed Abraham to rebuild it. In its reconstruction Abraham was assisted by his son Ishmael, who with his mother Hagar were at the time residents of Makkah, Abraham having journeyed from Syria in order to obey the commands of God. Upon digging they found the original foundations of the building. But wanting a stone to mark the corner of the building, Ishmael started in search of one, and as he was going in the direction of Jabal Qubais, the angel Gabriel met him, and gave him the famous black stone. Ibn 'Abbas relates that the Prophet said, the black stone when it came down from Paradise was whiter than milk, but that it has become black from the sin of those who have touched it. (MisWf, book Ii. Ch. iv. pt. 2.) (A Dictionary Of Islam, Thomas Patrick Hughes, 1965, Kaba, p 256)
30. The pagan Arabs practiced polytheism. They worshipped nature, stones. angels and demons. Particular reverence was accorded the three 'daughters of God', and various national, local and family idols. Each tribe gave allegiance to a special protector: one god to whom it turned in time of distress. Our modern altars may have had their beginnings in the stone worship of the ancients. One stone still holds a revered spot in the Arab heart. This is the stone that fell from paradise at the fall of Adam. Pure white it was and housed in a temple built by Seth, Adam's son, until a great flood ravaged the land, destroyed the temple, and buried it under the mud and debris. Tradition relates that the stone remained hidden until Abraham sent his wife Hagar into the desert with their infant son Ishmael. One day, weakened by thirst, Hagar laid her baby on the sand to rest. His fitful thrashings uncovered a spring of clear water near the site of the lost relic. It is told that an angel descended from heaven and helped recover the sacred stone and that Ishmael rebuilt the holy house of Seth with the assistance of Abraham and the archangel Gabriel. This, in brief, is the story of the Kaaba,' holiest building in Islam. (Islam and the Arabs, Rom Landau, 1958 p 11-21)
31. It is clear from these and similar Quranic texts that the original pilgrimage rituals were not so much being described to Abraham as alluded to for the benefit of a Meccan audience that was already quite familiar with them.' It was once again left for later commentators to fill in the details, not of the Hajj, to be sure, which was well known to all, but of Abraham and Ishmael's connection with it. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
32. In this passage he describes how Abraham, at God's urging, performed that original pilgrimage ritual. Abu al-Walid related to us ... (from) Uthman ibn Saj: Muhammad ibn Ishaq reported to me: When Abraham the Friend of the Merciful finished building the sacred House, Gabriel came and said: "Circle it seven times!" and he circumambulated it seven times with Ishmael, touching all the corners during each circumambulation. When they had completed seven, he and Ishmael prayed two prostrations behind the stone [maqam]. He said: Gabriel got up with them and showed him all the ritual stations: al-Safa, al-Marwa, Mina, Muzdalifa, and Arafat. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
33. As these accounts attempt to demonstrate, the complex ritual the Muslims call the Hajj or Pilgrimage can be traced back, in general and in each specific detail, to Adam and, more proximately, to Abraham, whose intent and practices Muhammad was to restore so many centuries later. For the non-Muslim, however, the Meccan rituals are striking remnants of a pagan, albeit Semitic, past in Arabia, which the Prophet of Islam permitted to survive by incorporating them into his own prescriptions. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
34. It was the Zamzam, then, or perhaps the two high places called Safa and Marwa, that established the sanctity of the site of Mecca, though how long before Qusayy we cannot say. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
35. As for archeological evidence, it is sparse indeed, particularly from Arabia, where excavation is still in its very early stage and the sparse results are speculative in the extreme. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
36. In a chapter entitled "The Building of the Ka'ba by the Quraysh in the Age of Barbarism," the Meccan historian at-Azi-aqi (d. 834 C.F.) collected some of the traditions still extent on the early appearance of the House before its substantial reconstruction during the early manhood of Muhammad. Some men from quraysh sat in the sanctuary ... and were remembering the building of the Ka'ba and they described how it was before that time. It was built of dried [unmortared] stones and not with clay or mud. Its door was on ground level and it had no roof or ceiling. The curtain (kiswa) was hung on its wall on one side and was tied to the top of the center of the wall. On the right as one entered the Ka'ba there was a pit where gifts of money and goods for the Ka'ba were deposited. In this pit sat a snake to guard it, which God had sent at the time of the (tribe of) jurhum.... The horns of the ram that Abraham had slaughtered (in place of Isaac or Ishmael) were hanging on the wall facing the entrance. The were ornaments hanging in it which had been given as gifts. (Azraqi 1858: 106) Tabari tells a story from Ibn Ishaq that casts a little more light on the earlier building: The, reason for their [the Quraysh's] demolition of the ka'ba (early in the seventh century C.E.) was that at this time it consisted of loose stones rising to somewhat above a man's height, and they wished to make it higher and roof it over since some men, Quraysh and others, had stolen the treasure of the Ka'ba, which was kept in a well in its interior. (Tabai-i, Annals 1.1130 = Tabari vi: 51) By this account the Ka'ba does not appear to be a house at all but rather some kind of enclosure built around a pit or dry well, an enclosure that was, however, draped with a cloth curtain (kiswa) in a manner to give it the appearance of a tent. ... A tent like structure makes more sense, and it has been plausibly suggested that the later cubiform stone building, the ancestor of the one that stands in Mecca today, succeeded a square or quadrangular tent and so was distinguished from the round tents of the inhabitants of the settlement.19 The sequence would not be very different, then, from the Israelite one: the Ark of the desert wanderings continued to be housed in a tent even after its transfer to urban Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:17); and when it was finally housed in a stone building, that "holy of holies" was likewise a ka'ba, twenty cubits in length and width and height (1 Kings 6:20). (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
37. Nor was Mecca's the only Such building in Arabia. An early Muslim historian of the antiquities, Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, reported the presence of other ka'bas in and around the peninsula: The Banu al-Harith lbn Ka'b had in Najran a ka'ba which they venerated. ... The Iyad had another ka'ba in Sindad, (which is located) in a region between Kufa and Basra (in Iraq). (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
38. We cannot say, then, how typical the obviously crude Meccan structure was. But whether typical or not, its primitive and makeshift architecture comes as no surprise: not only was it situated in a wadi, and so vulnerable to the normal destructive consequences; but the Meccan Ka'ba was also built to serve people who were originally nomads and who had, even by the late sixth century, so little skill at construction that they required the assistance of a foreign carpenter to put a timber roof on the edifice. But for all that, it was a temple and had all the primary characteristics of such: a quadrangular cella oriented to the cardinal compass points, 20 a sacred rock and sacred spring, a characteristic haram with the usual privileges of the right of asylum, and so on. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
39. Although it is true that the primary liturgy connected with the Mecca building, the ritual circumambulation, was performed outside, there is almost no trace, either before or under Islam, of the notion that the interior of the Ka'ba was in any way more sacred than the surrounding Haram. Access to it was controlled, as we shall have many occasions to see, but exclusively, it would appear, on the grounds of political privilege. ...The Ka'ba was not, then, a more sacred haram within the larger Haram that surrounded it. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
40. According to Muslim tradition, this had been a part, though not a structural part, of the building from the beginning, that is to say, from Adam's original construction of the House of God. But the tradition also remembered that the stone had come from Abu Qubays, a mountain overlooking Mecca." The two strands of tradition were harmonized in an account whereby the stone was concealed on Abu Qubays during the era of the Flood, when Adam's original Ka'ba was destroyed, and then restored to Abraham for inclusion in his version of the Ka'ba. But the harmonization was not perfect. Other traditions recollected that the Black Stone, or at least its inclusion in the Ka'ba, was of much more recent origin. Ibn Sa'd says that the Quraysh brought it down from Abu Qubays only four years before Muhammad's first revelation. 21 In another account, from al-Fakihi, it is traced back to the Quraysh's first reconstruction of the building, possibly at the time of Qusayy. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
41. But if, as seems equally likely, the stone was originally one of the portable betyls of the early settlers at Mecca, its incorporation into the structure of the Ka'bal like the depiction of similar stones on the walls of temples at Madain Salih and elsewhere, would signal the decision of nomads to make a fixed settlement." (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
42. It has been suggested, for example, that a low wall, and so the hijr enclosure, once surrounded the Ka'ba on all sides and marked the area within which the idols were worshiped through sacrifice,31 or, more enticingly but less convincingly, that the hatim represents the remains of the apse of a Christian church oriented toward Jerusalem, which, it will be seen, was the direction in which once Muhammad prayed while he was still at Mecca. The word hijr itself means "inviolable" or "taboo," and it occurs once in that sense in the Quran (6:137-139), in reference not to the area near the Ka'ba but to animals and crops earmarked as belonging to the gods, a sense that supports the contention that the hijr, whatever its original extent, may have served as a pen for the animals destined for sacrifice to the idols around the Ka'ba.33 Whether it was so used in Muhammad's own lifetime seems doubtful, however, at least on the evidence of the Muslim authorities. As the hijr is portrayed in Muhammad's day, it was a place of common assembly where political matters were discussed, or people prayed, or, as it appears, slept. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
43. Al-Fakihi then records a tradition traced back to Ibn Abbas stating that there is an inscription on the maqam saying: "This is the House of God, He put it on the quadrangles of His throne, its sustenance will come from this and that, its people will be the first to suspend its sanctity." (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
44. If pilgrims are drawn to it, so too are historians, who see in the source called Zamzam a plausible explanation of why there was a sanctuary in the wadi of Mecca in the first place. In the nineteenth century Julius Wellhausen pronounced the Zamzam "the only spring of Mecca and so likely the origin of the holy place as well as the city," and other authorities have generally been inclined to agree. There are problems, however. Other wells quenched Mecca," as Ibn Ishaq reveals when speaking of the Zamzam. Zamzam utterly eclipsed the other wells from which the pilgrims used to get their water, and the people went to it because it was in the sacred enclosure and because its water was superior to any other; and also because it was the well of Ishmael, son of Abraham. Because of it the Banu Abd Manaf behaved boastfully towards the Quraysh and the other Arabs. (Ibn Ishaq 1955: 65) The Zamzam was not, then, unique; it was simply superior, and the basis of that superiority-leaving aside the debated question of the quality of its water-was that its origin went back to Abrahamic days, when, as we have seen, it was miraculously discovered and saved the life of Ishmael. Zamzam, it was argued, was thus mentioned in the Bible, particularly if one accepted its identification with the miraculous life-saving spring mentioned in Genesis 21:19. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
45. Safa and Marwa ... This is as much as the Quran says. But the Muslim tradition offers two explanations for the practice, one "pagan" and one "Abrahamic." As we have already seen, the latter simply identifies Hagar's frantic search for water for the infant Ishmael with the ritual running between the hills before her providential discovery of the Zamzam. What is obviously an older and more primitive explanation has to do with two humans named Asaf and Na'ila, members of the jurhum: (The Quraysh) adopted Asaf (or Isaf) and Na'ila by the place of Zamzam, sacrificing beside them. They were (originally) a man and a woman of jurhum ... who copulated in the Ka'ba so God transformed them into two stones .... But God alone knows whether this is the truth. (Ibn Ishaq 1955: 37) Despite Ibn Ishaq's explicit misgivings, the colorful story became current in the Muslim authors and has been the point of departure for a wide variety of attempts to explain the reality, if any, behind the story and its connection with the "running" ritual .17 The names, which have to do with stones, appear to be Aramaic rather than Arabic and so have suggested foreign origins. What were transparently sacred stones, or perhaps stone idols-the jurhum story may reflect an etiological myth or be a distant echo of some form of ritual prostitution at the Ka'ba or nearby 48 were originally worshiped atop the "high places" of Safa and Marwa and then brought down somewhere in the vicinity of the Ka'ba by Qusayy himself. The circumambulation ritual continued to be performed at the two hills, but thereafter sacrifices were offered at the new sites of the idols. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
46. The construction of the Ka'ba is described in the Quran as the work of Abraham and Ishmael (2:127), and the circumstantial evidence suggests that this may have been a common belief among the pre-Islamic Quraysh. Yet there is no evidence, Quranic or circumstantial, that such a claim was made by Muhammad or had been accepted by the pagan Quraysh for the various Hajj rituals. Their association with Abraham appears to have occurred well after the Hajj had been embraced as an acceptable and meritorious way for a Muslim to worship God (Quran 2:197; 3:97). Absent the Abrahamic motif, the Hajj of Muhammad's Mecca disintegrates into an obscure series of acts centering not on Mecca but on the mountain called Arafat, eleven miles east of the city The Hajj, it has been maintained, originally had nothing to do with Mecca, as even the Islamic version of the ritual testifies: the climax of the Muslim Hajj was and is the "standing" at Arafat, followed by a procession to Mina and sacrifice there, after which the pilgrim was free to remove the ritual vestments." More, it was common knowledge that not the Quraysh but the Sufa, and later the Tamim, held the religious offices, the so-called "permission" (ijaza), at Arafat and Mina." And not only was Mecca not part of the original Hajj; there may have been no trading in the city in connection with its own rituals. Such, at any rate, one might conclude from the fact that the famous pilgrimage fairs-and Mecca is never numbered among them-are associated with Arafat and Mina and that the Quraysh seem to play no major role in them. 14 Thus the Meccan ritual was at some point joined to the Hajj, probably by Muhammad himself. (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
47. It may well have been Muhammad himself who determined that the Arafat ritual was the "Great Hajj" and the Umra the "Lesser," a distinction nowhere apparent in pre-Islamic times. The distinction between Umra and Hajj is already present in the Quran (2:197), but the latter ritual, which became an obligation for every Muslim, may be a composite of several different cult activities some at Mecca, some at shrines outside the city, woven, whether by Muhammad or by someone earlier, into a single liturgical act. The "running" between Safa and Marwa, for example, originally belonged to neither the Umra nor the Hajj, and some Muslims in fact protested its inclusion in either, objections that were presumably silenced by the revelation of Quran 2:158. There is no evidence that Muhammad substantially altered any of the basic rituals of the Meccan pilgrimages, whereas he did modify the chaotic "overflowing" (ifada) from Arafat and the time of the departure from Muzdalifa for Mina." So we may assume that the donning of special clothing and the entering into a taboo state was practiced in pre-Islamic Mecca as it was elsewhere in the Semitic world. The ritual in the Haram had chiefly to do with a circumambulation of the Ka'ba, which in Islamic days included the "greeting of the Black Stone," a gesture of touching, pressing, or kissing with abundant precedents in pre-Islamic practice, though of a very different import, as we shall see. Outside the Haram, ritual required the devotee to run back and forth, another type of "circumambulation,"" between the two hills of Safa and Marwa, the sites of the well-known idols of Asaf and Na'ila in pre-Islamic days. This latter ritual ended with the offering of sacrifices at Marwa." (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
48. Nor could they circumambulate the House except in the garment of the Hums. If they had no such garments they had to go round naked. If any man or woman felt scruples when they had no Hums garments, then they could go round in their ordinary clothes; but they had to throw them away afterwards so that neither they nor anyone else could make use of them. The Arabs called these clothes "the cast-off " They imposed all these restrictions on the Arabs, who accepted them and halted at Arafat, hastened from it, and circumambulated the House naked. The men at least went naked, while the women laid aside all their clothes except a shift wide open back and front. (Ibn Ishaq 1955: 87-88) (The Hajj, F. E. Peters, p 3-41, 1994)
49. The pagan Ka'bah, which became the Palladium of Islam, was an unpretentious cube-like (hence the name) building of primitive simplicity, originally roofless, serving as a shelter for a black meteorite which was venerated as a fetish. At the birth of Islam the structure was that rebuilt in 608 probably by an Abyssinian from the wreckage of a Byzantine or Abyssinian ship destroyed on the shore of the Red Sea. (History Of The Arabs, Philip K. Hitti, 1937, p 96-101)
50. Each pilgrim makes the tawaf or ritual circumambulation of the Ka'ba, a ceremony that has changed little, if at all, since pre-Islamic times. He will make seven circuits of the building, in an anti-clockwise movement, during which he will try to kiss, touch or otherwise greet the famous Black Stone which is set in a silver casing in the eastern corner. Muslims are taught that this is a fragment of the original temple, for the Ka'ba is said to have been rebuilt several times, before, during and after the Prophet's lifetime. (Islam in the World, Malise Ruthven, 1984, p 28-48)
51. I intend to put forward some of the evidence which has led me to think that the way in which the question is usually answered, both in the traditional Muslim literature and in works of modern scholarship, produces an inadequate account of the origins and development of the Muslim sanctuary, and I wish to propose the outlines of an alternative way of envisaging the islamization of the Meccan sanctuary. ... The process of islamization is not seen to involve any radical changes in the organization of the sanctuary, nor in the ceremonies associated with it. ... the Muslim sanctuary at Mecca continues to be seen as basically a continuation of the sanctuary of pagan times in the same place, and the islamization of that sanctuary continues to be associated with the prophetic career of Muhammad. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
52. The evidence which I wish to concentrate upon in this paper, and which I think is difficult to reconcile with the generally accepted version of the islamization of the Meccan sanctuary, is provided by the use in the Muslim literature of certain terms or names which are connected with the sanctuary at Mecca. ... These names or terms, it must be emphasized, are now applied to some of the most important features of the Muslim sanctuary at Mecca, but the evidence seems to show that they originated independently of that sanctuary and only later came to be used to designate features of it. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
53. Snouck Hurgronje's argument, which has become one of the most widely accepted ideas of modern scholarship on the beginnings of Islam, was that the adoption of the Meccan sanctuary by Muhammad has to be seen as a reaction to the rejection of him by the Jews of Medina. Only in the face of this, rejection, according to Snouck Hurgronje, did Muhammad move towards the arabization of his religion, a move in which the adoption of the Meccan sanctuary was an important step. And only at this time did Muhammad begin to formulate the doctrine that the Meccan sanctuary had been founded by Abraham, an idea which grew out of his contact with the Jews of Medina. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
54. It seems that the Muslim sanctuary at Mecca is the result of a sort of compromise between a pre-existing pagan sanctuary and sanctuary ideas which had developed first in a Jewish milieu. ... At a certain stage in the development of the new religion the need arose to assert its independence, and one of the most obvious ways in which this could be done was by establishing a specifically Muslim sanctuary. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
55. The Ka'ba itself is frequently said to have been demolished and rebuilt.7 The Black Stone is on a number of occasions removed from the Ka'ba and then restored to its place.8 The stone called Maqam Ibrahim is moved around by floods and by human actions.9 The well of Zamzam is "discovered" on two separate occasions.10 Al-Masjid al-Varam, explained as the mosque containing the Ka'ba at Mecca, is several times rebuilt and enlarged. (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)
56. even Muslim tradition recognized that the history of the sanctuary and its incorporation by Islam could not be presented as a simple, straightforward development. ... Furthermore, the traditional material on the history of the sanctuary is hardly of a sort to inspire confidence in it as a record of historical events. Sometimes we find the same basic material being made to refer to two allegedly separate events (Studies On The First Century Of Islamic Society, Editor G.H.A. Juynboll, Chapter 2: The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca, G.R. Hawting, p23-48)

The second part of this member of Islam's statement has already been debunked in answers to SELF-DECEPTION PART 2, so refer back to that.

SELF-DECEPTION PART 4:

One member of Islam said, <<"This is the exactly how trouble began with the Jews. Because God promissed the land to Abraham and his decendants, the Jews became jealous and rebellious and wanted to claim the land all for themselves without giving any share to Ishmael's descendants. (They still don't want to share it with anyone.)

The trouble began in the next chapter with the realization that Abraham had as yet no children with which to fulfill the covenant!!! Before the covenent was made, Abraham had only one wife (Sarah). Both Abraham and Sarah were in old age (around 90) and therefore chances of producing a child now were very low.

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." ( Genesis 16:1-2) Abram agreed and did what Sarai said.

So Sarah got Hagar married to Abraham, perhaps she could bear Abraham a son, and indeed she did bore him a son. He was called Ishmael and was therefore half Hebrew and half Egyptian (Abraham was Hebrew [i.e. not a Jew but more of an Arab] and Hagar was Egyptian [again not a Jewess]). When Hagar became pregnant, Sarah realised what was about to happen, that the son of Hagar would be the inheritor of Abraham, so she began to mock and abuse Hagar. This is when God sends an angel to Hagar with the message:

"You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Gen. 16:11)

Please note the context of the verse you just read and tell me how the words "he will be a wild donkey of a man" fit in this verse? God wants to heal the wounds of Hagar because she was being mocked and teased and he sends a message to calm her and give her hope and good news. Does it make sense therefore that God begins to say words like "He will be a wild donkey of a man" while trying to heal her wounds?? No it doesn't. It only makes sense that later on when the Jews realised the truth, they editted the books of moses and tried to make Ishmael (the first born of Abraham) look really bad.
(compare with this verse from the Holy Qur'an: Then woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say: "This is from Allah", to traffic with it for a miserable price. Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby" [Holy Qur'an 2:75])


Now Isaac was born when Ishmael was 13 years old. When Isaac was around two years old, Sarah saw that Ishmael was mocking with him. So she got angry and became jealous of him and told Abraham to send Ishmael and Hagar away from here. So Hagar and Ishmael were forced to flees into the desert where she finds refuge beside a spring of water (called ZamZam water in Arabic):

The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." [Genesis 21:8-10]

"... she [Sarah] said unto Abraham: 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac...' And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba." (Genesis 21:9,10,14) (very sad)


So there was always jelousy on the parts of Jews and descendants of Isaac. Those verses speak about covenant being made to Abraham and his decendants and not to the Jews or Isaac alone. Don't get me wrong. We Muslims do not say that Isaac was not blessed. We say that he too was blessed and we believe him as one the most righteous prophets of God. We just don't like the fact that the Jews and Christians exclude Ishmael and his descendants from the covenents when in fact God Himself has mentioned in many verses in the Bible that he will make Ishmael a "great nation":">>

Now most of this has already been debunked in the answers to SELF-DECEPTION PART 2, so refer back to that.

Also, Numbers 34:1-29 makes clear that the everlasting covenant and land grant was CLEARLY ONLY WITH ISRAEL THE DESCENDENTS OF ISAAC AS FOLLOWS, "[b]And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  2  Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof  3  Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:  4  And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon:  5  And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.  6  And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.  7  And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:  8  From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:  9  And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border.  10  And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham:  11  And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:  12  And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.  13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:  14  For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:  15  The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.  16 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  17  These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.  18  And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.  19  And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  20  And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.  21  Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.  22  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.  23  The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.  24  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.  25  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.  26  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.  27  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.  28  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.  29  These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan." (AV).   So it is easy to see that their claims are just delusional and have no basis in fact, reality, the truth.

CONCLUSION:

Thus as can clearly be seen, The first granting of title occurred around 1,500 B.C. when the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael gave land title to the ancient Hebrews, nation of Israel, to perpetuity in an everlasting covenant. Before that no one had title, but only possession of land; to wit, that was the beginning of land titlement. And this was by the highest possible authority of all, the creator of all there is, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, the highest authority in the universe so his absolute right to grant title to whom he pleased is of course beyond challenge.

So why the argument over whom Palestine rightfully belongs today? Because many Ishmaelites, the greedy ones, want to destroy world peace and tranquility due to their greed for land that is NOT theirs.   The Ishmaelites control over 98 percent of the middle east, and some are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews, even to have the less than two (2) percent of the land that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael gave to them in perpetuity.  This is the crux of the problem - GREED.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT    WWW.JW.ORG [/b]

COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]    PALESTINE BELONGS TO THE HEBREWS PER THE EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH THE SEEDS OF ISAAC, NOT ISHMAEL:

[1]     SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [410B]

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.  5  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 2:4 – 5,  [authorized King James Bible; AV]

The Apostle Luke highlighted the need to repent and be one with Almighty God (YHWH) in purpose at Acts 26:12, [AV] “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.”  And the Apostle Saul at Revelation 2:26, [AV] said, “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”  Clearly, both were showing the need for repentance if we are to win God’s approval.   


[2]      PALESTINE BELONGS TO THE HEBREWS PER THE EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH THE SEEDS OF ISAAC, NOT ISHMAEL:

INTRODUCTION:

Let's first gain an understanding of the granting of land title.  Now let's look at what land title is from an encyclopedia, <<" Title is a legal term for an owner's interest in a piece of property. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership. Conveyance of the document may be required in order to transfer ownership in the property to another person. Title is distinct from possession, a right that often accompanies ownership but is not necessarily sufficient to prove it. In many cases, both possession and title may be transferred independently of each other. [source -  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia].">>

Land title is different from possession. Let's illustrate this with an example provided by an encyclopedia, << The three elements of title are possession, the right of possession, and the right of property. Possession is the actual holding of a thing, with or without any right thereto. The right of possession is the right to legitimacy of possession (with or without actual possession), the evidence for which is such that the law will uphold it unless a better claim is proven. The right of property is that right which, if all relevant facts were known (and allowed), would defeat all other claims. Each of these may be in a different person.

For example, suppose A steals from B, what B had previously bought in good faith from C, which C had earlier stolen from D, which had been a heirloom of D's family for generations, but had originally been stolen centuries earlier (though this fact is now forgotten by all) from E. Here A has the possession, B has an apparent right of possession (as evidenced by the purchase), D has the absolute right of possession (being the best claim that can be proven), and the heirs of E, if they knew it, have the right of property, which they cannot prove. Good title consists in uniting these three (possession, right of possession, and right of property) in the same person(s).[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia].">>

Now note, something could have been stolen, squatted on, centuries earlier but that does NOT give the person in charge title in any way.

NOW LET'S CONSIDER WHOSE LAND PALESTINE REALLY IS:

Now let's look at who was the granter of title to land in Palestine and to whom:

Genesis 15:18 records the conferring of legitimate title to the Promise Land to the Hebrews (Jews) by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael as follows for a record to all men for all of time, "In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:" (American Standard Version; ASV).   That this was to be their land per the promise of the creator of all there is, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael is also made clear in Deuteronomy 10:11, "And Jehovah said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people; and they shall go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.."  (ASV).   And, this fact is even shown in the New Testament at Hebrews 11:9, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.  9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:" (ASV).

Now the "Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish" says this of the inheritance of the Hebrews, the promised land,  <<"The land of promise is constantly spoken of as the inheritance of Israel: the land flowing with milk and honey was given to them by God. #De 4:21 Ps 105:11, &c. So when Israel returns to take possession of the land in a future day, it is still called their inheritance. #Eze 45:1, &c. This all shews that they were and will be an earthly people, but God blessed them on earth in relationship with Himself as Jehovah, and will again bless them on earth when they own the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. In connection with this God calls Israel His inheritance: He hath chosen them for His own inheritance. #Ps 33:12 78:62, &c.[source - Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish]">>

In fact the true God (YHWH) of Abraham had very specific instructions with respect the land in the area he had given them in lawful perpetuity as the supreme being, the maker of all there is as shown at Deuteronomy 19:14, "Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it." (ASV); and Job 24:1-2, "Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?  2  Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof." (ASV); and Proverbs 22:28, "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." (ASV); and Proverbs 23:10, "Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:" (ASV).   But squatters have violated all these righteous commands of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham.   And as shown by Easton's Bible Dictionary, <<" Landmarks could not be removed without incurring the severe displeasure of God." [source - Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary]>>.

In fact, the Eclectic Notes on the Bible on Deuteronomy 19:14 notes, <<" Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark "Thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have fixed in thine inheritance," shows that there is a divine apportionment which is not to be interfered with. The inheritance is common to all; all are sons, children, brethren, and have a common portion in Christ and in the Spirit. But in detail each has an assigned portion, and it is to be our care, according to Deuteronomy, that our neighbour has his full portion. This is in keeping with the spirit of grace and consideration for the good of others which marks the book. We have no daughters of Zelophehad here desiring inheritance for themselves; our care here is that our neighbour's inheritance shall not be infringed upon. The inheritance is enjoyed in a neighbourly way; I can only enjoy your bit of it as you enjoy it, and therefore if I remove your landmark I really defraud myself! It is our interest to see that our neighbours enjoy their full assigned portion. In great part we enjoy the inheritance through our brethren; it is blessed to see them enjoying their portion; no one moving spiritually would wish to curtail it in the least degree. This stands in marked contrast with slaying our neighbour, even though such a thing should be done unwittingly. It emphasises the neighbourly character in which the inheritance is taken up. We get on together by fully recognising the portion assigned to each.

If any one's landmark is removed it is not only a wrong done to him, but it tends to impoverish all by interfering with the way in which God has given things. The clerical principle has greatly tended to remove landmarks, and has deprived the people of God of what divine favour would have made available in the brethren generally. The arrangements of men, and human order, are simply a removal of landmarks "which they of old time have fixed in thine inheritance." The commandments of the Lord #1Co 14:37 are fixed landmarks, and are not to be disregarded; they would give to each one his true spiritual place amongst the brethren for the benefit of all. Many of our neighbours have had their landmarks removed, and we all suffer from it, but our care should be to give full place to what is assigned by God to each. The inheritance will only be truly and spiritually enjoyed as we are set together in affection, and each holds his portion in relation to the common joy. To be self-centred, or to move independently of one's brethren, is really to lose the good of what God has given to others for our benefit as joint-heirs with them." [source - Eclectic Notes - eclectic Notes on the Bible]>>.

Another Bible dictionary says, <<"<<"Promised Land held in trust. Even the people Israel, to whom God had given the land for them to enjoy as landowners, were told by Jehovah that they were not actually owners of it but only held it in trust. He said concerning the sale of a family land estate: "So the land should not be sold in perpetuity, because the land is mine. For you are alien residents and settlers from my standpoint." (Le 25:23) God had ousted the Canaanites from the land for their disgusting practices. He warned he would also take away all title from Israel and drive them out of the land if they followed such practices, and when they later did, they were sent into exile. (Le 18:24-30; 25:18, 19; 26:27-33; Jer 52:27) After 70 years of desolation of their land, from 607 to 537 B.C.E., God mercifully reestablished them, but this time under Gentile domination. Eventually, in 70 C.E., the Romans completely destroyed Jerusalem and scattered its people.

Within the nation, tribes were assigned sections of the land or cities inside the boundaries of other tribes. Priests and Levites had cities with pasture grounds. (Jos 15-21) In turn, within the tribes families were allotted inheritances. These divisions became smaller as families subdivided their own allotments because of increase in numbers. This resulted in thorough cultivation and use of the land. Inheritances were not allowed to circulate from one tribe to another. To prevent this, women who inherited land (because there were no living brothers) had to marry within the tribe to hold their inheritance.-Nu 36:1-12." [source - Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2]>>.

Earliest grant of title takes precedence over later grants:

Now, how does this apply to the granting of title to the land of Palestine?  Well the grant of title to Palestine is the oldest recorded grant of title in all human history and occurred about 1,500 B.C., by the creator of all there is, and was in fulfillment of an earlier promise that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael had made to Abraham.  Therefore, with respect the land of Palestine, the land was granted to the Hebrews, the descendents of Abraham through Isaac, and it was granted before any other land was granted to anyone.   So title to the land of Palestine was granted by the highest possible authority and was the first grant of legitimate title ever made; therefore, the grantees, the Hebrews, have the strongest possible title due to the fact the grantor was the highest possible authority and it was granted at the earliest time.

Of course some try to deny that by questioning the Bible, but their objection is without standing. Let's look at the facts. Of course many members of Islam reject what the Bible says, but is this reasonable considering that their Quran like the Book of Mormon is nothing but a knockoff of the Bible? Now the well known rule of precedence is that the earlier document shall have precedence over the later that used information from it just as the earlier granting of land title takes precedence in any title search or action at law over the later. Many overlook the fact that the Bible is NOT the product of one committee or strongman as was the Quran and the Book of Mormon. It has over 40 individual writers who wrote under divine inspiration/guidance putting the thoughts of God (YHWH) into the words of men much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. In other words one real author, God (YHWH), and many scribes each of whom wrote in his own style over a period of approximately 1,600 years. All of what people call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.

ISLMIC DENIALS OF THE TRUTH, THE FACTS:

One member of Islam said, <<" Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. [Genesis 12:1-3]

God in this verse is speaking to Abraham and NOT the Jews or Isaac exclusively. Abraham's "nation" was through prophet Isaac (through which Moses and Jesus were born) AND ALSO through prophet Ishamel (through which prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) was born. So you cannot filter out the Muslims here.">>, but missed what was said at Genesis 17:15-22, "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.  16  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.  17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?  18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!  19  [b]And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.  20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.  21  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.  22  And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham." (AV).   So as can be seen from verse 19 and 22 that the everlasting covenant would be ONLY through Abraham's seed through Isaac and NOT through Abraham's seed through Ishmael.

So we can see that many in Islam delude themselves with respect whether the everlasting covenant was established with both Ishmael and Isaac; when in reality it WAS ONLY ESTABLISHED with Isaac.

OTHER BACKUP FOR TITLE TO PALESTINE:

First, One Muslim actually posted an article on Jews in Yemen that contained the following account proving that the land belongs to the Hebrews,
<<" Perhaps this is a moment to be less visionary and more historical. Perhaps also we need to re-focus from how the Middle East problem looks from the perspective of top-down peace-making efforts in distant Oslo or even Camp David to a closer look at the fabric of coexistence of Sephardic and Oriental Jewries with Muslim and Arab societies during the 13 centuries before the re-founding of Israel. In this way, we may be able to discover threads of understanding that might lead us at least part of the way through the maze of current perplexities. In particular, might yet the Yemeni Jewish historical trajectory, from the Arab World to Israel, provide unexplored avenues for narrowing the Muslim-Jewish divide?" [source - http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=1690 ]>>.


Now notice this clearly shows that the Hebrews had occupied the land that the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael and established a nation that existed for over 1,000 years when it says, <<" the 13 centuries before the re-founding of Israel.">>, so those saying Israel is a new nation clearly do NOT know what they are speaking about, actually it is the oldest operating government on earth that just took a hiatus for some centuries.  Now where was this kingdom?  It is in the land called Palestine.

Second, The New Compact Bible Dictionary published by Zondervan Books says this with respect the site where the squatting Dome of the Rock Mosque sits, <<"Temple, the name given to complex of buildings in Jerusalem which was the center of the sacrifical cult for the Hebrews.   Three temples stood successively on Mt. Moriah (II Chron. 3:1) in Jerusalem: Solomon's, Zerubbabel's, and Herod the Great's....the Dome of the Rock Mosque which stands on the site of the Temples of Solomon and Herod.">> so clearly this land belongs to the Hebrews even though it was swiped from them by <<" Islamic tradition holds that when Muslims first entered the city of Jerusalem under the leadership of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (also known as Umar or Omar) in 637, the ruins of the Temple were being used as a rubbish dump by the Christian inhabitants, perhaps in order to humiliate the Jews and fulfill Jesus' prophecy that not a stone would be left standing on another there; Caliph Omar (contemporary of Muhammad, who had died a few years earlier), ordered it cleaned and performed prayer there. According to some sources, he also ordered a mosque to be constructed at the spot, upon which site the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built several decades later." [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on Temple Mount]>>.    However, no where did Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab ever buy the land and/or obtain title from the Hebrews who held rightful title and ownership.

The modern government of the Hebrews has been most graceful in permitting the continued squatting of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on property to which they hold title and have not even requested rent from the land so illegally occupied.    Now some may question, WRONGLY, the Hebrews ownership, but the restrictions placed on Jews visiting this area solidify the point beyond doubt as follows, <<" The Rabbis have ruled that Jews may not enter specific areas (approximately 15%) of the Temple Mount [3] because of the danger of entering the area of the Temple courtyard and the difficulty of fulfilling the ritual requirement of cleansing oneself with the ashes of a red heifer (see Numbers 19), and declared it punishable with kareth, or death by heavenly decree [4]. The boundaries of the areas to be avoided, while having large portions in common, are delineated differently by various rabbinic authorities.
Many Rabbis have "imposed a blanket ban on access for Jews to the entire Temple Mount"[5], given the uncertainty about the location of the permitted areas, an opinion still supported by Rabbis such as Ovadia Yosef, Avraham Shapiro, Eliahu Bakshi-Doron, and Israel Lau. In August 1967, the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Isser Yehuda Unterman and Yitzhak Nissim, in concert with other leading rabbis, asserted that "For generations we have warned against and refrained from entering any part of the Temple Mount."

However, many other rabbis, including Shlomo Goren, former Chief rabbi of Israel, Chaim David Halevi, Dov Lior, Yosef Elboim, Ysrael Ariel, Shar Yeshuv Hacoen and Yuval Sharlo have "strongly encouraged" Jews to visit the permitted sections of the Temple Mount. [6]. During Maimonides' residence in Jerusalem, a synagogue stood on the Temple Mount alongside other structures; Maimonides prayed there. The law committee of the Masorti movement (Conservative Judaism in Israel) has issued two responsa on the subject, both holding that Jews may visit the permitted sections of the Temple Mount. One responsa allows such visits, another encourages them." [source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on Temple Mount]>>.

Even Muslim's have acknowledged that the Al-Aqsa Mosque sits on the site of the Temple of Solomon, property of the Hebrew nation as follows, <<"The main reason that the Temple Mount is holy in Judaism is that it was the site of the Temple. This fact provides a reason for its holiness in Islam; it is still considered to be the orthodox Islamic position. A Brief Guide to al-Haram al-Sharif, a booklet published in 1930 by the "Supreme Moslem Council", a body established by the British government to administer waqfs and headed by Hajj Amin al-Husayni during the British Mandate period, states:

"The site is one of the oldest in the world. Its sanctity dates from the earliest times. Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings." A footnote refers the reader to 2 Samuel 26:25.

More recent examples include a fatwa issued by the Saudi Sheikh M. S. al-Munajjid, quoted on IslamOnline, 18 March 2001, stating that: Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) was the first of the two qiblahs (prayer direction), and is one of the three mosques to which people may travel for the purpose of worship. And it was said that it was built by Sulayman (Solomon), as stated in Sunan an-Nasa'i and classed as authentic by al-Albani." [source - - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on Temple Mount]>>.

So there can be NO disputing that a great Hebrew nation existed and had title given by the highest authority possible, the creator of all there is, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, and that they built cities and grand temples on this land granted to them.

Third, Another Bible dictionary with a more amplified account of the Temple of Solomon says, <<"A divine habitation, sacred place or sanctuary, either physical or spiritual, that is employed for worship. The Hebrew word heh·khal', translated "temple," also means "palace." The Greek hi·e·ron' and na·os' are both rendered "temple" and may refer to the entire temple complex or to its central edifice; na·os', meaning "sanctuary" or "divine habitation (dwelling)," at times refers specifically to the sacred inner rooms of the temple.

Solomon's Temple. King David entertained a strong desire to build a house for Jehovah, to contain the ark of the covenant, which was "dwelling in the middle of tent cloths." Jehovah was pleased with David's proposal but told him that, because he had shed much blood in warfare, his son (Solomon) would be privileged to do the building. This was not to say that God did not approve David's wars fought in behalf of Jehovah's name and His people. But the temple was to be built in peace by a man of peace.-2Sa 7:1-16; 1Ki 5:3-5; 8:17; 1Ch 17:1-14; 22:6-10.

Cost. Later David purchased the threshing floor of Ornan (Araunah) the Jebusite on Mount Moriah as the temple site. (2Sa 24:24, 25; 1Ch 21:24, 25)[[Note, King David purchased the land from his subject to build the temple and did not swipe it as Muslim Calips later did; therefore, he had good title.]] He amassed 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and copper and iron in great abundance, besides contributing from his personal fortune 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of silver. He also received as contributions from the princes, gold worth 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics and silver worth 10,000 talents, as well as much iron and copper. (1Ch 22:14; 29:3-7) This total, amounting to 108,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold and 1,017,000 talents of silver, would be worth $48,337,047,000 at current values. His son Solomon did not spend the entire amount in building the temple; the remainder he put in the temple treasury.-1Ki 7:51; 2Ch 5:1.

Workmen. King Solomon began building the temple for Jehovah in the fourth year of his reign (1034 B.C.E.), in the second month, Ziv, following the architectural plan that David had received by inspiration. (1Ki 6:1; 1Ch 28:11-19) The work continued over a seven-year period. (1Ki 6:37, 38) In exchange for wheat, barley, oil, and wine, Hiram king of Tyre supplied timbers from Lebanon along with skilled workers in wood and stone, and one special expert, also named Hiram, whose father was a Tyrian and his mother an Israelitess of the tribe of Naphtali. This man was a fine workman in gold, silver, copper, iron, wood, stones, and fabrics.-1Ki 5:8-11, 18; 7:13, 14, 40, 45; 2Ch 2:13-16.

In organizing the work, Solomon conscripted 30,000 men out of Israel, sending them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 for a month, with a two-month stay at home between shifts. (1Ki 5:13, 14) As burden bearers, he conscripted 70,000 from among the "alien residents" in the land, and as cutters, 80,000. (1Ki 5:15; 9:20, 21; 2Ch 2:2) As foremen over the work, Solomon appointed 550 men and apparently 3,300 as assistants. (1Ki 5:16; 9:22, 23) It appears that, of these, 250 were Israelites and 3,600 were "alien residents" in Israel.-2Ch 2:17, 18...

History. This temple existed until 607 B.C.E., when it was destroyed by the Babylonian army under King Nebuchadnezzar. (2Ki 25:9; 2Ch 36:19; Jer 52:13) Because of the falling away of Israel to false religion, God permitted the nations to harass Judah and Jerusalem, at times stripping the temple of its treasures. The temple also suffered periods of neglect. King Shishak of Egypt robbed it of its treasures (993 B.C.E.) in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon, only about 33 years after its inauguration. (1Ki 14:25, 26; 2Ch 12:9) King Asa (977-937 B.C.E.) had respect for Jehovah's house, but to protect Jerusalem he foolishly bribed King Ben-hadad I of Syria, with silver and gold from the treasures of the temple, to break his covenant with Baasha king of Israel.-1Ki 15:18, 19; 2Ch 15:17, 18; 16:2, 3.

After a period of turbulence and neglect of the temple, King Jehoash of Judah (898-859 B.C.E.) oversaw its repair. (2Ki 12:4-12; 2Ch 24:4-14) In the days of his son Amaziah, Jehoash king of Israel robbed it. (2Ki 14:13, 14) King Jotham (777-762 B.C.E.) did some construction work on the temple area, building "the upper gate." (2Ki 15:32, 35; 2Ch 27:1, 3) King Ahaz of Judah (761-746 B.C.E.) not only sent the treasures of the temple to Tiglath-pileser III, king of Assyria, as a bribe but he also polluted the temple by building an altar patterned after one in Damascus and by replacing the copper altar of the temple with it. (2Ki 16:5-16) Finally he closed the doors of Jehovah's house.-2Ch 28:24.

Ahaz' son Hezekiah (745-717 B.C.E.) did what he could to undo the bad works of his father. At the very beginning of his reign, he reopened the temple and had it cleaned up. (2Ch 29:3, 15, 16) However, later on, for fear of Sennacherib king of Assyria, he cut off the doors and the doorposts of the temple that he himself had caused to be overlaid with gold and sent them to Sennacherib.-2Ki 18:15, 16.

But when Hezekiah died, the temple entered a half century of desecration and disrepair. His son Manasseh (716-662 B.C.E.) went beyond any of Judah's previous kings in wickedness, setting up altars "to all the army of the heavens in two courtyards of the house of Jehovah." (2Ki 21:1-5; 2Ch 33:1-4) By the time of Manasseh's grandson Josiah (659-629 B.C.E.), the formerly magnificent edifice was in a state of disrepair. Evidently it was in a disorganized or cluttered condition, for High Priest Hilkiah's finding the book of the Law (likely an original scroll written by Moses) was an exciting discovery. (2Ki 22:3-13; 2Ch 34:8-21) After the temple's repair and cleansing, the greatest Passover since the days of Samuel the prophet was celebrated. (2Ki 23:21-23; 2Ch 35:17-19) This was during the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. (Jer 1:1-3) From this time until the temple's destruction, it remained open and in use by the priesthood, though many of the priests were corrupt.

The Temple Built by Zerubbabel. As foretold by Jehovah's prophet Isaiah, God raised up Cyrus king of Persia as a liberator of Israel from the power of Babylon. (Isa 45:1) Jehovah also stirred up his own people under the leadership of Zerubbabel of the tribe of Judah to return to Jerusalem. This they did in 537 B.C.E., after 70 years of desolation, as Jeremiah had foretold, for the purpose of rebuilding the temple. (Ezr 1:1-6; 2:1, 2; Jer 29:10) This structure, though not nearly so glorious as Solomon's temple, endured longer, standing for nearly 500 years, from 515 B.C.E. to very late in the first century B.C.E. (The temple built by Solomon had served about 420 years, from 1027 to 607 B.C.E.)

In Cyrus' decree he ordered: "As for anyone that is left from all the places where he is residing as an alien, let the men of his place assist him with silver and with gold and with goods and with domestic animals along with the voluntary offering for the house of the true God, which was in Jerusalem." (Ezr 1:1-4) Cyrus also returned 5,400 vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Solomon's temple.-Ezr 1:7-11.

In the seventh month (Ethanim, or Tishri) of the year 537 B.C.E., the altar was set up; and in the following year, the foundation of the new temple was laid. As Solomon had done, the builders hired Sidonians and Tyrians to bring cedar timbers from Lebanon. (Ezr 3:7) Opposition, particularly from the Samaritans, disheartened the builders, and after about 15 years those opposers even incited the king of Persia to ban the work.-Ezr 4...

The Temple Rebuilt by Herod. This temple is not described in any detail in the Scriptures. The primary source is Josephus, who personally saw the structure and who reports on its construction in The Jewish War and Jewish Antiquities. The Jewish Mishnah supplies some information, and a little is gained from archaeology. Therefore the description set forth here is from these sources, which in some instances may be open to question.-PICTURE, Vol. 2, p. 543.

In The Jewish War (I, 401 [xxi, 1]), Josephus says that Herod rebuilt the temple in the 15th year of his reign, but in Jewish Antiquities (XV, 380 [xi, 1]), he says it was in the 18th year. This latter date is generally accepted by scholars, although the beginning of Herod's reign, or how Josephus calculated it, is not established with certainty. The sanctuary itself took 18 months to build, but the courtyards, and so forth, were under construction for eight years. When certain Jews approached Jesus Christ in 30 C.E., saying, "This temple was built in forty-six years" (Joh 2:20), these Jews were apparently talking about the work that continued on the complex of courts and buildings up until then. The work was not finished until about six years before the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E.

Because of hatred and distrust of Herod, the Jews would not permit him to rebuild the temple, as he proposed, until he had everything prepared for the new building. For the same reason they did not consider this temple as a third one, but only as a rebuilt one, speaking only of the first and second temples (Solomon's and Zerubbabel's).

As to Josephus' measurements, Smith's Dictionary of the Bible (1889, Vol. IV, p. 3203) says: "His horizontal dimensions are so minutely accurate that we almost suspect he had before his eyes, when writing, some ground-plan of the building prepared in the quartermaster-general's department of Titus's army. They form a strange contrast with his dimensions in height, which, with scarcely an exception, can be shown to be exaggerated, generally doubled. As the buildings were all thrown down during the siege, it was impossible to convict him of error in respect to elevations." [source - Insight to the Scripture, Vol. 2]>>.

EVERLASTING COVENANT ESTABLISHED WITH WHOM?

One member of Islam said, <<""A great Nation"   Who is the "great nation" in the world that was promissed in that verse? It is a fact the Muslims are all over the world and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, starting 600 years after Christianity.

"and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing"
When Muslims prayer 5 times a day, we mention Abraham by name and mentions the blessings that Allah had bestowed on Him and his descendants. We say:

"O Allah, bless our Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you have blessed Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely you are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. O Allah, be gracious unto Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you were gracious unto Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely you are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious" (http://muslim-canada.org/salaat.html#salawat)


We repeat this no less than 15 times during the 5 daily prayers in a day. And those who perform additional prayers, they recite these words many more times. At any moment in time, people are praying one of their prescribed 5 daily prayers around the world, some are praying (1) the morning prayer before sunrise, some are praying (2) the afternoon prayer, some, (3) the evening prayer before sunset, some, (4) the evening prayer after sunset and some, (5) the night prayer. And consider that everyday millions of Muslims are praying 5 times a day around the world, and if you add this up, that it a lot of praising and glorifying the Holy Prophet and Abraham and his decendants (pbut) constantly all the time.">>, but clearly overlook once more the fact that, yes, the true God (YHWH) of Abraham said Ishmael would be a great nation per Genesis 17:20, "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (AV).   However, nowhere did the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael EVER SAY THE EVERLASTING COVENANT would come through Ishmael's line, but clearly said it would come through the line of Isaac, his half brother the son of Abraham's wife Sarah at Genesis 17:4-17, "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.  5  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.  6  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.  7 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.  8  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.  9  And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.  10  This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.  11  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.  12  And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.  13  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.  14  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.  15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.  16  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?  18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!  19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." (AV).   As can clearly be seen, deluded members of Islam look at Genesis 17:7-9 and say Ah we are the everlasting covenant people, but fail to notice Genesis 17:15-16 and Genesis 17:19 which clearly shows they ARE NOT PART OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT as that comes through Abraham's seed Isaac and NOT Ishmael.

This fact is clearly noted in a world renown Bible commentary as follows, <<"19, 20. The blessings of the covenant are reserved for Isaac, but common blessings were abundantly promised to Ishmael; and though the visible Church did not descend from his family, yet personally he might, and it is to be hoped did, enjoy its benefits." [source - Jamieson, Faussett, Brown (JFB) Commentary]>>; and in the Eclectic Notes on The Bible, <<"thou shalt call his name Isaac: Abraham intercedes for Ishmael, but God dwells on Isaac- 'Laughter'. Faith can laugh when God acts purely from Himself, and in His own power. Abraham could not laugh over Ishmael, because what was of the flesh came in there, but the one who could laugh over Isaac could pray, in the sense of grace, for Ishmael. Ishmael speaks of Israel according to the flesh. God would bless him in hearing prayer-a finger-post to blessing for Israel if they had taken note of it- but Isaac was the one with whom His covenant would be established, the One brought in in resurrection power, as Rom. 4 would suggest. God's goodness was there for Ishmael. He ever cared for stubborn and rebellious Israel-a nation truly like Ishmael, "a wild ass of a man". But whenever a cry of need came, even from perverse and rebellious Israel, God heard it. Ishmael's history would have been most instructive for Israel if they had taken heed to it. God was saying to them by it, If you only cry to me you will get blessing. But they were too proud to take the place of need, and therefore they missed the blessing. They claimed the privileges of the covenant without realising what was involved in the sign of the covenant.  Therefore they did not keep the covenant; they always had confidence in the flesh; they were never truly circumcised. God had to tell them that they were uncircumcised in heart and ears. And that is why they are now fallen and cut off. Their history is a solemn warning to all who take up divine things in a fleshly way." [source - Eclectic Notes on The Bible]>>; and the Geneva Bible Footnotes says, <<"17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an {g} everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him.

(g) The everlasting covenant is made with the children of the Spirit. A temporary promise is made with the children of the flesh, as was promised to Ishmael." [source - Geneva Bible Footnotes of 1599]>>.   So it can be seen they have deluded themselves once more by not considering the Biblical caveats.

ISLAM THRIVES ON DECEIT AND MISLEADING WITH REGARD TO WHICH OF ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN THE EVERLASTING COVENANT APPLIES TO:

One member of Islam said, <<"This is the exactly how trouble began with the Jews. Because God promissed the land to Abraham and his decendants, the Jews became jealous and rebellious and wanted to claim the land all for themselves without giving any share to Ishmael's descendants. (They still don't want to share it with anyone.)

The trouble began in the next chapter with the realization that Abraham had as yet no children with which to fulfill the covenant!!! Before the covenent was made, Abraham had only one wife (Sarah). Both Abraham and Sarah were in old age (around 90) and therefore chances of producing a child now were very low.

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." ( Genesis 16:1-2) Abram agreed and did what Sarai said.

So Sarah got Hagar married to Abraham, perhaps she could bear Abraham a son, and indeed she did bore him a son. He was called Ishmael and was therefore half Hebrew and half Egyptian (Abraham was Hebrew [i.e. not a Jew but more of an Arab] and Hagar was Egyptian [again not a Jewess]). When Hagar became pregnant, Sarah realised what was about to happen, that the son of Hagar would be the inheritor of Abraham, so she began to mock and abuse Hagar. This is when God sends an angel to Hagar with the message:

"You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Gen. 16:11)

Please note the context of the verse you just read and tell me how the words "he will be a wild donkey of a man" fit in this verse? God wants to heal the wounds of Hagar because she was being mocked and teased and he sends a message to calm her and give her hope and good news. Does it make sense therefore that God begins to say words like "He will be a wild donkey of a man" while trying to heal her wounds?? No it doesn't. It only makes sense that later on when the Jews realised the truth, they editted the books of moses and tried to make Ishmael (the first born of Abraham) look really bad.
(compare with this verse from the Holy Qur'an: Then woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say: "This is from Allah", to traffic with it for a miserable price. Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby" [Holy Qur'an 2:75])


Now Isaac was born when Ishmael was 13 years old. When Isaac was around two years old, Sarah saw that Ishmael was mocking with him. So she got angry and became jealous of him and told Abraham to send Ishmael and Hagar away from here. So Hagar and Ishmael were forced to flees into the desert where she finds refuge beside a spring of water (called ZamZam water in Arabic):

The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." [Genesis 21:8-10]

"... she [Sarah] said unto Abraham: 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac...' And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba." (Genesis 21:9,10,14) (very sad)


So there was always jelousy on the parts of Jews and descendants of Isaac. Those verses speak about covenant being made to Abraham and his decendants and not to the Jews or Isaac alone. Don't get me wrong. We Muslims do not say that Isaac was not blessed. We say that he too was blessed and we believe him as one the most righteous prophets of God. We just don't like the fact that the Jews and Christians exclude Ishmael and his descendants from the covenents when in fact God Himself has mentioned in many verses in the Bible that he will make Ishmael a "great nation":">>

Now most of this has already been debunked in the answers to SELF-DECEPTION PART 2, so refer back to that.

Also, Numbers 34:1-29 makes clear that the everlasting covenant and land grant was CLEARLY ONLY WITH ISRAEL THE DESCENDENTS OF ISAAC AS FOLLOWS, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  2  Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof  3  Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:  4  And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon:  5  And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.  6  And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.  7  And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:  8  From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:  9  And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border.  10  And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham:  11  And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:  12  And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.  13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:  14  For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:  15  The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.  16 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  17  These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.  18  And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.  19  And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  20  And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.  21  Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.  22  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.  23  The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.  24  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.  25  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.  26  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.  27  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.  28  And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.  29  These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan." (AV).   So it is easy to see that their claims are just delusional and have no basis in fact, reality, the truth.

CONCLUSION:

Many in Islam are delusional and do not recognize reality as was clearly shown by using some of their writings and bouncing them against the facts.   Makes one think of John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

This fact is clearly shown by the inability of many to distinguish between cause and effect in the crisis between Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Israel (year 2006).  Many point to the number killed and which side did it, i.e., hospital in Israel and town of Qana in Lebanon, but ignore the fact that both are but effects of a causative act.  Now the causative act that resulted in so much adverse effects, destruction and death, was a surprise unprovoked across boarder attack by a criminal organization, Hezbollah, given tacit approval by the government of Lebanon who even permits members of this group to be members of its parliament.  So this attack was the 'trigger' and/or cause responsible for all the adverse effects, death and destruction, that results; therefore, total responsibility for all the effects rest solely on this criminal organization and the Lebanese government for permitting their operation in Lebanon.

The same holds true for Islam's belief in ERROR put forth by greedy Ishmalites, that hold over 98 percent of the entire middle east, yet are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews to occupy the less than 2 percent given them by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael that Ishmael.  Why?  Simply, they do NOT want to recognize who really was the promised seed; whereas, in reality it was Isaac as made clear at Genesis 17:19-21, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.  20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.  21  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." (AV).  So this scripture makes it clear that Isaac is the line through which the covenant is made, and NOT Ishmael, who was only stated to become a 'great nation.'   

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT    WWW.JW.ORG [/b]

COMBINATION OF [1]  THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2]    WORLD GONE MAD - LEBANON A CASE STUDY

[1]     SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [412B]

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.   Psalms 90:12, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, our days are numbered, and as Deuteronomy 32:28 - 29, [AV] “For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.  29  O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!”   This reality is further emphases at Psalms 51:6, [AV] “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”   

[2]     WORLD GONE MAD - LEBANON A CASE STUDY

INTRODUCTION:

Are we living in the last days foretold at Matthew 24:7, "For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places." (The Darby Bible; DB).   The 20th. Century was the most murderous period in recorded history and the beginning of the 21th is already starting to show a worst record.   The Worldwatch Institute states: "Three times as many people fell victim to war in the 20th century as in all the wars from the first century AD to 1899."    Even if we know the sorrow of losing one's loved ones in warfare, it is still hard to imagine such misery and pain multiplied millions of times.

What is behind all this hate and turmoil?   The source is given at Ephesians 6:12-13, "because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against principalities, against authorities, against the universal lords of this darkness, against spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies.
13  For this reason take to you the panoply of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having accomplished all things, to stand." (AV).

A lot of this hate and turmoil today is being caused by members of a religion that claims to be a religion of peace, but spews out hatters and those causing turmoil as if there is no tomorrow.   In this case study, we will learn the facts through a case study of the recent Lebanese-Israel battle of July-August 2006.

A LOOK AT THE FACTS WITH RESPECT A RELIGION THAT CLAIMS TO BE A RELIGION OF PEACE:

Let's see what the Weekend Australian (newspaper) had to say on the matter,

" Did you know that 90-95% of the conflicts in the world today are Muslims fighting non-muslims or each other?
Islam is intolerant of other religions, so much so that Christians in Nigeria, Sudan and middle eastern countries are killed for practicing their religion. Muslims are also responsible for burning down their churches. Sydney has recently seen an attack on four churches for similar reasons. (December 16, 2005) How can we tolerate such intolerance?" [source - The Weekend Australian, November 26-27, 2005]

Now, let's consider the facts as continually revealed in the world news that shows if any thing that the newspaper editor may have been a little low when he said 95 percent of the violence in the world was caused by Muslims.  Let's look at some facts:

(1) World Trade Center - 9/11 - unprovoked attack and mass murder by Muslims.
(2) London Subway Bombing by Muslims
(3) Continued mosque bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(4) Suicide bombings in Israel by Muslims.
(5) Suicide bombing of a wedding reception in Jordan by Muslims.
(6) Daily roadside bombings in Iraq by Muslims.
(7) Train bombings in Spain my Muslims.
(8) Riots and car burnings and murders in France by Muslims.
(9) Suicide bombings in Iraq by Muslims, a daily occurrence.
(10) Car and truck bombings in Iraq by Muslims, a daily occurrence.
(11) Unprovoked murder of 8 Israelis and the kidnapping of 2 by Muslims to provoke turmoil and violence in Lebanon and Israel by Muslims.
(12) Unprovoked murder of 2 Israelis and the kidnapping of 1 by Muslims to provoke turmoil and violence in Gaza by Muslims.
(13) Bombing of restaurants and cafes in Bali, Indonesia by Muslims.
(14) Bombing of a trains in India by Muslims.
(15) Take over of a grammar school in Russia resulting in the deaths of many students by Muslims.
(16) Attempted shoe-bombing of a plain by a Muslim.
(17) Conspiracy to bomb about 10 planes going from UK by Muslims.
(18) Attempted murder of several Indian politicians in Kashmir by Muslims.
(19) Many violent acts by Muslims in Afghanistan, a daily occurrence.
(20) Murder of a girl by Shiite Muslims in Iran.
(21) And the list could go on and on, get it?

Says a lot about a religion that claims to be a religion of peace, but spawns those filled with hate and violence.  Obviously, there is a major problem here that is NOT being effectively dealt with.  As one forward looking group of Muslims that are NOT hiding from the facts said,

<<"[b]Muslims must look inward and put a stop to many of our religious leaders who spend most of their sermons teaching hatred, intolerance and violent jihad. We should not be afraid to admit that as Muslims we have a problem with violent extremism. We should not be afraid to admit that so many of our religious leaders belong behind bars and not behind a pulpit. Only moderate Muslims can challenge and defeat extremist Muslims. We can no longer afford to be silent. If we remain silent to the extremism within our community then we should not expect anyone to listen to us when we complain of stereotyping and discrimination by non-Muslims; we should not be surprised when the world treats all of us as terrorists; we should not be surprised when we are profiled at airports. Simply put, not only do Muslims need to join the war against terror, we need to take the lead in this war." [source - Free Muslim Coalition, http://www.freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=148] >>. 

A CASE STUDY OF MUSLIM (Shia) CAUSED VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL-LEBANON IN 2006:

Status quo, For years there has been no serious violence along the boarder between Israel and Lebanon and the neighbors for the most part have co-existed peacefully.  The only violence had been occasional rockets shot at Israel by a criminal organization, Hezbollah who the Lebanese government had given sanctuary.  Lebanon had been warned by the United Nations to disarm all militias such as the criminal organization of Hezbollah, but did not do so.

Disruption of status quo, In mid July 2006 the evil criminal organization of Hezbollah choose to disrupt the mostly peaceful status quo and pull the proverbial trigger to ignite a major battle due to their unwarranted hate and lust for violence.

How did they pull the proverbial trigger and with what results?  In mid July they sent a group of murders and kidnappers across an international boundary to murder eight Israelis and to kidnap two Israelis.  This was the wicked spark that ignited a real battle that took over 900 lives and caused major property damage.

Of course, the criminal organization of Hezbollah is completely responsible for all that resulted from their unwarranted criminal act.  However, many in IslamT clearly show they have the inability to distinguish between cause and effect in the crisis between Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Israel (year 2006).  Many point to the number killed and which side did it, i.e., hospital in Israel and town of Qana in Lebanon, but ignore the fact that both are but effects of a causative act.  Now the causative act that resulted in so much adverse effects, destruction and death, was a surprise unprovoked across boarder attack by a criminal organization, Hezbollah, given tacit approval by the government of Lebanon who even permits members of this group to be members of its parliament.  So this attack was the 'trigger' and/or cause responsible for all the adverse effects, death and destruction, that results; therefore, total responsibility for all the effects rest solely on this criminal organization and the Lebanese government for permitting their operation in Lebanon.

WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS WICKED ACT BY HEZBOLLAH?

Let's look at the facts, Many in Islam hold the belief in ERROR put forth by greedy Ishmalites, that hold over 98 percent of the entire middle east, yet are so greedy they do not want their brother tribe, the Hebrews to occupy the less than 2 percent given them by the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael that Ishmael.  Why?  Simply, they do NOT want to recognize who really was the promised seed; whereas, in reality it was Isaac as made clear at Genesis 17:19-21, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.  20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.  21  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." (AV).  So this scripture makes it clear that Isaac is the line through which the covenant is made, and NOT Ishmael, who was only stated to become a 'great nation.'   

Therefore, greed and hate is at the root of this turmoil between Israel-Lebanon, and it is greed of members of a wicked criminal organization, Hezbollah, and their backers.

THE GREAT FARCE:

Now Hezbollah is committing a great farce by telling many Lebanese that they will rebuild south Lebanon when in reality NO REBUILDING WOULD BE NECESSARY if Hezbollah had NOT pulled the proverbial fuse and caused the battle in the first place due to their hate and love for violence.  Also, Hezbollah is NOT replacing the lives that were lost due to their wicked acts.

Yet many Many overlook the fact, the reality, that no damage would have been done to Lebanon if the criminal organization Hezbollah that they gave sanctuary had not sent a group over into Israel to murder and kidnap Israelis. So when looking at reality what is so great about them helping to rebuild the damage that resulted from their criminal act?  It is nothing but a hollow sham to obfuscate the fact that they, alone, are responsible for all that occurred.  Everyone should wake up to reality per John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (DB).

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 - Ilex paraguariensis A      With the Scripture of the Day first.

[1]     SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [414B]

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 4:20 – 24, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, Jesus (Yeshua) is the permanent high priest as shown by Hebrews 7:26 – 27, [AV] “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;  27  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”  We must put off the former wrong things we were doing in order to win his approval as testified to at 1 Timothy 4:1, [AV] “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”  Also, Romans 6:6, [AV] shows, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”  Yes, Jesus (Yeshua)is the son of Almighty God (YHWH) as shown by John 1:14, [AV] “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”  We should strive per Psalms 51:10, [AV] “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”  To permit Him to do this we must per Colossians 3:10, [AV] “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”   


[2]     THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES -  Ilex paraguariensis A
-
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Mate, Ilex paraguariensis A. St-Hil. var. paraguariensis

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Common names. English: maté, Brazilian tea, Paraguay tea: Guarani: ka'a; Kaingangue: kongóñ: Spanish: yerba maté, té de los jesuitas: Portuguese: congonha, erva mate

Maté, with a very restricted distribution outside America, is a tree that produces a raw material for industrialization and consumption as a stimulating infusion. So far, this has been the main use of this somewhat overlooked crop.
Although no archaeological remains have been found that show that it was used in pre-Columbian times. it is assumed that it was the Guarani Indians who taught the Spanish how to use it. However, what seems to be an indirect consequence of the discovery is the fact that the first people to have cultivated this species were the Jesuit missionaries who, around 1670, already had artificial maté plantations. In time, the settlements of Guarani Indians converted to Christianity were to become economically dependent on maté production.

The expulsion of the Jesuits from the Spanish dominions (1767) was a step backwards in the history of maté. There was a return to the forest exploitation method which utilized the natural maté plantations exclusively and inadequately. It may be said that this type of laborious and uneconomical forest management extended up to the first decades of the twentieth century, in spite of maté planting having been renewed in Nueva Germania, Paraguay and in Santa Ana, Argentina, in 1897.

Although very much reduced, maté production did not disappear with the Jesuit plantations. During the remainder of the colonial period, the use of this herb, which had spread extensively, persisted even in the region of the Viceroyalty of Peru, where there was another methyl xanthine stimulant of the same genus: Ilex guayusa Loes. emend. Shemluck, also marketed by the Jesuits from that region in Quito.

It has been established that trade in maté was not interrupted and that it was commonly used in what is now Peru and Ecuador. However, following the independence of the Spanish colonies and the adoption of free trade, English tea began to be introduced into those countries and so maté gradually lost the markets of those Andean countries.

The decline and complete disappearance of the maté plantations in the settlements of Christianized Indians (which ended around 1820 after a series of wars waged in the region between the Spanish and Portuguese Crowns, followed by the struggles for independence) and the policy of isolation and control of international trade maintained by the first governor of independent Paraguay meant that, in the 1820s, Brazil began commercial exploitation of its natural maté plantations.

The most accessible plantations were situated in the vicinity of Curitiba, Paraná, and as they were slowly exhausted they were gradually replaced by the others located towards the west. The Brazilian product, which then began to spread on the markets as "Paranagua maté", was considered to be of inferior quality to that from Paraguay. However, in the course of time it replaced the Paraguayan product, a development which became more marked after the war of the Triple Alliance ( 1870).

At the end of the nineteenth century, the limitations of the exhaustive exploitation of this forestry resource stimulated efforts to produce large plantations of I. paraguariensis once again. Eventually. these efforts were successful, especially in Argentina.

At the same time as the increase in Argentinian maté production, the extraordinary expansion of the agricultural frontiers in traditional maté-growing states of southern Brazil (Paraná, Santa Catarina. Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul) took place. Regrettably, the disappearance of enormous areas of natural forests in those states jeopardized the conservation of maté's genetic richness.

The complicated economic history of this crop (barely sketched out here) which is characterized by periods of scarcity alternating with periods of excessive demand, the sporadic but real existence of periods during which it was adulterated with other plants and the most common method of preparation—maté sucked through a small tube—considered by many to be unhygienic, had a bearing on the limited spread of maté outside southern South America.

Its main use is in infusions prepared as tea with leaves and dried stems which have been industrially shredded. Generally speaking, it is drunk by tilling small gourds (maté gourds or cuias) with maté. to which boiling water is gradually added, the liquid being sucked up through a metal tube (the bombilla). Infusions of cimarrón, or bitter maté, are usually modified with sugar (sweet maté), milk or aromatic herbs. Other methods of consumption are boiled maté, tereré (maté prepared with cold water, common in Paraguay and northeastern Argentina), liqueurs prepared with maté, ice-creams, desserts, etc. The industry also produces compound maté (which contains aromatic and/or medicinal herbs), soluble maté and maté teabags.

The aqueous infusion of maté owes its stimulant properties to the caffeine content (between 1 and 2 percent) so that, 60 minutes after consuming maté, an average of 80 to 120 mg of this pseudoalkaloid is consumed. Its nutritional qualities are due to its content of vitamins A, C and B complex and the existence of minerals (P, Ca and Fe).

Argentina, the main producer and consumer, grows around 130000 ha of maté in the northeast of the country (Misiones and Corrientes), which produce about 140000 tonnes per year. Brazil is the world's second producer, followed by Paraguay. For the Argentinan province of Misiones, maté cultivation represents an important part of the country's GDP.

Botanical description
The maté is a dioecious evergreen tree which grows up to 18 m in height. The leaves are alternate, coriaceous and obovate with a serrate margin and obtuse apex. The inflorescences are in corymboid fascicles, the male ones in a dichasium with three to 11 flowers, the female ones with one or three flowers. The flowers are small, and simple, number four or five and have a whitish corolla. The fruit is in a nucule; there are four or five single seed pyrenes (propagules).

Maté flowers in the spring (from October to November), has entomophilous pollination (diptera, hymenoptera) and fruits from March to June; dissemination is endozoic (birds). There is a rudimentary embryo in many externally ripe seeds which causes a long period of germination From the time of sowing.

Ecology and phytogeography
Prominent among the ecological requirements of this subtropical species are climatic conditions, especially mean annual precipitation and an even distribution of rainfall throughout the year. This must not be less than 1200 mm annually and, during the driest quarter—which in the region is winter—the minimum must be 250 mm. I. paraguariensis' wild distribution area is always unaffected by water shortages. The mean annual temperature of the area is approximately 21 to 22°C. The absolute minimum temperature that this species is able to tolerate is -6°C, even though winter snows are frequent on the plateaus and mountain regions to the south of Brazil and east of Misiones.
It requires lateritic, acid (pH between 5.8 and 6.8) soils that are of medium to fine texture.

Figure 30 shows the natural distribution of I. paraguariensis. The area of economic cultivation of maté coincides approximately with the main dispersion area of the var. paraguariensis.

Genetic diversity
There is still no exhaustive modern picture that explains in biological terms the infraspecific variability of this species, which is widely dispersed geographically in South America. Up to the present, taking as a basis the morphological characteristics alone, at least two varieties are recognized: I. paraguariensis A. St-Hill var. paraguariensis (cultivated maté, almost completely glabrous) and I. paraguariensis var. vestita (Reisseck) Loes. (not acceptable for industrialization, of dense pubescence). Both varieties coexist in limited areas of Brazil.

The wild species closest to I. paraguariensis belong to the subgenus euilex Loes., subsection repandae Loes. Only I. cognata Reisseck lives in the distribution area of maté. I. cognata is very little known; its vernacular name is chá do mato and it is used to adulterate maté.

A number of wild species of Ilex are sympatric with genuine maté and have been, or are, used to manufacture the product although, up to the present and according to the legislation in force, they are to be considered adulterations. Of those most frequently referred to, the following deserve mention: Ilex affinis Gardner (the ca' a chirí or congonha of Goyaz, a species abundant in central Brazil and northeastern Paraguay); I. dumosa Reisseck var. guaranina Loes. (yerba señorita, aperea ka'a, cauna, caá chiri), native to Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, the producer of a bitter-tasting maté and supposedly cultivated in Misiones by the Jesuits to produce their famous "caá miní" maté; I. theezans, C. Martius ex Reisseck (cauna de folhas largas, ca'a na, congonha), a good substitute for I. paraguariensis, found in Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. I. brevicuspis Reisseck, known as cauna or voadeira, like the previous species, is a faithful companion of I. paraguariensis in plant communities characteristic of the region—where Araucaria is also prominent—but the product obtained from its experimental industrialization is of low quality.

Outside the natural area of distribution and production of maté, in northwestern Argentina and southeastern Bolivia, Ilex argentina Lillo, a related species that is known not to accumulate caffeine but theobromine, has been used to prepare maté. It is a tree characteristic of the area of transition between the forests of Myrtaceae and alder (Alnus spp.) of the phytogeographical province of the yungas.
Known cultivars of I. paraguariensis. The infraspecific classification of I. paraguariensis is still under study. Consequently, the correspondence between the biological varieties and the horticultural varieties of genuine maté is not clear. Following is a list of some of the varieties recognized as such by growers in the three countries: Erva de talo roxo, Erva de talo branco, Erva piriquita (Brazil); Caá verá, Caá manduví, Caá panambi, Caá cuatí, Caá ñú, Caá eté, Caá mi, Caá chacra, Caá-je-he-ni (Paraguay); Yerba colorada, Yerba señorita, Caá miní (Argentina).

INTA in Argentina recently began to distribute seeds of clones and selected clonal progeny which, following comparative trials, demonstrated their superiority.

In wild South American Ilex species and in the maté-growing region, the risks of genetic erosion are high because the natural forest is gradually giving way to agroforestry and livestock production, a process accentuated by the relatively low germinating capacity of many species (especially that of maté). As no suitable method has yet been discovered for maintaining the germinating capacity of I. paraguariensis for prolonged periods, there are no seed banks of the species. Nevertheless, at the Cerro Azul de Misiones experimental agricultural station in Argentina, a maté clonal garden began to be developed in 1976, complemented by the nursery started in 1986 with I. paraguariensis of various origins and with other species of Ilex.

Cultivation practices
In the wide and varied economic production area of maté, the practices for the cultivation or exploitation of natural maté vary considerably in their technical aspects, resulting in different yields per hectare.
Three methods of production can be distinguished which are arranged here in increasing order of importance reflecting the use of techniques and their yields:

Extractive exploitation of the natural forest. Here the richness of natural maté plantations is utilized. Harvesting is not mechanized and the pruning system is generally incorrect. This form of production is diffused mainly in Brazil.
Mixed system or system for the enrichment of the natural forest. This consists of increasing the number of natural plantations and reconstituting those that have been lost. In Brazil, where this method is most commonly practiced, it is called densifying the maté plantation. Since, generally speaking, this technique is accompanied by others that increase the yield, such as cultivation care and improved pruning methods, the higher production cost is compensated for.
Cultivated maté plantations. This is undoubtedly the best system, and came into general use in Argentina around 1915. In spite of higher costs, the yield per hectare greatly increases. Complemented by measures such as improvement in the layout of plantations (which have evolved from trees planted in quincunxes, with spaced out plants used by Jesuits, to cultivation following contour lines, with a high density per hectare and use of the corte mesa pruning and plant management system), with well-timed pruning, cultivation work and harvesting, this system enabled Argentinian production to exceed that of Brazil, in spite of the former being carried out in a very reduced area and even outside the environments most suited for maté. For example, rising from a density of 1000 to 1500 plants per hectare (still fairly widespread) to a density of 2500 or 4000 plants per hectare, production can increase from around 1000 to 1800 kg to 2100 to 3300 kg per hectare.

The corte mesa system not only increases the yield but is also better suited to mechanical harvesting.

Yields are improved by: planting following contours; the use of natural or introduced cover (rape, legumes, etc.); fertilization (NPK); weed control (mechanical and/or using herbicides); suitable phytosanitary treatments; and rational harvesting. The relevant experiments have been going on for some years but, regrettably, their results have not become generalized. The introduction into cultivation of improved cultivars is much less widespread.

Conventional propagation techniques. Sexual propagation ("seeds" = pyrenes). This is the most common reproduction technique. In the case of maté, the advantage of sexual propagation lies in the fact that the variability in descendants may give rise to individuals better suited to different environments (which on other occasions may not be desired).

The seeds are harvested in the region (from February to April). They must be stratified or sown immediately, otherwise they quickly lose their viability.
Stored at 5°C, they maintain a very reduced germinating capacity (1.7 to 6.6 percent) for a further 11 months. The relatively short period of viability together with the low germination rate (immature embryos, phytosanitary problems) have undoubtedly been the cause of the difficulties in its cultivation spreading to other continents in the past.

Agamic reproduction. Grafting, propagation by cuttings and layering are not very widespread. It is relatively difficult to obtain rooted cuttings and this is generally achieved by using young branches from the stools, irrespective of whether plant hormone treatment is used. Additional experiments are necessary if the intention is to increase the rooting percentage.

In vitro cultivation of I. paraguariensis is being tried out in Brazil and Argentina by various research groups, with varying results which still do not clearly indicate which are the economically viable techniques for the clonal reproduction of selected individuals.

According to the Under-Secretariat for Agriculture and Livestock, in Argentina in 1988, the average yield of semi-processed maté was 1220 kg per hectare.

Prospects for improvement
The limitations of cultivation are due to the fact that there is no demand for the product on a macroeconomic scale. The recurrent cycles of surplus supply, low prices, disinvestment in plantations, scarcity of raw materials, high prices—very often linked with international trading terms between producer countries, which result in a greater distortion—have historically acted against a stable supply of the product in terms of quality and quantity. Even worse, they have discouraged the continuation of basic and/or applied research, which cultivation and processing require. The partial or total absence of knowledge concerning maté biology, plant chemistry, dietetics, agronomics and industrialization have made it difficult to adopt international standards which would lay down norms for the quality of the product and improve and guarantee it over time, depending on its distribution to the major international markets for the production of methyl xanthine infusions.

Potential areas for the introduction of this crop are subtropical regions with acid soils and a water supply similar to those of the species' natural area of dispersal.

It has recently been suggested that Ilex verticillata, a North American species, could be a source of biodegradable detergents because of its high saponin content. Since research regarding similar subjects is being continued on I. paraguariensis and, furthermore, since other related species are studied even less than maté from the chemical point of view, it would be advantageous to go into these aspects more deeply.

Ilex argentina is also a possible caffeine-free maté and is, moreover, remarkable for its richness in liver-protecting phenolics similar to those in artichokes (Cynara scolymus).

There are also reports of a range of non-traditional uses for I. paraguariensis, for instance as a source of edible oils, furfural and cosmetics.
Finally, the importance of the wild Ilex species in genetic improvement of the crop should be mentioned.

Lines of research
* Botanical: Infraspecific variability of I. paraguariensis and how it is related to other species of the genus; an updated chorology; crossing systems of I. paraguariensis and other species of Ilex; inheritance of sex.
* Physiology of the seed and micropropagation methods.
* Plant chemistry: Cycle of the xanthines in the species and its relatives; toxic and undesirable compounds of allied species; analytical determination of the infusion's flavour components.
* Updating, from the food point of view and with relation to allied species.
* Architecture of the individual of I. paraguariensis and of allied species; phenology and adaptation of these trees to mechanical harvesting.
* Industrialization: Improvements in the drying and accelerated seasoning systems without organoleptic losses; alternative industries with cultivation by-products.
* New ways of consuming and presenting the product.
Bibliography
* Abbott, T.P. et al. 1990. Major extractable components in Asclepias linaria (Asclepiadaceae) and Ilex verticillata (Aquifoliaceae), two potential hydrocarbon crops. Econ. Bot., 44(2): 278-284.
* Filip, R. et al. 1989. Estudio de compuestos presentes en Ilex argentina Lillo (Aquifoliaceae). Anal. Asoc. Quim. Argent., 77(4): 293-297.
* Fontana, H.P. et al. 1990. Estudios sobre la germinación y conservación de semillas de verba maté (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) . Infor. Técn.. 52: 14. Estación Exper. Agrop. Cerro Azul, INTA.
* Giberti, G.C.1989. Los parientes silvestres de la yerba maté y el problema de su adulteración. Dominguezia, 7(1): 3-21.
* Gomez Vara, M.E. et al. 1980. Investigaciones sobre la tecnología de la yerba maté. Informe, 4:226. APRYMA.
* Grondona, E.M. 1953. Historia de la yerba mate. Rev. Argent. Agron., 20(2): 68-95.
* Grondona, E.M. 1954. Historia de la yerba mate. II. Sinonimia, cariología y distribución geográfica. Rev. Argent. Agron., 21 (1): 9-24.
* Linhares, T.1969. História econômica do mate. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Editôra Livraria José Olympio.
* Loesener, T. 1901. Monographia Aquifoliacearum, l. Nola Acta Acad. Caes. Leop. Carol. German. Nat. Cur., 78: VIII + 600.
* Loesener, T. 1942/60. Aquifoliaceae. In H. Harms & Mattfeld, eds. Nat. Pflanzenfam, 2nd ed., p.36-86. Berlin.
* Martínez-Crovetto, R. 1980. Yerba mate: usos no tradicionales y posibilidades. Participar. 2(12): 58-61.
* Porto, A. 1943. História das Missões orientais do Uruguai, I. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ministry of Education and Health.
* Prat Kricun, S.D. et al. 1986. Yerba mate: informe de investigaciones realizadas. Período 84-85. Misiones, Convenio INTA-CRYM y CRYM-Asoc. Coop. EEA.
* Schultes, R.E. 1979. Discovery of an ancient guayusa plantation in   (source - retrieved from   http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/1492/mate.html  on  3/21/2013)

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].

For pictures of this plant and more information on it, go to,  http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/yerba_mate.htm

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