Two things that I think are very important , in life in general but especially when it comes to our relationship with God
Number one : it is extremely important , essential in fact , to keep an open mind and heart when reading the Bible . Why ? Because , once you decide that something is a certain way , a phrase or scripture means a certain thing , then you close your mind to every other possibility , including the possibility that you have made a mistake and interpreted it wrongly . Considering that the Bible is the Living Word of God , it's a big mistake to be entrenched in a belief before you have read and studied the Bible extensively and for a long time . Deciding that something is irrefutably a certain way may , block you from learning other things , as the Bible is a whole and consistent , if something is one way ,an individual scripture means one thing , then that may change and influence the way you interpret all other scriptures , it may have a knock on effect on how you perceive everything . And you may have got that first thing wrong .
Number two : do not just follow on with what others have told you without studying the Bible for yourself . This is strongly conected to my first point . You must read it for yourself with an open heart and mind and you must be convinced of yourself . You must get that personal connection to God and by reading His Word for yourself , very regularly for the rest of your life . God bless us all in our efforts .
"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."
Firstly we follow the tag and 'unto this day' dealt with the first fruits; by the same token 'in that day' must be in context of the Son to whom God had promised,"Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."(Ps.2:8). It is thus we set the day of the Lamb as springboard for gathering the heathen that must have its own sequence. The command number Three refers to the Son. "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God."(13:9) In the following chapter it is called the day of Lord and not wrath of the Lamb. In order to distinguish it we have the light motif. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark."(14:6). The living water is another motif, " And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea."(14:8).These two events owe to the coming of Jesus Christ in his glory, "and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.". This is mentioned elsewhere, " Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him."(Re.1:7) Living waters track Up and Down while the seas Across and as a result Jerusalem ("South of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place"-v.10) is precisely what 13:9 refers to. The Gentiles and the Jews alike are complicit in piercing the Prince of life but they have their place.(Re.21:24)
This shall lead to" And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."(14:9)
"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 Co.3:18). This glory of God signified the garments of Aaron and according to the order it was an earthly image and Aaron's death on the mount is a proof that glory of it is pointed to something else.
"At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day."(Nu.10:8). The tag 'unto this day' clearly lays down how we should interpret the priesthood of Aaron. "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."(Ps.110:4)
In the everlasting covenant sets inheritance of one nation in light and the other in darkness. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;/Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God." (1 Pe.2:9-10) The other group as children of darkness would require light from above. "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it."(Re.21:24) "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie." Conspiracy theories of our times are fed by Satan and sent in circulation whether in church or elsewhere by children of darkness.
"He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."
His ways are perfect and it is demonstrated by example. God separated light from darkness and Jesus was among the nation of Israel as true Light. In terms of the light we have Moses and the vail he had to wear after receiving the commandments that he was on the Mount Sinai as the double for the Word become flesh. "But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded." (Ex.34:34). The Spirit places Moses once again when Jesus transfigured before his disciples and this time he is set in heavenly places. The true Light was come and Moses shows the order of heaven stands true. "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven."(1 Co.15:47)
The Israelites could not stand before the glory on the face of Moses. Hence this vail, a symbol for their corruption. "They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation." (De.32:5) In the generation of Jesus Christ they belonged to a perverse and crooked generation. They also stand in relation to us in his Son. Firstly St Paul exhorts as to our calling, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."(Ph.2:15) The order concerning the nations also follows in the manner light was separated from darkness. "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel./For the Lord's portion is his people." (De.32:8-9) Jacob has his portion which is on the earth.
We see the order in the case of Moses. Moses is a stand-in for Christ. "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven."(1 Co.15:47) Moses similarly stands in relationship with the Man in terms of symbols as well. God did not allow Moses to set foot in Canaan because of his transgression. In the case of the transfiguration we see Moses in context of Christ on 'a high mountain.'(Matt.17:1)
In the case of Aaron God wanted his son to go along to the mount. "Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:/And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there."(Nu.20:25-26) His ministry was limited by death and Levitical priesthood stands in comparison with the Order of Melchizedek. Also significant is that he is conspicuously absent from the List of heroes of faith.(He.11). In his case the mount is the Rock of offence. "And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."(1 Pe.2:8)
"But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming./Then cometh the end."
The order is set by God, and his Holiness is made up of Power and Wisdom two principles held in balance by the Word or the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount he is shown presenting the doctrine of God in his person. He was there as the Word become flesh. So the Spirit gives him a context, the mountain signifies just that. " For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."(v.18) This fulfilment refers to the end which comes in a series which we shall discuss in another post.
The Spirit presents Moses and Aaron in context of Jesus Christ so the mount plays a very role which is set forth by the Spirit for our spiritual instruction in righteousness. First we have the death of Moses. "And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:/Because ye trespassed against me."(De.32:32-51). The mount symbolizes the Rock which is Person specific. "For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges."(32:31). St Paul refers to the spiritual Rock and it was Christ(1 Co.10:4)
We can see from the emblem of the mountain in Matt.5:1 the Spirit instructs us that he as the stone cut not with hands came from the Mountain of God. and shall stop only with Zion the holy habitation of God. So God allows Moses to Zion from far, "Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel."(32:52) The Spirit sets before us the Promised Land literal and the spiritual as well.
14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward His servants, and His indignation toward His enemies.
15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with FURY, and His rebuke with flames of FIRE. --> Revelation 11:18>18 And the NATIONS were(will be) angry, and GOD'S WRATH is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be Judged, and that GOD should give reward unto His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear His name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.
16 For by fire and by His Sword will the Lord plead with all flesh.-->( Revelation 13:3 and 14) Revelation 19:21
15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD(Devil's world) are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Here is not only a proclaim but the physical establishment of GOD's Kingdom with a ROD of iron, understand? and the satanic NATIONS will be angry, they will be WRATHED, but all them will be as the vessels of a potter, and shall they be broken to shivers, understand?).
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before GOD on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped GOD,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord GOD Almighty, which art, and wast, and art TO COME; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the NATIONS were (will be) ANGRY /WRATHED, and GOD's WRATH is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be Judged, and that GOD should give reward unto His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear His name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.
1CORINTHIANS 15:24-27
24 The END cometh, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to GOD, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Be careful or else get ready
The Word of GOD is from everlasting to everlasting, the Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand?
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half (42 months or 1260 days- Luke 21:24 combined with Revelation 11:2 and Revelation 13:5-9, take a look); and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the END of these things?
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the END.(this time ARRIVED, get ready)
10Many shall be purified, and made white, and TRIED; the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the WISE shall understand.
11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away(END OF THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE), and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth,and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
13 But go thou thy way till the END be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the END of the days.-->this time of the END ARRIVED. Matthew 25:29- Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Get ready, be careful. JESUS warned: fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell-Mat.10:28.
The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand?
God will strengthen you to do what you are called to do. May God bless you and keep you protected. Surround yourself with positive energy and music to keep your spirits up. You don't need any distractions right now. Goodness will come back to you. Peace be with you.
Prayers for your health. God loves you and gives you, his peace. Go to a Catholic hospital for help and test. I hear they forgive the debt. Do some research I am sure there is someone out there willing to help.
Dear Sarah , I am so sorry for you . I am very fortunate to live in a country where health care is provided by the government , for everyone and every condition , paid for through taxes . I can't imagine what it must be like to be ill but not able to see a doctor because you don't have any money , you have my heartfelt sympathy . Are there no charities that can help you ? No friends or family ? No social services ? I pray to God that you will be healed and healthy very soon . Some Christians don't ever see a doctor because they believe it is offensive to God to do so . They are free to feel that way but I don't agree . Any medical wisdom is given by God , God who has , in His creation , provided so many things that can cure illnesses and diseases , plants etc . God gives us knowledge for good but sadly we sometimes abuse that knowledge and use it in despicable ways .
Please don't despair and don't give up , try to find a charity that might help you , maybe get your friends and family to try to do something to raise the money that you need , maybe ask your local church to get involved ? If you stay strong and be determined , ask God every day for help and guidance and thank Him always for everything that He has already done for you . Most of all , try not to be afraid , your God is with you . He really is and you must believe that He is and talk to Him every day through Christ our Sinless High Priest .
Don't give up and don't fear , nothing can come between you and your Heavenly Father , He is yours and you are His , always .
Hello Derek , you might get lots of different answers to your question ,which isn't necessarily a bad thing . I can only say what forgiveness means to me .
Firstly , someone has to offend me for there to be anything for me to forgive them for . You spoke of worldly people ? Is that something that requires your forgiveness ? If that's the case then you have a lot of people to forgive .
To me forgiveness means , that if someone has deliberately and knowingly done something very unpleasant to me , I must not take vengeance and I must let it go and not hold it against them in any way ,shape or form . Is it my place to forgive someone for doing something bad to someone else other than myself ? After thinking about this very carefully , I've decided that it's not my place . The offence wasn't against me so it's not for me to forgive . Image if someone stole your friend's car and your friend forgave them but you didn't . Does that seem right ? Not to me it doesn't . It wasn't my car that was stolen so I'm not the victim . The grudge is not mine to hold on to .
In my life I have been very badly treated by a few people , all of whom I have forgiven but , the memories do still linger . That's the hardest part , forgetting .
Also , I found it much easier to forgive someone that I love because I love them but strangely , it's also easy to forgive those that I don't love because I don't love them . The best aspect of forgiving others , for me , is how liberating it is not to hold on to any anger or bitterness in my heart . To be free of nasty thoughts or feelings toward anyone . It's a good feeling . I hope others on here will answer you also , it's a good topic of conversation so let's hear what others have to say .
Please pray for me. Please pray The LORD helps me and fixes my life. Please pray that He heals my backsliding and body; helps me through the trials I am going through; protects me and delivers me from my enemies, and provides for my financial, material and spiritual needs.
Mark 7:31 - And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
Again, Decapolis is referring to the 10 Greek cities around the Sea of Galilee.
Mark 8:2 - I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
The word compassion in Greek is the word SPLUNKNOSE, which is the Greek word for the intestines, the viscera. And what the Greeks would do in order to show a deep love, or a deep passion for something, they would use the inner organs of the body.
That's where we got term heart from, like "evil comes out of the heart." It is not talking about the muscle that pumps blood, it is talking about the spirit of man. And so, the Greeks would use the internal organs to identify, and SPLUNKNOSE, the viscera, or intestines had to do with genuine compassion.
Mark 8:8 - So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
Now here is something you're not going to catch in any English bible about this word "basket." In Mark Chapter 6, when He fed the 5000, they took up baskets, KHOPHANOS. The KHOPHANOS, taking up 12 baskets, it was like a carrying bag. And it is what people would take on trips to carry food in.
But here in Mark 8:8, we have a different word for baskets. It is the word SPURIDAS, and they are like the hamper baskets. These are huge things, so the disciples definitely are not taking these baskets. And we know from Mark 8:14 that they didn't take anything with them because they said "Hey, we don't have any bread. We forgot to take bread!" So obviously the multitudes got this food for their migration home.
Mark 7:3 - For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
So, they are holding the tradition, the HALACH, of the elders.
Mark 7:6 - He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Now we always think hypocrites is like a bad word, you know, like "You hypocrite!" But it is from the Greek word that means an actor. And what Jesus is doing is He is calling them for exactly what they are. This is what religion is. Religion is working on "acting" like you are supposed to. Whatever the laws, the rules, and traditions are, everything is from the outside, and you are disciplining yourself to act in a very religious way. So, He says actors! In other words, you are just playing the part.
The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word HUPOCRISIS, and it is a word that means to answer according to the script. And some people take the bible, and they work very hard at trying to act out the script. Jesus says Hypocrites, as it is written, and this is from Isaiah 29:13, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mark 7:9 - And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Again, this would be the HALACH.
Mark 7:26 - The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
So, the woman was a Greek. Now it doesn't mean that she was a Greek person. There were only two groups of people in the world at that time, Jew or Greek. A Greek was a heathen. So, she was a Greek (heathen), a Syrophenician by nation.
Mark 6:37 - He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
This is something else that we might not catch from our English text. The word pennyworth is the word DENARI in the Greek. A DENARI is one-day's wage. Now just so you know, 200 pennyworth (DENARI) is two hundred days wages. Today, if you walked into a candy store and asked for 200 pennyworth of candy, they are probably going to give you two-dollars' worth of candy.
Mark 6:42 - And they did all eat, and were filled.
The word filled means satisfied in the Greek.
Mark 6:43 - And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
The word for baskets is KOPHANOS. It is translated in our English bible as "basket," but it's actually a large carrying bag, not a basket. And there were 12 carrying bags full of food left over. How many disciples are there? Twelve, it's for them! They are going to fill their travel bags up with all this leftover food, and they are going to be touring the country, and they are going to be eating this food for themselves. And every time they take food out of that carrying bag, they are going to remember where it came from.
Mark 7:2 - And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
This is not one of those wash your hands before dinner things like they had dirty hands when they were eating. What they're saying is that they did not ceremonially wash their hands before they ate.
The reference is not to anything in the scriptures, nothing in the bible, or nothing in the law. It is called the HALACH. Every Jewish person knows what the HALACH is. It is the traditions of man. This book contains the traditions that Jews are to live by in light of the scriptures. Most of them you will not find in the Old Testament at all. It is just tradition.
Mark 5:17 - And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
And they began to "pray him," that is, appeal to Jesus to depart from out of their coasts.
Mark 5:20 - And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
The term Decapolis (DEKAPOLEI) means 10 cities. These are the 10 Gentile cities that surround the Sea of Galilee. This man who was once demon possessed went into all 10 cities, and told how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. This is something we might not get without the help of the Greek text. The way this is written in our English Bibles looks like this man went to a place called Decapolis.
Mark 6:3 - Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
The word carpenter is the Greek word TEKTON where we get our English word technician from. It is literally translated a craftsman. The chances of Jesus being a carpenter or working in His dad's carpenter shop are slim to none.
The Jews to this day still hold that He was a stone mason because they didn't have much wood in those days. They claim that He was a stone mason, He and His father. Is not this the craftsman, the son of Mary? It didn't say son of Joseph, so Joseph probably is not alive at this time.
Mark 6:8 - And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:
Just some general information you may already know. This word staff means walking stick. Today, if someone says I brought my staff with me, we might take that to mean those who work for that person.
Mark 4:20 - And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
I just want to point out that these are Present Tense verbs, showing continuous action. Such as hear the word, continually hearing, and receive it, continually receiving it, and are continually bringing forth fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some a hundred.
Mark 4:21 - And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
The word candle in the King James comes from the word LAMPROS. It is literally the word lamp.
Mark 4:40 - And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Can you imagine such a big storm like that and all Jesus says is "Stop and be quiet!" Everything is like nothing happened! So, Jesus asks them two questions. First, why are ye so fearful? Now if it was me, I would be like "Fearful? You got to be kidding! We were in the biggest storm of our life. What do you mean fearful?"
But this particular word fearful in Greek is the word DEILOS, and in Greek, it literally means cowardly. Not fearful like PHOBOS. Jesus was saying, why were you cowards? How is it that you have no faith? That is not a challenge. He is saying take inventory. Why don't you have faith?
Mark 5:1 - And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
Some of our English texts might say Gergesenes instead of Gadarenes. Actually, these are two cites. And these two areas are close together on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark 5:9 - And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
A legion is 6,000 soldiers. This man had 6,000 demons. I'd say that's beyond human ability!
Mark 3:22 - And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
This word Beelzebub, the Philistines had insects as their gods. Beelzebub is the "lord of the flies," and the Jews used to make fun of people. If they came across somebody's religion, they would say "Oh, you are worshipping flies today, are you?" It was because they worshipped the true and living God. So, the Jews would make fun of others.
Some texts say Beelzebul, not Beelzebub. Beelzebul is "lord of the dunghill." So, they say he has Beelzebub, lord the flies, and he casts out demons by the prince of the demons.
Mark 4:9 - And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
That is a very important phrase. I shared this during Matthew's Study, but I will share it again. When Jesus commands for something to happen, it has to happen. This is not an invitation as it might sound. He is saying the one who already has ears to hear, and then the text says, hear. It is a command! So only those people that have a spiritual ear to hear are going to hear it. That is all He told them about the story.
Mark 4:11 - And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
The term "Them that are without" means those that are without Christ, those who do not have a spiritual ear to hear.
Mark 4:18 - And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
In the Greek text it says they keep hearing it. It is a habit of life. They don't just hear it once. They are continually hearing the word.
Mark 2:22 - And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Literally it is wineskins. Here's what He is saying:
When you put wine into these wine skins for fermentation, when the gases began to escape from the grape, the wine skins expand with the wine. When it is through expanding, the skins are in one place, and the skins harden, they stay just in one place. You take it and you and pour it out.
So, if you take an already used wine skin that has already stretched to its maximum and is already hardened, and if you put new wine in it, when the new wine begins to expand, it is going to crack and break and your wine is gone. You put new wine in new wine skins. So, He says the problem here is that I didn't come to pour new wine (the Spirit of God), into an old religious system. It doesn't work!
That is why John the Baptist told the Jewish people that they must repent and turn to Messiah for their salvation, and that they could no longer depend upon Judaism because Jesus didn't come to breathe new life into an old system. He called people to follow Him. As a matter of fact, He didn't breathe life into any system. He came to call people to follow Him!
Mark 3:3 - And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
Jesus tells this man with the withered hand, He says "Stand out here, in the middle." That would be the literal translation.
Mark 3:14 - And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
That little phrase "send them forth" is the verb form of apostle, APOSTELLO. Jesus sent them out with the commission to preach. That's what an apostle is, someone who has been appointed by God and has been sent out on a commission to proclaim God's word.
Mark 1:21 - And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Here is the literal translation of this verse:
"And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and was teaching." The literal translation is in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek which shows habit.
Mark 1:42 - And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
So, Jesus touched this leper. You can just hear the crowd gasping, you know? He touched him! And Jesus says to him, I will; that is, I am willing, be thou clean.
And as soon as he had spoken, guess what happened? Immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. I emphasize this to you because it is important that everything happen immediately with Jesus because if it just clears up gradually over a couple days, people can say "Well, he got healed somewhere else!" Immediately the leprosy left him!
Mark 2:5 - When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Again, "sick of the palsy" is one Greek word that means paralyzed.
Mark 2:14 - And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
So as Jesus passed by, he saw Levi. This is Matthew. He is also called Levi. He was sitting at the "receipt of custom," which means that he was a tax collector. But not just any ordinary tax collector because he was Jewish, and he was working for the Roman government to collect taxes from his own people. His own people considered him a traitor. He didn't care because he got rich. He taxed the people what the Roman government wanted, and then he taxed them for what he wanted. And they hated him.
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Please notice the prepositional phrase "in those days." The King James translation retains it, but some of the others change it. But it is actually a phrase that is making reference to Jewish feast days. So, when you see the phrase "in those days," it is referring to a Jewish feast day.
In Luke Chapter 2, it says "In those days," a decree went out for all to be taxed. So that's a clue to us that when Jesus was born, He was born during a Jewish feast. The town was crowded not because the people had to come and register, but because they were in town for the feast of Tabernacles. And Bethlehem was a staging area where people would stay as they would come and go in and out of Jerusalem.
I am sharing this because it adds more importance and meaning, even to the birth of Christ that He would come, because in the midst of the feast of Tabernacles, they would celebrate God dwelling with us, and that is when Jesus was born. So, "In those days," because we are in the days of TESHUVA, but it says that in those days, Jesus came down from Nazareth, and He was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Mark 1:17 - And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
The term "after me" is literally behind me. It is the word OPISO in Greek. This verse literally reads "Come ye behind me." Jesus points this out later that the proper position in following Christ is behind Him.
But notice what He says, two things:
He says first of all, "I will make you." Jesus is the one who makes us to be what He wants us to be. "I will make you to become." This shows a process. These are important words. Jesus says, "I will make you to become fishers of men." This is a play on words. You are fishermen, but I'm going to make you fishers of men.
Before I begin sharing these Greek/English text comparisons on Mark's gospel, I want to point out that there are several words we see in Mark such as "Straightway," "Forthwith," and "Anon." These are all one Greek word that means immediately. The translators could have saved us some time looking up these words by translating the Greek word EUTHEOS as immediately.
Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
I want to share a technical point in Verse 1. The term "the beginning" in this verse is not in the original language. There is no word "the" in the Greek text. It's just beginning of the gospel. It is the word ARCHAE, but it is different than what is used in John 1:1 which says, "in beginning."
Here in Mark, he just says "beginning," and that is it. It is just a noun, a word. It is not the same as John 1:1, but actually ARCHAE represents this Hebrew word TECHILA. TECHILA means the first stage. So, when he says the beginning of the gospel, he is saying I'm presenting to you the first stage. I am not going to talk about His birth or anything else. I'm going to begin the gospel of Jesus Christ at this point.
Thank you very much for the kind reply. No need for apology. We all get grumpy and fatigued from time to time. Grumpy and fatigued are both fleshly terms and sometimes we let our flesh get the best of us. It happens to us all. It's something we cannot avoid. At this time, I choose not to ask any more questions.
I am happy to hear that you found the studies I posted on Matthew. I have finished going through Mark and will start posting them tonight. I will be posting them as a "New Comment" so you won't see them in your email. As I did with Matthew, I am going to title the Mark studies as Biblical Greek Perspectives, so that is how you will find them.
Blessings to you, and I hope you have a great evening!
Number one : it is extremely important , essential in fact , to keep an open mind and heart when reading the Bible . Why ? Because , once you decide that something is a certain way , a phrase or scripture means a certain thing , then you close your mind to every other possibility , including the possibility that you have made a mistake and interpreted it wrongly . Considering that the Bible is the Living Word of God , it's a big mistake to be entrenched in a belief before you have read and studied the Bible extensively and for a long time . Deciding that something is irrefutably a certain way may , block you from learning other things , as the Bible is a whole and consistent , if something is one way ,an individual scripture means one thing , then that may change and influence the way you interpret all other scriptures , it may have a knock on effect on how you perceive everything . And you may have got that first thing wrong .
Number two : do not just follow on with what others have told you without studying the Bible for yourself . This is strongly conected to my first point . You must read it for yourself with an open heart and mind and you must be convinced of yourself . You must get that personal connection to God and by reading His Word for yourself , very regularly for the rest of your life . God bless us all in our efforts .
"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."
Firstly we follow the tag and 'unto this day' dealt with the first fruits; by the same token 'in that day' must be in context of the Son to whom God had promised,"Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."(Ps.2:8). It is thus we set the day of the Lamb as springboard for gathering the heathen that must have its own sequence. The command number Three refers to the Son. "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God."(13:9) In the following chapter it is called the day of Lord and not wrath of the Lamb. In order to distinguish it we have the light motif. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark."(14:6). The living water is another motif, " And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea."(14:8).These two events owe to the coming of Jesus Christ in his glory, "and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.". This is mentioned elsewhere, " Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him."(Re.1:7) Living waters track Up and Down while the seas Across and as a result Jerusalem ("South of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place"-v.10) is precisely what 13:9 refers to. The Gentiles and the Jews alike are complicit in piercing the Prince of life but they have their place.(Re.21:24)
This shall lead to" And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."(14:9)
"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 Co.3:18). This glory of God signified the garments of Aaron and according to the order it was an earthly image and Aaron's death on the mount is a proof that glory of it is pointed to something else.
"At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day."(Nu.10:8). The tag 'unto this day' clearly lays down how we should interpret the priesthood of Aaron. "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."(Ps.110:4)
In the everlasting covenant sets inheritance of one nation in light and the other in darkness. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;/Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God." (1 Pe.2:9-10) The other group as children of darkness would require light from above. "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it."(Re.21:24) "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie." Conspiracy theories of our times are fed by Satan and sent in circulation whether in church or elsewhere by children of darkness.
"He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."
His ways are perfect and it is demonstrated by example. God separated light from darkness and Jesus was among the nation of Israel as true Light. In terms of the light we have Moses and the vail he had to wear after receiving the commandments that he was on the Mount Sinai as the double for the Word become flesh. "But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded." (Ex.34:34). The Spirit places Moses once again when Jesus transfigured before his disciples and this time he is set in heavenly places. The true Light was come and Moses shows the order of heaven stands true. "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven."(1 Co.15:47)
The Israelites could not stand before the glory on the face of Moses. Hence this vail, a symbol for their corruption. "They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation." (De.32:5) In the generation of Jesus Christ they belonged to a perverse and crooked generation. They also stand in relation to us in his Son. Firstly St Paul exhorts as to our calling, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."(Ph.2:15) The order concerning the nations also follows in the manner light was separated from darkness. "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel./For the Lord's portion is his people." (De.32:8-9) Jacob has his portion which is on the earth.
We see the order in the case of Moses. Moses is a stand-in for Christ. "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven."(1 Co.15:47) Moses similarly stands in relationship with the Man in terms of symbols as well. God did not allow Moses to set foot in Canaan because of his transgression. In the case of the transfiguration we see Moses in context of Christ on 'a high mountain.'(Matt.17:1)
In the case of Aaron God wanted his son to go along to the mount. "Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:/And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there."(Nu.20:25-26) His ministry was limited by death and Levitical priesthood stands in comparison with the Order of Melchizedek. Also significant is that he is conspicuously absent from the List of heroes of faith.(He.11). In his case the mount is the Rock of offence. "And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."(1 Pe.2:8)
"But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming./Then cometh the end."
The order is set by God, and his Holiness is made up of Power and Wisdom two principles held in balance by the Word or the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount he is shown presenting the doctrine of God in his person. He was there as the Word become flesh. So the Spirit gives him a context, the mountain signifies just that. " For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."(v.18) This fulfilment refers to the end which comes in a series which we shall discuss in another post.
The Spirit presents Moses and Aaron in context of Jesus Christ so the mount plays a very role which is set forth by the Spirit for our spiritual instruction in righteousness. First we have the death of Moses. "And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:/Because ye trespassed against me."(De.32:32-51). The mount symbolizes the Rock which is Person specific. "For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges."(32:31). St Paul refers to the spiritual Rock and it was Christ(1 Co.10:4)
We can see from the emblem of the mountain in Matt.5:1 the Spirit instructs us that he as the stone cut not with hands came from the Mountain of God. and shall stop only with Zion the holy habitation of God. So God allows Moses to Zion from far, "Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel."(32:52) The Spirit sets before us the Promised Land literal and the spiritual as well.
14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward His servants, and His indignation toward His enemies.
15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with FURY, and His rebuke with flames of FIRE. --> Revelation 11:18>18 And the NATIONS were(will be) angry, and GOD'S WRATH is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be Judged, and that GOD should give reward unto His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear His name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.
16 For by fire and by His Sword will the Lord plead with all flesh.-->( Revelation 13:3 and 14) Revelation 19:21
15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD(Devil's world) are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Here is not only a proclaim but the physical establishment of GOD's Kingdom with a ROD of iron, understand? and the satanic NATIONS will be angry, they will be WRATHED, but all them will be as the vessels of a potter, and shall they be broken to shivers, understand?).
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before GOD on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped GOD,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord GOD Almighty, which art, and wast, and art TO COME; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the NATIONS were (will be) ANGRY /WRATHED, and GOD's WRATH is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be Judged, and that GOD should give reward unto His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear His name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.
1CORINTHIANS 15:24-27
24 The END cometh, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to GOD, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Be careful or else get ready
The Word of GOD is from everlasting to everlasting, the Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand?
Get ready
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half (42 months or 1260 days- Luke 21:24 combined with Revelation 11:2 and Revelation 13:5-9, take a look); and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the END of these things?
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the END.(this time ARRIVED, get ready)
10Many shall be purified, and made white, and TRIED; the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the WISE shall understand.
11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away(END OF THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE), and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth,and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
13 But go thou thy way till the END be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the END of the days.-->this time of the END ARRIVED. Matthew 25:29- Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Get ready, be careful. JESUS warned: fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell-Mat.10:28.
The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand?
Please don't despair and don't give up , try to find a charity that might help you , maybe get your friends and family to try to do something to raise the money that you need , maybe ask your local church to get involved ? If you stay strong and be determined , ask God every day for help and guidance and thank Him always for everything that He has already done for you . Most of all , try not to be afraid , your God is with you . He really is and you must believe that He is and talk to Him every day through Christ our Sinless High Priest .
Don't give up and don't fear , nothing can come between you and your Heavenly Father , He is yours and you are His , always .
Firstly , someone has to offend me for there to be anything for me to forgive them for . You spoke of worldly people ? Is that something that requires your forgiveness ? If that's the case then you have a lot of people to forgive .
To me forgiveness means , that if someone has deliberately and knowingly done something very unpleasant to me , I must not take vengeance and I must let it go and not hold it against them in any way ,shape or form . Is it my place to forgive someone for doing something bad to someone else other than myself ? After thinking about this very carefully , I've decided that it's not my place . The offence wasn't against me so it's not for me to forgive . Image if someone stole your friend's car and your friend forgave them but you didn't . Does that seem right ? Not to me it doesn't . It wasn't my car that was stolen so I'm not the victim . The grudge is not mine to hold on to .
In my life I have been very badly treated by a few people , all of whom I have forgiven but , the memories do still linger . That's the hardest part , forgetting .
Also , I found it much easier to forgive someone that I love because I love them but strangely , it's also easy to forgive those that I don't love because I don't love them . The best aspect of forgiving others , for me , is how liberating it is not to hold on to any anger or bitterness in my heart . To be free of nasty thoughts or feelings toward anyone . It's a good feeling . I hope others on here will answer you also , it's a good topic of conversation so let's hear what others have to say .
Mark 7:31 - And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
Again, Decapolis is referring to the 10 Greek cities around the Sea of Galilee.
Mark 8:2 - I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
The word compassion in Greek is the word SPLUNKNOSE, which is the Greek word for the intestines, the viscera. And what the Greeks would do in order to show a deep love, or a deep passion for something, they would use the inner organs of the body.
That's where we got term heart from, like "evil comes out of the heart." It is not talking about the muscle that pumps blood, it is talking about the spirit of man. And so, the Greeks would use the internal organs to identify, and SPLUNKNOSE, the viscera, or intestines had to do with genuine compassion.
Mark 8:8 - So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
Now here is something you're not going to catch in any English bible about this word "basket." In Mark Chapter 6, when He fed the 5000, they took up baskets, KHOPHANOS. The KHOPHANOS, taking up 12 baskets, it was like a carrying bag. And it is what people would take on trips to carry food in.
But here in Mark 8:8, we have a different word for baskets. It is the word SPURIDAS, and they are like the hamper baskets. These are huge things, so the disciples definitely are not taking these baskets. And we know from Mark 8:14 that they didn't take anything with them because they said "Hey, we don't have any bread. We forgot to take bread!" So obviously the multitudes got this food for their migration home.
Mark 7:3 - For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
So, they are holding the tradition, the HALACH, of the elders.
Mark 7:6 - He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Now we always think hypocrites is like a bad word, you know, like "You hypocrite!" But it is from the Greek word that means an actor. And what Jesus is doing is He is calling them for exactly what they are. This is what religion is. Religion is working on "acting" like you are supposed to. Whatever the laws, the rules, and traditions are, everything is from the outside, and you are disciplining yourself to act in a very religious way. So, He says actors! In other words, you are just playing the part.
The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word HUPOCRISIS, and it is a word that means to answer according to the script. And some people take the bible, and they work very hard at trying to act out the script. Jesus says Hypocrites, as it is written, and this is from Isaiah 29:13, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mark 7:9 - And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Again, this would be the HALACH.
Mark 7:26 - The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
So, the woman was a Greek. Now it doesn't mean that she was a Greek person. There were only two groups of people in the world at that time, Jew or Greek. A Greek was a heathen. So, she was a Greek (heathen), a Syrophenician by nation.
Mark 6:37 - He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
This is something else that we might not catch from our English text. The word pennyworth is the word DENARI in the Greek. A DENARI is one-day's wage. Now just so you know, 200 pennyworth (DENARI) is two hundred days wages. Today, if you walked into a candy store and asked for 200 pennyworth of candy, they are probably going to give you two-dollars' worth of candy.
Mark 6:42 - And they did all eat, and were filled.
The word filled means satisfied in the Greek.
Mark 6:43 - And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
The word for baskets is KOPHANOS. It is translated in our English bible as "basket," but it's actually a large carrying bag, not a basket. And there were 12 carrying bags full of food left over. How many disciples are there? Twelve, it's for them! They are going to fill their travel bags up with all this leftover food, and they are going to be touring the country, and they are going to be eating this food for themselves. And every time they take food out of that carrying bag, they are going to remember where it came from.
Mark 7:2 - And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
This is not one of those wash your hands before dinner things like they had dirty hands when they were eating. What they're saying is that they did not ceremonially wash their hands before they ate.
The reference is not to anything in the scriptures, nothing in the bible, or nothing in the law. It is called the HALACH. Every Jewish person knows what the HALACH is. It is the traditions of man. This book contains the traditions that Jews are to live by in light of the scriptures. Most of them you will not find in the Old Testament at all. It is just tradition.
Mark 5:17 - And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
And they began to "pray him," that is, appeal to Jesus to depart from out of their coasts.
Mark 5:20 - And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
The term Decapolis (DEKAPOLEI) means 10 cities. These are the 10 Gentile cities that surround the Sea of Galilee. This man who was once demon possessed went into all 10 cities, and told how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. This is something we might not get without the help of the Greek text. The way this is written in our English Bibles looks like this man went to a place called Decapolis.
Mark 6:3 - Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
The word carpenter is the Greek word TEKTON where we get our English word technician from. It is literally translated a craftsman. The chances of Jesus being a carpenter or working in His dad's carpenter shop are slim to none.
The Jews to this day still hold that He was a stone mason because they didn't have much wood in those days. They claim that He was a stone mason, He and His father. Is not this the craftsman, the son of Mary? It didn't say son of Joseph, so Joseph probably is not alive at this time.
Mark 6:8 - And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:
Just some general information you may already know. This word staff means walking stick. Today, if someone says I brought my staff with me, we might take that to mean those who work for that person.
Mark 4:20 - And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
I just want to point out that these are Present Tense verbs, showing continuous action. Such as hear the word, continually hearing, and receive it, continually receiving it, and are continually bringing forth fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some a hundred.
Mark 4:21 - And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
The word candle in the King James comes from the word LAMPROS. It is literally the word lamp.
Mark 4:40 - And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Can you imagine such a big storm like that and all Jesus says is "Stop and be quiet!" Everything is like nothing happened! So, Jesus asks them two questions. First, why are ye so fearful? Now if it was me, I would be like "Fearful? You got to be kidding! We were in the biggest storm of our life. What do you mean fearful?"
But this particular word fearful in Greek is the word DEILOS, and in Greek, it literally means cowardly. Not fearful like PHOBOS. Jesus was saying, why were you cowards? How is it that you have no faith? That is not a challenge. He is saying take inventory. Why don't you have faith?
Mark 5:1 - And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
Some of our English texts might say Gergesenes instead of Gadarenes. Actually, these are two cites. And these two areas are close together on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark 5:9 - And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
A legion is 6,000 soldiers. This man had 6,000 demons. I'd say that's beyond human ability!
Mark 3:22 - And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
This word Beelzebub, the Philistines had insects as their gods. Beelzebub is the "lord of the flies," and the Jews used to make fun of people. If they came across somebody's religion, they would say "Oh, you are worshipping flies today, are you?" It was because they worshipped the true and living God. So, the Jews would make fun of others.
Some texts say Beelzebul, not Beelzebub. Beelzebul is "lord of the dunghill." So, they say he has Beelzebub, lord the flies, and he casts out demons by the prince of the demons.
Mark 4:9 - And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
That is a very important phrase. I shared this during Matthew's Study, but I will share it again. When Jesus commands for something to happen, it has to happen. This is not an invitation as it might sound. He is saying the one who already has ears to hear, and then the text says, hear. It is a command! So only those people that have a spiritual ear to hear are going to hear it. That is all He told them about the story.
Mark 4:11 - And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
The term "Them that are without" means those that are without Christ, those who do not have a spiritual ear to hear.
Mark 4:18 - And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
In the Greek text it says they keep hearing it. It is a habit of life. They don't just hear it once. They are continually hearing the word.
Mark 2:22 - And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Literally it is wineskins. Here's what He is saying:
When you put wine into these wine skins for fermentation, when the gases began to escape from the grape, the wine skins expand with the wine. When it is through expanding, the skins are in one place, and the skins harden, they stay just in one place. You take it and you and pour it out.
So, if you take an already used wine skin that has already stretched to its maximum and is already hardened, and if you put new wine in it, when the new wine begins to expand, it is going to crack and break and your wine is gone. You put new wine in new wine skins. So, He says the problem here is that I didn't come to pour new wine (the Spirit of God), into an old religious system. It doesn't work!
That is why John the Baptist told the Jewish people that they must repent and turn to Messiah for their salvation, and that they could no longer depend upon Judaism because Jesus didn't come to breathe new life into an old system. He called people to follow Him. As a matter of fact, He didn't breathe life into any system. He came to call people to follow Him!
Mark 3:3 - And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
Jesus tells this man with the withered hand, He says "Stand out here, in the middle." That would be the literal translation.
Mark 3:14 - And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
That little phrase "send them forth" is the verb form of apostle, APOSTELLO. Jesus sent them out with the commission to preach. That's what an apostle is, someone who has been appointed by God and has been sent out on a commission to proclaim God's word.
Mark 1:21 - And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Here is the literal translation of this verse:
"And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and was teaching." The literal translation is in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek which shows habit.
Mark 1:42 - And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
So, Jesus touched this leper. You can just hear the crowd gasping, you know? He touched him! And Jesus says to him, I will; that is, I am willing, be thou clean.
And as soon as he had spoken, guess what happened? Immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. I emphasize this to you because it is important that everything happen immediately with Jesus because if it just clears up gradually over a couple days, people can say "Well, he got healed somewhere else!" Immediately the leprosy left him!
Mark 2:5 - When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Again, "sick of the palsy" is one Greek word that means paralyzed.
Mark 2:14 - And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
So as Jesus passed by, he saw Levi. This is Matthew. He is also called Levi. He was sitting at the "receipt of custom," which means that he was a tax collector. But not just any ordinary tax collector because he was Jewish, and he was working for the Roman government to collect taxes from his own people. His own people considered him a traitor. He didn't care because he got rich. He taxed the people what the Roman government wanted, and then he taxed them for what he wanted. And they hated him.
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Please notice the prepositional phrase "in those days." The King James translation retains it, but some of the others change it. But it is actually a phrase that is making reference to Jewish feast days. So, when you see the phrase "in those days," it is referring to a Jewish feast day.
In Luke Chapter 2, it says "In those days," a decree went out for all to be taxed. So that's a clue to us that when Jesus was born, He was born during a Jewish feast. The town was crowded not because the people had to come and register, but because they were in town for the feast of Tabernacles. And Bethlehem was a staging area where people would stay as they would come and go in and out of Jerusalem.
I am sharing this because it adds more importance and meaning, even to the birth of Christ that He would come, because in the midst of the feast of Tabernacles, they would celebrate God dwelling with us, and that is when Jesus was born. So, "In those days," because we are in the days of TESHUVA, but it says that in those days, Jesus came down from Nazareth, and He was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Mark 1:17 - And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
The term "after me" is literally behind me. It is the word OPISO in Greek. This verse literally reads "Come ye behind me." Jesus points this out later that the proper position in following Christ is behind Him.
But notice what He says, two things:
He says first of all, "I will make you." Jesus is the one who makes us to be what He wants us to be. "I will make you to become." This shows a process. These are important words. Jesus says, "I will make you to become fishers of men." This is a play on words. You are fishermen, but I'm going to make you fishers of men.
Mark (Part 1):
Before I begin sharing these Greek/English text comparisons on Mark's gospel, I want to point out that there are several words we see in Mark such as "Straightway," "Forthwith," and "Anon." These are all one Greek word that means immediately. The translators could have saved us some time looking up these words by translating the Greek word EUTHEOS as immediately.
Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
I want to share a technical point in Verse 1. The term "the beginning" in this verse is not in the original language. There is no word "the" in the Greek text. It's just beginning of the gospel. It is the word ARCHAE, but it is different than what is used in John 1:1 which says, "in beginning."
Here in Mark, he just says "beginning," and that is it. It is just a noun, a word. It is not the same as John 1:1, but actually ARCHAE represents this Hebrew word TECHILA. TECHILA means the first stage. So, when he says the beginning of the gospel, he is saying I'm presenting to you the first stage. I am not going to talk about His birth or anything else. I'm going to begin the gospel of Jesus Christ at this point.
Thank you very much for the kind reply. No need for apology. We all get grumpy and fatigued from time to time. Grumpy and fatigued are both fleshly terms and sometimes we let our flesh get the best of us. It happens to us all. It's something we cannot avoid. At this time, I choose not to ask any more questions.
I am happy to hear that you found the studies I posted on Matthew. I have finished going through Mark and will start posting them tonight. I will be posting them as a "New Comment" so you won't see them in your email. As I did with Matthew, I am going to title the Mark studies as Biblical Greek Perspectives, so that is how you will find them.
Blessings to you, and I hope you have a great evening!