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one and only16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
Pulpit is similar:The phrase probably means the angels
The same phrase appears in Genesis 6:By "the sons of God" it is generally admitted that, in this place, the angels are meant (so again in Job 38:7). The meaning of the phrase is probably different in Genesis 6:2.
Ellicott explained:2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
In the OT, Christians are sons (children) of God, Matthew 5:Of the sons of the Elohim there are three principal interpretations: the first, that of the Targums and the chief Jewish expositors, that they were the nobles, and men of high rank;
the second, that they were angels ...
The third, and most generally accepted interpretation in modern times, is that the sons of the Elohim were the Sethites, and that when they married for mere lust of beauty, universal corruption soon ensued.
Is Jesus the only son of God?9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
1 Chronicles 11:19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
What was so intimidating about a spear like a weaver's beam?23 And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
It was thick.21 [Benaiah] smote an Egyptian, a wonderful man, and in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.
It was threatening indeed.7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.
Date | May 4, 2024 |
Verse | Titus 3:1-11 (NIV): "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned." |
Explanation | Titus 3:1-11 is a passage from the New Testament book of Titus, written by the apostle Paul to encourage the early Christian community in Crete to live in harmony with the non-believers in their society and with each other. The passage emphasizes the importance of being obedient to authorities, doing good works, speaking evil of no one, and maintaining peace and humility. Now, let's use a Star Wars analogy to help illustrate this concept. In the Star Wars universe, the Galactic Empire can be seen as an authority figure, representing the governing body with rules and regulations that must be obeyed. As believers in Christ, we are called to be good citizens of the world around us, just as the New Republic in Star Wars sought to bring peace and justice to the galaxy by signing a peace treaty in 5 ABY (The Galactic Concordance) with the last remnants of the Empire. |
Societal Relevance | This passage is still relevant to us in modern society as we continue to live in a world with various forms of authority, from government leaders to employers and community rules. The passage calls us to respect and obey these authorities, while also striving to do good works and spreading ethical Christian teachings. Additionally, we can avoid getting drawn into divisive disputes, unfounded speculations, and wars about the law. Instead, we can focus on the essential teachings of the Christian faith and seek to live them out in our daily lives. By doing so, we can help bring unity and harmony, even in the face of disagreements and differences.To avoid contentions and still help spread ethical Christian teachings, we can follow the example of Christ and practice love, humility, and peace. We can engage in respectful dialogue with those who hold different viewpoints, seeking to understand their perspectives while also sharing our own. We can also focus on the common ground we share as human beings, rather than our differences. By living out the teachings of Jesus, we can be a positive influence in our communities and help bring about positive change. In my life, it has been difficult for me to make compromises, until recently, where I have learned how to accept other’s viewpoints better. For instance, on Christian Forums, a wonderful guy by the pseudonym of @Vambram has more of a conservative ideology compared to my own. However, he and I found common ground in the politics sub-forum, as we both are pro-life (except when mother and fetus are both at risk of dying), we both enjoy Star Trek (as his profile includes the Federation ship, the USS Defiant in the background of his avatar), and we both support environmental stewardship as long as it does not come at the expense of other people or involve exploitative practices. |
מ֥וֹת (mō·wṯ)19 Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.
יָֽחֳרָ֑ם (yā·ḥo·rām)20 Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the LORD alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
Gill explained:utterly destroyed] banned or devoted. The ‘ban’ (ḥérem) was an archaic institution, often alluded to in the OT. A city or nation that was hostile to Jehovah was ‘banned,’ or ‘devoted’ (etymologically, as Arabic shews, separated or set apart1[189]), i.e. given over to Him as a form of offering, human beings being destroyed, with or without the cattle and spoil as well, according to the gravity of the occasion.
Deuteronomy 2:he shall be utterly destroyed; be accursed, anathematized, devoted to destruction.
H4191-put-to-death was a generic word for killing. H2763-devoted-to-destruction was a more solemn form of holy killing. It carried a more religious connotation.34 And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors.
Here, we have a clear (Before) event that is theologically simple to identify. This is about the Crucifixion of Jesus, His ascension and His establishment as our High Priest.Revelation 12:5 But she gave birth to a Son—a male who is going to shepherd[d] all nations with an iron scepter—and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
This is about Literal Israel, because it is the WOMAN that birthed the child. Eschatology hounds have been trying to crack the 1260 days thing since the first eschatology hound sat in whatever country they sat, and tried to make the matter point out the very seat that sat in.6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be fed there[e] for 1,260 days..
Then war. First Jesus, Then War. Easy Peasy.7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil[f] and Satan,[g] the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
Ezekiel 28:12-18
God is saying that this being was created without any intention of evil. He was beautiful, wise and perfect, upon creation. I wonder who this is?
Huh? Let's see here. This is Spiritual Prophecy about a wicked king. So, now we've been placed in the Garden of Eden.13 You were in Eden, the garden of God.
Every kind of precious stone covered you:
These 9 stones listed are very odd. They are rows 1,2 and 4 of the Hebrew Priest Breast Plate. Interesting enough, God has always been the "High Priest", but because Satan abused his authority and usurped the "Middle man" position, it would make sense that he is adorned with a partial priest plate. If you have that prophecy bone... Dan, Asher and Gad are missing from his Breast plate.
This is what the stones are inlaid within on the breastplate, per the Law.Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created.
Oddly enough, there is only one "Guardian Angel" ever directly mentioned as a "Guardian Angel" within the "Protestant 66". It is only logical that the appointment of Guardian Angel was Satan's initial High Station.. which would easily insinuate that he was in the Garden of Eden as a very specially appointed Guardian Angel.14 You were an anointed guardian cherub, for[i] I had appointed you.
This explains why, though God gave the Law, that Paul and Luke reveal that the Law was given by the dispensation of angels. Satan goes by another name, also, interestingly enough, within scripture. "Ba'al". Isn't it "odd" that the Israelites crafted a Golden Ba'al idol, while Moses was speaking on Mount Sinai to YH-H, Himself?You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
This is a verse that demonstrates that God didn't create the Devil to be the Devil, nor did He place him where He placed Him to "Cause the Fall" and demonstrate that OBEDIENCE to Him is His highest call. What we see in the wording of this verse, is that God indeed imbued His creation with Full Free Moral Agency. We see that Satan abused his agency and then deceived Eve to do the same.15 From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you.
Where did Satan actually first officially SIN? Eden. Which bares the question... why didn't God just wipe Satan out and restore Adam and Eve? Why did the Omnipotent, Infinite, Creator of everything, Who, Himself has Always existed and never not existed... Him Who preexists everything... allow Himself to be challenged in authority? I suggest that it is because God didn't HATE Satan, but Loved Satan, as much as He Loves all of His creations! It is Love that God demonstrates by fostering sincerity, within creation. It is Love that ensures that God allows Angels and Mankind to live out their lives as they choose. My personal assertion is that God only intercedes upon request or utter necessity in respects to the wellbeing of the human race.16 Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
This is the end result of what Satan did to hang himself on his own gallows. Satan cut off his own nose, to spite his own face, but we haven't arrived at the exact HOW or exactly Just When, yet.So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub,[j] from among the fiery stones.
Pride. His wisdom is lost due to his lust for Power and Self Righteousness.17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom.
This is exactly where we see Revelation 12:10 spoken about.So I threw you down to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.
Satan was part of something huge! He was involved in the sanctuary practices, somehow. He brought condemnation, ruin, death and turmoil, through deceit and duplicity18 You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade.