Thread: **Did Jesus change any of the 613 OT Laws??**
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**Did Jesus change any of the 613 OT Laws??**
Posted : 19 Aug, 2017 10:41 AM
There are some on this forum like Hark who claim that **ALL** of the 613 OT laws are still in effect today???
**BUT WHAT DOES GOD's WORD SAY??**
There are about 40 of these 613 OT laws concerning the daily animal sacrifices and offerings for sin!!
However, God's Word clearly states numerous times that Jesus made Atonement for all sins and therefore put an end to all animal sacrifices and offerings for sins and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins.
**THE ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS IS THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**!!
Matthew 26:28: Jesus says, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many **FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS**!"
Galatians 2:18-21: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me! The life I live in the body, I live by **FAITH** in the Son of God, who loved me and **GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME**!! I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!!
Hebrews 9:12: He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by **HIS OWN BLOOD**, having obtained **ETERNAL REDEMPTION**!
Hebrews 9:22; 26-28: The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood **THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS**.... But now He has appeared **ONCE FOR ALL** at the end of the ages to do away with sin **BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF**!! Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, and Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him!!
Ephesians 2:13: But now in Christ Jesus you who were once were far away have been brought near **THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST**!!
Hebrews 10:8-10: First He said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them," although the law required them to be made. Then He said, "Here I am, I have come to do Your will." He sets aside the first **TO ESTABLISH THE SECOND**. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ **ONCE FOR ALL**!!
Romans 3:21-25: But now a righteousness from God, **APART FROM THE LAW**, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes **THROUGH FAITH** in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by **HIS GRACE** through the **REDEMPTION** that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a **SACRIFICE OF ATONEMENT**, **THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD**!!
Colossians 1:15-20: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the **HEAD OF HIS BODY, THE CHURCH**; He is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, so that is **EVERYTHING HE MIGHT HAVE THE SUPREMACY**. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things **ON EARTH** or things in heaven, by making peace **THROUGH HIS BLOOD**, shed on the cross!!
Colossians 2:13-15: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you **ALIVE WITH CHRIST**. He forgave us **ALL OUR SINS**, having canceled the written code, with its regulation, that was against us and that stood opposed to us, He took it away, **NAIILNG IT TO THE CROSS**!!.
Ephesians 1:3-8; 11: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with **EVERY** spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and **BLAMELESS** in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will--to the praise of His **GLORIOUS GRACE**, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have **REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD**, **THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS**, in accordance the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding!!
I Peter 1:18,19: For you know that was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were **REDEEMED** from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the **PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**, Lamb without blemish or defect!!
I Peter 2:24,25: He Himself **BORE OUR SINS** in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by **HIS WOUNDS** we are healed{See Isaiah 53:5,6}!! For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls!!
I Peter 3:18 For Christ **DIED FOR SINS ONCE FOR LL**, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God!!
I John 2:1-5: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the **ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS**, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world!! We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His {Jesus} commands. Whoever says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him!!
I John 4:10-12: This is **LOVE**, not that we loved God, but that He **LOVED** us and sent His Son as an **ATONING SACRIFICE** for our sins. Dear friends, since God so **LOVED** us, we also ought to **LOVE** one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we **LOVE** one another, God **LIVES IN US** and His **LOVE** is made complete in us.
Revelation 1:4,5: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness... To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins **BY HIS BLOOD**!!
NOTE: Jesus Christ our Savior is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 5:6,9: Then I saw a **LAMB**, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne...You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because You were slain , and **WITH YOUR BLOOD** You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation!!
Revelation 12:11: They overcame him by the **BLOOD OF THE LAMB** and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death!!
Revelation 7:14: These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation, they have was their robes and made them white in the **BLOOD OF THE LAMB**!!
Isaiah 53:5,6: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed! We all, like sheep, have gone astray , each of us has turned to his own way, and **THE LORD HAS LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL**!!
Romans 5:6-10: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless. Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners **CHRIST DIED FOR US**. Since we are now justified **BY HIS BLOOD**, how much more will we be saved from God's wrath through Him! When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him **THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON**!!
Luke 16:16: Jesus says, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John {The Baptist}. Since that time the **GOOD NEWS** of the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone {Except TNT} is forcing their way into it!!"
Jeremiah 31:31: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will make a **NEW COVENANT**with the people of Israel, and it will **NOT BE LIKE** the covenant I made with their ancestors!!"
I Peter 1:18,19: For you know that was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were **REDEEMED** from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the **PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**, Lamb without blemish or defect!!
I Peter 2:24,25: He Himself **BORE OUR SINS** in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by **HIS WOUNDS** we are healed{See Isaiah 53:5,6}!! For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls!!
I John 2:1-5: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the **ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS**, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world!! We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His {Jesus} commands. Whoever says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him!!
I John 4:10-12: This is **LOVE**, not that we loved God, but that He **LOVED** us and sent His Son as an **ATONING SACRIFICE** for our sins. Dear friends, since God so **LOVED** us, we also ought to **LOVE** one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we **LOVE** one another, God **LIVES IN US** and His **LOVE** is made complete in us.
Revelation 1:4,5: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness... To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins **BY HIS BLOOD**!!
NOTE: Jesus Christ our Savior is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 5:6,9: Then I saw a **LAMB**, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne...You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because You were slain , and **WITH YOUR BLOOD** You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation!!
John 14:21,23,24: Jesus says, "Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me... Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching!"{Like TNT}
THE GREAT COMMISSION: Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus says, �**ALL AUTHORITY** in heaven and on earth has been given to **ME**. Therefore go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*...teaching them to **OBEY EVERYTHING** I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always!!"
Matthew 24:35: Jesus says, Heaven and earth will pass away, but **MY WORDS WILL NEVER PASS AWAY**!"
Matthew 7:24,26: Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these **WORDS OF MINE** and **PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE** is like a wise man who built his house on a Rock... But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand."
Isaiah 53:5,6: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed! We all, like sheep, have gone astray , each of us has turned to his own way, and **THE LORD HAS LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL**!!
Galatians 2:16: We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but **BY FAITH** in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our **FAITH** in Christ Jesus that we may be **JUSTIFIED BY FAITH** in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law **NO ONE WILL BE JUSTIFIED**!!
Galatians 3:23-26: Before the coming of this **FAITH**, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the **FAITH** that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be **JUSTIFIED BY FAITH**. Now that this **FAITH** has come we are **NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVION OF THE LAW**. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God **THROUGH FAITH**!!
Galatians 5:5,6: For through the Spirit we eagerly await **BY FAITH** the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is **FAITH** expressing itself through **LOVE**!!
Ephesians 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, **THROUGH FAITH**--and this is not from yourselves, it is the **GIFT** of God by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do!!
Ephesians 3:16,17: I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts **THROUGH FAITH**!!
I Thessalonians 1:3: We remember before our God and Father you work produced **BY FAITH**!!
2 Thessalonians 1:3,4: We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your **FAITH** is growing **MORE AND MORE**....Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and **FAITH** in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring!!
2 Thessalonians 1:11: We constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed **PROMPTED BY FAITH**!!
Thanks for the effort...however...for someone who is so adament about the OT laws being abolished...and proclaiming 300/100 NT laws that are in effect...while not sharing them seems...well...jus not right...but thanks anyway
Luke 16:16: Jesus says, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John {The Baptist}. Since that time the **GOOD NEWS** of the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone {Except Hark} is forcing their way into it!!"
Jeremiah 31:31: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will make a **NEW COVENANT**with the people of Israel, and it will **NOT BE LIKE** the covenant I made with their ancestors!!"
Luke 16:16: Jesus says, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John {The Baptist}. Since that time the **GOOD NEWS** of the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone {Except TNT} is forcing their way into it!!"
Jeremiah 31:31: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will make a **NEW COVENANT**with the people of Israel, and it will **NOT BE LIKE** the covenant I made with their ancestors!!"
I Peter 1:18,19: For you know that was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were **REDEEMED** from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the **PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**, Lamb without blemish or defect!!
I Peter 2:24,25: He Himself **BORE OUR SINS** in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by **HIS WOUNDS** we are healed{See Isaiah 53:5,6}!! For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls!!
I John 2:1-5: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the **ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS**, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world!! We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His {Jesus} commands. Whoever says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him!!
I John 4:10-12: This is **LOVE**, not that we loved God, but that He **LOVED** us and sent His Son as an **ATONING SACRIFICE** for our sins. Dear friends, since God so **LOVED** us, we also ought to **LOVE** one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we **LOVE** one another, God **LIVES IN US** and His **LOVE** is made complete in us.
Revelation 1:4,5: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness... To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins **BY HIS BLOOD**!!
NOTE: Jesus Christ our Savior is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 5:6,9: Then I saw a **LAMB**, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne...You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because You were slain , and **WITH YOUR BLOOD** You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation!!
John 14:21,23,24: Jesus says, "Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me... Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching!"{Like TNT}
THE GREAT COMMISSION: Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus says, �**ALL AUTHORITY** in heaven and on earth has been given to **ME**. Therefore go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*...teaching them to **OBEY EVERYTHING** I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always!!"
Matthew 24:35: Jesus says, Heaven and earth will pass away, but **MY WORDS WILL NEVER PASS AWAY**!"
Matthew 7:24,26: Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these **WORDS OF MINE** and **PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE** is like a wise man who built his house on a Rock... But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand."
Isaiah 53:5,6: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed! We all, like sheep, have gone astray , each of us has turned to his own way, and **THE LORD HAS LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL**!!
JESUS SAYS, "I CHOSE YOU SO THAT YOU MIGHT BEAR **FRUIT**, **FRUIT THAT WILL LAST**!"
"John 15:1-5,16: Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener, He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear **FRUIT** He prunes so that it will be even more **FRUITFUL**. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me as I also remain in you. No branch can bear **FRUIT** by itself; it must remain in the vine, Neither can you bear **FRUIT** unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear **MUCH FRUIT**; apart from Me you can do nothing... You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear **FRUIT**--**FRUIT** that will last!!!"
Ephesians 2:8,9: For it is by **GRACE** you have been saved, through **FAITH**�and this **NOT FROM YOURSELVES**, it is the **GIFT OF GOD**�not by works. So that no one can boast. For we are **GOD'S WORKMANSHIP**, created in Christ Jesus to do **GOOD WORKS**, which God prepared in advance for us to do!
Matthew 21:43: Jesus says to Israel, "The Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce **FRUIT**!"
Romans 7:4-6: So my brothers and sisters, you who died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that you might **BEAR FRUIT** for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we might bear fruit for death. But now, by dying to what bound us, we have been **RELEASED FROM THE LAW** so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Luke 6:43-45: Jesus says, No good tree bears bad **FRUIT**, nor does a bad tree bear **GOOD FRUIT**. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart. ... For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of!"
Colossians 1:9,10: We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may please Him in every good work, **BEARING FRUIT** in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God!
Matthew 13:23: Jesus says, "But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the **WORD AND UNDERSTANDS IT**. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Luke 8:15: Jesus says, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the **WORD**, retain it, and by perseverance produce a crop."
Philippians 1:9-11: And this is my prayer: that your love my abound **MORE AND MORE** in knowledge and depth and insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the **FRUIT** of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God!!
Philippians 1:22,23: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go living in the body this will mean **FRUITFUL LABOR** for me!
Galatians 5:22,23: The **FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT** is love, joy, peace, forgiveness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!
2 Peter 1:3-11: His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption of the world caused by evil desires. For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith {A Free Gift} goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, **LOVE**. For if you possess these qualities in **INCREASING MEASURE**, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsightecd and blind, forgetting that they have been forgiven of their past sins... Therefore, my brothers make **EVERY EFFORT** to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never fail, and you will receive a **RICH WELCOME**into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
I Corinthians 9:24-27: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes in to strict training. They do it to get a **CROWN** that will not last; but we do it to get a **CROWN THAT WILL LAST FOREVER**! Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize!
I Thessalonians 4:1: We instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this **MORE AND MORE**!!
2 Thessalonians 1:3: We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing **MORE AND MORE**!
Ephesians 3:7,11-16: To each one of us grace has been given as Christ appotioned it... So Christ Himself gives some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers; to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the **HEAD**, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work!!!
Romans 12:3-8: Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each one of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully!!
Corinthians 3:7-9: So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who watered have one purpose, and each will be **REWARDED** according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, God's building!
Ephesians 6:8: Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will **REWARD** everyone for what ever good he does!
Revelation 22:12 Jesus says, �Behold I am coming soon! My **REWARD** is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!�
Daniel 12:3: Those who are impart wisdom {NIV} will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever!!
Revelation 2:17: Jesus says, "To him who overcomes.. I will give him a white stone with a **NEW NAME** written on it, known only to him who receives it!!"
Revelation 3:21: Jesus says, "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to **SIT WITH ME** on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne!!"
The New Testament is constantly under attack, and its reliability and accuracy are often contested by critics. {Like Hark} If the critics want to disregard the New Testament, then they must also disregard other ancient writings by Plato, Aristotle, and Homer. This is because the New Testament documents are better-preserved and more numerous than any other ancient writings. Because they are so numerous, they can be cross checked for accuracy . . . and they are very consistent.
There are presently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament. As you can see, there are thousands more New Testament Greek manuscripts than any other ancient writing. The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99.5% textually pure. That is an amazing accuracy. In addition, there are over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000.
Taking all languages together, over 24,000 handwritten copies of the New Testament have been recovered. But there is more. Almost the entire New Testament could be reproduced by quotes from the ancient church fathers. �So extensive are these citations that if all other sources for our knowledge of the text of the New Testament were destroyed, they would be sufficient alone for the reconstruction of practically the entire New Testament�
Almost all biblical scholars agree that the New Testament documents were all written before the close of the First Century. If Jesus was crucified in A.D. 33, then that means the entire New Testament was completed within 63 years since Revelation was written in AD 96. This is important because it means there were plenty of people around when the New Testament documents were penned--people who could have contested the writings. In other words, those who wrote the documents knew that if they were inaccurate, plenty of people would have pointed it out. But, we have absolutely no ancient documents contemporary with the First Century that contest the New Testament texts.
The Christian has substantially superior criteria for affirming the New Testament documents than he does for any other ancient writing. It is good evidence on which to base the trust in the reliability of the New Testament.
The skepticism western culture has toward the Biblical record abounds. This attitude has its origin in our adversary. Satan desires to deceive us into thinking our own personal will is to be the standard for life. If Satan and Hark can have success in planting seeds of doubt regarding the veracity of Scripture, there is no limit on how far they can go in pushing his agenda of turning the hearts of men and women away from God.
In the end, we simply need to fall back on faith. We can rest in confidence that our sovereign and powerful God not only inspired the Biblical writers, but He has also providentially overseen its preservation in such a way that the Bible we have today is reliable. It is nothing less than the infallible, inerrant Word of God Himself. The preservation of the New Testament is a living testimony to the unmatched power and providence of God.
Luke 16:16: Jesus says, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John {The Baptist}. Since that time the **GOOD NEWS** of the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone {Except Hark} is forcing their way into it!!"
Jeremiah 31:31: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will make a **NEW COVENANT** with the people of Israel, and it will **NOT BE LIKE** the covenant I made with their ancestors!!
**JESUS SAYS, "MY MOTHER AND BROTHERS ARE THOSE WHO HEARS **GOD'S WORD** AND **PUTS IT INTO PRACTICE**!" {Luke 8:21}
Deut 18:17-19: The Lord says, "I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him. If anyone {Like Hark} does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My Name, I Myself will call Him to account."
John 14:23,24: Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, He will **OBEY MY TEACHING**! My Father will love Him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent Me."
Revelation 1:1-3: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the **WORD OF GOD** and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the **WORDS OF THIS PROPHECY**, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it!!
Revelation 22:16,18,19: "I, Jesus. have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the Churches.... I warn everyone who hears the **WORDS OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK**: If anyone **ADDS** anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this Book {Including **ETERNAL HELL**} And if anyone **TAKES WORDS AWAY** from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the Tree of Life and in the Holy City {The New Jerusalem}, which are described in this book."
THE GREAT COMMISSION: Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus says, �All authority in heaven and on *EARTH has been given to Me {Not some RC Pope}. Therefore go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*...teaching them to **OBEY EVERYTHING** I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very *END OF THE AGE*!�
I Peter 1:23-25: You have been **BORN AGAIN THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING **WORD OF GOD**!! All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field, the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the **WORD OF THE LORD STANDS FOREVER**. And this is the **WORD** that was preached to you.
Matthew 24:35: Jesus says, Heaven and earth will pass away, but **MY WORDS WILL NEVER PASS AWAY**!"
I John 2:3-5: We know we have come to know Him {Jesus} if we obey His commands. The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone **OBEYS HIS WORD**, God's love is truly made complete in him!
Matthew 4:4: Jesus says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on **EVERY WORD FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD**!"
Matthew 7:24,26: Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these **WORDS OF MINE** and **PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE** is like a wise man who built his house on a Rock... But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand."
Luke 8:21: Jesus says, "My mother and brothers are those who hears **GOD'S WORD** and **PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE!**"
James 1:22,25: Do not merely listen to the **WORD**, and so deceive yourselves. **DO WHAT IT SAYS**... The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, **BUT DOING IT**, he will be blessed in what he does.
Matthew 13:23: Jesus says, "But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the **WORD AND UNDERSTANDS IT**. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
John 15:1,2,5,16: Jesus says, "I am the True Vine and my Father is the Gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful!... This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples!... You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last!"
Luke 8:15: Jesus says, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the **WORD**, retain it, and by perseverance produce a crop."
John 17:17: Jesus prays to His Father, "Sanctify them by the Truth, **YOUR WORD IS TRUTH**!"
Acts 20:32: Paul says, "Now I commit you to God and to the **WORD OF HIS GRACE**, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified!"
Romans 10:17: Consequently, **FAITH COMES FROM HEARING THE MESSAGE**, and the message is heard **THROUGH THE WORD OF CHRIST**!
James 1:18; He chose to give us **BIRTH THROUGH THE WORD** of Truth!!
I Corinthians 15:2: By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the **WORD** preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain!
2 Corinthians 2:17: Unlike so many, we do not peddle the **WORD OF GOD** for profit!
2 Corinthians 4:2: We do not use deception, nor do we distort the **WORD OF GOD**!
Ephesians 1:`13: You also were included in Christ **WHEN** you heard the **WORD** of Truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Ephesians 2:17: Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the **WORD OF GOD**!
Colossians 1:25: I have become its servant by the commission God gave to me to present to you the **WORD OF GOD IN ALL ITS FULLNESS**!
Colossians 3:16: Let the **WORD OF CHRIST** dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom!
I Thessalonians 2:13: We thank God continually because, when you received the **WORD OF GOD**, which you heard from us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the **WORD OF GOD**!
2 Timothy 2:15: Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who **CORRECTLY HANDLES THE WORD ** of truth!
2 Timothy 3:15,16: 4:1,2: You have known the **HOLY SCRIPTURES**,which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. **ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED** and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: **PREACH THE WORD**!! {**WHICH IS THE ENTIRE NEW COVENANT AND NEW TESTAMENT**!!}
The New Testament is constantly under attack, and its reliability and accuracy are often contested by critics. {Like Hark} If the critics want to disregard the New Testament, then they must also disregard other ancient writings by Plato, Aristotle, and Homer. This is because the New Testament documents are better-preserved and more numerous than any other ancient writings. Because they are so numerous, they can be cross checked for accuracy . . . and they are very consistent.
There are presently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament. As you can see, there are thousands more New Testament Greek manuscripts than any other ancient writing. The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99.5% textually pure. That is an amazing accuracy. In addition, there are over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000.
Taking all languages together, over 24,000 handwritten copies of the New Testament have been recovered. But there is more. Almost the entire New Testament could be reproduced by quotes from the ancient church fathers. �So extensive are these citations that if all other sources for our knowledge of the text of the New Testament were destroyed, they would be sufficient alone for the reconstruction of practically the entire New Testament�
Almost all biblical scholars agree that the New Testament documents were all written before the close of the First Century. If Jesus was crucified in A.D. 33, then that means the entire New Testament was completed within 63 years since Revelation was written in AD 96. This is important because it means there were plenty of people around when the New Testament documents were penned--people who could have contested the writings. In other words, those who wrote the documents knew that if they were inaccurate, plenty of people would have pointed it out. But, we have absolutely no ancient documents contemporary with the First Century that contest the New Testament texts.
The Christian has substantially superior criteria for affirming the New Testament documents than he does for any other ancient writing. It is good evidence on which to base the trust in the reliability of the New Testament.
The skepticism western culture has toward the Biblical record abounds. This attitude has its origin in our adversary. Satan desires to deceive us into thinking our own personal will is to be the standard for life. If Satan and Hark can have success in planting seeds of doubt regarding the veracity of Scripture, there is no limit on how far they can go in pushing his agenda of turning the hearts of men and women away from God.
In the end, we simply need to fall back on faith. We can rest in confidence that our sovereign and powerful God not only inspired the Biblical writers, but He has also providentially overseen its preservation in such a way that the Bible we have today is reliable. It is nothing less than the infallible, inerrant Word of God Himself. The preservation of the New Testament is a living testimony to the unmatched power and providence of God.
Luke 16:16: Jesus says, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John {The Baptist}. Since that time the **GOOD NEWS** of the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone {Except Hark} is forcing their way into it!!"
Jeremiah 31:31: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will make a **NEW COVENANT** with the people of Israel, and it will **NOT BE LIKE** the covenant I made with their ancestors!!"
**JESUS SAYS, "MY MOTHER AND BROTHERS ARE THOSE WHO HEARS **GOD'S WORD** AND **PUTS IT INTO PRACTICE**!" {Luke 8:21}
Deut 18:17-19: The Lord says, "I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him. If anyone does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My Name, I Myself will call Him to account."
John 14:23,24: Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, He will **OBEY MY TEACHING**! My Father will love Him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent Me."
Revelation 1:1-3: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the **WORD OF GOD** and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the **WORDS OF THIS PROPHECY**, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it!!
Revelation 22:16,18,19: "I, Jesus. have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the Churches.... I warn everyone who hears the **WORDS OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK**: If anyone **ADDS** anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this Book {Including **ETERNAL HELL**} And if anyone **TAKES WORDS AWAY** from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the Tree of Life and in the Holy City {The New Jerusalem}, which are described in this book."
THE GREAT COMMISSION: Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus says, �All authority in heaven and on *EARTH has been given to Me {Not some RC Pope}. Therefore go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*...teaching them to **OBEY EVERYTHING** I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very *END OF THE AGE*!�
I Peter 1:23-25: You have been **BORN AGAIN THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING **WORD OF GOD**!! All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field, the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the **WORD OF THE LORD STANDS FOREVER**. And this is the **WORD** that was preached to you.
Matthew 24:35: Jesus says, Heaven and earth will pass away, but **MY WORDS WILL NEVER PASS AWAY**!"
I John 2:3-5: We know we have come to know Him {Jesus} if we obey His commands. The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone **OBEYS HIS WORD**, God's love is truly made complete in him!
Matthew 4:4: Jesus says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on **EVERY WORD FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD**!"
Matthew 7:24,26: Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these **WORDS OF MINE** and **PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE** is like a wise man who built his house on a Rock... But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand."
Luke 8:21: Jesus says, "My mother and brothers are those who hears **GOD'S WORD** and **PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE!**"
James 1:22,25: Do not merely listen to the **WORD**, and so deceive yourselves. **DO WHAT IT SAYS**... The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, **BUT DOING IT**, he will be blessed in what he does.
Matthew 13:23: Jesus says, "But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the **WORD AND UNDERSTANDS IT**. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
John 15:1,2,5,16: Jesus says, "I am the True Vine and my Father is the Gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful!... This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples!... You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last!"
Luke 8:15: Jesus says, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the **WORD**, retain it, and by perseverance produce a crop."
John 17:17: Jesus prays to His Father, "Sanctify them by the Truth, **YOUR WORD IS TRUTH**!"
Acts 20:32: Paul says, "Now I commit you to God and to the **WORD OF HIS GRACE**, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified!"
Romans 10:17: Consequently, **FAITH COMES FROM HEARING THE MESSAGE**, and the message is heard **THROUGH THE WORD OF CHRIST**!
James 1:18; He chose to give us **BIRTH THROUGH THE WORD** of Truth!!
I Corinthians 15:2: By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the **WORD** preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain!
2 Corinthians 2:17: Unlike so many, we do not peddle the **WORD OF GOD** for profit!
2 Corinthians 4:2: We do not use deception, nor do we distort the **WORD OF GOD**!
Ephesians 1:`13: You also were included in Christ **WHEN** you heard the **WORD** of Truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Ephesians 2:17: Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the **WORD OF GOD**!
Colossians 1:25: I have become its servant by the commission God gave to me to present to you the **WORD OF GOD IN ALL ITS FULLNESS**!
Colossians 3:16: Let the **WORD OF CHRIST** dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom!
I Thessalonians 2:13: We thank God continually because, when you received the **WORD OF GOD**, which you heard from us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the **WORD OF GOD**!
2 Timothy 2:15: Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who **CORRECTLY HANDLES THE WORD ** of truth!
2 Timothy 3:15,16: 4:1,2: You have known the **HOLY SCRIPTURES**,which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. **ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED** and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: **PREACH THE WORD**!! {**WHICH IS THE ENTIRE NEW COVENANT AND NEW TESTAMENT**!!}
**WE HAVE BEEN REDEEMED AND OUR SINS FORGIVEN BY THE **PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**!!
Romans 4:5-8: To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness! David says {In Psalm 32:1} the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God's credits righteousness **APART FROM WORKS**: "Blessed are those whose transgressions are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will **NEVER** count against them!"
2 Corinthians 5:19,21: God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them... God made Him who had no sin to be **SIN FOR US**, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God!
Isaiah 1:18: The Lord says, "Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as **WHITE AS SNOW**!"
Isaiah 53:5,6: He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all!
Every born again Christian not including Hark believes Isaiah 53 is referring to Jesus as Peter confirms in I Peter 2:24,25:
I Peter 2:24,25: He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED." For "You were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls!
Hebrews 8:4,5,12,13: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will make a **NEW COVENANT** with the people of Israel... For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins **NO MORE**! By calling this Covenant **NEW** He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear!!
Jeremiah 31:31,34: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will make a **NEW COVENANT** with the people of Israel... For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins **NO MORE**!"
Luke 16:16: Jesus says, "The Law and the prophets were proclaimed until John {The Baptist}. Since that time, the Good News of the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed!"
Colossians 2:13,14: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God **MADE YOU ALIVE WITH CHRIST**. He forgave us **ALL OUR SINS** having canceled the charge of our legal indebted ness, which stood against us and condemned us, He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross!!
Ephesians 1:4-8: In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will--to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the **FORGIVENESS OF SINS**, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding!!
Hebrews 10:22,26-28: The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness... Christ has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to **DO AWAY WITH SIN** by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as people are destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him!!
Hebrews 10:5,8-10: When Christ came into the world, He said... "Sacrifices burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them!"-- though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then He said, "Here I am. I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second {Covenant}. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ **ONCE FOR ALL**!!
I Peter 1:18,19: For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, but with the **PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**, a lamb without blemish or defect!!
Matthew 18:21,22;; Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to 7 times? Jesus answered, "I tell you not 7 times but 77 times!!" {A NIV footnote adds or "70 times 7!}
Luke 11:1-4: The disciples said to Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray." Jesus answered, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us!"
I John 1:8-10;2:1-6: If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands. Whoever says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His Word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did! {Which is impossible and is why we must confess our sins daily!}
Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus says, "**ALL AUTHORITY** in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to **OBEY EVERYTHING** I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always!!"
Two major hurricanes, unprecedented earthquake swarms, and wildfires roaring out of control all over the northwest United States � what else will go wrong next?
When I originally pointed to the month of September as a critical time, I had no idea that we would see so many catastrophic natural disasters during this time frame as well. Hurricane Harvey just broke the all-time record for rainfall in the continental United States, Hurricane Irma is so immensely powerful that it has been called �a lawnmower from the sky�, vast stretches of our country out west are literally being consumed by fire, and the magnitude-8.2 earthquake that just hit Mexico was completely unexpected. As I have stated so many times before, our planet is becoming increasingly unstable, but most people simply do not understand what is happening.
My good friend Zach Drew posted the best summary of the major disasters that we have been experiencing so far this month that I have seen anywhere�
California is on fire.
Oregon is on fire.
Washington is on fire.
British Columbia is on fire.
Alberta is on fire.
Montana is on fire.
Nova Scotia is on fire.
Greece is on fire.
Brazil is on fire.
Portugal is on fire.
Algeria is on fire.
Tunisia is on fire.
Greenland is on fire.
The Sakha Republic of Russia is on fire.
Siberia is on fire.
Texas is under water
India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, experience record monsoons and massive death toll.
Sierra Leone and Niger experience massive floods, mudslides, and deaths in the thousands.
Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia are crushed in the death grip of a triple digit heat wave, dubbed Lucifer.
Southern California continues to swelter under triple digit heat that shows no sign of letting up.
In usually chilly August, the city of San Francisco shatters all-time record at 106 degrees, while it reaches 115 degrees south of the city. Northern California continues to bake in the triple digits.
(()) Yellowstone volcano is hit with earthquake swarm of over 2,300 tremors since June.
(()) Mexico earthquake 8.2 imminent tsunami. Beach lines are receded at least 50+ meters!
And last but not least an X10 C.M.E solar flare two nights ago. The highest recorded solar flare ever!
Some are describing what is happening to us as a �perfect storm�, and they are wondering if even more major disasters are coming in the very near future.
Harvey and Irma could be a breaking point. At $556 billion, the Houston metropolitan area�s economy is bigger than Sweden�s. New Jersey could easily fit inside the region�s sprawling footprint, where Harvey dumped 34 trillion gallons of water, as much as the three costliest floods in Texas history combined. The Harvey response alone eventually could double the $136 billion in government aid spent after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans.
We won�t know the true extent of the damage that has been caused down in Florida for many days, but we do know that much of the state is already without power�
More than 3.3 million homes and businesses and counting have lost power in Florida as Hurricane Irma moves up the peninsula. The widespread outages stretch from the Florida Keys all the way into all of Florida. Florida Power & Light, the state�s largest electric utility, said there were nearly 1 million customers without power in Miami-Dade County alone. The power outages are expected to increase as the storm edges further north. There are roughly 7 million residential customers in the state.
In the end, the federal government will likely step in and spend a lot of money that it does not have to rebuild and restore the communities that Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have destroyed.
At some point all of this debt will simply become completely unsustainable.
Of course the major disasters will just inevitably keep on coming. As Politico has pointed out, major natural disasters seem to just keep on getting bigger, and they seem to be hitting us more frequently than in the past�
The disasters are arriving with greater frequency. Counting Harvey, the U.S. this year has experienced 10 weather-related events each costing $1 billion or more.
But it is absolutely imperative that we all begin to understand that something has fundamentally changed. Our world has become much less stable, and �apocalyptic events� are starting to hit us one after another.
Matthew 24:3,6-13; 29-34: The disciples asked Jesus, "What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?" Jesus answered, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, {Luke 21:10 adds "pestilences"} and earthquakes in various places. All theses are beginning of birth pains! {Birth pains usually last almost 9 months and May 14th, 2018 is the 70th anniversary of the rebirth of Israel on May 14th, 1948 ??} "Then {At the beginning of the Great Tribulation} you will be handed over and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved!.... Immediately after the distress of those {1260} days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not gives its light and the stars will fall from the sky! {Luke 21:28 adds "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because you redemption is drawing near!"} "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the 4 winds, from one end of the heavens to the other!" {Mark 13:27 adds "From the ends of the earth!"}
