Bible Questions?

interestin, what do the authorised 'originals' have that proves God's authority on them as the authorised ?

 

was that translated by God's authorised translators ?

you find something to be an accurate translation, someone else finds something else to be more accurate ..and it all becomes lost-in-translation

 

"The Gospel is anonymous, but in chapter 21 it is stated that it derives from the testimony of the 'Disciple whom Jesus loved'', whom Early Church tradition identified with John the Apostle, one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles (assumption?!). It is closely related in style and content to the three surviving Epistles of John, such that most commentators routinely treat the four books together. Scholarly opinion is divided as to whether these epistles are the work of the evangelist himself, or of his followers writing in his name" - wiki=Gospel of John

no signature of the author on that 'eyewitness account' either

 

Originally Posted by stoney69
you're not claiming your version of the bible to have been translated from the original manuscripts, are you ?

if it's not from the original manuscripts ..then its not really a 1st century book you're holding (even if some eyewitness account was written), but something that was probably written much much later ..like 200,300 or 400 years after Christ

Originally Posted by Ukr-Cdn
maybe you mean the ones written 200, 300, 400 years after the life of Christ?

Originally Posted by aFoolOnaHill
100 years is cool with you, but 200 isn't?

 

Each of us is our own translator. Truth is revealed to us by spirit as we are ready to understand in spirit (Matthew 13:9 - he who has ears, let him hear).

Those who insist on acceptance of allegory as literal fact cause much delay to many.

 

and Mathew 13:13

"... seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."

 

Are you a Christian?

 

How can true prophets and false ones be identified?

True prophets make known their faith in Jesus, but more is required than claiming to preach in his name

1 John 4:1-3: “Test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. You gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God, but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God.”

Matt. 7:21-23: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name . . . ?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

True prophets speak in the name of God, but merely claiming to represent him is not enough

Deut. 18:18-20: “A prophet I shall raise up for them from the midst of their brothers, like you [like Moses]; and I shall indeed put my words in his mouth, and he will certainly speak to them all that I shall command him. And it must occur that the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name, I shall myself require an account from him. However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.” (Compare Jeremiah 14:14; 28:11, 15.)

Jesus said: “I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things.” (John 8:28) He said: “I have come in the name of my Father.” (John 5:43) Jesus also said: “He that speaks of his own originality is seeking his own glory.”—John 7:18.

If any individuals or organizations claim to represent God but decline to use God’s personal name, and make it a practice to express their own opinions on matters, are they measuring up to this important qualification of a true prophet?

Ability to perform “great signs,” or “miracles,” is not necessarily proof of a true prophet

Matt. 24:24: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs [“miracles,” TEV] and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.”

2 Thess. 2:9, 10: “The lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved.”

On the other hand, Moses performed miracles at Jehovah’s direction. (Ex. 4:1-9) Jehovah also empowered Jesus to perform miracles. (Acts 2:22) But more than the miracles gave evidence that God had truly sent them.

What true prophets foretell comes to pass, but they may not understand just when or how it will be

Dan. 12:9: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of the end.”

1 Pet. 1:10, 11: “The prophets . . . kept on investigating what particular season or what sort of season the spirit in them was indicating concerning Christ when it was bearing witness beforehand about the sufferings for Christ and about the glories to follow these.”

1 Cor. 13:9, 10: “We have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially; but when that which is complete arrives, that which is partial will be done away with.”

Prov. 4:18: “The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.”

The apostles and other early Christian disciples had certain wrong expectations, but the Bible does not classify them with the “false prophets.”—See Luke 19:11; John 21:22, 23; Acts 1:6, 7.

Nathan the prophet encouraged King David to go ahead with what was in his heart regarding the building of a house for Jehovah’s worship. But later Jehovah told Nathan to inform David that he was not the one who would build it. Jehovah did not reject Nathan for what he had said earlier but continued to use him because he humbly corrected the matter when Jehovah made it plain to him.—1 Chron. 17:1-4, 15.

The pronouncements of a true prophet promote true worship and are in harmony with God’s revealed will

Deut. 13:1-4: “In case a prophet or a dreamer of a dream arises in your midst and does give you a sign or a portent, and the sign or the portent does come true of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us walk after other gods, whom you have not known, and let us serve them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or to the dreamer of that dream, because Jehovah your God is testing you to know whether you are loving Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul. After Jehovah your God you should walk, and him you should fear, and his commandments you should keep, and to his voice you should listen, and him you should serve, and to him you should cling.”

Since the Bible says that “a friend of the world” is an enemy of God, are clergymen who urge their parishioners to get involved in the affairs of the world promoting true worship? (Jas. 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17) The true God said that the nations “will have to know that I am Jehovah,” and the Bible states that God would take out of the nations “a people for his name,” but are religious organizations that minimize the importance of using God’s personal name acting in harmony with this revealed will of God? (Ezek. 38:23; Acts 15:14) Jesus taught his followers to pray for God’s Kingdom, and the Bible cautions against putting one’s trust in earthling men, so are clergymen or political organizations that urge people to place their confidence in human rulership true prophets?—Matt. 6:9, 10; Ps. 146:3-6; compare Revelation 16:13, 14.

True prophets and the false can be recognized by the fruitage manifest in their lives and the lives of those who follow them

Matt. 7:15-20: “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. . . . Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit . . . Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.”

What characterizes their way of life? “The works of the flesh are . . . fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. . . . Those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. On the other hand, the fruitage of [God’s] spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.”—Gal. 5:19-23; see also 2 Peter 2:1-3.

 

You asked:

I said John which answers the question you asked, seeing as he is believed to have been alive till about 98 CE. I did not say anything about what he wrote or did not write and what he wrote or did not write does not change the fact that he was an eyewitness and is generally considered to have been alive when all of what is considered to be the Christian Greek scriptures were written.

 

And it still applies to you.

 

what ?? what are you saying man ? we were talking about authority from God to the original authors of the Bible (all of who seemingly are unknown)

 

so he was alive when something was being written by someone else ...yep, its safe to assume that was his eyewitness account

 

which Prophet is being referred to here ?

Al-Maeda ​

(Remember) when Allâh will say (on the Day of Resurrection). "O 'Īsā (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Remember My Favour to you and to your mother when I supported you with Rûh-ul-Qudus [Jibrail (Gabriel)] so that you spoke to the people in the cradle[] and in maturity; and when I taught you writing, Al¬Hikmah (the power of understanding), the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel); and when you made out of the clay, a figure like that of a bird, by My Permission, and you breathed into it, and it became a bird by My Permission, and you healed those born blind, and the lepers by My Permission, and when you brought forth the dead by My Permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from you (when they resolved to kill you) as you came unto them with clear proofs, and the disbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.' " (110) ​

came in the name of the Father (just as all other Prophets did), Jesus did not speak of his own originality (therefore not seeking his own glory) ..as he said, I do nothing of my own initiative. But he has been glorified by man (excess in religion, innovation, transgression) to put Jesus in the rank of the Creator

could this not be referring to the apostles ? the (unknown) authors ?

empowered Jesus, like other Prophets ..Jesus did not have powers of his own, he was not God. and Son of God not having some of what his Father has ....? (strange he is claimed to be a creator too!)

Al-Baqara​

Those Messengers! We preferred some often to others; to some of them Allâh spoke (Moses); others He raised to degrees (of honour); and to 'Īsā (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Rûh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)].​

 

Once again, you asked this:

Please keep up with the line of reasoning.

I never, in this line of reasoning, said, implied or asked anyone to assume that anything was John's eyewitness account, only that John was around and could say whether something written while he was alive was true or not.

You did not ask what eyewitness wrote what when and the discussion was not about who wrote what when, you just asked what eyewitnesses were around, after I had stated that the reason I trusted writings from 100 years later rather than 200 years later because there were still eyewitnesses around, 100 years later when they were written. So I told you John, who was an eyewitness, was still around and he was.

 

And this shows how we can tell if someone has that authorization, other than just accepting their word for it.

 

so in this line of reasoning of yours, you seem to be slipping an assumption that the eyewitness checked/approved what was written (in his name) ? while we don't even know who wrote it!

 

what is this ? you've not responded to the comments ive posted on your many verses

 

No, in this line of reasoning, I am not "slipping an assumption that the eyewitness checked/approved what was written (in his name)"

Once again, all I am saying is that there were eyewitnesses still alive when all the books of the Christian Greek Scriptures were written, that could have testified to the veracity of what was written and John was one of those eyewitnesses that was still alive.

 

Wow, how could I have over looked it.

Or perhaps I have other things to do or perhaps I'm giving it some thought or both.

 

Jesus

No, Jesus was glorified by his father, Jehovah.

No, this is talking about those that don’t accept the truth from the Bible and so would include people who try to discount what the Bible says, which neither the apostles or the “(unknown) authors” did.

All power comes from God, even the power that Jesus, the Son of God has.