The Holy Bible.

     Pictured to the left is a copy of a version of the Holy Bible, known as the KING JAMES VERSION ( KJV ); being entitled: The Scofield Study Bible.  Revelation 1:5, 6 read as follows:
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.  Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen."
The phrase "kings and priests," in verse six, has an equivalent rendering in the margin, which is "a kingdom, priests."
     Moreover, the Greek word ( Greek [ 935 ] ) for the word "kings," in verse six, is defined as follows:
"a sovereign (abs., rel. or fig.). . . ."  [  See ABINGDON'S STRONG'S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE, STRONG, JAMES, S.T.D., LL.D., ABINGDON PRESS, NASHVILLE, Copyright, 1890, by JAMES STRONG, MADISON, N.J., ( A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek/New Testament with their Renderings in the King James Version, p. 21. ).  ]
The word "sovereign" is defined as follows:
". . . n.   1  One who possesses supreme authority, especially a person or a determinate body of persons in whom the supreme power of the state is vested; a monarch. . . .  See synonyms under IMPERIAL, PREDOMINANT. . . ."  [  See NEW ILLUSTRATED WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY Including THESAURUS of SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS, PMC Publishing Company, Inc., 118 EAST 28th STREET, NEW YORK, NY  10016, dictionary portion: pages 1-1150, Copyright 1992, by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 922.  ]
The word "king" is defined as follows:
". . . n.   1  The sovereign male ruler of a kingdom. . . ."  [  Ibid., p. 538.  ]
The word "queen" is defined as follows:
". . . n.   1  The wife of a king.   2  A female sovereign or monarch. . . ."  [  Ibid., p. 793.  ]
     Additionally, the Greek word ( Greek [ 2409 ] ) for the word "priests," in verse six, is defined as follows:
"a priest (lit. or fig.). . . ."  [  See ABINGDON'S STRONG'S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE, STRONG, JAMES, S.T.D., LL.D., ABINGDON PRESS, NASHVILLE, Copyright, 1890, by JAMES STRONG, MADISON, N.J., ( A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek/New Testament with their Renderings in the King James Version, p. 48. ).  ]
The word "priestess" is defined as follows:
". . . n.   A woman or girl who exercises priestly functions or who performs sacred rites."  [  See NEW ILLUSTRATED WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY Including THESAURUS of SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS, PMC Publishing Company, Inc., 118 EAST 28th STREET, NEW YORK, NY  10016, dictionary portion: pages 1-1150, Copyright 1992, by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 769.  ]  See also Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-25 ( especially verses 20-22, for example ), Exodus 21:10, 1 Corinthians 7:3, 5, 35, and 36, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, and 1 Timothy 2:12, for example.
     Thus, with all of the above-given information in mind, the phrase "kings and priests," in verse six, can be understood to mean "kings and queens and priests and priestesses" ( since it is impossible for a woman to be a king, for example ).  See also Psalm 119:65-73, 142, 151, Matthew 28:18, John 1:1, 14; 3:16, 17; 5:26, 27; 7:16; 8:26; 10:30: 14:6; 17:17, Acts 2:38; 8:26-40 ( especially verses 36-39, for example ); 11:26, Romans 1:20; 6:1-4 ( especially verses 3 and 4, for example ), Galatians 3:26, 27, Colossians 2:8, 9, Titus 1:1, 2, and 1 John 5:6-8, for example.  Please study the Holy Bible ( God's word - see 2 Timothy 2:15, for example ).
If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:

<rewillis1_1@juno.com>
<Russell E. Willis>

The Holy Bible.

     Pictured to the left is a copy of a version of the Holy Bible, known as the REVISED STANDARD VERSION ( RSV ).  Judges 6:24-27 read as follows:

"Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it, The LORD is peace.  To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.  That night the LORD said to him, 'Take your father's bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order; then take the second bull, and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.  So Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had told him; but because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night."

The word "Asherah" is defined as follows:  "A fertility goddess, the mother of Baal, whose worship was concentrated in Syria and Canaan and the wooden object that represented her. . . ."  [  See HOLMAN BIBLE DICTIONARY, HOLMAN BIBLE PUBLISHERS, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, Copyright 1991 Holman Bible Publishers, p. 111.  ]

     Moreover, Jeremiah 10:8 ( NKJV; with center-column references ) reads as follows:  "But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; a wooden idol is a worthless doctrine."  The phrase "worthless doctrine," in this passage from the Holy Bible, has an equivalent translation, which is "vain teaching."  We see just how worthless the Asherah was, since the LORD commanded ( see Psalm 119:65-73, 142, 151, Ecclesiastes 12:13, and 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, for example ) Gideon ( see verses 24 and 25 ) to offer the second bull as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah ( see verse 26 ).  See also Matthew 28:18, John 1:1, 14; 3:16, 17; 5:26, 27; 7:16; 8:26; 10:30; 14:6; 17:17; Romans 1:20 ( see Romans 1:20 ( KJV, for example; with center-column references, for example ) to get the equivalent translation for the word "Godhead" ), Colossians 2:8, 9, Titus 1:1, 2, James 4:7, and 1 John 5:6-8, for example.

     Additionally, the first commandment reads as follows:  "You shall have no other gods before Me" ( see Exodus 20:3; NKJV; with center-column references ).  Jesus ( see Matthew 4:10 ) said to the devil ( see Matthew 4:8 ), the following:  "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve'" ( see Matthew 4:10; NKJV; with center-column references ).  Please study the Holy Bible ( see 2 Timothy 2:15, for example ).

     A Bible video ( associated with the following link ) has been included for you, the reader, to view.  Please click on the link below:

<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwt40y5qiELlVXdSNHhGNEtmdWc/edit?usp=sharing>.

If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:

<rewillis1_1@juno.com>

<Russell E. Willis>

The Holy Bible.

     Pictured to the left is a version of the New Testament, known as THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE.  Ephesians 5:21-33 read as follows:

"Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord; for the man is the head of the woman, just as Christ also is the head of the church.  Christ is, indeed, the Saviour of the body; but just as the church is subject to Christ, so must women be to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for it, to consecrate it, cleansing it by water and word, so that he might present the church to himself all glorious, with no stain or wrinkle or anything of the sort, but holy and without blemish.  In the same way men also are bound to love their wives, as they love their own bodies.  In loving his wife a man loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own body : on the contrary, he provides and cares for it; and that is how Christ treats the church, because it is his body, of which we are living parts.  Thus it is that (in the words of Scripture) 'a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become a single body'.  It is a great truth that is hidden here.  I for my part refer it to Christ and to the church, but it applies also individually : each of you must love his wife as his very self; and the woman must see to it that she pays her husband all respect."

In this passage from the New Testament, we see that the husband must love his wife as Christ loved the church: Jesus ( see Matthew 1:16; RSV, for example ) died for the church ( see also Acts 20:28, Romans 3:21-31 ( especially verses 24 and 25, for example ), Philippians 2:5-8 ( especially verse 8, for example ), Colossians 1:9-20 ( especially verses 13 and 20, for example ), and Hebrews 9:12-18 ( especially verses 14 and 15, for example ), for example ).  Thus, the husband must love his wife enough to be willing to die for her.

     Wives must be subject to their husbands "as to the Lord" ( see verse 22 ), and "in everything" ( see verse 24 ).  With these two phrases in mind, the wife does not have to submit to her husband if he threatens her with physical harm ( see Matthew 22:39 and verse 28 ( above ), for example ), or if he commands her to do something sinful ( see Matthew 6:33, Acts 4:19; 5:29, and 1 John 3:4, for example ), for example.  Finally, incidents of domestic violence can be avoided if the husband will "love his wife as his very self" ( see verse 33 ), and if the wife will "pay her husband all respect" ( see verse 33 ).

     A slide presentation ( associated with the following link ) has been included for you, the reader, to view ( and there is a brief lesson regarding husbands, wives, and younger widows included in this study of the book of 1 Timothy ).  Please click on the link below:

<https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-zC2Vu1AHUn2xo9DkWoLWyjVEkcGy_ykqle4nTOTGUM/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000>.

If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:

<rewillis1_1@juno.com>

<Russell E. Willis>

NOTE:  To exit the slide presentation, you will need to click on the "home" button in your web browser.  If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to my e-mail address as well.

The Holy Bible.

     Pictured to the left is a copy of a version of the New Testament, known as THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE.  The following quotation is taken from this version of the New Testament:

"This translation of the New Testament (to be followed in due course by the Old Testament and by the Apocrypha) was undertaken with the object of providing English readers, whether familiar with the Bible or not, with a faithful rendering of the best available Greek text into the current speech of our own time, and a rendering which should harvest the gains of recent biblical scholarship.  It is just three hundred and fifty years since King James's men put out what we have come to know as the Authorized Version.  Two hundred and seventy years later the New Testament was revised.  The Revised Version, which appeared in 1881, marked a new departure especially in that it abandoned the so-called Received Text, which had reigned ever since printed editions of the New Testament began, but which the advance of textual criticism had antiquated.  The Revisers no longer followed (like their predecessors) the text of the majority of manuscripts, which, being for the most part of late date, had been exposed not only to the accidental corruptions of long-continued copying, but also in part to deliberate correction and 'improvement'.  Instead, they followed a very small group of manuscripts, the earliest, and in their judgement the best, of those which had survived.  During the eighty years which have passed since their time, textual criticism has not stood still."  [  See New Testament, THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1961, Copyright THE DELEGATES OF THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AND THE SYNDICS OF THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1961, p. vii.  ]

The word "homily" is defined as follows:

"n.   pl.  -lies   1  A didactic sermon on some text or topic from the Bible. . . ."  [  See NEW ILLUSTRATED WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY Including THESAURUS of SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS, PMC Publishing Company, Inc., 118 EAST 28th STREET, NEW YORK, NY  10016, dictionary portion: pages 1-1150, Copyright 1992, by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 463.  ]

Additionally, the word "didactic" is defined as follows:

"adj.  1 Pertaining to or of the nature of teaching; intended to instruct; expository. . . ."  [  Ibid., p. 272.  ]

     Thus, with the two above-given definitions in mind, a homily is a sermon, of a teaching nature, on some text or topic from the Bible.  Matthew 5:1, 2 read as follows:  "WHEN HE SAW the crowds he went up the hill.  There he took his seat, and when his disciples had gathered round him he began to address them.  And this is the teaching he gave" ( emphasis mine, R.E.W. ).  Moreover, Matthew 7:28, 29 read as follows:  "When Jesus had finished this discourse the people were astounded at his teaching; unlike their own teachers he taught with a note of authority" ( emphasis mine, R.E.W. ).  The word "teaching" is used at the beginning of the sermon on the mount, and the word "taught" is used at the end, therefore, we can rightly conclude that the sermon on the mount was a homily.

     Within this homily, Jesus ( see Matthew 4:19 ) said the following in Matthew 5:10:  "How blest are those who have suffered persecution for the cause of right; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs."  Christians ( see Acts 11:26, for example ) will suffer persecution for the cause of right.  We must not become discouraged when this happens.  The apostle Paul recorded the following in 2 Timothy 3:10-12:  "But you, my son, have followed, step by step, my teaching and my manner of life, my resolution, my faith, patience, and spirit of love, and my fortitude under persecutions and sufferings-all that I went through at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, all the persecutions I endured; and the Lord rescued me out of them all.  Yes, persecution will come to all who want to live a godly life as Christians."  We must remember that the Lord will deliver us out of all of our persecutions.  Jesus said we are blest when we suffer persecution for the cause of right.  Please study the Holy Bible ( see 2 Timothy 2:15, for example ).

If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:

<rewillis1_1@juno.com>

<Russell E. Willis>

NOTE: The apocryphal books are not inspired by God ( see 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, for example ).  An explanation of the apocryphal books will be provided in a future entry to this weblog.