From a letter written by the apostle Paul (Saul),
with Timothy (Timotheus),
to believers in Corinth and the surrounding area:
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter; but of the spirit: for the letter killeth; but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.-2 Corinthians 3:1-18/the complete chapter***Levi was the 3rd son born to Jacob (Israel) and his 1st wife Leah, and Judah was Jacob and Leah's 4th born son. Joseph was the 1st son born to Jacob and his 2nd wife Rachel. Over 300 years after Benjamin was born near Bethlehem to Jacob and Rachel, and Rachel died, Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were born into the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, the Lord God sent them to speak to the Israelite elders and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. After the Lord God brought the 10th and final plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt, Moses and Aaron led the Israelites, and those with them, away from Egyptian slavery, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur. In the desert wilderness of Sinai, in the region of Mount Sinai, the Israelites heard the voice of the Lord God proclaim the Ten Commandments to them, and the Lord God began giving Moses judgments, statutes and laws for the Israelites. Upon Mount Sinai, Moses was 40 days and nights with the Lord God. Before the Lord God sent Moses back to the Israelites, the Lord God gave Moses 2 stone tablets whereupon were written, with the finger of God, the Ten Commandments. When Moses and his assistant Joshua neared the Israelites, Moses saw, as the Lord God previously revealed to him, the Israelites worshiping a golden calf. Moses threw the tablets, and the tablets broke at the foot of Mount Sinai. In their response to Moses, men from the tribe of Levi killed approximately 3,000 of the idolaters. Moses spoke to the Israelites, and went to speak to the Lord God, and the Lord God spoke to Moses, and Moses spoke the words of the Lord God to the Israelites, and the Israelites mourned, and obeyed the command that the Lord God gave to Moses for them. Moses placed a specific tent far away from the Israelites, and the Israelites who sought the Lord God went to the tent, the tabernacle of the congregation (tent of meeting). When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud descended and remained at the door of the tent, and the Lord God talked with Moses face to face. The Israelites saw the pillar of cloud, and at the door of their own tents, the Israelites rose and worshiped. Moses made a request, and the Lord God answered Moses and told Moses to chisel out 2 stone tables and come to the top of Mount Sinai. The Lord God descended in the cloud, and in the presence of Moses, the Lord God proclaimed the name of the Lord God, and passed in front of Moses and made proclamations. Moses bowed and worshiped and spoke to the Lord God. The Lord God spoke to Moses about a covenant, and the Lord God commanded Moses to write the words that were spoken by the Lord God, and the Lord God wrote the Ten Commandments upon the 2 stone tablets. On the 40th day, Moses returned to the Israelites without realizing that his facial skin was shining. The Israelites were afraid to go near Moses. After Moses talked with Aaron and the rulers, the rest of the Israelites came near, and Moses proclaimed the words spoken by the Lord God. Moses put a veil on his face, and each time Moses went to speak with the Lord God, Moses removed the veil until he returned to speak the commands of the Lord God to the Israelites. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam the prophetess died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron the high priest died. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses the prophet died and was divinely buried. Joshua was Moses' successor and led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Jacob, and to Jacob's father Isaac, and to Isaac's father Abraham (Abram the Hebrew), and to their descendants. Over 1,300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, were born. John the Baptist was born into the tribe of Levi to Zechariah (Zacharias) the priest and his wife Elizabeth (Elisabeth). Jesus the Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Elizabeth's relative Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem, into the tribe of Judah, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ were born, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world, and testified that Jesus is the Son of God. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot the disciple and apostle, and Jesus was arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, and returned to heaven. Paul (Saul) was from the tribe of Benjamin, and was a Pharisee, and a Roman citizen. Paul did not believe Jesus to be the Christ. Throughout Jerusalem, Paul persecuted and imprisoned Israelites who believed Jesus to be the Christ of God. When Paul was journeying to the synagogues in Damascus, Syria, to find, bind and take to Jerusalem any Israelite believers he found, Paul and those with him saw a light from heaven shine around them. Paul heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him, and Paul spoke to Jesus, and obeyed Jesus. In Damascus, Paul was baptized. From thenceforward, Paul the apostle journeyed alone, or with Timothy (Timotheus) and others, and wrote divinely inspired letters, teaching Israelites and Gentiles, people not born into the Israelite tribes, the good news of Jesus the Christ, life in Christ Jesus and eternal life.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 6:1-81, 7:20-29, 8:1-40, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Reference Scriptures:
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;-Hebrews 10:15-20
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