19 posts from March 2009

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we study the Book of Genesis chapter 6.

6:1-4 Sons of God (Hebrew bene elohim) refers to the the godly line of Seth, which intermarried with the daughters of men, the ungodly line of Cain. The result of these spiritually mixed marriages brought the judgment of God upon the primeval world. While the term sons of God refers to angels in some passages (e.g., Job 1:6), this is certainly not the case here. Jesus clearly taught that angels do not "marry or give in marriage" (Matthew 22:30). My spirit shall not always strive with man is a reference to the Holy Spirit striving with, in the sense of judging or convicting, with mankind for its sinfulness. Man was given 120 years after the warning, before the judgment of the Flood actually came. Giants (Hebrew nephilim, perhaps "fallen ones" or "princes"): When the Israelites saw the Anakim they concluded they had seen "the nephilim" (Numbers 13:33). Mighty men (giborim, "warriors"): Note in verse 11 that the earth was filled with violence. Men of renown were literally "men of a name." In 11:4 the "reputation" or "name" is used in a derogatory sense, contrasted with God's giving Abram a good "name" in 12:2. "Mighty one" is used of Nimrod in a negative sense in 10:8-10. These giants already existed on earth and were not the offspring of the marriages mentioned.

6:5 Every imagination: The "formations" (2:7 where God "formed" man) is the same word as imagination (yester). Only evil continually: Man's design or purpose was "nothing but evil all the day."

6:6-8 Repented does not imply that God made a mistake in His dealings with men, but rather indicates a change in divine direction resulting from the actions of men. It is "an anthropopathism" (a human emotion applied to God), describing the pain that is caused God by the destructiveness of His creatures. It is used 30 times with God as its subject, each time speaking of a change of mind or intention that accords with His righteous purposes, and results  in action commensurate with those purposes. But Noah found grace:  This is the first occurrence of the word grace in Scripture. Its root meaning is "to bend or stoop," implying the condescending or unmerited favor of a superior person to an inferior one. It is often used redemptively (Jeremiah 31:2; Zechariah 12:10). Mankind, the beasts of the field, and the fowl of the air would be destroyed; but God would call out a remnant for Himself.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

When we all get to heaven, what a joyous time it will be. When we all see Jesus, we will all sing and shout the victory.

In order to see Jesus, we must love one another. Killing, raping, sodomizing, lying, stealing, is not going to allow us to see Jesus nor enter into heaven.

This little email as insignificant as it may seem, will come back later and condemn you at Judgment Day. Live according to the Word of God, and stop being used by the devil, who is already defeated and has no place in the Kingdom of God.

Sisters and brothers, time is short. You may think you have all the time in the world, but the coming back of our Savior is not far away.

May God Bless you.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we study the Book of Genesis chapter 5 part 2

5:28-32. Noah: The oracle of the birth of the son of Lamech involves a wordplay, passing over the obvious etymology of the name Noah, meaning “Rest.” There is a somewhat similar verb, nacham, meaning “comfort.” The allusion to 3:17 may be a sign that he treasured the promise of 3:15. Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth: Japheth was the oldest (cf. 10:21), Ham the youngest (9:24). Shem is mentioned first because it was through him that God’s Messiah would come. This chapter serves at least three purposes in the scheme of Genesis: (1) It bears witness to man’s value to God: by naming individuals and stages in this early human phase, each is known and remembered. (2) It shows how line of Seth, “the Appointed,” led to Noah, he Deliverer.” And (3) it demonstrates both the reign of death by the refrain and he died, and the standing pledge of death’s defeat by the “taking” of Enoch.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we begin the study of the Book of Genesis chapter 5.

5:1, 2 Called their name Adam: This is the generic use of adam, which contrasts with Adam as a proper name in this same context (verse 3).

5: 3-20 Adam...begat a son in his own likeness: Man, too reproduces after his kind (1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). This likeness is now sinful, in contrast to 1:26. It is helpful to note that Cain and Abel are not included. Therefore the list does not include all descendants. There are 10 patriarchs mentioned in this chapter. The last one, Noah, has three sons listed. This symmetry is the same in chapter 11. In Matthew 1 there are three sets with 14 names to a set, plus obvious omissions. Certainly no strict chronology can be determined from any of the lists. Nine hundred and thirty years: Seven patriarchs lived more than nine hundred years; contrast this fact with the much shorter life span in 11:10-32--an average span of about two hundred years. The purpose of this chapter, and the source of its historical importance, is its testimony to the development of the human race from Adam to Noah, citing the godly line. It appears to be God's answer to Satan's blasphemous lie: "Ye shall not surely die" (3:4). Death reigned, and God's word was fully vindicated.

5:21-24 Enoch walked with God: The verb employed signifies "to walk about" or "to live," and the preposition denotes intimacy, fellowship (Jude 14 and 15 reveal his ministry and evidently powerful preaching). And he was not; for God took him (Hebrews 11:5): The same Hebrew word is used for the "translation'' of Elijah in 2 Kings 2:3-5. He went to heaven without dying. His bodily translation (during the long antediluvian sway of the curse) was a sign that, ultimately, reconciliation with God includes victory over death.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we continue the study of the Book of Genesis chapter 4.

4:23 Lamech said: These verses express the culmination of centuries of ungodly living among the descendants of Cain. Cain had desired to establish a name for himself (6:4; 10:9; 11:4); he built a city and named it after his son. His descendants were involved in polygamy, as well as purely humanitarian pursuits. Now Lamech had taken the law into his own hands and had killed someone in revenge. The judicial office had degenerated into a vengeful tyranny in this heir of the dynasty's murderous founder. The song expresses Lamech's overweening pride and his refusal to suffer any hurt without wreaking severalfold, dire revenge. This expression of arrogance, conceit, and disdain for customary retribution is skillfully reinforced by the poet through a clever manipulation of poetic convention by which a smaller is placed before a larger one in parallel structure for distinct emphasis. This sets the background for why God sends the Flood in chapters 6-9, where He says "violence" fills the earth (6:13).

4:25, 26 Against this dark picture of man apart from God, there is a brief testimony that God has a remnant of people who are trusting Him. Knew: Compare the use of this word in verse 1 with the meaning of "Appointed." Seth's name in Hebrew is pronounced shet; for God "appointed" (shat) him, a play on words. Eve is acknowledging that God has provided a son in the place of slain Abel. Enos: The word comes from the word for man which means "weak" or "sickly," denoting man's frailty. It is translated "desperately wicked" in reference to the heart of man (Jeremiah 17:9). Call upon the name of the Lord: This is a testimony that the religious worship of the community of faith was organized for their public worship of God, together (verses 2-4, indicating individual worship too). And it is significant that they know the name of Yahweh (Lord) before the events of Exodus 6:3. The liberal interpretation says they learned the name for the first time during the Exodus period.

Please feel free to ask any questions or make any comment as it relates to these Bible lessons.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we study the Book of Genesis chapter 4 part 2

4:9 Cain’s insolence and arrogance are evident in his curt response to God’s question, Where is Able thy brother? First he lied and then used a play on words to avoid answering the question. Am I my brother’s keeper? Plays on the name Abel, “Keeper.”

4:10 Thy brother’s blood is plural in Hebrew and may refer to his “seeds” who have been cut off and will never be born. Thus, God’s judgment is on those who, by whatever mans, abort human life. Crieth means crying out for vengeance.

4:11 Cain was now to be cursed (cf. serpent and the ground, 3:14, 17). This was a special curse making it impossible for Cain to be a farmer, his occupation in verse 2.

4:12 He would be a fugitive (the root meaning to “wander” or “move”) and vagabond (denoting a “going back and forth”), conveying the idea of wandering aimlessly. He dwells in the land of Nod (“Wandering”), a word with the same root as vagabond in Hebrew.

4:13 He has just killed his brother and now blames god for being too harsh! Punishment may refer to either (1) the actual punishment for sin; or (2) his “iniquity or “guilt.” It reflects his feeling that either the punishment, or his burden of guilt which he now recognized, was too harsh.

4:14 Adam hid from Yahweh in shame and guild (3:8), now Cain must hide himself. From the face shall I be hid is a passive verb form (“I must hide myself from your face”), and is part of his curse. Every one is “anyone finding me”; it looks to the idea of blood revenge for this death and anticipates other murders.

4:15 The Lord se a mark as another act of His grace and goodness toward Cain. It is best to take it as a personal sign for Cain, Like that for Gideon in Judges 6:36-40 and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:9-12. The idea of vengeance appears in verse 24 with the taunt song of Lamech.

4:16 This portrays the direction of fallen and unsaved humanity into exile from God, without hope in the world, “wandering aimlessly” about.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we study the Book of Genesis chapter 4.

4:1 Knew this content refers to the "knowledge" of sexual relations. It is also the connecting link to the whole chapter; note the appearance of the word in connection with the tree of knowledge in verses 1, 17, and 25. The replacing of a son by "knowing" is antithetical to the murder, which is denied in verse 9 by, "I know not." Some take from the Lord as an accusative: " I have gotten a man, the Lord." But the preposition is better, "I have created, acquired, a man with [the help of] Yahweh!" Thus Eve sees her generative power as part of sharing of divine power: "Yahweh formed man; I have formed the second man."

4:2 Brother: This word appears seven times in this passage. The name Abel appears seven times and Cain 14 times, which heightens the contrast between the two men. Abel means "Keeper" and refers to his occupation as a keeper of sheep

4:4 Firstlings of his flock refers to the fact that Abel's offering was accepted because it was a blood sacrifice based upon the previous knowledge (3:21). Thus, he acknowledged that his sin deserved death and could be covered only by the death of a guiltless sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22). That his lamb was a "firstling" and "fat" may also imply that he gave the best that he had in contrast to Cain's offering. However, it is obvious from the entire account that Abel's offering was "more excellent" (Hebrews 11:4) because it was the right kind of offering as well as being made with the right heart attitude.

4:6, 7 God approached Cain in love and offered him a chance to correct his mistake. Again, God asked convicting questions. He made no accusations. He gave him the opportunity to do well, that is, to make the right kind of sacrifice with the right heart attitude. He then warned Cain that an offering of good works would not be accepted. Sin lieth ("crouches" like a lion) probably refers to the fact that sin would pounce upon him if he did not rule ("master") it. Some take this phrase to mean that a sin offering was at the door, and if he made the right offering could still rule over his brother, but the other interpretation is preferred idea of potentiality is the same as expressed in 3:16.

4:8 Cain's anger had already been noted in verses 5 and 6. Now, in a fit of anger, he murders Abel. Thus begins the long history of human violence and man's inhumanity to his fellowman. This murder also had to be a heartbreaking reminder Adam and Eve that the consequence of sin is death (2:17; Romans 6:23).

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we continue the study of the Book of Genesis chapter 3.

3:14 Jeremiah 12:4 and Romans 8:20 indicate that the whole animal kingdom was affected by the Fall and the Edenic curse. The serpent's mobilization may have been changed, and figuratively he was to eat dust, (idiomatic for subservience) which conveys the idea of being cursed. Isaiah 65:25 indicates the effects will remain in the Millennium.

3:15 This verse has long been recognized as the first messianic prophecy of the Bible. Thus, it also contains the first glimpse of the gospel (protoevangelium). It reveals three essential truths: (1) that Satan is the enemy of the human race, explaining why God put enmity [related to the word enemy] between thee [Satan] and the woman; (2) that He would place a spiritual barrier between thy seed (Satan's people) and her seed (God's people); and (3) that the representative seed of the woman (i.e., a human being: Christ) would deliver the deathblow to Satan, but in so doing would be bruised Himself. It [or "He"] shall bruise [lit., "crush"] thy head, but thou shalt bruise his heel refers to Christ's bruising on the cross, which led to the eventual crushing of Satan and his kingdom. 

3:17 Adam "obeyed" the voice of Eve and not God (2:17), which was the first marital role reversal. Sorrow is the same word applied to the woman in verse 16. Thus, they shared equally in their punishment.

3:20, 21 Eve comes from the verb to live. Here is Adam's act of faith, looking to the future with hope. This word sounds like the word used in this verse, living. Adam seems not only to believe that God spoke the truth, but also to have faith in the salvation God had promised in verses 15 and 16. Coats of skins: This is how Yahweh provides clothing for Adam and Eve, after their feeble attempt to cover their nakedness and shame. It is His way of demonstrating that He acknowledges their act of faith in verse 20. The word for skins presupposes the death of an animal and therefore the idea of blood sacrifice is clearly implied.

3:22-24 Man is become as one of us: Satan's promise in 3:5 was technically true; see the discussion there. God sent him forth as an act of grace as well as judgment. To keep was used in 2:15 for the activities of man. The account relates privileges and responsibilities lost. And the way to the tree of life is guarded. Man's way back to life is not easy; it will be by divine intervention.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere Prayer that you are being Blessed even as you read this email.

Today, we continue the study of the Book of Genesis chapter 3.

3:6 When the woman saw: This was an evaluation process of the mind, for the tree was good for food (an appeal to the appetite, or "lust of the flesh"); it was pleasant to the eyes (the same root word used in Exodus 20 in the law against coveting, as "lust of the eyes"); and it was to be desired to make one wise (the verb for desired is used in the law in Deuteronomy 5 for coveting, and appeals to "pride of life," 1 John 2:16). With her may imply that the man was in close proximity all the time.

3:7 The sense of guilt is immediate (2:25), and they attempt to make themselves presentable, to cover up their nakedness (verse 21).

3:8 Voice: Better translated "sound'' as it appears in theophanies in the Old Testament Psalms 18:13; 29:3-9; Jeremiah 25:30; Ezekiel 1:24; Joel 3:16). Walking: Actually "traversing back and forth" looking for Adam (verse 9). The cool of the day be understood as the "spirit of the day," as the Hebrew word cool is the same for spirit. The day is a judgment day in the context. No small wonder that the sound of the Lord God was traversing back and forth in the garden seeking out Adam and Eve, they actively hid themselves from His presence, acknowledging that their intimate fellowship was broken (4:14; Psalms 139:7).

3:9 God always seeks out man, in the sense that He solicits a response from His Creation now separated from Him by sin. Thus God comes asking questions, not making accusations.

3:10 Adam heard the "sound" of the Lord God and was afraid (as most men are afraid of God today), and began the agelong process of "hiding himself" from his maker.

3:12 Adam blamed the woman and God, since God was the one who brought her to Adam in 2:22.

3:13 Eve was beguiled as 1 Timothy 2:14 confirms (2 Corinthians 11:3). But she did not take responsibility for eating, either. Blame-shifting is another evasive tactic employed by fallen man.

Yours in Jesus Christ,

Bishop William B. Caractor