Harmonizing
Scripture With Scripture
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The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God
By Dr Ron McRay
The Writings Of Yahshua Revealed
By Dr. Ron McRay
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The Lord’s Supper
By Dr. Ron McRay
How To Use This Site
New Bible Concepts is meant to be a Bible study tool.
It is not meant to be a comprehensive study on any subject but rather a place to challenge your thinking, using scripture, to open your mind to new biblical concepts. It should stimulate your thinking and challenge you to delve into the subject areas which interest you.
The articles contained herein are designed for the busy life of most people. Therefore most articles are meant to be read in 5 - 10 minutes. This has a two-fold purpose:
1) Allow for the introduction of new concepts which you may not have considered before and
2) To keep the author(s) from getting off onto rabbit trails. So many subjects are inter-related and the tendency to wander off the main trail is tempting. That leads to lengthy and often dry articles that many will not read. For those who do read them the reader (you) is often left confused with no thought of where to start studying the subject.
So these are short articles that may not make sense by themselves but when read (and with time to ponder), as busy schedules permit, and studied with other articles a more complete picture will result. The underlying purpose is to prove scripture with scripture and to keep the author's personal interjections to a minimum. Some interjection of thought is usually necessary as the author may have gained an insight (about the events of that time, living conditions, mindset of the people, etc) that needs to be relayed to the reader and woven into the understanding of the passages presented.
Unlike what is heard in most pulpits today, scripture will be the main focus and thrust. The Bible was written to the common man and was understood from their culture, upbringing and lifestyle. Our culture today and here in the Western hemisphere is much different than Eastern culture and the lifestyle of the people 2000 - 4500 years ago.
Scripture cannot contradict scripture otherwise God would not be infallible. It is our understanding that creates confusion that often results in contradictions. I would venture to say that occurs mostly because we try to listen to and follow other men's understanding. If we do not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5,6) but take the time to ponder upon and search the scripture for understanding then we will build a strong foundation that no man (yes, no man) will be able to shake.
I have thought about seemingly unanswerable questions for several years before seeing the answer in scripture. It was usually sitting in plain sight the whole time. I have had to change my understanding several times as my eyes were opened to scripture and applied to my life. I am open to more change if scripture proves it necessary, are you? If we allow scripture to dictate what we believe those changes will be accepted as part of the growing process.
So I hope it is apparent as you read and study these subjects that what appears to be the beliefs of the authors are only the outward telling of what the scriptures teach. May Yahweh mightily bless you in your search for the truth of
the Bible.
What's This Site All About?
If what you believe about the Bible was wrong, would you want to be told? Are you willing to let the Bible declare itself?
New Bible Concepts is all about helping you see and understand the Bible in ways which you have never seen or thought of before. People like you... seeking for truth.
Are you truly interested in understanding the Bible better? Most people would readily say “yes” to that question but I want you to really stop and think about it for a minute. It is amazing how people, just like you and me, want to know the truth until a scripture is shown to reveal or put into question something that doesn’t agree with what they have been taught. That’s when our biases break into our thinking and more times than not (or so it seems) negate the scripture.
After all, how could what we have been taught be wrong? Haven’t many Bible scholars contemplated these issues in far greater depth than what we could? Isn’t their knowledge of the Bible much deeper? Don’t they understand the Bible better than us? The truth is that Bible scholars, teachers, pastors, etc. can only teach what they have been taught and believe. Their biases have forced them into understanding the Bible in a way that may not be consistent with the Bible itself. It is similar to the Pharisees and religious leaders of the first century A.D. The ones that most of the people looked up to and followed but they were the very ones, who had misapplied, mistaught and corrupted the Word of God, whom Christ condemned.
The problem is not so much what is being taught as it is that we accept what is being taught as truth. We should expect error - there are over 26,000 denominations or splinter groups and logic only dictates that they can’t all be right. We fail to search out the truth from the Bible to verify the teaching and the consistency with other scriptures. The Bereans of Acts 17 did not take the word of the Apostle Paul himself as accurate but searched the scriptures to see if what he said was true. Yes, the apostle who had been enlightened as to the error of his training, was taught by Christ and then inspired by God to write much of the New Testament.
Unfortunately, truth seems so difficult to find and understand. However, the Bible can be simple to understand if we just let the Bible explain itself. Yes, there are difficult passages but we can learn to see God and His wonderful plan from the Bible’s viewpoint rather than from the viewpoint of those who have taught us what to believe. The commandments and traditions of man have so permeated our minds that we often miss the simple truths of the Bible. The goal of this website is to open our minds to see the truth of God and His Word as He has laid it out. As we will see, God's truths are often "hiding in plain sight."
Just as "iron sharpeneth iron" (Proverbs 27:17) so "scripture proves scripture"... (For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; Isaiah 28:10a). We get off track as we allow someone to complicate the simple truths God has for us. By trying to read our beliefs into scripture it becomes very complicated to understand.
Two thousand years of translation, misuse and abuse of Gods's Word should make us more leery of what is being taught than the Bereans ever thought. Man has never changed since Adam introduced sin (Rom. 5:12) into the world. We all live under the results of his disobedience and faithlessness (Genesis 5:3) and every man since has had a heart that is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), the only exception being Christ.
Scripture should be what determines our belief and understanding, not the traditions and teachings of religious leaders or the "church fathers." Yes, wisdom can be gained from those who have gone before us but scripture must be the root and basis for our beliefs. If our understanding is contrary to the teaching of the Bible then our understanding must change no matter where it came from or who taught it to us.
Here is the challenge - “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD” (Isa. 1:18). He has laid it out for us "in plain sight" if we are willing to open our eyes and lay our biases aside. I challenge you to see and understand God’s Word from His perspective.
Does Christianity Have More Than One God?
Is Satan A Fallen Angel From Heaven Or Is He Another God?
Anyone who calls themselves a Christian believes that the Bible is God's Word, is inerrant and infallible. It is the source of trust and hope for the believer. It cannot contradict itself for that would be the same as God contradicting Himself. God (Yahweh) is perfect, holy, just and cannot sin. Those are a few fundamentals that every believer in Christ must acknowledge.
People who do not believe either in the accuracy and infallibility of God or His Word however often try to find inconsistencies and contradictions. Is it possible that they see something that believers don't? Why don't we see those same conflicts and take time to ponder, study and reason out the answer? Is our faith a blind faith that is willing to be led down inconsistent paths? Because we believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ are we willing to put all logic aside and determine never to question God's Word?
Can God Be Questioned?
Is it wrong to question God? Some teachers would have us believe that it is. We only need to believe what they say. If we question, we may be led into some devious and evil cult is the message they want us to believe. Better to just accept their word rather than risk finding an apparent error which cannot be explained and causing us to fall away into that ethereal black and dark pit that is waiting to snatch us from our faith and understanding.
Have we considered that it is possible that any apparent contradictions stem not from God but from the doctrines and commandments of men? Is it possible that the very beliefs we are told form the basis and fundamentals of our faith are the problem not the answer? We here at New Bible Concepts believe that is entirely possible and very likely. It is our firmly held belief that any contradictions stem from our misunderstanding and wrongly held biases rather than a problem with God's Word. Just as many of the patriarchs in the Bible wrestled with and questioned God, so too is it a good thing for us. We must approach the Bible with the understanding that it is to change our minds not that we must make it agree with our understanding.
With that in mind, here are a few ideas and concepts that have been taught and I dare say preached as foundational truth that do not match up with the Bible. These are rhetorical questions - ones that are designed to make you think, yes, even question what we have been taught. The answers are plain and even hiding-in-plain-sight most of the time. However, we want you to ponder, even reason out these things using scripture. Many, if not all, of these will be covered in articles, present or future. Study to show thyself approved unto God (2 Tim 2:15) and reason out the scriptures (Isaiah 1:18). You will be blessed and encouraged. It's okay, God will be pleased.
Murderer and Perfect At The Same Time
- It is commonly taught that the two verses quoted below refer to Satan. Yet, how could he be both perfect and a murderer from the beginning?
Ezekiel 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
- It is believed that Cain was the first murderer. According to John 8:44 (see above) does that make Cain the Devil?
Who Is The Wicked One?
- Regarding Cain, 1 John 3:12 says, "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." How could Cain be the Devil (or his child) when Genesis 4:1 states, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD(Yahweh)."?
Can Angels Sin?
- Fact: angels are created as immortal beings as stated in Luke 20:35-36, "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection."
Fact: Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
From the two verses above a conclusion can be drawn which states: Since angels cannot die (they are immortal), they therefore cannot sin (sin brings death).
How could Satan, if he truly is an angel, have sinned against God?
Hurt Me If You Can
- If the serpent was Satan (or indewlt by Satan),in Genesis 3:1 it is stated, "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made" why would it be a curse to Satan (an immortal angel which has no need to walk or eat) for the serpent to have to crawl on his belly and eat dust? Genesis 3:14, "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"
Who Was David’s Enemy?
- 2 Samuel 24:1, "And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah."
1Chronicles 21:1, "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel."
The two verses quoted above are different records of the same event. Who is it that caused David to sin by numbering the people?
Why Walk When You Can Fly?
- Job 1:7, "And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." Why would Satan walk when he could have flown? Can angels fly?
Is God’s Power Threatened?
- Why does it seem Yahweh is not able to eliminate Satan and his power? Does Satan have more power than God? Do we act as if he does?
- Exodus 20:3, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
Given the supernatural power attributed to Satan today, could he be Christianity's other god?
- Stop and reread the previous question. With an honest heart ponder it. Who has more influence upon our thinking? Is it fair to Yahweh to have to share even 1% of His magnificence, beauty and power with another being?
These questions deal with Satan. There are many more questions we could ask on a variety of subjects but this is enough for this article. None of these questions are asked in jest. Given what has been and is being taught about Satan, these are fair questions that deserve to be answered with biblical answers.
Do you believe in a supernatural being called "Satan?" Does the Bible verify and support such an idea? Keep checking back as we answer these questions presented here and many more from God's Word.
Is Death Certain For Everyone?
The Bible cannot contradict itself otherwise it would not be the word of God. God is perfect, immortal and cannot lie. The Bible says He hates lying, Proverbs 6:16-17, "These six things doth the LORD hate... A proud look, a lying tongue..."
Is the Bible true or does it contradict itself? From what is taught in most churches, one could easily come to the conclusion that it is full of contradictions. Maybe that is why so many people have no desire to really study God's Word and understand Him better.
For instance, Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." That seems straight forward enough yet, what is commonly taught is 1) the soul (man's being) is immortal (won't die), 2) that Enoch and Elijah did not die and 3) that many will not die when Christ returns to take believers to heaven.
Which is correct? Is the writer of Hebrews (God's inspired writer) correct or are the pastors, teachers and writers of today correct, thereby casting doubt and confusion on God's Word?
The Bible clearly states that Elijah departed in a whirlwind (not a chariot of fire as many teach), 2 Kings 2:11 "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." Does the Bible have an answer to what happened to Elijah or do we have to rely on what others have taught us?
Yes, the Bible has the information to fill in the missing pieces without contradicting other scripture. The true story of Elijah is exciting and much different than what has been taught. By using scripture alone, it is plain to see that Elijah did not go into the heaven where God is (that would be another contradiction of scripture if he did), the people who saw him go up in the whirlwind did not consider that possibility, and that Elijah was still alive on earth long after this event.
However, we tend to fail to notice a few extra points to the story. First, it is not stated that Elijah went to the heaven where God is. Secondly, the people that saw Elijah depart never assumed he exited the earth's atmosphere (Read 2 Kings 2:15-17). Thirdly, there is biblical evidence that Elijah was still alive on earth (Is It Appointed Unto Man Once To Die?)
Enoch is a beautiful example of how scripture can be misread. Hebrews 11:5, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
From this verse we are told that God took Enoch to heaven and he never died. However, by looking closely at the verse it is clear that those ideas are not stated. Today, when someone experiences a catastrophe or accident without dying we say that they "escaped death." Just as we do not mean they will never die, the Bible did not mean Enoch would never die.
It is exciting that the Bible clearly shows, in black and white, the true fate of Enoch.
Once you see it for yourself, you will wonder how the common misconceptions of Enoch and Elijah could have ever been so widely accepted.
As is the case with most Bible subjects, the answers are hiding-in-plain-sight. The Bible is able to correct any confusion if we are only willing to have an open mind and heart. Man's doctrines have only brought confusion and misunderstanding of many scriptures. When someone has been taught those doctrines as biblical truth for most of their lives it is very hard to put them aside and look at scripture with new eyes.
The Bible debunks many established teachings like these. Most of the time, they are hiding-in-plain-sight. We just have to have open eyes and be willing to trust the Bible over what we have been taught.
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