THE PURPOSE OF LIFE - A SECOND OPPORTUNITY THAT SHOULD NOT BE WASTED

It's an interesting fact that the word "if" appears in the Bible more than 1000 times and can be found in each of its 66 books. This fact highlights the conditional nature of God's promises to the faithful and of His threats to the wicked. In other words, the fulfillment of God's word to human beings is dependent upon choices that human beings make. Still don't believe it ? Read it for yourself in a sampling of the verses at the end of this post (1).

God created man for His own glory, that after test and trial the human family might become one with the heavenly family. It was God's purpose to repopulate heaven with the human family, if they would show themselves obedient to His every word. Adam was to be tested, to see whether he would be obedient, as the loyal angels, or disobedient. If he stood the test, his instruction to his children would have been only of loyalty. His mind and thoughts would have been as the mind and thoughts of God. His character would have been molded in accordance with the character of God. 

When Adam's sin had forfeited eternal life, at infinite cost God provided for the race a second probation. The time of probation is given us that we may perfect a character fit for eternity.In this life we are on probation, placed under test and trial to form characters for the future, immortal life. We are all to be tested here in this life to prove whether, if admitted to heaven, we shall repeat the same course that Satan pursued there. The present world is designed as a scene of probation for man. He is here to form a character which will pass with him into the eternal world. Good and evil are placed before him, and his future state depends upon the choice he makes. 

Ecclesiastes 12:13,14/Revelation 20:12,13/Hebrews 5:9 and 9:27/John 5:28,29/Psalms 18:32 and 138:8/Matthew 5:48/2 Corinthians 13:11/Ephesians 4:13/Colossians 1:28

Stay tuned for the next post in this study..

(1) SAMPLE OF IMPORTANT VERSES WITH THE WORD "IF"

Deuteronomy 4:29-31 and 8:19 and 28:1,2,9,15,58 and 30:10

Isaiah 58:9,10,13

Jeremiah 15:19

Ezekiel 3:19,21,33:8.9

Matthew 19:17,21

Mark 9:23

Romans 10:9

Matthew 6:14,15

John 13:17 and 14:15 and 15:14

Romans 8:13

Colossians 3:1

1 John 2:29

© 2013 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE - NO TRUE HAPPINESS WITHOUT GOODNESS

Is it possible for human beings to be happy without goodness and love ? Not according to God. It's not possible to enjoy true happiness without goodness and love. The world cannot enjoy freedom from sorrow and sadness until the cause of sorrow and sadness is removed from human hearts.  Many, as they look around in society and see some of the problems like violence, crime, poverty, racism, corruption, come to the wrong conclusion that these symptoms are the cause of the problems. The truth is that sadness, sorrow, suffering and sickness never existed until SIN took up residence in the human heart. Sin is the principle that God is working to deliver humanity from.

God desired to bring all peoples under His merciful rule. He desired that the earth should be filled with joy and peace. He created man for happiness, and He longs to fill human hearts with the peace of heaven.  Seeking the good of others is the way in which true happiness can be found. Man does not work against his own interest by loving God and his fellow men. The more unselfish his spirit, the happier he is, because he is fulfilling God's purpose for him. The breath of God is breathed through him, filling him with gladness. True and abiding happiness can never be derived from any human being. Our happiness comes not from what is around us, but from what is within us; not from what we have, but from what we are. Real happiness is found only in being good and doing good. Notice the Bible testimony about Jesus Christ:  How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38) God wants to and has the power to enable human beings to do good consistently and continuously. We have to understand that if we don't find it appealing, we could never be happy in heaven because in heaven goodness and love prevails for eternity.

Psalms 37:3,27,100:5/James 4:17/3 John 1:11/Galatians 6:10/John 5:28,29/Ecclesiastes 2:26

Stay tuned for the next post in this study..

© 2013 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE - CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Have you ever been in a deeply, personal, close relationship with someone ? Do you know what it feels like to be so close to someone that you understand each other's thoughts ? That is the kind of relationship God wants with every human being. He wants to be so close to us that just like we are always in His thoughts, so He will always be at the center of our thought life.

From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. God designed that the temple at Jerusalem should be a continual witness to the high destiny open to every soul.  

Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple. 

Man, created for fellowship with God, can only in such fellowship find his real life and development. Created to find in God his highest joy, he can find in nothing else that which can quiet the cravings of the heart or satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul. 

The Lord formed man for companionship, and He designs that we shall be imbued with the kind, loving nature of Christ and shall through association be bound together in close relationship as children of God, doing work for time and for eternity. Many misunderstand the object for which they were created. It was to bless humanity and glorify God, rather than to enjoy and glorify self.   

It is the Author of life that desires us to understand the purpose of life. He reveals that purpose in His word. Any theory or philosophy about life that fails to acknowledge the Creator's purpose for life will not fulfill the yearnings of the heart. 

Colossians 1:16/Acts 17:28/Ephesians 1:9,11, 2:10/Isaiah 43:7,21/Psalms 143:10/Matthew 7:21/Mark 3:35

Stay tuned for the next post in this study..

© 2013 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN LIVING IN THE MOMENT

Whether you're a CEO or unemployed job seeker or homeless, the purpose for life that God explains in the Bible will lift you above your present circumstances and place you where every human being who is connected with Christ has the potential to be. Paul the Apostle, understood that God's purpose for human life is centered in Jesus Christ. The true purpose of life was defined in the eternal past and that purpose has not changed. The Christian church, through the Christ-like characters of its members, is supposed to be revealing the purpose of life to the world. Notice what Paul says in the Bible, regarding this:

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: (Ephesians 3:8-11)

According to the Bible, the purpose of God was revealed in Jesus before the world even began. Not only was the purpose of God revealed in Jesus Christ, but the idea of immortality was brought to light as well. The possibility of human beings becoming immortal is taught by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (2 Timothy 1:9,10) 

 Stay tuned for the next post in this study..

© 2013 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE - WHY HUMAN BEINGS WERE CREATED

Many do not know or understand what the purpose of life is. They plan their lives and live without giving much thought to the possibility that there is something of much greater significance for their existence than merely self service. The Giver and Author of life has something wonderful planned for every person who chooses to live according to the purpose for which he or she was created. God reveals the purpose of life in the Bible and He is speaking especially to those who have allowed Him to have the first place in their affections. Notice what Scripture teaches regarding God's purposes as they relate to human beings:           

1. WE ARE CREATED TO DO GOOD WORKS JUST LIKE JESUS CHRIST DID

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10) 

2. WE ARE CREATED FOR GOD'S PLEASURE; TO PLEASE GOD 

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)

3. GOD'S PURPOSE IS THAT WE BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:28,29)

If the Bible tells us about God's purpose for human life, then what do you imagine should be the purpose of life in the minds of every human being ? Well, if we want to be in harmony with God, then we should have the same purpose for our lives that God has for our lives. 

To be fair this raises some interesting questions that we can answer in the next post. Why does God have these purposes for our lives ? What difference does it make whether or not I understand God's purpose for my life ? Is the true purpose of life only able to be defined by God ?

Stay tuned for the next post in this study..

© 2013 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

DESTROYING YOURSELF IS AGAINST THE LAW

Some people are very careful to avoid breaking any of society's laws. They understand that there are unpleasant consequences for those who do so. One of the strangest ironies about this is the fact that a vast majority of people in society are daily choosing to live in violation of God's laws as if there are no consequences. The Lord has made it a part of his plan that man's reaping shall be according to his sowing. And this is the explanation of the misery and suffering in our world, which is charged back upon God. The man who serves himself, and makes a god of his stomach, will reap that which is the sure result of the violation of nature's laws. He who abuses any organ of the body to gratify lustful appetites and debased passions will bear testimony to the same in his countenance. He has sown to fleshly lusts, and he will just as surely realize the consequence. He is like a hunted being; he is a slave to passion, the chains of which he is unwilling to break. And at last he is left of God, without conviction, without mercy, without hope, to destroy himself. He is left to the natural processes of corrupting practices which degrade him beneath the brute creation. His sinfulness has ruined the mechanism of the living machinery, and nature's laws, transgressed, become his tormentors.

When we do all we can on our part to have health, then may we expect that the blessed results will follow, and we can ask God in faith to bless our efforts for the preservation of health. He will then answer our prayer, if his name can be glorified thereby; but let all understand that they have a work to do. God will not work in a miraculous manner to preserve the health of persons who are taking a sure course to make themselves sick. Jesus intercedes for us in heaven and makes grace available for us to overcome self-destructive habits. May our heavenly Father lead us to repentance and give us strength to live in harmony with His laws of health.

1 Corinthians 6:20/10:31/Galatians 6:7,8
Proverbs 20:1/23:2,20-21/25:28/ Luke 21:34/1 Peter 2:11/

© 2013 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

BROKEN, BRUISED AND BEWILDERED: HEALING FOR EVERY DISORDER OF THE HEART

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  (Ezekiel 36:26)

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome that occurs in patients who, because of an inherited or acquired abnormality of cardiac structure and/or function, develop a constellation of clinical symptoms (dyspnea and fatigue) and signs (edema and rales) that lead to frequent hospitalizations, a poor quality of life, and a shortened life expectancy.(Loscalzo, 178)

Has your heart failed because of disappointment, discouragement, or discontentment ? No one loves us better or more truly than God. Only He can fully satiate the cravings of the human heart. He begins by asking our permission to let Him perform spiritual surgery; a heart transplant to increase our capacity for giving love and not merely waiting to receive it; for therein lies the true source of happiness.

    Conversion is a change of heart, a turning from unrighteousness to righteousness. Relying upon the merits of Christ, exercising true faith in Him, the repentant sinner receives pardon for sin. As he ceases to do evil and learns to do well, he grows in grace and in the knowledge of God. He sees that in order to follow Jesus he must separate from the world, and after counting the cost, he looks upon all as loss if he may but win Christ. He enlists in His army and bravely and cheerfully engages in the warfare, fighting against natural inclinations and selfish desires and bringing the will into subjection to the will of Christ. Daily he seeks the Lord for grace, and he is strengthened and helped. Self once reigned in his heart, and worldly pleasure was his delight. Now self is dethroned, and God reigns supreme. His life reveals the fruit of righteousness. The sins he once loved he now hates. Firmly and resolutely he follows in the path of holiness. This is genuine conversion. 

     Let us not forget that in his conversion and sanctification man must cooperate with God. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," the Word declares. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Man cannot transform himself by the exercise of his will. He possesses no power by which this change may be affected. The renewing energy must come from God. The change can be made only by the Holy Spirit. He who would be saved, high or low, rich or poor, must submit to the working of this power. Would you like a new heart and a new start ? Christian or unbeliever you can have it now.

Pray like this - Father in heaven, I am a sinner and I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior right now and I ask you to give me a new heart. New motives, new desires and new purposes that will be in harmony with your law of 10 commandments. I thank you and praise you for the forgiveness of my sins and for causing me to be born again right now, In Jesus, name, amen. 

1. Isaiah the Prophet, Holy Bible, Isaiah 1:27, England, King James, 1611

2. Loscalzo, Douglas L., Harrison's Cardiovascular Medicine, New York, McGraw Hill, 2010

3. Paul the Apostle, Holy Bible, Philippians 2:12,13, England, King James, 1611 

4. Paul the Apostle, Holy Bible, Romans 6:18, England, King James, 1611 

5. Paul the Apostle, Holy Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:34, England, King James, 1611

6. Paul the Apostle, Holy Bible, Ephesians 4:24, England, King James, 1611

7. Paul the Apostle, Holy Bible, 1 John 3:7,10, England, King James, 1611

© 2013 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

100 PREDICTIONS THAT WILL BE FULFILLED THIS YEAR

Will the world end this year ? Will the mark of the beast be enforced ? Psychics, fortune tellers and even some misguided ministers say they know what events will take place tomorrow. Many may claim to know what is going to happen in the future and even what will happen within the next 12 months but there is only One who knows for sure. God Himself is all-knowing and can penetrate the mysteries of the future consistently without flaw. Those who connect with Him through Jesus Christ by faith are granted the privilege of understanding those things about the future which He reveals in His word. The Bible reveals today's principles that are shaping tomorrow's events. Many of these same principles rule in the lives of human beings and makes us somewhat predictable. Listed below are 100 predictions that will come to pass this year. As these predictions are fulfilled, other things will happen too.

1. Air will still be more important than money. Air will still be needed by the lungs and air will still be taken for granted by most people until they feel they can't breathe. 

2. All of us will still be sinners. All of us will still need God’s pardoning grace for the forgiveness of sin and all of us will still need God’s enabling grace to resist sin.

3. Actions will still reveal the true character of a person more than a person’s words.

4. Attitudes will still need to be adjusted.

5. Anxiety will not decrease.

6. Beliefs will still have consequences.

7. Bad things will still happen to both good and bad people.

8. Birth, life and death, literally, physically and spiritually will continue.

9. Borrowers will still be servants to the lenders.

10. Banks will not admit that they have been making bad decisions that have hurt people.

11. Chance circumstances will not create living things

12. Christ-like character development will still be possible through trust in God.

13. Christ’s life, death, resurrection and intercession will still be the only hope for sinners.

14. Cancer will still be profitable for the medical industry.

15. Dead people in the graves will not begin to communicate with living people.

16. Deception about what happens after death will continue.

17. Disasters will continue to increase in intensity.

18. Diseases not helped by “orthodox” cures will still continue to be successfully treated by natural means.

19. Enthusiasm for empty things will continue.

20. Economies will not improve and become prosperous for all.

21. Equality of human beings will continue to be divided by money.

22. Exceptions to the rule will continue to weaken the rules.

23. Faith in human reason and human judgment will continue.

24. Faith in God will shine brighter through real Christians.

25. Families will still be under mental, physical, spiritual, and moral assault.

26. Failures caused by human error and human selfishness will continue.

27. God will still be good.

28. Grace will still be available to those whose earthly probation has not closed.

29. Garbage will still be published, produced, televised, advertised and accepted.

30. Good news will not become the main broadcast feature of ABC, NBC or CBS.

31. Hell will continue to be mistakenly believed to be a place of eternal torment.

32. Health will not be restored by health insurance.

33. Hope will not die.

34. Human beings will not grow more loving and patient.

35. Illness and its causes will still not be understood by many.

36. Intensity of feelings will continue to increase and rule more people.

37. Investments in vanity and vain things will continue.

38. Insight into the sequence of final events for the world will still be available.

39. Junk for the mind and the body will still cost money.

40. Jails will still have less prisoners than sin.

41. Jesus second coming will be nearer.

42. Journeys to nowhere will still be taken.

43. Killers and killing will not cease.

44. Kindness will not dramatically increase throughout the world.

45. Knowledge of God and eternal realities will not explode exponentially.

46. Kingly men with Christlike character qualities will continue to be too few.

47. Love will continue to be easily counterfeited, misunderstood and missing from many hearts.

48. Life will not result from an explosion or an accident or a big bang somewhere.

49. Luxury will still be mistakenly equated with happiness.

50. Luck will still be considered a business principle.

51. Mothers who are real mothers will still be burdened.

52. Men who choose to remain self-centered will increase in blindness.

53. Money will still rule the world behind the scenes.

54. Movies will continue to have power to influence the mind and shape character.

55. Noble thoughts and deeds will be too few. 

56. Nuclear war will not destroy the entire world.

57. Nutritional value in corporate mass-produced food products will not increase.

58. Nations will not agree to love and help each other and to go to war no more.

59. Outrageous conduct will continue to be accepted as entertainment.

60. Obscene images will continue to be more and more acceptable to weak minds. 

61. Out-of-touch minds will continue to have more and more influence over others.

62. Opposition to pure truth, real goodness and genuine holiness will continue.

63. Pain will increase and continue to be medicated mentally, physically and emotionally.

64. Power will still attract those with the most dangerous character deficits.

65. Promises will continue to be made by those who don’t intend to keep them and promises will be kept by those who have a wealth of personal integrity.

66. Personality will shine brighter than character in the estimation of shallow minds. 

67. Questions presented to the government by many engineers, lawyers, scientists, military leaders and architects concerning the government story about September 11th 2001 will not be answered.

68. Quiet places will become more valuable.

69. Queen-like women with Christlike character qualities will continue to be too few.

70. Quantity will continue to be substituted for quality on social, medical, educational, religious and personal levels. 

71. Repetition will still be used as an effective way to strengthen lies.

72. Rotting foundations will continue to destroy many of society’s institutions.

73. Rapeseed will continue to deceive people under the name “Canola” oil.

74. Reserve and modesty will not increase.

75. Selfishness will continue to strengthen in many hearts.

76. Supernatural sights and sounds including UFO's will continue to deceive

77. Satellites will still be able to track citizens anywhere on the earth.

78. Strength of character will continue to be measured superficially.

79. Truth will continue to be suppressed by those who control the publishing and media outlets

80. TSA will not abolish itself nor apologize to all airline passengers for violating their rights. 

81. Television programs will not improve significantly and begin to make great contributions to moral excellence.

82. Taste will continue to battle for first place above the other senses of hearing, touch and sight.

83. Unity of minds upon platforms of error will still continue to increase.

84. Urgent appeals to the conscience by the Holy Spirit will increase.

85. Unkind words will continue to be spoken in unkind tones.

86. Unusual weather patterns will continue to develop.

87. Victories over self will continue to be obtained.

88. Violations of trust will continue to increase.

89. Values based on material possessions will continue to mislead.

90. Vampires portrayed in movies or on television will not become real.

91. Water will still be needed by the body and mind inwardly, outwardly and spiritually.

92. Wars and rumors of wars will continue.

93. Wealth or lottery tickets still won’t solve the problem of a broken heart.

94. Weeping will still endure for a night.

95. X-rays will still not produce life after causing cells to mutate.
 
96. Xerox machines will still make copies just like words, thoughts and deeds will continue to be copied on earth and in the record books of heaven as well.

97. Yes there will still be a world to live in.

98. You will still only have today and right now. You will not be promised tomorrow.

99. Zero will still be the tolerance level for what the majority decides is wrong.

100. Zombies will remain in the movies. They won't become real and take over the earth. 

These predictions are all established by Bible prophecies and Bible principles. While these predictions may be considered general and easier to make, there are predictions, that could only be foreseen by God, with specific details regarding the United States and the role it will play in last day events. This too, is revealed in the Bible. Would you like to know something more specific about what will happen in America in the last days ? By the grace of God, we will continue the study of America in Bible prophecy in future posts. 

REFERENCES: Matthew 24, Luke 21:11/Acts 10:43/Isaiah 41:21-23, 42:9, 44:6-8, 46:9,10, 48:5,6/Jeremiah 17:9/Amos 3:7/Hosea 12:10/2 Peter 1:19/Revelation 1:3, 22:7/Proverbs 22:3, 27:12/John 13:19, 14:29/Luke 21:28/2 Timothy 3:1-5,7,13

Have you been drawing closer to Jesus Christ ? Do you even know Him ? Is He your deeply personal Lord and Savior from the penalty and power of sin ?

If you have not done so already or if you have backslidden toward the world and are now worldly...please in the name of Jesus awake and stay alert if you are awake.

Please...surrender your heart to God while there is still time; surrender your thoughts and feelings to Jesus Christ the one who loves you and died in order for you and I to be able to obtain victory over all sin and selfishness in our lives...God loves you..God wants you...Not just to be forgiven...Not to play church, but to truly become Christ-like before you die so that you can be prepared to enjoy eternity with Him. A Christlike person is the only kind of person that could enjoy heaven and the only kind of person that could be trusted in heaven.

Pray like this - Father in heaven, I am a sinner and I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior right now and I ask you to give me a new heart. New motives, new desires and new purposes that will be in harmony with your law of 10 commandments. I thank you and praise you for the forgiveness of my sins and for causing me to be born again right now, In Jesus, name, amen. 

100 REASONS TO LOVE GOD

People will tell you why they love chocolate, or why they love cheese or why they love shopping. Some love certain activities and many are just in love with themselves. We talk of material things because we have an interest in them. Some talk of their friends because they love them; their joys and their sorrows, their memories and sometimes significant life experiences are bound up with them. Their is a closeness they feel towards them. 

Yet we have infinitely greater reason to love God than to love our earthly friends or anything else for that matter. 

Our love for Him should spring from an appreciation of His character. With that in mind, let's consider just a few reasons to love God.

100 REASONS TO LOVE GOD

  1. All the good things that happen in life are the result of His providence

  2. All the bad things that happen in life can be made beautiful only by Him

  3. Ask Him any question and He will know the answer.

  4. Another day is yours to live because He ordains it.

  5. Before you and I were born, he planned for our success

  6. Beauty of character is revealed in His words and actions.

  7. Being blamed for evil and misunderstood by many He still continues to love

  8. Black people, white people and all people are the same to Him

  9. Because He first loved us.

10. Contacting Him is easy.

11. Christ is His Son and they with the Holy Spirit work together for our salvation

12. Crisis becomes no crisis when we trust in Him.

13. Compassion is one of His character qualities.

14. Death is no match for Him and He will destroy it someday soon.

15. Distance cannot keep Him from loving you.

16. Darkness cannot hurt you if He is present with you.

17. Decisions to do right are encouraged and made possible by Him

18. Excellence of character is something He can develop in anyone who desires it.

19. Everything pure and right and wonderful has its origin in Him

20. Emptiness of heart is not possible in a relationship with Him

21. Eternal life is the bright future He wants to give to everyone who wants it.

22. Freedom to choose is respected by Him.

23. Flowers and fragrances were His ideas.

24. Feelings and emotions are understood by Him.

25. Fear is banished in His presence.

26. God is love

27. Goodness is always revealed by Him

28. Graves will be empty someday because of Him

29. Grace is available from Him.

30. He is the Creator

31. His thoughts and feelings toward you are always good and right.

32. Health and true happiness are possible because of Him and not without Him.

33. Hope is in His words and in His disposition towards you.

34. Impossibilities are possibilities with Him.

35. Inspiration of the Bible writers came from Him and is available to you too.

36. Intercession of Christ for you in the heavenly sanctuary is accepted by Him

37. Invitations to be delivered from sin are continually being offered by Him

38. Jesus Christ is the perfect representation of Him

39. Jubilee for those in debt is His idea

40. Kindness is one of His character qualities

41. Kneeling or standing you can talk to Him.

42. Knowledge is something He’s always willing to share

43. Keeping His commandments pleases Him and He helps you do it.

44. Love is the motive for all His words and actions

45. Life has meaning and purpose because of Him..

46. Light and truth can be received from Him without money.

47. Law and grace are both from Him. Neither does away with the other.

48. Money cannot buy Him, change Him or convince Him.

49. Millions have been helped by Him

50. Mercy is His delight.

51. Mastering difficulties is what you can be doing at any time with His help.

52. New beginnings are always possible with Him.

53. Nothing can separate you from His love except your choice to separate.

54. No one can love and care for you like Him.

55. Never will He forget about you.

56. Only He can give you the gift of immortality at the return of Jesus Christ

57. Overcoming sin is inspired by Him and made possible by His grace.

58. Oppression is not His style.

59. Open communication with Him is so easy and so helpful.

60. Options are always available to you as far as he is concerned.

61. People are the focus of His love.

62. Promises made by Him are never broken.

63. Power to change lives is in His possession.

64. Practical life-saving principles are what he teaches.

65. Quietness is appreciated by Him.

66. Quarrels are not necessary with Him.

67. Quitting the war against sin and wrong never enters His mind.

68. Questions from Him often contain great answers.

69. Reality is what it is because of Him.

70. Running away is not an option for Him.

71. Right is always right with Him even when the whole world is wrong.

72. Resting is easy when He’s in control of your life.

73. Sin, suffering and sorrow will soon be permanently eradicated by Him.

74. Selfishness has no part in Him.

75. Sacrificing Himself for you is worth it to Him.

76. Salvation for you is a must for Him.

77. Solutions to problems are always available in Him.

78. Time has no control over him.

79. Truth originates with Him and He never lies.

80. Tricks cannot fool Him, traps cannot deceive Him.

81. Trust in Him is justified.

82. Ten Commandments are one of the many ways He reveals His character.

83. Untangling lives is His specialty

84. Universal harmony is His desire and will.

85. Unmistakable clarity is in His words.

86. Unity in diversity in Christ is His desire for the world.

87. Variety is another one of the ways He expresses Himself

88. Value that is infinite is what He places upon every human being.

89. Vanity has nothing to do with His decisions.

90. Vitality and energy are restored by Him when His laws of health are obeyed.

91. Wealth cannot compare to Him nor replace Him.

92. Wisdom comes from Him.

93. Whenever He is near you are safe.

94. Wickedness is not in Him.

95. Xenophobia and any other phobia can be completely cured by His love.

96. Yearnings for love are satisfied by Him.

97. Yelling and screaming aren’t necessary with Him.

98. Yesterday will never be forgotten by Him.

99. You will always be a priority for Him.

100. Zeal for living comes as a result of close friendship with Him

 Love for God is essential for life and health. In order to have perfect health our hearts must be filled with hope and love and joy. On one occasion when Jesus was speaking to a man, He revealed the secret of true happiness to the man: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (Matthew 22:37) 

If you have not done so already

 or if you have backslidden toward the world and are now worldly...

you can have a new beginning with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life right now.

Pray like this - Father in heaven, I am a sinner and I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior right now and I ask you to give me a new heart. New motives, new desires and new purposes that will be in harmony with your law of 10 commandments. I thank you and praise you for the forgiveness of my sins and for causing me to be born again right now, In Jesus, name, amen.

© 2012 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com

BEING SHALLOW IS NOT AS REWARDING AS DIGGING DEEPER - ARCHAEOLOGY CONFIRMS THE BIBLE - FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW - 1C

It won 5 Academy awards and remains one of the highest profit earning movies ever made. Its popularity and success led to 3 additional movies, a television series and at least 15 video games. It is included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark put archaeology on the local map of people's imaginations as it unfolded on screen the exciting story of an adventurous archaeologist.

ARCHAEOLOGY CONFIRMS BIBLE HISTORY

A hundred years ago there were learned critics who claimed that the Bible was full of historical blunders. Today the situation has changed dramatically. 

The discoveries of archaeology in Bible lands have validated the confidence that many have in the historical accuracy of Holy Scriptures. Much of the culture as well as evidence of the various time frames and actual places where many of the Bible characters traveled and lived are being unearthed.

The ‘Middle East’ was the birth-place of the Bible, and the cradle of the human race. Ancient nations – Egypt, Assyria, Phoenicia, Babylon and Persia were clustered there. The Bible narratives are knitted at a thousand points to the history of these nations.

The Middle East has therefore become a gigantic museum, over stuffed with the relics of ancient eras. This region is also an enormous library. Beneath the sands, and on the stony faces of its weather beaten monuments are preserved chronicles of the nations of the past.

This library, the oldest and biggest in the world, with its clay tablets and cylinders, its rolls of papyrus, its scraps of broken pottery and its slabs of stone, is also a huge treasury, prepared by the hands of men long dead, filled with evidence of the historical accuracy of the sacred Scriptures, and preserved by God and needed for our time.

EARLY WRITING AND THE BIBLE

Cuneiform script is one of the earliest known forms of written expression. The cuneiform writing system was in use for more than 35 centuries, through several stages of development, from the 34th century BC down to the 1st century AD. It was completely replaced by alphabetic writing (in the general sense) during the Roman era and there are no Cuneiform systems in current use. Cuneiform documents were written on clay tablets, by means of a blunt reed for a stylus.

As archaeologists have discovered these clay tablets and inscriptions, more and more of the history recorded in the Bible is being certified as correct.

Here are a few examples of names, places and events in Bible history which have been verified by the cuneiform tablets of archaeology.

1. NOAH AND THE FLOOD - Deluge Tablet – The Epic of Gilgamesh records a Babylonian account of a flood

2. VARIOUS LAWS GOVERNING SOCIETIES INCLUDING THE 10 COMMANDMENTS  - Law tablets – ancient Near East legal tablets: Code of Hammurabi, Laws of Eshnunna, the Code of Ur-Nammu, king of Ur (ca. 2050 BC), the Laws of Eshnunna (ca. 1930 BC) and the codex of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin (ca. 1870 BC). Later codes than Hammurabi's include the Code of the Nesilim. Hittite laws, the Assyrian laws, and Mosaic Law / Ten Commandments. (see Cuneiform law)

3. EXISTENCE OF ISRAEL'S BIBLICAL ENEMIES - Ugaritic religious texts – (14th – 12th century BC?) verifies the account of Philo, preserved by Eusebius, regarding the Canaanite religion.

4. EXISTENCE OF THE PROPHET WHO TALKED WITH THE DONKEY - Balaam inscription (c. 840–760 BC) 9th or 8th century BC inscription about a prophet named Balaam (cf. the Book of Numbers).

5. EXISTENCE OF KING HEZEKIAH - Siloam inscription – Records the construction of Hezekiah's tunnel in the 8th century BC 

6. EXISTENCE OF ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE JESUS HEALED - Pool of Bethesda – in the nineteenth century, archaeologists discovered the remains of a pool exactly matching the description in John’s Gospel.

7. PLAGUES OF EGYPT - Ipuwer Papyrus (c. 13th century BC) – ancient papyrus manuscript describing Egypt as afflicted by natural disasters and in a state of chaos. Statements such as "the River is blood" have been interpreted by some as an Egyptian account of the Plagues of Egypt described in the Book of Exodus in the Bible.

8. ISRAEL THE PEOPLE OF GOD - Merneptah Stele (c. 1209/1208 BC).- one of the earliest known references to Israel or to the Israelites. The Merneptah Stele, dated to about 1206 B.C.E. and now housed at the Cairo Museum, offers the earliest historical evidence of a people called Israel.

9. EXISTENCE OF THE HEBREW PEOPLE - Gezer calendar (10th century BC) – calendar from the Biblical city of Gezer. It is one of the oldest known examples of Hebrew writing.

10. EXISTENCE OF AMMON - ANCIENT ENEMY OF ISRAEL - Amman Citadel Inscription – 9th century BC inscription in the Ammonite language, one of the few surviving written records of Ammon.

11. BOOK OF JEREMIAH - Seal of Jehucal – (9th century BCE ?) Jehucal or Jucal is mentioned in chapters 37 and 38 of the Book of Jeremiah where King Zedekiah sends Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah saying `Please pray for us to the Lord our God` (Chapter 38 verse 3).

12. EXISTENCE OF KING AHAB -  Kurkh Monolith (c. 859–824 BC) - British Museum – names King Ahab of Israel, erected by Shalmaneser III to commemorate the Battle of Karkar, which Ahab participated in along with many other regional leaders.

13. EXISTENCE OF KING NEBUDCHADNEZZAR -  Babylonian Chronicles (c. 747–247 BC) – dealing with Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem, etc. (see Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Zedekiah and Book of Kings, Book of Jeremiah, Lamentations.)

14. EXISTENCE OF KING AHAZ -  King Ahaz's Seal (732 to 716 BC) – Ahaz was a king of Judah but "did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had done" (2 Kings 16:2; 2 Chronicles 28:1). He worshiped idols and followed pagan practices. "He even made his son pass through fire, according to the abominable practices of the nations" (2 Kings 16:3). Ahaz was the son and successor of Jotham.

15. CAPTIVES OF JUDAH - Lachish relief – portion of the Sennacherib relief, which depicts captives from Judah being led into captivity after the fall of Lachish in 701 BC

16. SIEGE OF JERUSALEM - Taylor Prism – a clay prism inscribed with the annals of the Assyrian king Sennacherib notable for describing his siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC during the reign of king Hezekiah. This event is recorded in several books contained in Bible including Isaiah chapters 33 and 36; 2 Kings 18:17; 2 Chronicles 32:9.

17. OLD TESTAMENT IN THE BIBLE -  Ketef Hinnom priestly blessing – Probably the oldest surviving texts currently known from the Hebrew Bible – Priestly blessing dated to 600 BC. Text from the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament. Described as "one of most significant discoveries ever made" for biblical studies

18. KING CYRUS & BIBLE PROPHECY - Cylinder of Cyrus (c. 559 BC-530 BC) - British Museum – regarding King Cyrus's treatment of religion, which is significant to the books of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah.

19. KING BELSHAZZAR AND THE JUDGMENT OF GOD - Cylinder of Nabonidus (555–539 BC) - British Museum – proves Belshazzar's existence. See Daniel 5; 7:1; 8:1. Daniel 5 describes Belshazzar's Feast where a hand was seen writing on the wall of the chamber a mysterious sentence mene mene tekel upharsin.

20. NEHEMIAH - RESTORATION OF JERUSALEM AND BIBLE PROPHECY -  Elephantine papyri, ancient Jewish papyri dating to the 5th century BC, name three persons mentioned in Nehemiah: Darius II, Sanballat the Horonite and Johanan the high priest.

21. ISRAEL'S REBELLION AGAINST AND APOSTASY FROM GOD - Proof of Israels apostasy from God -The Bible records the history of Israels frequent apostasy from God to worship the idol gods of nations around them. 

22. THE NEW TESTAMENT - Portions of the New Testament made on papyrus and some of the earliest proof of the original text. More than 120 are known and housed at various institutions around the world.

These examples confirm that the authenticity of the Bible is being established in these last days of earth's history as God continues to make intelligent appeals to the minds and hearts of human beings. Sufficient evidence is given for the honest in heart who sincerely wish to know the truth regarding the great issues of life; origin, purpose, destiny and eternity. 

Where we came from, where we are and where we are going. 

It begins with Jesus Christ.

His love, sacrifice and desire for you are revealed in the Bible.

This study will be continued in the next part of this Bible Study series 

"Facts You Need To Know" 1D.

REFERENCES:

The Holy Bible and-

(1) Israel Museum - http://www.imj.org.il/imagine/galleries/archaeologyE.asp

(2) University of Chicago Oriental Institute - https://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/galleries/

(3) NOVA - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/archeology-hebrew-bible.html

(4) Hecht Museum - http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/archeology/cronological_eng.aspx

(5) Museums of Florence (Italy) - http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/Museum_of_archaeology.html

(6) Houghton Library at Harvard - http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/papyrus/bibliographies.cfm

(7) British Archaeology at the Ashmolean Museum - http://britisharchaeology.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/ also see

http://britisharchaeology.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/resources/resources-index.html and 

Museum of Art and Archaeology University of Oxford - http://cdli.ucla.edu/collections/ashmolean/ashmolean.html

(8) University of Oslo Library (Norway) - http://ub-fmserver.uio.no/home.php

(9) Yale University (Babylonian Collection) - http://nelc.yale.edu/babylonian-collection

(10) National Library of Russia - Greek Manuscripts - http://www.nlr.ru/eng/coll/manuscripts/greek.html

© 2012 Tyrone Keels

www.issues-of-life.com