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ANGELS

The image of an angel is so recognizable that you can immediately spot one if somebody makes its shape

They're sparkly people with two white wings and occasionally swords

The Only Problem Is . . .

There are several kinds of angels in the Bible and you've probably heard about some of them, like archangels, cherubim and seraphim.
 

They all look different, and very few actually have wings.

Those who do, like the seraphim, actually have six wings and need all of them to cover their body, lest they blind /  incinerate whoever is unlucky enough to bump into one.

Then there are the thrones, which are described in the Bible as " wheels within wheels ," the rims of which are covered in eyes.

Then we have the cutest order of angels, the cherubim. As we all know, a cherub is a baby angel, usually with a little bow and arrow and a leaf protecting his modesty.

Except that Ezekiel 10:14 describes them as frightening four - headed  that includes the faces of a man, an eagle and a lion.

  HELL

Hell is a place of eternal torment, a realm of unrelenting suffering for all sinners, heretics and unbelievers. Ruling over all of it is Satan.

The Only Problem Is ...

Matthew 13 : 42: " And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." And . . . that's as specific as it gets.

As for Satan being the ruler of hell, that's a misconception somewhat.

2 Peter 2:4: " God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into chains of darkness to be held for judgment. "
 

That's right, chains and prisons . . .  for them . . . no mention of Satan ruling.

 JESUS HAD MORE THAN 12 DISCIPLES

While is it common to refer to " the 12 disciples " there were actually more than twelve.

Luke 6:13 - 16 provides the list of the twelve disciples

Luke 9:1 - 6 tells us that Jesus sent out the Twelve with instructions to preach the kingdom of God.

Luke 10 records another seventy who were sent out by Yeshua to preach the kingdom of God with the same instructions

Now after this the Lord appointed SEVENTY others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. ( Luke 10:1 )

At least three of these other disciples are given names:

1. Joseph ( called Barsabas and surnamed Justus ) ( Acts 1:23 )
2. Matthias (chosen to replace Judas Iscariot in Acts ( 1:23 - 26 )
3. Cleopas ( Luke 24:18 )

It appears that there were at least  82 disciples although The Twelve are mentioned most frequently in the Bible.

JESUS IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON TO RISE FROM THE DEAD

Elijah raises a widow's son from the dead. ( 1 Kings 17:17- 24 ) 

Elisha raises the Shunammite woman's son from the dead. ( 2 Kings 4:19 - 20 )

A man is raised from the dead when his body touches Elisha's bones. ( 2 Kings 13:20 - 21 )

Several people rose from the dead when Messiah was crucified and died. ( Matthew 27:50 - 53 )

Jesus raises a 12-year-old girl from the dead. ( Mark 5:35 - 42 )

Jesus raises a widow's son from the dead. ( Luke 7:14 - 15 )

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. ( John 11:11 - 45 )

Peter raises a woman named Tabitha from the dead. ( Acts 9:40 - 41 )

THE BIBLE DESCRIBES 3 HEAVENS

Scripture describes three heavens not just one. Many people believe they are going to heaven when they die and one question for them might be " to which heaven are you going ? "

The first heaven mentioned in Scripture is the sky: the abode of fowls , fish of the sea,   birds in the air and beasts.
Genesis 1:20, Job 12:7, and Psalm 8:8 ( and other verses ) speak of this first heaven.

The second heaven described in Scripture is "outer space": the abode of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Genesis 15:5, Deuteronomy 4:19, Psalm 8:3 all speak of this second heaven

The third heaven spoken of in Scripture is the spiritual realm that is the abode of God and angels.

Ephesians 1:20 says that the Father has raised Messiah from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Paul tells us about a man who visisted to this third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2- 4.

Many scholars and researchers believe that Paul was speaking modestly of himself and his ( possible ) death in Acts 14:19.

" And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. "

GOD DOES NOT LOVE EVERYONE

There are some He hates.

Jacob He loved but Esau He hated ( Malachi 1:1- 3 )
 

He hates those who love violence ( Psalm 11:5 )
 

He loathed the generation that wandered in the wilderness for 40 years ( Psalm 95:10 )
 

God hates a false witness and those who spread strife among brothers ( Proverbs 6:17- 22 ) 

All throughout Scripture we find record of those whom God hates . . . all the way into the book of Revelation we find God's fierce anger against those whom He hates

Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice,

" If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. " ( Revelation 14:9 - 10 )

THE BIBLE IS NOT ALL ABOUT GOD

In fact , two biblical books never mention God.

The first is the book of Esther
 

The second is the Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon

Many interpreters have seen God working behind the scenes and between the lines in the story of Esther, whose name in Hebrew can mean “ I am hiding. ”

And many have interpreted the Song of Songs as an allegory about the loving relationship between God and Israel

CHRISTMAS IN NOT IN THE BIBLE

Christmas ( originally Christ's Mass ) was an invention of the Catholic church in the fourth century.

Here are some other Christmas traditions that are not mentioned in Scripture

* Santa Claus

* Christmas trees

* Hanging ornaments

* Mistletoe

* Wreaths

* Holly  ( It is a traditional Christmas decoration, used especially in wreaths. )

* Candles

* Three wise men

* Snow around the time of the birth of Messiah

* Yule logs  ( It is a large and extremely hard log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Christmas celebrations across the world )

THE GOSPELS BEG TO DIFFER

There are four gospels in the New Testament, and each offers a unique perspective and interpretation of the story of Jesus. Often, they disagree on important details.

Each one names different witnesses to the empty tomb, for example, and there are two very different accounts of the death of Judas.

Although every gospel is unique, three of them . .  Matthew, Mark, and Luke . .  also have a lot in common. They
share much of the same content, sometimes even word for word. Yet each is also very different from the other

Most of that material is sayings of Jesus. Scholars, therefore, hypothesize that Matthew and Mark got that material from a shared source that was a collection of Jesus’ sayings.

THERE ARE MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF CREATION IN THE BIBLE

There are actually several different accounts of creation scattered throughout the Bible, and they don’t all agree.
In the first chapter of Genesis,  God starts big, on the cosmic level, then does plants and animals and then culminates with human beings,

In Psalm 104 and Job 38, God begins by setting the Earth on foundations in the sea

In Psalm 74, monsters are on the scene: God first slays Leviathan and the sea dragons, monstrous forces of chaos, in order to create the cosmos as a safe, orderly place.

In Proverbs 9, God has a divine cohort, Wisdom ( Hebrew Hokmah ), who says she was there before the work of creation began.