Greetings to everyone! We realize you will notice that this month's "Vocabulary Enrichment" will actually contain two words, not just one. We did this because the two words tend to appear together in biblical text, so we thought it would be better to put them together for clarity.  We also have chose a special Guest Columnist for this month, which we believe you will all be familiar with. :-D    May all of you have blessings from Yahweh throughout the month!

Apocrypha and Canon
BOOK OF SECOND MACCABEES
http://www.biblicalproportions.com/modules/ol_bible/King_James_Bible/2Maccabees/
    The Book of Second Maccabees is not a sequel to the First Book of Maccabees.
Although the Book of First Maccabees is a historical narrative, the Book of Second Maccabees seems to be a lot less factual in its information. For example:
2 Maccabees 10:37 states: Timothy had hidden in a cistern, but they killed him, along with his brother Chaereas, and Apollophanes."
Yet later on, at 2 Maccabees 12:2, it states: "But some of the local governors, Timothy and Apollonius, son of Gennaeus, as also Hieronymus, and Dymophon, ...would not allow them to live in peace."
In other words, Timothy was alive sometime after he was killed, according to this book.
In another instance, 2 Maccabees 8:1-7 cites Matthias's son Judas as the organizer of Jews against Syria, even though 1 Maccabees 2:1-70 cites the organizer as Matthias himself.
According to 1 Maccabees 1:54 and 4:52 the Temple Purification happened three years after it was profaned....but according to 2 Maccabees 10:3 it happened only two years later. So which is it?
The book of Second Maccabees even has inconsistencies within itself. For example, 2 Maccabees 1:15-16 states that Antiochus was murdered at the temple, and  yet later at 2 Maccabees 9:19-29 it states Antiochus was felled by an illness. How many times can a person die?
The Book of Second Maccabees contains other inaccurate information as well, not just these few examples.

Some people may decide that little inaccuracies are of no account. However, they are of account. Since the temple purification cannot be both two years and three years later, one of them isn't true. By the same token, either Judas or Matthias organized the Jews against Syria, it wasn't both.
Since God is a God if truth, He will not give us something that isn't true. Therefore,  a book rife with such inaccuracies and contradictions is a product from imperfect men, not a product inspired from Yahweh.

ARCHAEOLOGY/ HISTORY
BETHLEHEM, PART 1
According to the Old Testament, Bethlehem used to be named the city of Ephrath, where Jacob's wife, Rachel, died while giving birth to their son, Benjamin ("Benoni") (Genesis 35:18-20, 48: 6-7). In Bethlehem today there is still a memorial to Rachel's Tomb, which can be viewed at the following link (we don't necessarily endorse everything contained in the link):
http://www.rachelstomb.org/main.html
     The name "Bethlehem" comes from the Hebrew name "Bet Leham", which means "House of Bread".  Bethlehem was known as "David's City" (Luke 2:4) because he was born in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1). Bethlehem was also the prophesied birth place our our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Micah 5:2 with Matthew 2:1-6). Many people confuse the phrases "David's City" with "The City of David". However, it is important to realize that each of those phrases refer to a different city: As shown at Luke 2:4, Bethlehem is "David's City", whereas at 2 Samuel 5:4-7 it states that Jerusalem is "The City of David".
     Bethlehem was also connected to several other events mentioned in the bible:
1 -- A Levite man from Bethlehem was hired to serve as a priest for an Ephraimite named Micah (Judges 17:7-10).  Later, this man from Bethlehem also became priest to the Danites (Judges chapter 18). This was improper, because only the Levite sons of Aaron were to become priests in Israel (Exodus 28:1), and this Levite was from among the sons of  Moses (Judges 18:30).
2 -- A young concubine who was originally from Bethlehem married a Levite. She ended up committing adultery and leaving her husband to live with her father in Bethlehem. After four months, the husband went to Bethlehem to retrieve his wife from the father's home. (Judges 19:1-10).
3 -- Naomi, mother in law to Ruth, was originally from the town of Bethlehem (Ruth 1:1-2). After being widowed, she and Ruth returned to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:19).
4 -- It was in Bethlehem where the prophet Samuel anointed David as king (1 Samuel 16:1-13). Since Ruth was David's great-grandmother (Matthew 1:5-6), and she lived in Bethlehem, it is not surprising that David's family lived in Bethlehem.
5 -- It was from the well in Bethlehem that David's men risked their lives to bring him water when he was in the cave of Adullam (2 Samuel 23:13-17).
6 --  Rehoboam, son of King Solomon (who was the son of King David) fortified Bethlehem along with other cities in the region of Judah (1 Chronicles 11:6).
7 --  The City of Bethlehem was part of the region given to the Israelite tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 9:10-16).
8 -- Ibzan was a Bethlehemite judge who succeeded Jephthah. Ibzan judged Israel for seven years before he passed away and was buried in Bethlehem (Judges 12:8-10).

Of course, there are many other places in the bible in which the city of Bethlehem is mentioned, but they are too numerous to list in this eNewsletter. To this day, Bethlehem is considered to be an important city to the world three major religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The Christians connect it with the birth of our Redeemer, the Jews connect it with the Matriarch Rachel and with King David, and the Moslems connect Bethlehem with their prophet Mohammed's midnight journey with the angel Gabriel.

Bethlehem's history doesn't end in just the bible times.  It has a rich history that reaches all the way down to our modern day. In next month's eNewsletter we will detail that history in Part 2 of this article.

Links to maps of Bethlehem:
http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/map24jud.htm  (Map of the area in Christ's time)
http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=450&chapterid=453&picid=1&picturesize=medium (Modern pictures of Bethlehem)

BIBLE TOPIC
WINE

Wine was a very common beverage mentioned throughout the Old and New Testaments.  Some people believe that the wine mentioned in the bible was merely grape juice, not an alcoholic beverage. However, we know this isn't true for the bible mentions many instances in which people became drunk with wine. In fact, the very first time wine is mentioned in the bible it is connected with becoming drunk. We can see this at Genesis 9:20-21 which states:
Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank some of the wine, became drunk.... (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Since it requires alcohol to become drunk, this shows that wine was indeed an alcoholic beverage in bible times. Other instances that connect wine with drunkenness can be found at 1 Samuel 1:14, Esther 1:10, Psalms 60:3, Proverbs 23:31-33, and Joel 1:5. Although the bible is very clear that drunkenness is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:10,  Galatians 5:21, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Peter 4:3), it is also clear that the simple act of drinking wine is not a sin of it's own. We know this because on one occasion Christ transformed water into wine for a wedding feast (John 2:3-10); and on another occasion he commanded that the drinking of wine be an integral part of the communion ritual associated with being in the New Covenant with him (Luke 22:17-20). These are things Christ would not have done were it sinful to drink wine. Aside from Christ's actions, the righteous man Job allowed his children to drink wine in their celebrations (Job 1:1 and 13), and King Solomon - who had wisdom given to him from God Himself (1 Kings 3:12 ) - was accepting of wine as a beverage (Ecclesiastes 9:7). The apostle Paul recommended a little wine for some illnesses (1 Timothy 3:8). Therefore, it is the drunkenness, not the wine itself, that is the sin. However, it is worth remembering that just because it isn't a sin to drink wine in moderation, we must be sure we aren't stumbling others over our consumption of it (Romans 14:21). If  you know people who have alcohol addictions, it would be a  loving thing to abstain from the beverage when in their presence, that they may not be tempted into sin.

Although drinking in moderation was accepted amongst the Israelites, it is interesting to note that those who were in special service to Yahweh were commanded to abstain from wine. For example, the Levite priests were forbidden to drink wine on certain occasions (Leviticus 10:8-9), Nazirite men and women were forbidden to drink wine while under their vows (Numbers 6:1-3),  and John the Baptist was forbidden to drink wine right from birth (Luke 1:13-15).

Wine wasn't only used as a beverage. The bible shows that the Israelites were to offer wine as a drink offering to God on certain occasions. For example, part of the ritual involved in installing a priest included the giving of a wine offering on the altar (Exodus 29:40-41). A wine offering to Yah was commanded for when the Israelites entered the Promised Land (Leviticus 23:10-13). Other occasions of wine drink offerings given to Yahweh can be seen at Numbers 28:7.*

Apparently, the manufacturing of wine was a booming business all throughout bible times, as shown by the fact that vineyards were a common form of farming throughout the bible. The business started out in Genesis with Noah's vineyard mentioned above, continues on through Exodus 22:5 with a law protecting farmers' vineyards, on to Deuteronomy 24:21 where people are commanded to leave vineyard leftovers for the poor, through 1 Kings 21:1-16 where greedy royals killed a farmer in order to take his vineyard, and on to Proverbs 31:16 where it describes a capable wife as planting a vineyard. Vineyards were such a common fact of life in bible times that Christ even used the symbolism of vineyards in some of his parables (Matthew 20:1-16, Matthew 21:28-41).

Even today, we see regions of the world where vineyards and wine making are still an important part of the economy on virtually every continent. Here in United States there are famous wine regions such as Napa Valley in California and The Finger Lakes of New York State.  Europe is famous for it's wineries in Tuscany and Venice. South Africa has successful wineries such as Swartland and Paarl. Over in Australia they have regions such as Barossa Valley, and in South America they have Argentina's Mendoza region. Even Asia has vintners, such as the Yamanashi wine region in Japan. And of course, there are still wine regions operating in Israel today as well, such as in the region of Galilee, and the Judean Hills.

As we can see, wine has been a favored beverage throughout the ages. When used in moderation, it can be enjoyed without guilt, and can even be a part of worship when consumed as one of the sacraments of the New Covenant. For those with alcohol addictions, we must remember to consider their issues and not stumble them over it in spite of what we wish to drink. May we all remember to act responsibly when consuming wine, or any other alcoholic beverage.

*Interestingly, the Holman Christian Standard bible ("HCS"), our featured bible this month,  uses the word "beer" instead of "wine" in Numbers 28:7. Out of curiosity, we looked in the interlinear bible found at http://www.scripture4all.org to see if the word should have been "wine" or "beer" because various bible versions weren't agreeing on this. According to the interlinear, the phrase used in this verse is "libation intoxicating"  which can mean any of various alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, fermented berries, etc.).  As a sampling of how various bible versions translated this particular wording,  you can look at http:www.biblegateway.com to check this verse in different bible version: "Strong beer" - The Message, "Strong drink" - NASB, "Fermented drink - Amplified Bible, "Wine" - KJV, etc.  However, since other verses speaking of drink offerings spoke directly of wine as the offering, we believe wine is the beverage that is intended in this passage.

BIBLE Version Critique
HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE
http://hcsb.broadmanholman.com/crossmain.asp
http://www.biblegateway.com  (use the drop-down menu)

Virtues: This bible version uses God's personal name ("Yahweh/Yah") in places when the text emphasizes His Name: Exodus 6:3, Psalms 68:4, Psalms 83:18, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 26:4, etc. This version has footnotes and cross references which are accessible in the Bible Gateway link posted above. Some editions of this version publish the words of Christ in red letters.
Flaws: It does not use God's personal name as often as the original manuscripts used it.

You can find more background information regarding this version at http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=77

Encouraging Word
JOHN 8:2-11
(2) At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them. (3) Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery,  making her stand in the center. (4) "Teacher," they said to Him, "this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.  (5) In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  So what do You say?" (6 )They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. (7 )When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, "The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her." (8) Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. (9) When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. (10) When Jesus stood up, He said to her, " Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" (11) "No one, Lord," she answered.  "Neither do I condemn you," said Jesus. "Go, and from now on do not sin any more." (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

This is a great passage, for it shows all of us something easily forgotten: Jesus forgives those who have sinned, even if humans don't. Therefore, whatever sin we humans commit, if we are repentant, we can be assured of forgiveness, even if people around us are unwilling to forgive. (Mark 3:28-29). Don't let people's unwillingness to forgive rob you of your faith in Christ's willingness to forgive.

GUEST COLUMNIST
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
--Jesus Christ
(Matthew 5:1- 7:28)
Yes, this is not the usual Guest Columnist that we invite, and some of you may think it strange to have Jesus as a guest columnist. However, it occurred to us that of all people, Jesus should be featured as a columnist in one of these articles! Jesus lived a segment of his life as a human being, and is still alive today (though not in human form). Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior, someone we cannot have Salvation without. Therefore, we have chosen to publish His teaching from the Sermon On The Mount as our Guest Column for this month. Because we don't want to add to his words, we will publish it (as written in English), letting Christ speak for himself as we know it. We ask that all meditate on what the words mean in our daily lives. There are many topics covered in this sermon,  giving us many things to consider. We chose the Holman Christian Standard Bible as our bible version since that is our featured bible for this month. However, the readership is invited to read it with their own bible versions as a comparison:

1 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 Then  He began to teach them, saying:
The Beatitudes
 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,because the kingdom of heaven  is theirs.4 Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.5 Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,because they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven  is theirs. 11"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted  the prophets who were before you.
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 No one lights a lamp  and puts it under a basket,  but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.  16 In the same way, let your light shine  before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 "Don't assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter  or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches [these commandments] will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder Begins in the Heart
 21 "You have heard that it was said to our ancestors,  Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother  will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Fool!'  will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, 'You moron!' will be subject to hellfire. 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you're on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I assure you: You will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!
Adultery in the Heart
 27 "You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!
Divorce Practices Censured
 31 "It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Tell the Truth
 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. 34 But I tell you, don't take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But let your word 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no. Anything more than this is from the evil one.
Go the Second Mile
 38 "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I tell you, don't resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don't turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies
 43 "You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies  and pray for those who  persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don't even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 6
How to Give
 1 "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They've got their reward! 3 But when you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
How to Pray
 5 "Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They've got their reward!  6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  7 When you pray, don't babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words.  8 Don't be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.
The Model Prayer
 9 "Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven,Your name be honored as holy. 10 Your kingdom come.Your will be doneon earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 "For if you forgive people their wrongdoing,  your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.  15 But if you don't forgive people,  your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.
How to Fast
 16 "Whenever you fast, don't be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They've got their reward! 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face,  18 so that you don't show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
God and Possessions
 19 "Don't collect for yourselves treasures  on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  20 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven,  where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!24 "No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.
The Cure for Anxiety
 25 "This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the sky: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they?  27 Can any of you add a single cubit to his height  by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don't labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! 30 If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't He do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don't worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For the idolaters  eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God  and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble  of its own.
Matthew 7
Do Not Judge
 1 "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged. 2 For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and look, there's a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. 6 Don't give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs,  or they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.
Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking
 7 "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them—this is the Law and the Prophets.
Entering the Kingdom
 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.15 "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You'll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can't produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you'll recognize them by their fruit.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 in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons  in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name? ' 23 Then I will announce to them, 'I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!  ' [av]
The Two Foundations
 24 "Therefore, everyone who hears these words  of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn't collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!"28  When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching.

May we all reflect on his teaching, and apply it in our lives.

NEWS BYTES
KIEV -- Some public schools in the Ukrainian capital will begin teaching Christian ethics this year in an experimental program aimed at reinforcing the country's thousand-year Christian heritage, Kiev city officials said Thursday. Read more...
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/09/01/014.html

 OLYMPIA, Wash. (BP)--The debate over "gay marriage" in Washington state isn't over just yet.
Lawyers for 18 same-sex couples filed legal briefs Aug. 29 with the Washington state Supreme Court, asking the justices to reconsider their 5-4 ruling from July upholding the state's Defense of Marriage Act. That law protects the natural definition of marriage and bans "gay marriage."  Read more...
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23904

AgapePress -- According to eMarketer.com, the nationwide poll conducted by Common Sense Media found that 85 percent of U.S. parents were concerned that the Internet would expose their children and teens to hazards, such as sexual predators, wrong values, and "ideas that children are too young to see." Television was second, with 13 percent of parents saying it was the riskiest media outlet. Magazines, DVDs/videos, and radio were all tied at 1 percent. (Percentages add up to 101 because of rounding.) Read more....
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/12006f.asp

PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE
The Persecuted Ones
Jesus foretold that those who chose to follow his teachings would run into persecutions (Matthew 10:16-23). For that matter, Christ himself endured persecution for his teachings (Matthew 26:59 - 27:31). After Christ's death, the fledgling Christian congregation was severely persecuted by the Jews (Acts 9:1-2). Though it is interesting to note that, sometimes, the persecutors themselves converted to Christianity (Acts 9:3-20). The persecuted Christians endured everything (2 Corinthians 6:4-10) from imprisonment (Acts 5:18,  8:3), ridicule (2 Peter 3:3), beatings (Acts 21:32), and even death (Acts 7:54-60). Although not all Christians endure all forms of persecution, it is interesting to realize that Christ himself endured all forms of it: Imprisonment (Matthew 27:15-17), ridicule (Matthew 27:29), beatings (Matthew 27:30, John 19:3), and death (Matthew 27:35). The apostle Peter went through trials (Acts 12:3-4), as did Paul (2 Corinthians 11:24-26), James (Acts 12:1-2), John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-5), a blind man (John 9:1-34)  and others (Hebrews 11:36-37). Families were separated (Acts 8:3) and fear became common. 

What did Jesus tell us regarding the persecutions his followers have endured through time? Christ said that Christians are persecuted because they are no part of the world. The world is fond of it's own, and thus hates Christians who are not of them (John 15:18-19). He also told us that we would be persecuted, just as he was persecuted (John 15:20). The apostle James puts this into perspective for us though, reminding us that the various trials we encounter as Christians tests the quality of our faith in Yahweh and His Christ, proving our loyalty beyond doubt (James 1:2-4). This is why Christ said, at Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  --  Holman Christian Standard Bible

So when we are faced with various trials, persecutions, and evil, let us remember that it is part of the testing of a Christian's faith. It is the pains of the spiritual marathon race, that will culminate in a well received reward from God. For those of us who are not currently undergoing such hardships, we must remember to pray for those who are, and to do what we can to help those who are dodging Satan's bullets.

VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT
Urim
lights (Vulg."doctrina;" LXX. "revelation"). See THUMMIM .

Thummim
perfection (LXX., "truth;" Vulg., "veritas"), Exodus 28:30; Deuteronomy 33:8; Judges 1:1; 20:18; 1 Samuel 14:3,18; 23:9; 2Sam 21:1. What the "Urim and Thummim" were cannot be determined with any certainty. All we certainly know is that they were a certain divinely-given means by which God imparted, through the high priest, direction and counsel to Israel when these were needed. The method by which this was done can be only a matter of mere conjecture. They were apparently material objects, quite distinct from the breastplate, but something added to it after all the stones had been set in it, something in addition to the breastplate and its jewels. They may have been, as some suppose, two small images, like the teraphim (Compare Judges 17:5; 18:14,17,20; Hosea 3:4), which were kept in the bag of the breastplate, by which, in some unknown way, the high priest could give forth his divinely imparted decision when consulted. They were probably lost at the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. They were never seen after the return from captivity.

Sources: Easton's Bible Dictionary

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
The Unbound Bible
http://unbound.biola.edu/

This site gives the user access to dozens of online bible versions in dozens of languages: Several English versions, Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Chinese, German, Greek, Icelandic, Swahili, Vietnamese, etc. A total of 54 different languages, with some languages having more than one bible version. This site has a good search feature which can use wildcards, contains schedules for reading the bible in a year, and a few other interesting features. The website itself can also be presented in English, Spanish, German, Dutch, and Hebrew. This is a good site for those who like to use various bible versions or who are looking for something in their own language.