...................................................................LET US LEARN TOGETHER WHAT IS GOOD. Job 34:4b(NIV)................................................................Some people see the Bible as a long and boring book filled with incidents and events from the lives of ancient people who probably never existed. The biblical stories are seen as fables. Notably, Romans 15:4 reveals: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.(KJV) In this blog, many of the situations and conversations found in the divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible have been placed in categories that correspond to expressive sayings and phrases. Reference information, background information and links connecting the people and places are given to help you find a place to begin reading the Bible for yourself.

Wednesday, November 08, 2023

But If They Don't

Jesus the Christ, the Son of God,
and his disciples:

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.-Matthew 10:1-15***Simon Peter, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas (Didymus), Matthew (Levi), Lebbaeus Thaddueus, Simon the Cananaean the Zealot, Zebedee's sons James and John, Alphaeus' son James, and Judas Iscariot were Israelites and disciples and apostles of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. The 12 men were descended from Adam, the 1st man, the man the Lord God created from the dust of the ground, and Eve, the mother of all living, the woman the Lord God made after taking a part out of Adam, their son Seth, Seth's great-great-great-grandson Enoch, Enoch's great-grandson Noah the ark builder, Noah's son Shem, Shem's son Arphaxad, Arphaxad's great-great-great-great-great-grandson Terah, Terah's children Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), their son Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and Isaac and Rebekah's youngest fraternal twin son Jacob (Israel). Lot was born to Terah's son Haran. Before the Lord God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah (Gomorrha), Admah, and Zeboim, Abraham went towards Sodom a short while with 2 angels of the Lord, and Abraham spoke about Sodom and any righteous inhabitants to the Lord God. In Sodom, Lot insisted the angels stay overnight in his home. The next morning, after speaking instructions to Lot, the angels took hold of Lot's hand, and the hand of Lot's wife, and the hand of Lot's oldest daughter and youngest daughter and led them away before the Lord God rained fire and brimstone out of the heavens upon everyone and everything in the region. Over 100 years after Moab was born to Lot and Lot's oldest daughter, and Ben-ammi was born to Lot and Lot's youngest daughter, Jacob married Terah's great-great-granddaughters Leah and Rachel, the nieces of Isaac's wife Rebekah. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah were born to Jacob and Leah. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and maidservant Bilhah. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and maidservant Zilpah. Joseph and Benjamin were born to Jacob and Rachel. When Jacob was 130 years old, he moved with his family from Canaan to Egypt, the country wherein Joseph was second-in-command. In Egypt, Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, to be his own sons. Sometime after 147-year-old Jacob died in Egypt and his body was buried in Canaan, and Joseph and his siblings were dead, their descendants the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were from the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, the Lord God sent them to speak to the Israelites and to 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 Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron died and was buried. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and Moses died and was divinely buried. Joshua,  Moses' successor, from the tribe of Ephraim, led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. Over 300 years after Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, became the 1st king to rule over the Israelites. David, from the tribe of Judah, was the 2nd king to reign over all of the Israelites. Solomon, the 2nd child born to David and Bathsheba, was the 3rd king to reign. Rehoboam, the son born to Solomon and Naamah, was the 4th king to rule over all of the Israelites. After Rehoboam gave a specific answer, the Israelites split into 2 kingdoms, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of Solomon. Judah was the nation in the south and consisted of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. Jerusalem was the royal city and Rehoboam was the 1st king to reign. The northern nation of Israel consisted of the other Israelite tribes. Samaria was the final royal city and Jeroboam, the son born to Nebat and Zeruah, was the 1st king to reign. King Pekah was the 18th king to rule over all of the Israelites in the northern nation of Israel. During Pekah's reign, the Assyrians invaded the kingdom and King Tiglath-pileser, ruler of Assyria, began taking Israelites to Assyria. King Hoshea was the 19th king to rule over all of the Israelites in the northern nation of Israel. During the 9th year of Hoshea's reign, the Assyrians conquered Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. The king of Assyria sent people from other kingdoms conquered by the Assyrians to live in Samaria, and the new inhabitants worshiped idols. After the Lord God sent lions that killed some of the newcomers, an Israelite priest taken captive to Assyria was brought back to teach the newcomers how they should revere the Lord God. However, while the newcomers worshiped the Lord God, they continued worshiping idols. Rehoboam's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson Jehoiakim (Eliakim) was the 17th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiakim's reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) invaded Judah and Jerusalem and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, began looting the temple of the Lord. During the reign of Jehoiakim's son King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah/Coniah), the 18th king, the Babylonians took more prominent Israelites, including Jehoiachin and his mother Nehushta, to Babylon. During the reign of Jehoiakim's brother King Zedekiah (Mattaniah), the 19th king to rule Judah, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by Mary's relative John the Baptist, from the tribe of Levi. 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 for 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. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach, and perform miracles among the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. Sometime after Jesus sent the 12 disciples and apostles on a mission and they returned, Jesus sent at least 70 others on a similar mission. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, seen by over 500 people, and returned to heaven. Meanwhile, the Roman Empire was ruling the land whereupon the kingdoms of the Israelites previously stood.-Genesis, Exodus, Numbers 13:1-14:45, 20:1-29, 26:1-27:23, Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26

Reference Information:
meat = trophes/trophe/trepho = provisions, food, nourishment

scrip = peran/pera = traveler's bag, a leather pouch

staves = rhabdon/rhabdos/rhapizo = staff, rod, stick

Reference Scriptures:
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:-Matthew 11:20...But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.-Matthew 11:24

And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.-Luke 6:13-16

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.-John 4:7-9

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