2024: America Awakening to Truth and Reconciliation to a Holy God

Now we know that Jesus did not approve of genital mutilation by circumcision of the foreskin of a male, according to the Book of Thomas.

(Certainly Zipporah did not approve of it, when she told Moses he was a bloody husband (Ex. 4:25). Worse, later, the ceremony was used to deceive foreigners! Like when Haran and Shechem, I think, were deceived into getting circumcised only to be killed by Jacob’s sons three days later. )

Nor did Jesus hear the voice from heaven, as two of his followers did, when they were in the cave.

Nor did Jesus encourage the formality of washing the hands — but of cleansing the mind of evil thoughts.

Thank you Lord for the truth in Jesus!

As more truth emerges from the will of the people and God Almighty, one can only believe that Americans will once again enjoy the peace and freedom that comes from a cleansing of minds, souls, and the environment — where neighbors help each other, equitable business transactions take place between people (with God’s presence), criminals will be held responsible for breaking the law and receiving correction, and prayer will begin each day in the classrooms.

Prayerfully, this change will take place expediently, with high antennas coming down and false idols being destroyed,

Blessed is the nation whose trust is in the Lord.

Exclusion of Religious Books from the Bible

While many divine books have been excluded from the Bible, such as The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Philip, The Odes of Solomon, etc . . ., exclusion should not discourage believers in God’s spirit from writing words of wisdom and truth to share spiritual insights with the world.

Who would know that Jesus never supported circumcision of the flesh had not Didymos Thomas (the twin brother of Jesus) recorded such words of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas?

Because believers in Christ have been sanctified by God’s Holy Spirit, they have opportunities to share the good news of Jesus (his true name being Yeshua Yosef), and the truth of what is really happening in the world — as man tries to control him self and others through the use of trickery, slavery, and technology – going so far as to try to mimic a voice of God, show images that are not real, and exclaim there is hope for a good life by false advertising.

Such that people who hear and act out such proclamations, artificial voices and images, and who worship the beast rather than the creator, are thrown into chaos and commit lewd acts.

Yet the understanding and patience of God Almighty continues on while Satan and the anti-christ try to squash the truth and the divine way.

Consider the holy scriptures available today but also the words that God gives to the sanctified person who  can share the good news along with Biblical readings and be just as effective, if not more, in changing humanity for the better in following the laws of God and the working of love towards humanity regardless of ethnicity, age, gender, or location.

While all of humanity moves toward knowing the presence of God’s ways in every detail of society and nature but also towards his anger and jealousy over a people who fail to acknowledge him and humble themselves to such power; one can only wonder the destruction that will occur such as what happened to Sodom.

So the messengers of God who continued to write holy scriptures in the 400 years of time between the Old and New Testament books have not been forgotten, nor have their works been in vain; they continued expressing declarations from a holy God who cares about people and the environment in spite of corruption, self-egotism, and the covetousness of man .

Believers!

Write and speak! Tell what has been revealed to you by the holy of holies; for the ignorant are led astray, the wicked dig their own graves, and the deceived rage on towards the pits of hell.

3/5/2024 Ken Lee

Mark 3: 13-30 & Broadman’s Commentary

 I often read Broadman’s Commentary to see what other believers and/or scholars have to say about the scriptures.

Henry Turlington wrote the expository of the Book of Mark, but I’m not sure he saw the true essence of why Jesus was confronted by scribes from Jerusalem and accused of having an unclean spirit in Mark, Chapter 3.

Obviously a turning point in the ministry happens right here after Jesus appoints twelve disciples.

Possibly Mr. Turlington was trying to follow his outline — for the Book of the Mark on the preceding pages of his dissertation.

But certainly, my New Schofield Reference Bible (now not so new after 40 years of turning the pages) has got the subject division right – isolating 3:13-21—as separate context..

Jesus had appointed his twelve disciples on the mountain,  comes home (has been suggested to Peter’s house) and  prepares to eat but a crowd develops.

After discussing this episode with a friend, we have determined there wasn’t enough food available to eat.

The next verse  of Mark 3:21 is the one I am referring to that is critical to understanding what is happening here.

• And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him; for they said, He is beside himself.

What did they hear? That Jesus had appointed twelve disciples? Maybe. “Or was the multitude overcrowding the area and causing danger to Jesus? Maybe that too.

But the words “beside himself” are not in my Greek text, and even if they were, it would more likely mean that Jesus was in his own thoughts and not necessarily physical alone.

The Greek translation “to lay hold on him” can mean “restrain”, which is what some versions state.

Restraining would be more appropriate for the situation – after he had chosen his disciples – and his mother, brother, and sisters show up and try and protect him shortly after this scene.

Turlington doesn’t mention a rift of jealousy taking place among the non-appointees, but I haven’t seen a selection of candidates for lucrative jobs in my lifetime where some non-selectees don’t feel betrayed and become jealous.

To me, after Jesus had appointed the twelve, jealousy and envy has taken place among the people.

Fortunately, order was restored in 3: 22-30, and Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees and made his argument about who was casting out demons and healing people.

Broadman’s commentaries are wonderful informative books to read, and I do appreciate the amount of work each expositor has gone to enhance learning about the culture in the middle east and God’s involvement.

Fox in the Hen House: Luke 13:32-35

Jesus had a lot of experience dealing with livestock, for many of his teachings were based on using animals.

Luke 13: 32-35 is no different, when he described Herod of Antipas as a fox and discussing what appears to be the Pharisees of Jerusalem chickens.

Here it is:

(A certain of the Pharisees came to Jesus and told him Herod (of Antipas) was going to kill him.)

But Jesus was on a mission to cast our demons and heal people; so he told the man to go and tell the “old fox” that he would be around for three more days.

Jesus was not scared of Herod – knowing that God was in control of the situation and would see him through the threat.

Interestingly, Jesus then compared Jerusalem to a brood of chickens – and how a mother hen would cover them with her wings –but Jerusalem would not yield to God’s protection.

To appease the matter, Jesus said, “You shall not see me.”

Until that day when their house is desolate.

Then shall they say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”.

There are lots of hidden meanings in scripture that God will show us if we ask.

In this incident, God protected Jesus, allowed him to cast out demons and heal people for three more days.

I am thankful that God has control over the hen house that no fox can enter.

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Psalms 26

A good psalm for today’s world, and one that politicians should claim.

Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.

² Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

³ For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.

⁴ I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.

⁵ I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

⁶ I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:

⁷ That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

⁸ Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

⁹ Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:

¹⁰ In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

¹¹ But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.

¹² My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.

The Glorified God

On Saturdays, I usually go to the flea market to rent a table and sell a few items I have acquired from auctions, but this Saturday, I didn’t have much – because I did not attend any auction throughout the week.

So I took some leftover items, and of course my devotional books and tracts, and some plaques I have made up with scriptures on them – which for the last two weeks haven’t sold at all – until today.

It was strange, but God provided and amazed me because I had sold nothing of my regular goods for a couple of hours.

But a man came by and saw my tracts and wanted all of them. I sold them for the donation amount of $6.00, and he also bought one of the little plaques, that said, “Praise Ye the Lord.”

Still, there were no sales of my regular items for another hour, and then a lady came by and bought five of my plaques! One was beautiful, with red lettering on ivory background that listed the 16 definitions of love in 1 Corinthians. I let them go $4.00 each, very cheap actually.

Along with that, two of the devotional books sold, and there was a needed conversation with a person on the verge of repentance and finding God.

So God provided, even though I only made $3.00 on my regular goods — I received a decent amount for the religious goods.

And I am encouraged to keep painting scriptures on the plaques.

There were other interesting discussions with my buyers about the Lord’s will in America – knowing judgment was coming in some way or form on the wicked.

Praise be to the Lord for providing His word in the midst of troubled times.

“Touching” or “Divine”: Matthew 18

Matthew 18 is about conduct of believers in the church and forgiveness for those who sin.

One of the most quoted scriptures in Matthew 18 is Matt. 18: 19, about when 2 or 3 people are gathered together and obtaining whatever prayed for in the name of Jesus.

If they “touch” something, or someone . . . .

“Touching anything that they shall ask,” in the KJV — as if gathering together and touching gives some kind of free pass to obtain something wordly or even a spiritual blessing.

No.

The word “peri” in the Greek was translated to “touching”, but in Green’s transliteration of the Greek, the word means “concerning”.

Concerning “pantos” (every) matter. Not just any matter, I might add, but the parties in concert are to agree in every matter.

I don’t know how “touching” got in Matthew’s version, but I suspect it was by translation. I don’t find this story anywhere else in the New Testament that it can compare to.

Search the scriptures and become wise unto truth.

Law Needed Against Anti-Christ

Since “man” likes to make a lot of laws, one needs to be made against the anti-christ movement.

When a Catholic group was escorted from the Naitonal Air and Space Museum, because of a rosary emblem on their hats — and asked to take off the hats (probably because head gear interferes with satanic targeting — it exemplifies how far the anti-christ will go to suppress Christians from being in a publicly funded facility in their own homeland.

Yet some people, given over to a reprobate mind, can wear emblems depicting satanic ideology.

Persecution of Christians is a crime.

God’s laws state that a person should not be vexed or oppressed — nor secretly attacked.

It’s time for the anti-christ to come out of the closet and be responsible for irreverent actions and conduct.

A law should be introduced by the legislature and enacted to condemn the actons of the anti-christ.

Devotions A-Z, Published

Devotions A-Z is a self-help guide to find the divine way for any one of 72 subjects, from being “Abandoned-Worship”. “Anger, Arguing, Children, Divorce, Drugs, Faith, Fellowship, Gambling, Lost, Marriage, Patience, Money, Thankfulness, War, Worship” are just some of the subjects covered. Each Old and New Testament devotion for each subject, has a scripture heading, that is fundamental to the Judeo-Christian faith, with a story about the subject or summary of what the subject says from the Bible, And a prayer at the end of each devotion. And there are pictures after each of the Old Testament devotions. It’s a simple book. And because many people have told me they keep it somewhere near them, I am putting it on Amazon — after having had 1000 copies printed initially for my local area in 2012. So here it is!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0971185050?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

The Religous Author

There are preachers, lay people, and other believers who won’t look at another book besides the Bible.

Never mind the copyists’ errors or scriptural archaeological discoveries connecting the past to the present, or the devil’s handprints in the Bible (66 books of the Bible).

No. “The Bible is the only book I read!” They’ll say.

These people are missing out on a lot of good Bible reference literature – that brings the Bible alive and up to date.

The Anchor Bible commentary series is a good example, with comments about customs of the time from scholars.

I also found a book on Customs and Culture in Bible times a couple of months ago at the library that was excellent.

Biblical Archaeological Magazine is a great magazine to find out the latest archaeological discoveries and connections to the Bible.

Granted, one must be careful to not or add or take way any of the words of the Bible; but allowed by Timothy that every word is subject to reproof and edification.

I remember the Presbyterian belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God.

However, that just can’t be true, when Satan himself has dialogue in the Book of Job, and there are some omissions of words and jots and tittles.

Thankfully, there are believers in the world that still look for truths in the scripture, and anything that might add to it, ompletes the faith of the believer to glorify God and Jesus.

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