I think "God is one"; "Alah is one" is misunderstood.

In the Christian Bible, the Jewish Tanakh, and the Islam Qur'an, God/Yahweh/Allah is said to be one. We think of this meaning a single Deity, but I don't think that this is the correct thinking of the word "one". I think that "one" is really Love in the purest sense of the word. Let me explain.

In the creation stories in all three holy books, the creator is often mentioned in a plural form ; we, us, our. If this "one" means a single creator, wouldn't it use the singular form; I, my?

Take the creation story of man in Genesis.

  Genesis 1:26-27

New International Version

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,

    in the image of God he created them;

    male and female he created them.

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Two are created in His image, "our image".

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I think that Yeshua (Jesus) was the other "us", "our". 

Jesus' words in John 17 are very revealing in many ways.

Jesus had glory with the Father before the world began.

John 17:4-5

New International Version

4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

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Jesus explains what eternal life is.

John 17:1-3

New International Version

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

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Jesus talks about the oneness, being one with the Father and for the disciples and other believers to be one as they are one.

 John 17:20-23

New International Version

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

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Can you see now why I believe that saying God is one really means that God is LOVE? Love in the purest sense of the word. Who, other than a loving Father God, would offer his perfect obedient son as a living sacrifice for us, His sinful disobedient children? 

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John 17

New International Version

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Nicolaitans

Revelation 2:6

New International Version

6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Revelation 2:14-15

New American Standard Bible

14 But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 So you too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

From the website ‘Bible Study’

“WhoAre the Nicolaitans?”

Nicolaitans comes from the Greek word meaning "adherent of Nicolas" (Strong's Concordance #G3531) or "destruction of people" (Thayer's Greek Definitions). This second definition is further confirmed when we break down the word Nicolaitans.

Niko is defined as a conquest or victory over others. The second part, lai, means people. The last part, tes, represents the word "the." Taken together, the word Nicolaitans means someone who is a conqueror or victor, a person who destroys the people (the church).

Jesus and the religious leaders

What Jesus had against the religious leaders was that they were hypocrites and false teachers. Many of them made up rules and regulations for the people to adhere to, but they themselves couldn’t/wouldn’t follow them. They lorded over the people as did the Gentiles and the people of authority. They also didn’t recognize or accept that Jesus was/is the Christ, the Messiah, the one they were waiting for.

Now, think about Jesus and his true character. Instead of being Lord; lording over the people, he lowered himself and became like a servant.

Mark 10:45

Lexham English Bible

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Those who enter the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 7:21-23

New International Version

True and False Disciples

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The word “knew” here in verse 23, is ‘ginosko’ in the original Greek. It is the absolute form of know, a deep knowledge of, kinda like two people who have been married a long time know each other. ‘

‘Ginosko’ is also used when Jesus tells us what eternal life is in John 17:3.

John 17:3

New International Version

3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

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John 17

New International Version

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Exposing Some Light - Edited 4/21/16 to add and clearify

Exposing Some Light

I've been doing research on the internet and through other sources into what we now know about ourselves and other things. I am trying to see if what we read in the Bible can be understood better from the things we now know. For me, I think that pieces of the puzzle, God's plan for us, are starting to fit. I think God has a plan to save all His creation, including us humans. When I think about that God has the power to create all things, He certainly has the power to get rid of or destroy it all too.

I am going to just touch on the basics here so I can shed some light on the puzzle pieces.

A baby can only start to form when the male sperm fertilizes or joins with the egg of the female. 50% of the genetic coding (DNA) comes from the father's sperm and 50% comes from the mother's egg. This DNA combination has everything needed to build the baby. That DNA not only contains all the good stuff but it can contain some bad stuff too, like diseases. I've read that our personality traits are partially inherited from our parents too; 70% from parents and the rest comes from our environment.

Romans 5:12a New American Standard Bible (NASB)

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men

What is death? Death is a separation of body and spirit. This is talking about 'The Spirit' as in Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

Just at the right time Jesus, our Savior, our Messiah entered the world. Jesus did not have a human father. His Father was/is God (Matthew 1:18). He did not inherit our sin nature, at least not totally. He was tempted just as we are but was able to be obedient. He is the obedient one who is able to take our place. So, how does Jesus fit into the picture? Let me go on to some other stuff I found.

The processes involved in the formation of a baby are amazing. Once the sperm and the egg unite, the cells start dividing and they somehow know what they will become, some blood, some heart, some kidneys, some lungs, some eyes, some ears, and so on. The heart doesn't begin to pump until around week 6 (usually can not be heard by ultrasound until the 8th week). Blood is created within the forming baby. Its blood does not come directly from the mother. The baby's blood circulation is completely separate from the mother's.

Blood is made up of more than 90% water. 

I've touched on what I found out about water in a previous post “Living Water”. A couple of things I want to bring out from that post. Dr. Masaru Emoto's work with water clearly demonstrates that something exists with or linked to water that is difficult to comprehend. I think this is The Holy Spirit. Another thing about blood is, it is mostly water and it gets rid of the bad stuff from our bodies. We use water to clean our bodies. Now think about what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit.

John 7:37-39 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

In Revelation, it talks about water.

Revelation 22:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The River and the Tree of Life

22 Then he showed me (John, the writer) a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,

Revelation goes on to say this about washing:

Revelation 22:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

If you understand what water does for the human body, then think about that the Holy Spirit does the same thing only much better. Also, the way we receive the Holy Spirit is like the way we take in water; we have to go to a source of water, take it, and drink it. 

Revelation 22:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

I read this verse this way: To be thirsty, one has to know he is in need of water. Jesus is the source (John 37:37). All that is left is to drink; take in the Spirit.

Now, about fire, often likened to hell.

Here are some things I found out about fire from “Wikipedia”:

“Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.

Fire is hot because conversion of the weak double bond in molecular oxygen, O2, to the stronger bonds in the combustion products carbon dioxide and water releases energy (418 kJ per 32 g of O2); the bond energies of the fuel play only a minor role here. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. The flame is the visible portion of the fire. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen. If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the fire's intensity will be different.

Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning. Fire is an important process that affects ecological systems around the globe. The positive effects of fire include stimulating growth and maintaining various ecological systems. Fire has been used by humans for cooking, generating heat, light, signaling, and propulsion purposes.”

That was a lot of words you probably don't really care about but I would like to bring up this point. Fire can only start when an external condition is just right. Just because the two components, oxygen and fuel, are together doesn't mean there will be a fire. For instance, there is wood and there is oxygen all around us but a fire wont start until an external source of heat is added to bring them to its ignition point. Also, fire will continue to burn on its own until the fuel is depleted or the oxygen is removed.

Now consider this:

Luke 3:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

16 John (the Baptist) answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Something else to think about is that when Israel set up the Tabernacle, the original alter fire was started by God Himself.<I'm going to have to do more research on how the original fire was started. The reference often given for this is Leviticus 9:24 which is a fire directly from God but there seems to be some kind of fire already burning?????  They were commanded to not let that fire go out (Leviticus 6:12&13)

Jesus made a number of references to fire. Here is one of them:

Matthew 3:12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Wheat has a dry, scaly casing around the good wheat seed grain. This is the chaff. In the winnowing process, that chaff is separated from the good grain. That chaff has no value to humans and is where the saying “good for nothing” comes from.

I know there will be a lot of Christians who will disagree with what I'm about to say but here is what I think. There are Christians who will say that the various chaff references in the Bible are towards a whole person, a wicked unbeliever and there are scriptures that seem to say so. I think it all depends on how bad off a person's belief system is. If a person's belief system is way off, there wont be much left (see “Our Belief System”). This was also the reason why I emphasized about the leaves of the tree of life are for healing the nations (Revelation 22:2) in the post “God Will Be All In All”.

What is Eternal Life?

I was re-reading my last post “More about God's new kingdom” in the Romans chapter 2 part when something caught my eye. It was verse 7 which read, “On the one hand, he will give eternal life to those who look for glory, honor, and immortality based on their patient good work.” The word “immortality” just doesn't seem right to me; does a Christian seek immortality?

I read this passage in “biblegateway.com” in a number of translations and most do have “immortality”. I looked at this passage in my “Ultimate Bible Study Suite; KJV Bible” on my Kindle and here is how it reads; “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life”. I found that the Greek word translated “immortality” is ““aphtharsia {af-thar-see'-ah}” Definitions: incorruptibility; genitive unending existence; (figurative) genuineness: -immortality, incorruption, sincerity.”

You know, I think there is a great misconception with what eternal life is and this misconception played a part for the interpreters of the original Greek to pick “immortality” instead of one of the other meanings. I have found only one passage in the Bible that tells us what eternal life is and that is in John chapter 17. It is here that Jesus himself tells us.

John 17:1-5Common English Bible (CEB)

Jesus prays

17 When Jesus finished saying these things, he looked up to heaven and said,“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that the Son can glorify you.2 You gave him authority over everyone so that he could give eternal life to everyone you gave him. 3 This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. 4 I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I shared with you before the world was created.

Revelation 19:6-9 Lexham English Bible (LEB)

The Wedding Celebration of the Lamb

6 And I heard something like the sound of a great crowd and something like the sound of many waters and something like the sound of powerful thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord God,[a] the All-Powerful, reigns!
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him the glory,
because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has prepared herself.
8 And it has been granted to her that she be dressed in bright, clean fine linen (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints).

9 And he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet of the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”