Testing my faith

I have said that I've learned to trust the Lord in all things. In my post "Salvation" I talked about how the Lord has saved me from great harm from a number of things throughout my life. That building of trust in the Lord has come from looking back at the many things that happened in my past. God had to have had a hand in them. Well, lately I have had thoughts of questioning the very existence of God. Maybe I've just talked myself into believing. (Satan working again)

Why am I starting to question things you might ask. Back in August of 2015 I posted "Funny Dream". In this dream, it was like God saying to me that the problems with my back will not be as bad as I envision and we shook hands on it. I was telling God at the time that I will trust Him in whatever happens but I said it in such a way as to try and build up my trust; "I WILL TRUST YOU LORD."

There was no time frame when or how much better my back would get. At that time I was envisioning me becoming an invalid, not being able to do anything.  I still have back pain and sciatica. It is better some days and worse other days and even though this has put limits on things I can do, it has not shut me down completely. I now have some stenosis in my upper spine, shoulder and neck areas, and I am starting to have prostate problems, my PSA number is going up. I long for a body like I used to have were pain was from over working or exercising.

I know that our timing is not God's timing. I believe that the bodies we will have in the next life will be amazingly so much better than these we have in this life so maybe I will just have to wait until then. I think about the many stories in the Bible where the imposable became possible. Maybe there is still something in store for me in this life. I will just have to wait and see.

Nebuchadnezzar

Study This 

Daniel 4 Common English Bible (CEB) Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony 4 [a] King Nebuchadnezzar’s message to all the peoples, nations, and languages inhabiting the entire earth: “I wish you much peace. 2 I’m delighted to share the signs and miracles that the Most High God has worked in my life. 3 His signs are superb!     His miracles so powerful! His kingdom is everlasting.     His rule is for all time. 4 [b] “While I, Nebuchadnezzar, was safe in my house, content in my palace, 5 I had a terrifying dream. My thoughts while I was lying in bed and the vision in my mind overwhelmed me. 6 I ordered all Babylon’s sages to come before me, so they might tell me the dream’s meaning. 7 So the dream interpreters, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners came. I told them the dream, but they couldn’t interpret it for me. 8 Daniel, who is called Belteshazzar after the name of my god, was the last to come before me. In him is the breath[c] of the holy gods! I told Daniel the dream: Nebuchadnezzar’s dream 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the dream interpreters, I know the breath of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me the meaning of the visions I had in my dream. 10 In my mind, as I lay in bed, I saw a vision: At the center of the earth was a towering tree. 11     The tree grew in size and strength;         it was as high as the sky;         it could be seen from every corner of the earth. 12         Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant;         it had enough food for everyone.     Wild animals took shade under it;         birds nested in its branches.     All living things lived off that tree. 13 “In my mind, as I lay in bed, I saw another vision: A holy watcher came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed loudly: ‘Cut down the tree and shear off its branches!     Strip its leaves and scatter its fruit! The creatures should flee from its shelter;     the birds should take flight from its branches. 15 But leave its deepest root in the earth,     bound with iron and bronze in the field grass. Dew from heaven is to wash it,     and it must live with the animals in the earth’s vegetation. 16 Its[d] human mind is to be changed:     it will be given the mind of an animal.     Seven periods of time will pass over it. 17 This sentence is by the watchers’ decree;     this decision is the holy ones’ word         so that all who live might know         that the Most High dominates human kingship. The Most High gives kingship to anyone he wants     and sets over it the lowest of people.’ 18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. So now Belteshazzar, tell me the meaning because all the sages in my kingdom were unable to interpret it for me. But you are able to do it because the breath of the holy gods is in you.” Daniel interprets the visions 19 Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, was shocked for a bit. What he thought about frightened him. The king declared, “Don’t let the dream and its meaning scare you, Belteshazzar.” Then Belteshazzar answered, “Sir, I wish the dream to be for those who hate you and its meaning to be for your enemies! 20 The tree you saw that grew in size and strength, that was as high as the sky, that could be seen from every corner of the earth, 21 with its beautiful leaves and its abundant fruit, and that had enough food for everyone, with wild animals living under it and birds nesting in its branches— 22 Your Majesty, that tree is you! You have grown large and become powerful. Your greatness is as high as the sky; your rule extends to the edge of the earth! 23 “Your Majesty, the holy watcher you saw coming down from heaven, who said, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave its deepest root in the earth, bound with iron and bronze in the field grass, dew from heaven is to wash it, and it must live with the wild animals until seven periods of time pass over it’— 24 Your Majesty, this is the dream’s meaning: It is the sentence of the Most High, delivered to my master the king. 25 You will be driven away from other humans and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle and will be washed by dew from heaven. Seven periods of time will pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High dominates human kingship, giving it to anyone he wants. 26 And when he said to leave the deepest root of the tree—that means your kingship will again be yours, once you acknowledge that heaven rules all. 27 Therefore, Your Majesty, please accept my advice: remove your sins by doing what is right; remove your wrongdoing by showing mercy to the poor. Then your safety will be long lasting.” Visions come true 28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon. 30 The king declared, “Isn’t this Babylon, the magnificent city that I built as the royal house by my own mighty strength and for my own majestic glory?” 31 These words hadn’t even left the king’s mouth when a voice came from heaven: “You, King Nebuchadnezzar, are now informed: Kingship is taken away from you. 32 You will be driven away from other humans and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you acknowledge that the Most High dominates human kingship, giving it to anyone he wants.” 33 Nebuchadnezzar’s sentence was immediately carried out. He was driven away from other humans and ate grass like cattle. Dew from heaven washed his body until he grew hair like eagles’ feathers and claws like a bird. Nebuchadnezzar is restored 34 “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes to heaven. My reason returned to me, and I praised the Most High. I worshipped and glorified the one who lives forever because his rule is everlasting; his kingdom is for all time. 35 All of earth’s inhabitants are nothing in comparison. The Most High does whatever he wants with heaven’s forces and with earth’s inhabitants. No one can contain his power or say to him, ‘What do you think you are doing?’ 36 So at that moment my reason returned to me. My honor and splendor came back to me for the glory of my kingdom. My associates and my princes wanted to be with me again. Not only was I reinstated over my kingdom, I received more power than ever before. 37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, worship, magnify, and glorify the king of heaven. All his works are truth, all his paths are justice, and he is able to humble all who walk in pride.”

Salvation

In my last post "Jesus" I talked about how I've learned to trust the Lord in all things and about receiving salvation when I accepted Yeshua Jesus into my life. I've told you that I live in the Houston, Texas area and if you've been following the news, you've seen all the destructive flooding going on here from hurricane Harvey.

Again, the Lord has protected us. We did not get water into our house but so many in our neighborhood did. Why we were spared, I don't know. We have lived here now for almost 30 years and thus far we have not flooded and we received only very minor destruction from the previous major hurricane, hurricane Ike.

Added 10/19/17 -- I want to say more about how the Lord has protected us. We are fortunate enough to have two properties. Our other property is a little over an hour away closer to the coast. That area was also hit hard by flooding from hurricane Harvey. For about a week we didn't know if we got water in that house or not because the roads were impassable. When we were finally able to go down and check it out, we found that it too did not get water in it. I said that our Houston house only received very minor damage during hurricane Ike. Well our other property too only received very minor damage. Had hurricane Ike came in the way they first predicted it would, both homes would most likely have been gone because both would have been on the dirty side but it kept moving more to the East so we ended up just on the clean side. Because both homes were spared during both storms, we were able to let people stay in the house down by the coast. The Lord has worked that all out as well, getting just the right families in who needed it at just the right time.

I've thought about when Jesus was here on earth, He had such great compassion for the people. He healed them, He fed them, He cast out evil spirits, and He even brought back some from the dead. Jesus calmed the sea with just a word. When we become one with Christ Jesus, Jesus accomplishes the same things through us today. I have seen some pretty amazing compassionate things happen from many people through this storm and God is getting the glory.

There is something else going on that is frightening to a great many people; the possibility of nuclear war. I don't know what will happen with North Korea. I'll be honest, it is a bit troubling for me when I think about it but I am not stressed out about it. I trust that the Lord will accomplish His will in this too.  God has a plan and that is to bring all things into Himself (God being all in all). He will accomplish it.

Jesus

Yeshua Jesus is the Son of the living God. Another name given Him is the Word of God. It is from Him we get knowledge and understanding of God. At the right time, a little over 2000 years ago, Yeshua Jesus came to earth in the form of a human, a baby born of a human mother but not of a human father. This was God's plan to save us, we humans. Jesus lived a life without sin so that He could take our place. He became that unblemished lamb that was sacrificed for our sins.

All us humans have sinned, disobeyed God's laws. The Bible says that we are slaves to sin. Jesus fulfilled all prophesies proving Him to be the messiah, giving us a way to break free from the bondage of sin. He was beaten, spit on, scourged, cursed, mocked, and nailed to a cross to die. But He did not stay in the grave, that tomb. On the third day He arose from the dead. He appeared to many people for a period of 40 days until He went into heaven to be with the Father.

I look at this this way. God's laws deals with how we treat God and how we treat each other. So, what Jesus did was like this; He steps between me/you and those I've/you've sinned against. He took upon Himself everything that should have been dished out to us.

John 15:13 Common English Bible (CEB) 13 No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends.

Jesus' love hasn't stopped at giving up His life for us. He teaches us all about God the Father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit.

You can think of Jesus like the food that you eat and the Holy Spirit like the water you drink but in a spiritual sense. What does the water that you drink do? It helps break down the food and then it caries all that good stuff to all the parts of your body by way of blood. The blood also takes out the bad stuff and gets rid of it. Taking in Jesus is as simple as asking Him or allowing Him into you and your life. When you do this, you are in Jesus and Jesus is in you. You and I become members of His body. He becomes our head.

Revelation 3:20 Lexham English Bible (LEB)

^{20  (Jesus talking)} Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.

If you have just invited Jesus into your life, I encourage you to start a journal. Write down what you experienced at that moment. How would you characterize yourself up until that point and how do others view you. The reason why I say this is because change in your life will happen but it takes time and I think this is good to help you remember from where you came.

I want to also give you a warning. Satan will be busy sowing seeds of doubt in your mind. Don't let him. He will try and make you miss out of something wonderful called salvation. I like this definition of salvation that I found in The Bible Encyclopedia – “”salvation” denotes the whole process by which man is delivered from all that would prevent his attaining to the highest good that God has prepared for him.”

Let me tell you some things about my life. Believing that Yeshua Jesus is the Son of the Living God, our Messiah, our Savior, our teacher, I have learned that I can trust God in all things through Jesus.

I asked Jesus into my life to be lord and savior when I was about 17 years old. I'm not so sure that I understood at the time what that meant.

I am a Vietnam vet. Not once did I fire my weapon at another human being the year that I was there in Nam. I came back unharmed. I went through what I think was probably the lowest part of my life when I returned home from the service but in a way, it was because of that low point that I re-found Jesus. I started going to a great church and met really great friends who accepted me as I was, one of them became my wonderful wife who I am still married to today, 43 years in August. We live in the Houston Texas area and have gone through several bad hurricanes, some tornadoes close by, floods, a small plane crashed, killing the pilot, on the street just behind us at our first home while my wife and children were there, and so many other things. God has saved us from great harm in all of it.

Sometimes it is hard to believe in something you can't see with your eyes but you will find joy and peace if you will.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 New International Version (NIV) 23 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that nothing bad will ever happen. If you look throughout history from the early church until now, there have been pretty bad things happen to those who follow Jesus. Jesus said He will never leave us of forsake us. He helps us endure those times.

John 12:24-26 New International Version (NIV)²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

To all the world leaders.

To all the world leaders, those who rule over people; where is your heart? What is it you think about most? Is it towards the people you rule over and their well being or is it to gain more riches and power? Take a minute to think about how it might be if you had not been born into the family you were born into but instead you were born into a poor family and someone else was in power and doing to you the same as what you are doing.

Jesus told a parable once about a rich man and a poor beggar who was at the gates of the rich man just wishing for a few scraps of food from the rich man's table.

Luke 16:19-25 Lexham English Bible (LEB)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “Now a certain man was rich, and dressed in purple cloth and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And a certain poor man named^[a] Lazarus, covered with sores, lay at his gate, ²¹ and was longing to be filled with what fell from the table of the rich man. But even the dogs came and^[b] licked his sores. ²² Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.^[c] And the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And in Hades he lifted up his eyes as he^[d] was in torment and^[e] saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus at his side.^{[f] 24} And he called out and^[g] said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering pain in this flame!’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise bad things. But now he is comforted here, but you are suffering pain.

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Many of our world leaders spend massive amounts of money to build weapons that kill people. Each country trying to outdo the other countries. If you just take into account the number of nuclear weapons in the world today I can imagine that it would not take all of them to destroy earth. Why do we want to build more of them? It makes no sense. We should be getting rid of them, convert that energy into something useful and not destructive. Can you imagine what we could do if all that money was spent for constructive things instead of destructive?

There will always be a danger of some world leader starting a war that will end earth as long as we keep weapons of mass destruction. It just takes one unstable leader to do this.

I want to tell you a story about when I was about 5 years of age. I was playing in our front yard with some other neighbor kids. A boy who lived across the street came over with two pair of boxing gloves. He was looking for someone to box with him. I already knew his reputation of beating up kids older than he so I sure did not want to fight him but the other kids chided me into box with him. I tried the best I could but could not land one punch and he easily landed several to me. I started crying, pulled off my gloves, and yelled I told you I didn't want to fight. Of course this made the other kids laugh at me. My crying turned to anger and I saw a brick there in our flower bed. I picked it up and I was about to hurl it at him. The others, my sister included, saw I was serious about what I was about to do and they were able to calm me down before I threw the brick. Do you see where I am going with this? People react to things without thinking about what the consequences will be. Think about a world leader with access to nuclear weapons. You get the picture.

Can you imagine how it would be if all our world leaders worked together for world peace?

Every last one of us both dead and alive will some day be judged by the things we've done in this age. God, who knows all things, judges both fairly and righteously.

Blessed are the Peasemakers.

Matthew 5:9 King James Version (KJV)
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Lent - A Time For Penance and Reflection

Lent and The Sign of Jonah

Luke 11:29 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Sign of Jonah

²⁹ As the crowds were increasing, He (Yeshua Jesus) began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a ^[a]sign, and yet no ^[b]sign will be given to it but the ^[c]sign of Jonah.

The original Greek word translated "generation" is genea {ghen-eh-ah'}. This Greek word can be translated to age so we could read it this way, "This age is a wicked age........"

Also, the Greek word translated "sign" also means a supernatural miracle, a token, or a wonder {a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration}.

In our Old Testament story of Jonah, God sent Jonah to the wicked city of Nineveh and when he got there, the Lord would give him the words to say to the Ninevites. Most of us know the story about Jonah and the whale but I want to concentrate on what happened when Jonah finally obeyed and got to Nineveh. 

Jonah 3:1-4 Common English Bible (CEB)

Nineveh hears God’s word

3 The Lord’s word came to Jonah a second time: ² “Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and declare against it the proclamation that I am commanding you.” ³ And Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord’s word. (Now Nineveh was indeed an enormous city, a three days’ walk across.)

⁴ Jonah started into the city, walking one day, and he cried out, “Just forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!”

Is this the Lord Jesus' message to all of us today? The Hebrew word translated here as "overthrown" is haphak {haw-fak'}. This word has multiple meanings but basically it means to turn about or over, implying to change, be converted, to return. 

Lent is a sacred Christian period of penance and reflection. It is a yearly event and lasts for 40 days.

Back to the story in the book of Jonah.

Jonah 3:5-10 Common English Bible (CEB)

⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and put on mourning clothes, from the greatest of them to the least significant.
⁶ When word of it reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, stripped himself of his robe, covered himself with mourning clothes, and sat in ashes. ⁷ Then he announced, “In Nineveh, by decree of the king and his officials: Neither human nor animal, cattle nor flock, will taste anything! No grazing and no drinking water! ⁸ Let humans and animals alike put on mourning clothes, and let them call upon God forcefully! And let all persons stop their evil behavior and the violence that’s under their control!” ⁹ He thought, Who knows? God may see this and turn from his wrath, so that we might not perish.^[a]
10 God saw what they were doing—that they had ceased their evil behavior. So God stopped planning to destroy them, and he didn’t do it.

The people of Nineveh believed God and repented. Will we?


Yeshua Jesus said that He is coming soon.

Revelation 22:6-7 Common English Bible (CEB)

Jesus is coming soon

⁶ Then he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.
⁷ “Look! I’m coming soon. Favored is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy contained in this scroll.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 Common English Bible (CEB)

The Lord’s coming

5 We don’t need to write to you about the timing and dates, brothers and sisters. ² You know very well that the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. ³ When they are saying, “There is peace and security,” at that time sudden destruction will attack them, like labor pains start with a pregnant woman, and they definitely won’t escape.

Which path will mankind go?

I have had two pictures of our future in my mind for some time now and those pictures are becoming clearer to me. Two separate paths will lead us to two separate results. One path will lead to destruction and the other will lead to peace and serenity. I believe God is giving us, as a whole and individually, the decision of choosing which path we will take.

The Bible talks about a new heaven and new earth. I see that could happen in two different ways. If all of us humans decided to receive the Living Water and we all become One with God in Christ Jesus, then Satan will be defeated. He would have no more control or influence over us. In essence, there would be a new heaven and new earth. If we continue down our present path, then I think God has no choice but to destroy everything and create a new heaven and new earth. The choice is up to us.

Isaiah 65:17 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

I have discovered several things in this scripture verse in my studies. We can not tell if the new heavens and new earth are being created as we speak or if they will be created in the future. Some translations have translated from the original text that it is a future creation, “I will create” and some translate the original text to the present tense, “I am creating”. Also, the original Hebrew word that has been translated to our English word “new” is “chadash” {pronounced khaw-dawsh'}. The meaning has a primitive root; to be new but in a causative way; to rebuild, renew, repair. So, we really can not tell if God is repairing this world and this heavens or will He do away with these and create new.

Other things I have discovered in my studies which I believe go along with these thoughts are found at the ends of both the Old Testament and New Testament of our Bible. The last book of the Old Testament is the book of Malachi.

Malachi 4:4-6 Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

⁴ Bethink ye on the law of my servant Moses, which I commanded to him in Horeb, to all Israel commandments and dooms. (Remember ye the Law of my servant Moses, which I commanded to him at Mount Sinai, yea, my ordinances and judgements, or laws, for all the people of Israel.)

⁵ Lo! I shall send to you Elijah, the prophet, before that the great day and horrible of the Lord come. (Lo! I shall send you the prophet Elijah, before that the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come.)

⁶ And he shall turn again the heart of fathers to sons, and the heart of sons to the fathers of them, lest peradventure I come, and smite the earth with (a) curse. Amen. (And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers toward their sons, and the hearts of the sons toward their fathers, lest perhaps I come, and strike the land with a curse (KJV says "...smite the earth with a curse."), and destroy it. Amen.)

(If you are a believer, then you have been adopted into the people of Israel.)

Here it says in a nutshell that if peace is not restored, then God will destroy it (earth) as He did when He sent the flood upon the earth and destroyed every living creature including man, except for those He saved that were in the ark. This time it will be destruction by fire. I feel that the Lord is still giving us a chance to change our heart with His help of the Holy Spirit, the Living Water.

This is what it says at the end of the New Testament.

Revelation 22:14-17 Common English Bible (CEB)

¹⁴ Favored are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right of access to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, the drug users and spell-casters, those who commit sexual immorality, the murderers, the idolaters, and all who love and practice deception.
¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to bear witness to all of you about these things for the churches. I’m the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star. ¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who is thirsty come! Let the one who wishes receive life-giving water^[a] as a gift.”

Ezekiel 11:19-21 Common English Bible (CEB)

¹⁹ I will give them a single heart, and I will put a new spirit in them. I will remove the stony hearts from their bodies and give them hearts of flesh ²⁰ so that they may follow my regulations and carefully observe my case laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ As for those whose hearts continue to go after their disgusting and detestable things, I will hold them accountable for their ways. This is what the Lord God says!

God is One

I believe that the saying “God is One” is misunderstood.

HaqIslam

Islam belief:

1. Muslim beliefs in Allah – the one and only almighty God, Lord and Creator. Him we trust and Him alone we fear.
   

Judaism101

Jews belief:

G-d is one and unique

Basic Christian Beliefs

Christians belief:

• There is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Galatians 4:8-9).

Christians throw into their belief system something that seems contradictory and has caused great strife between Christianity and the other religions.

• God is three in one or a Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Acts 2:32-33, John 10:30,17:11, 21; 1 Peter 1:2).
  

I think that this three in one concept has even caused problems with Christians.

All three religions Islam, Judaism, and Christianity believe in One God but in the accounts of Allah / Yahweh / God creating things, including man, (Quran, Torah, Bible) God is in a plural form, more than One (WE, US, OUR). Wouldn't it make more sense to corroborate the singleness of God with the single form (I, ME, MY)? Hence, is why I believe we don't fully understand those words, “God is One.”

Islam:

QURAN   

God says in the Holy Quran:

Indeed: We have created man from a mingled sperm-drop, that We might try him, so We made him hearing, seeing. From this stage his procreation began to be compounded from many elements because his role in the universe was to be many sided which necessitated that he should possess a wide range of qualities.

Does not man remember that We created him before, when he was naught? (19:68) And We made from water every living thing... (21:31)

Did We not create you from an insignificant fluid, and we placed it in a safe place? (77:22)

21 The Prophets ------- al-Anbiya

30. Do the disbelievers not see that the heavens and the earth were one mass, and We tore them apart? And We made from water every living thing. Will they not believe?
31. And We placed on earth stabilizers, lest it sways with them, and We placed therein signposts and passages, that they may be guided.
32. And We made the sky a protected ceiling; yet they turn away from its wonders.
33. It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; each floating in an orbit.
34. We did not grant immortality to any human being before you. Should you die, are they then the immortal?
35. Every soul will taste death. We burden you with adversity and prosperity—a test. And to Us you will be returned.

Judaism:

From the Torah:

A Hebrew - English Bible

According to the Masoretic Text

and the JPS 1917 Edition

Genesis Chapter 1

26 And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'

27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. (God created a male and a female in His image - two.)

Genesis Chapter 3

22 And the LORD God said: 'Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.'

Christianity:
The Old Testament of the Bible: (Same as in the Torah. The Old Testament, for the most part, has been translated from the Torah but the books are arranged differently and of course, names are different from the original Hebrew and Aramaic names.)

Genesis 1:26-27 New American Standard Bible

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 3:22 Common English Bible (CEB)

²² The Lord God said, “The human being^[a] has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” Now, so he doesn’t stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever,

I believe we can better understand the true meaning of “ONE”, “GOD IS ONE” by the words said by Yeshua Jesus.

First, Jesus said that He existed with the Father before the world was created. I believe this explains the plural form of God in creation.

John 17:5 

Common English Bible

5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I shared with you before the world was created.

Jesus said that He and the Father are One. John 17:11 Common English Bible  11 I’m no longer in the world, but they are in the world, even as I’m coming to you. Holy Father, watch over them in your name, the name you gave me, that they will be one just as we are one. When we take Jesus into us, like when we eat food and we receive the Holy Spirit, like when we drink water, then we become One with Christ Jesus. Romans 12:4-5  Common English Bible 4 We have many parts in one body, but the parts don’t all have the same function. 5 In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other. Another way to understand “God is One” is to see God like you would see a man and a woman who through marriage become one.