Most Recent Additions:

Large files in a pdf format (like 100+ page exegetical studies) may or may not open on your computer, or they make take a long time to resolve; if that is the case, right click them and choose save as and save them to your harddrive.  They should open easily there using Acrobat Reader.  All HTML files should open easily; almost all files added after October 2008 should look, for the most part, accurate.  However, the Hebrew characters in older documents will be misrepresented (for many, this is not a big loss) and the format will not be true to the original document at time.  I write using WordPerfect and then change these documents into PDF and HTML files.  PDF files retain the formatting and graphics exactly as they appear in WordPerfect; the HTML format, not so much.

Doctrines from this point forward will be uploaded in WordPerfect formal.  MS Word is able to import WordPerfect text, albeit imperfectly.  WordPerfect office, in my opinion, is a much better product than MS Office.  There are many reasons for this preference, not the least of which is being able to have a Greek and a Hebrew keyboard which can be accessed in one keystroke (something that MS Word cannot do).  Also, a recent version of WP Office can be found very cheaply (for as little as $30).  The newest version can be had by a pastor or a student for around $100.  This new format will allow pastors to more easily incorporate this into their notes.

If you use WordPerfect and download the WP documents, they will download with an HTML extension (despite them showing a WPD extension online).  Manually change the extension to *.wpd and it will be exactly the wpd that I uploaded.

The additions below are in the order of their being uploaded, with the most recent uploads at the very top.

New files were added today: 2/7/2021

• Doctrine of the Client Nation, first assembled in 2010, is being updated to 2021 (some of the applications will be brought up to date).  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 2/9/2021
  

• When asked about it, R. B. Thieme, Jr. said that he did not mind us sharing our notes from his class.  That is all that I am doing here.  What I have done with his 1972 Hebrews series is, hyperlink the doctrines and the corrected translation on pp. 1-2; and follow that with an easy-to-follow hyperlinked index.  My WP cried and died when trying to make this document into a PDF.  (HTML)  (WPD).  This project is not yet complete, but I am about halfway through.  You will agree, after viewing this document, that this is what notes ought to look like.
  

• There are two excellent translations which are very hard to find online: the Christian Community Bible and the Heritage Bible.  Even though both of them are translations with the imprimatur (meaning, they are "Catholic" Bibles), don't let that frighten you off.  They are both interesting and well-translated English Bibles.  Some of their footnotes are excellent as well.  These are PDF documents.  I did not include the apocrypha.  Both can be found here.  Uploaded February 7, 2021.
  

• Exodus 1–40 have been exegeted, translated and commented on. Exodus 1–31 have received a careful rewrite and with some more graphics and translations added. Exodus 1–11 have had the weekly Bible lesson notes integrated into the text and they have been indexed (HTML) (PDF) (WPD), meaning these chapters are essentially complete (at some point, I may go back and add in some notes from other commentators). Although the work on these chapters is extensive, it is not complete yet. So far, this chapter-by-chapter exegesis is 8600 pages long.  These chapters can be accessed through the (folder) or through the Links (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD).  Uploaded January 4, 11, 23, 31, 2021  February 4, 2021.
  

• There are a number of Herods in Scripture.  This doctrine will help you sort them out.  Herod and His Line (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Uploaded 1/3/2021
  
• In the book of Luke there are two High Priests functioning at the same time: Annas and Caiaphas.  This doctrine may give you some insight as to what is going on.  Annas and Caiaphas (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 1/3/2021
  

• Basic Lessons for Luke #1-115 are uploaded.  Each week, I send out lessons in the book of Luke and the book of Exodus.  This is different from the chapter studies below.  Each lesson in the weekly studies is 4-5 pages long and designed to be read at one sitting in 10-15 minutes.  The lessons are sent out by email to whomever requests them.  Periodically, I upload all of the lessons to date and post them.  These first lessons in Luke serve as an introduction to the New Testament gospels and specifically to the book of Luke.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (those are the first 100 lessons with links to the next 15).  All of the weekly lessons to date (in Genesis, Exodus and Luke) can be found in this folder.  As these lessons are completed, the notes are transferred over into the chapter studies.  The weekly studies are designed for the average believer and Sunday School teachers.  The chapter-by-chapter studies are designed for research by pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, etc.  (1/1/2021)

• So far, Luke 1–3 are essentially completed (3 original translations, full word-by-word Greek exegesis, translations taken from over 100 available, and a full commentary).

  Luke 4–8 mostly complete (3 original translations, full word-by-word Greek exegesis, translations taken from over 100 available, and a reasonable commentary).

  Luke 9–16 has been exegeted, translated (with 3 original translations) and interpreted (commentary is there, but sparse). 
  The entire Luke study is now 5000+ pages.  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  Luke 3 uploaded 1/1/2021

• Leviticus chapters 1-13 are now uploaded.    This is a word-by-word, chapter-by-chapter study, fully exegeted in the Hebrew, and drawing upon 45+ translations.  This includes 2 sets of original commentary and 3 original translations.  Leviticus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  You can also access via the parent directory: http://kukis.org/Leviticus/  The chapter just uploaded, Leviticus 13, is all about leprosy--how to identify it and what to do with those who have it.  The verse-by-verse commentary is light; but there are several important sections on the accurate science found in Leviticus 13.  It is, quite frankly, amazing.  This study is now 1900+ pages long.  Uploaded 12/22/2020.

• Exodus 11  is now complete, apart from containing comments from other commentators.  I have completed the weekly study of Exodus through chapter 11 and have integrated those notes back into Exodus 1-11, uploaded 12/16/2020  Exodus 1-40 are all nearly complete.  These chapters can be accessed through the (folder) or through the Links (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD).  This document has also been indexed, which means that the topics found in those chapters have been added to the Old Testament Topics and Doctrines document (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (this is the document that I go to in order to see if I have posted a particular doctrine or topic already). 12/16/2020
  

• Luke 1-16 are now uploaded.  It includes a complete, word-by-word exegesis, 3 original translations; original commentary; and I referenced 60+ other translations.  This includes some very difficult passages to interpret, including Jesus teaching, "Sell everything and give to the poor."  In Luke 13, Jesus discusses a current event, and then says that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.  In Luke 14, Jesus speaks to two very different groups of people, and delivers a number of parables which are carefully explained in the document posted.  I have increased the number of doctrinal terms included in Luke 14, and made these terms pair-wise hyperlinked, so that you can go back and forth between the text and the Dictionary of Terms.  Uploaded 10/29/2020, 11/7, 23, 30/2020  12/10/20  The entire Luke study is now 4900+ pages.  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)
  
• The Greek lexicon is updated (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); the list of Doctrinal Terms is updated (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  11/30/20
  

• I send out by email lessons in Exodus and Luke.  For some reason, Exodus lesson #133 was kicked back, after being sent and resent.  Therefore, I am posting Exodus Lessons 101-133.  Lessons #1-100 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Lessons #101-133 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  10/13/2020
  

• Luke 11 has just been uploaded.  It includes a complete, word-by-word exegesis, 3 original translations; original commentary; and I referenced 60+ other translations.  Uploaded 10/11/2020  322 pages.  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) 
  

• I just realized that I have not proofed my 3 original translations for the chapters in Exodus, so I am doing that now.   So far, Exodus1-10 and been proofed and a considerable amount of rewriting has been done in this chapters.  Uploaded 10/4-5/2020
  

• Exodus 10 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) is complete, apart from containing comments from other commentators.  I have completed the weekly study of Exodus through chapter 10 and have integrated those notes back into Exodus 10.  257 pages; uploaded 10/1/2020  Exodus 1-10 (folder) have now been indexed, which means that the topics found in those chapters have been added to the Old Testament Topics and Doctrines document (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (this is the document that I go to in order to see if I have posted a particular doctrine or topic already).
  

• Doctrines taken from the first 100 lessons of Luke: 4 Biographies of Jesus (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); Canonicity and Ancient Manuscripts (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); Israel and the Church (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); The Promised Messiah (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); Posted 9/26/202.  If these topics sound interesting, then try the Luke study, listed below:
  

• Basic Lessons for Luke #1-100 uploaded.  Each week, I send out lessons in the book of Luke and the book of Exodus.  This is different from the chapter studies below.  Each lesson in the weekly studies is 4-5 pages long and designed to be read at one sitting in 10-15 minutes.  The lessons are sent out by email to whomever requests them.  Periodically, I upload all of the lessons to date and post them.  These first lessons in Luke serve as an introduction to the New Testament gospels and specifically to the book of Luke.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  All of the weekly lessons to date (in Genesis, Exodus and Luke) can be found in this folder.  As these lessons are completed, the notes are transferred over into the chapter studies.  The weekly studies are designed for the average believer and Sunday School teachers.  The chapter-by-chapter studies are designed for research by pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, etc.  (9/26/2020)

• Socialism/Communism (a doctrine): Christianity faces two great international threats: socialism (communism) and Islam.  This recent study outlines the believer's place and involvement in the world, particularly in the United States, where socialism has gained such a foothold.  As a bonus, I will also present the actual difference between socialism and communism, something which is rarely understood.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  26 pages
  

• Leviticus chapters 1-12 are now uploaded.    This is a word-by-word, chapter-by-chapter study, fully exegeted in the Hebrew, and drawing upon 45+ translations.  This includes 2 sets of original commentary and 3 original translations.  Leviticus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  You can also access via the parent directory: http://kukis.org/Leviticus/  This study is now 1676 pages long.  Uploaded 9/20,21/2020.
  

• The List (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD) has been updated 9/6/2020.  This is a list of a great many doctrinal resources, such as churches, online exegetical studies of books of the Bibles and doctrines.  I concentrated on church and links to pages with doctrines.
  

• Doctrinal Terms and Concepts (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) has been updated.  This is a dictionary of doctrinal and theological terms with links.  9/6/2020
  

• The Sin unto Death (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) and The Priesthoods of Man and God (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) Updated9/6/2020

• Leviticus chapters 1-8 are now uploaded.  This is a word-by-word, chapter-by-chapter study, fully exegeted in the Hebrew, and drawing upon 45+ translations.  This includes 2 sets of original commentary and 3 original translations.  Leviticus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  This study is now 1123 pages long.  Uploaded between 7/12 and 8/15, 22, 27/2020.

• Basic lessons Exodus #1-125 are now posted online.  Lessons #1-100 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Lessons #101-125 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  These are the lessons which I send out once a week.  Each lesson is designed to be read in 10-15 minutes over morning coffee.  This takes us to middle of Exodus 10.  Posted 8/7/2020

• Exodus 38 and 39 and 40 are now uploaded.  The items necessary for worship are completed and brought to Moses.  Even though these chapters appear to repeat material given earlier in the book of Exodus, they are an important piece of the puzzle, and further proof that Moses wrote this material down while in the desert-wilderness with the children of Israel.  (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD) Posted 6/25 & 28/2020 and 7/5/2020.  The Exodus commentary is now nearing 8000+ pages.
  

• Psalm 91 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) is complete, with a full Hebrew exegesis along with a more thorough examination and references to 90+ translations and comments from 30+ commentators.  Includes 3 original translations and original commentary.  This is one of the most beloved and memorized psalms.  242 pages, and fully indexed. The updated Doctrinal Terms (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) and the Old Testament Topics (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) are also uploaded.  Uploaded 6/12/2020.

• Exodus 9 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) is complete, apart from containing comments from other commentators.  I have completed the weekly study of Exodus through chapter 9 and have integrated those notes back into Exodus 9.  296 pages; uploaded 6/7/2020
  

• The Doctrine of Tan and Tanniym (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  You may have read a translation of the Bible where there are dragons and sea monsters and other unusual animals.  These are the Hebrew words behind those animals. 5/6/2020
  

• Luke 2 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) is now online and more or less complete.  The Greek is fully exegeted, there are 3 original translations, there is a lot of original commentary (some dealing with topics in that chapter I have not seen elsewhere).  Included are samples taken from 100+ translations.  The only thing missing is extensive commentary from others.  391 pages; posted 5/3/2020. Some minor updating was done for Luke 3 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) and uploaded 5/4/2020.
  

• I previously had exegeted Psalm 12 back in 2007.  I went back and began to update it when it began to be taught at Berachah Church.  I have re-done/re-checked the basic exegesis and original translations, I have drawn from 90+ other translations; and have added the commentary in e-sword, and online commentary.   Now, this study of Psalm 12 is complete at 169 pages.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Uploaded 4/27/2020.  Old Testament topics (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) and Doctrinal Terms (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) have also been updated.
  

• The final group of doctrines from Exodus lessons 1-100 are uploaded.  The Doctrine of Free Will (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Inspiration and Canonicity (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The Doctrine of Redemption (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The Doctrine of the Slave Market of Sin (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The last two have some updates.  As an aside, I also updated some of the doctrines listed below.  All uploaded 4/23/2020.
  

• I am continuing to bring doctrines in from the Exodus study and posting them. The Doctrine of Divine Good is now posted, with work from two pastor-teachers (James Allen and LG Merritt) and the related doctrine God Produces Good from Man’s Free Will, Sin, and Failures  (a doctrine original with me) (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The Doctrine of Circumcision is reposted with several additions from the study of the book of Exodus  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD). The Doctrine of Socialism is reposted with some additional material  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  All uploaded 4/22/2020. 
  

• In doing exegetical studies, I have worked on a number of doctrines which were just posted.  The Doctrine of Moses (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (this contains 3 separate doctrines: the stages of Moses' life, Moses' conversion and spiritual life; and Moses as a type of Christ); the Doctrine of the Messiah (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (so far, this contains just the Messiah and the early Hebrew people), Typology (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (I appended this doctrine with Moses as a type of Christ and the Priesthood as a type of Messiah), the Doctrine of the Priesthoods (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (this contains 3 separate doctrines: The Priesthood of God; the Priesthood as a Type of Messiah; and "Christian" priesthoods); and the Name Hebrew (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (I have done this doctrine twice and put the two doctrines together).  Uploaded 4/21/2020.
  

• Some minor updating done to the Sins of the Tongue doctrine.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Uploaded 4/17/2020
  

• Basic Lessons for Luke #1-75 uploaded.  Each week, I send out lessons in the book of Luke and the book of Exodus.  This is different from the chapter studies below.  Each lesson in the weekly studies is 4-5 pages long and designed to be read at one sitting in 10-15 minutes.  The lessons are sent out by email to whomever requests them.  Periodically, I upload all of the lessons to date and post them.  These first lessons in Luke serve as an introduction to the New Testament gospels and specifically to the book of Luke.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  All of the weekly lessons to date (in Genesis, Exodus and Luke) can be found in this folder.  As these lessons are completed, the notes are transferred over into the chapter studies.  The weekly studies are designed for the average believer and Sunday School teachers.  The chapter-by-chapter studies are designed for research by pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, etc.  (4/3/2020)

• Updated Exodus 13, 20-24, rechecking and redoing parts of the translation.  Subtitles also added in.  3/31/2020   4/1-2, 5/2020 (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD) 

• Ecclesiastes 3 basic exegesis, 3 original translation, 90+ translations added; original commentary; and some traditional commentary have been added; 277 pages.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Uploaded 3/5, 10, 24, 27/2020.
  

• Psalm links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) are updated; the Old Testament Topics (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (this is an index of what has been covered in the OT chapters) are updated; and the Doctrinal terms list (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) is updated.  3/1/2020
  

• I previously had exegeted Psalm 7.  I went back and re-did the basic exegesis, and included 3 original translations, every Hebrew word and its morphology, and drew from 90+ other translations   A lot of commentary has been added.  Right now, it is 218 pages and essentially complete.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Uploaded 2/29/2020.

• Psalm Links Document: The Links document to the psalms was very hard to follow.  I designed a new one and have posted it.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Uploaded 2/20/20
  

• Basic lessons Exodus #1-100 are now posted online.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) These are the lessons which I send out once a week.  Each lesson is designed to be read in 10-15 minutes over morning coffee.  This study takes us to middle of Exodus 9.  It begins with Moses being born and takes us to the midst of the plagues which God brought upon Egypt.  Posted 2/19/2020

• I had some psalms mostly translated on my hard drive which I had not uploaded yet.  Most of them are fully translated with some commentary, but far from being finished.  Psalms 29  60  132  143  147  149  150  See http://kukis.org/Psalms/  At some point in time, I need to complete these psalms.  Also working on the Psalm Links document, which will be much easier to follow and find the posted psalms from.  Uploaded 2/18/2020
  

• Updates for the book of Exodus.  I am continuing to move forward in the book of  Exodus.  Exodus 1-8 (exegesis, 3 original translations, 3 sets of original notes, and a sampling from 90 other translations, some graphics; essentially complete);  Exodus 9-25 (exegesis, 3 original translations, 2 sets of notes, and a thorough sampling from 90 translations);  Exodus 26-37 (basic exegesis; 3 original translations, 10 other translations, 2 sets of original notes, some graphics) uploaded 12/30/2019, 1/6, 14, 16, 20, 24, 2/1/2020.  I also added many graphics to Exodus 28, which I think helps considerably.  I need to go back and consider adding graphics to the other chapters.  The exegetical study so far of Exodus is 7400 pages.   (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD) 
  

• Updates for the book of Luke: Luke 1 is about finished (excess translations not culled out; commentators not consulted); Luke 2-8 posted with word-by-word exegesis, original commentary, 3 original translations, 100+ translations.  Luke 9-10 posted with word-by-word exegesis, original commentary, 3 original translations.  Since I had trouble interpreting a portion of Luke 10, I consulted 2 doctrinal teachers (Dr. Dan Hill and Steve Ellis) along with Gary North and I have included much of their work in my study (all attributed, of course).  However, when it came to the interpretation, I eventually took a different route than they did.  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) (Folder).  In all, the study of Luke is now in excess of 3300 pages.  12/9/2019.

• I have updated The List  (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD) removing 2 churches from Texas and adding one.  11/13/2019

• Luke 1 is specifically found here: (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  566 pages; uploaded 10/28/2019.
  

• The weekly lessons of Luke #1-52 are now uploaded.  This is the entirety of Luke 1:1-80.  These are lessons which I mail out weekly (contact me if you would like to receive these each week).  All of Luke 1 is exclusive information, not found in the other gospels.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); uploaded 10/26/2019.. 270 pages.  Each lesson is designed to be read in 10-15 minutes, ideally over coffee each day.  If you use the WP document, then you will need to download it and change the extension to *.wpd.
  

• Luke 5 is posted with 100+ translations sampled.  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  291 pages   10/14/2019
  

• Notes from the Basic Exegesis study of Exodus have been transferred to Exodus 7 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  230 pages  10/5/2019
  

• Luke 7, 8, 9 have been posted.  This is the Greek exegesis, 3 original translations, original commentary, and 16 specific translations.  They may be accessed through these links: (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  263,  278, & 318 pages.  Uploaded 10/3/2019.
  

• Basic lessons Exodus #1-75 are now posted online.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) These are the lessons which I send out once a week.  Each lesson is designed to be read in 10-15 minutes over morning coffee.  This takes us to middle of Exodus 7.  Posted 8/21/2019
  

• I am continuing to move forward in Exodus.  Exodus 24-31 (basic exegesis; 3 original translations, 2 sets of original notes, some graphics) uploaded 7/23,31/2019 & 8/5,9,17,24,31/2019 & 9/2/2019.  I also added many graphics to Exodus 28, which I think helps considerably.  I need to go back and consider adding graphics to the other chapters.  The exegetical study so far of Exodus is 6100+ pages.   (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD)   I will probably next begin doing a few chapters of Luke.
  

• I believe that the Heritage Bible is one of the most readable Bibles available.  It used to be online, but the university where I believe it was developed has apparently died out.  I managed to use the "Wayback Machine" to find this excellent translation, and have stored it here on my website.  Interestingly enough, it carries the Catholic Imprimatur, although I do not find that affecting its translation or its notes (I have only gone through a few books so far).  As an aside, given the man defects of the Catholic Church, their accepted translations tend to be pretty good and reasonably accurate, in my opinion.  All of the books are separate and in a PDF format.  I have also uploaded the Christian Community Bible, which can still be found online.  That is posted here. Uploaded 7/15/2019.
  

• Each week, I send out 4-5 page lessons in Exodus; and once a chapter has been completed, those notes are transferred over to the chapter studies.  Exodus 1-6 now have those notes; Exodus 6 was uploaded 7/3/19  This is the 3rd set of commentary notes, which is essentially complete.  (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD)

• Exodus 19-23 (exegesis + 3 original translations + 90+ translations + 2 sets of original commentary) uploaded 6/27/19, 7/2,8,15,21/19.   Entire exegetical study of Exodus now at 5000 pages. (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

• Exodus 20, Exodus 21, Exodus 22 uploaded 6/13/2019.  Exodus 23 (uploaded 6/17/2019).  Basic word-by-word exegesis.  So far, the exegetical study of Exodus is approximately 4900 pages.  (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD)

• Exodus 19 (exegesis only + 3 original translations) uploaded 5/30/19.  Entire exegetical study of Exodus now at 4000 pages.
  

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

• Exodus 17 uploaded 5/26/19; Exodus 18 uploaded 5/26/19.  Basic word-by-word exegesis; two sets of original notes, 90+ translations.  So far, the exegetical study of Exodus is approximately 3600 pages.  (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD)

• Basic Lessons for Luke #1-25 uploaded.  Each week, I send out lessons in the book of Luke and the book of Exodus.  This is different from the chapter studies below.  Each lesson in the weekly studies is 4-5 pages long and designed to be read at one sitting in 10-15 minutes.  The lessons are sent out by email to whomever requests them.  Periodically, I upload all of the lessons to date and post them.  These first lessons in Luke serve as an introduction to the New Testament gospels and specifically to the book of Luke.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  All of the weekly lessons to date (in Genesis, Exodus and Luke) can be found in this folder.  As these lessons are completed, the notes are transferred over into the chapter studies.  The weekly studies are designed for the average believer and Sunday School teachers.  The chapter-by-chapter studies are designed for research by pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, etc.  (5/25/2019)

• Exodus 14, 15, 16 have been updated with 90+ additional translations, uploaded on 5/15/19.  So far, the exegetical study of Exodus is approximately 3900 pages.  (HTML)  (PDF)   (WPD) Or access all of Exodus using the folder http://kukis.org/Exodus/ 
  
• For those of you who want access to my WordPerfect notes, I have created a backup file, which I will update every year or so:.http://kukis.org/document_backup/   Each is a zipped file containing documents which I have been working on.  The zipped files may be as large as 100 mb, so downloading may take a little time to download.  I believe there are about 27 zipped files thus far.  For those who do not use WordPerfect, is is a superior and less expensive word processor than Word (and it will convert WP documents to Word documents, albeit imperfectly).  On ebay or Amazon, you should be able to find a recent version of WP for $30 or less (WP is now up to version X9 (19), and I would recommend that you get an X3 or above.
  

• 
  

  Genesis 33

  Jacob and his Family Return to Canaan/Jacob Meets Esau

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  
  

  20 years previous, Jacob escaped Canaan with his life, having just deceived his father in order to claim Esau’s blessings. When Esau found out, he was angry, threatening to kill Jacob at a later date.

  Here, the two brothers meet, both men separated from Isaac their father, and both men have apparently matured and put their past behind them. It was a congenial meeting between former rivals, despite Jacob’s apprehension the night before. In fact, Esau invites Jacob to join him in Seir, and Jacob appears to agree to this, but he goes in a different direction, remaining in the land promised to his father and grandfather.
  

  I this study, there are several examinations of Esau, determining as best as we can his thinking and motivation. Very few commentators give him any credit or respect. Speaking of commentators, most of them completely misunderstand Jacob wrestling the Angel of God in the previous chapter; and, therefore, they are confused about Jacob’s spiritual maturation level in this chapter.

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. About 50 commentaries have been consulted.
  

  Complete at 259 pages. Uploaded 4/22/2019.
  

• I am going to make all of my work available for download and update it every few years.  These are in a WordPerfect format, which can be opened in Word; but I strongly recommend that you get a copy of WordPerfect (12 or higher) (X9 is now the newest version) in order to open these documents up (you should be able to find an excellent version for under $20).  I write 3-5 hours each day, so I will try to update what is available every year or so.  All of the doctrines and exegesis which I have developed on my own or from other sources can be downloaded in this folder.  The folder is: http://kukis.org/document_backup/ and there are quite a number of files.  The chapter by chapter exegesis files have been added to this folder as well.  There may be several gigabytes altogether.
  

•  [Living the] Christian Life  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); Çâlal   (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD); Determining the Canon of the New Testament (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD), Commandments, Laws, Judgments, Ordinances and Statutes  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD), Christian Mechanics  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) all uploaded 4/1/2019. 

• The Ages of Man, where we synch of the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, etc. with various time periods and men in Scripture.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 3/29/2019
  
• One word which is translated "guilt" is the Hebrew word 'asham.  It is examined in great detail here.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 3/29/2019

• Five Stages of National Discipline (aka the 5 Cycles of Discipline).  These are the stages of discipline that a client nation to God goes through as it moves further and further away from God.  17 pages.  (HMTL)  (PDF)  (WPD)
  
• The Amarna Tablets  4 pages  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)
  
• The Doctrine of Aaron, father of the Levitical Priesthood.  12 pages.  (HMTL)  (PDF)  (WPD) Uploaded 3/28/2019
  

• Genesis 32 is complete.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)
  
• After sorting things out with his Uncle Laban, Jacob nears the Land of Promise, where he will see a large encampment of angels. What Jacob is anticipating is meeting up with his brother Esau, from whom he has been estranged. This chapter is all about Jacob’s anticipation and worries. He gives a most marvelous prayer, and then he falls back to his customary manipulative behavior. Finally, because Jacob has spent so much of his life in conflict with Y^ehowah, he will find himself actually wrestling with the Lord for hours right before dawn.
  

  Readers (and commentators) can be easily confused by Gen. 32, because this is Jacob acting positively schizophrenic. On the one hand, he prays this most marvelous prayer to God; and on the other hand, he keeps trying to solve his own problems with human viewpoint solutions. In a sense, he finds himself in conflict with God—does he depend upon God or does he search for a human viewpoint solution to the problems in his life? In his own soul, Jacob cannot seem to decide, does he place his faith in God or in himself? He is wrestling in his own soul and God brings this point home by actually wrestling with Jacob in his real life. In any given circumstance, will Jacob be guided by his sin nature or will God prevail [= Israel] over Jacob’s sin nature?

  This is one of the most misunderstood chapters in Scripture. Commentators try to present Jacob entering into spiritual maturity after seeing the angels at Mahanaim and then even more so after wrestling with the Lord. The key to understanding this chapter is actually just the opposite. Even though God allows Jacob to see the encampment of angels, that only takes Jacob so far in his confidence level (when he hears that Esau is traveling with 400 men, he becomes panicked). Jacob prays a wonderful prayer to God, but then, returns to his own way of doing things right afterwards. For this reason, God will meet with Jacob and face him off in a fight; and that experience will give Jacob the strength to meet face to face with his brother—but it won’t be long before he fails again. Experiences in life can only take a man so far, even if these experiences include direct contact with God.
  

  There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Genesis. This will be the most extensive examination of Genesis 32, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided. Uploaded 3/21/2019  395 pages
  

• Basic Lessons for Luke #1-14 uploaded.  Each week, I send out lessons in the book of Luke and the book of Exodus.  This is different from the chapter studies below.  Each lesson in the weekly studies is 4-5 pages long and designed to be read at one sitting in 10-15 minutes.  The lessons are sent out by email to whomever requests them.  Periodically, I upload all of the lessons to date and post them.  These first lessons in Luke serve as an introduction to the New Testament gospels and specifically to the book of Luke.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD-ZIP).  All of the weekly lessons to date (in Genesis, Exodus and Luke) can be found in this folder.  As these lessons are completed, the notes are transferred over into the chapter studies.  The weekly studies are designed for the average believer and Sunday School teachers.  The chapter studies are designed for research by pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, etc.  (3/1/2019)
• Basic lessons for Exodus #1-50 are now posted online.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD-ZIP)  (2/27/2019)
  

• Updates: 90+ translations added to Exodus 9 (1/9/19), Exodus 10, Exodus 11 (1/17/19); Exodus 12; Exodus 13 (2/4/13); and notes from weekly Bible lessons transferred to Exodus 4 (1/9/19).  Exodus 5 (2/27/2019).
  

• Exodus 16 uploaded on 12/27/18; Exodus 17 uploaded 12/30/18; Exodus 18 uploaded 1/4/19.  Basic word-by-word exegesis; two sets of original notes.  So far, the exegetical study of Exodus is approximately 3600 pages.  (HTML)  (PDF)

• Word-by-word, verse-by-verse exegesis of Luke chapters 1-7.  Access via Luke Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Luke folder)  Uploaded 11/12/2018, 11/25/18, 12/14/2018, and 1/10/19.  
  

• The Pronunciation of God's Old Testament Name  There has been a great deal of discussion over the centuries about the correct pronunciation of God’s proper name in the Old Testament (which is also called the Tetragrammaton).  In fact, one cult was seemingly built upon this notion.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses did not actually discover anything new about the pronunciation; but they did find out that wherever we find the word Lord in our Bibles, that stands in for YHWH.  This is never a secret in theological circles.
  We are going to examine several topics in this study: how the pronunciation of God’s name was lost to history; what about the fad of writing G-d rather than God; and what I believe is a reasonable guess as to the way that the ancients pronounced His Name.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Uploaded 10/3/2018
  

• The List is updated; one new church added; several "X-ed" out.  Also, I have included a personal testimony on God's geographical will.  (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD). 9/23/2018

• For those who have studied under R. B. Thieme, Jr., you have been blessed by his dynamic and substantive teaching over a period of 50 years at Berachah Church, I have a treat for you.   Someone--not me--has collected and organized some of Bob's notes.  I have saved them here in an 80 mb zip file.  You would place this either on your harddrive or on a storage drive and unzip it to any folder that you like ("Bob's notes" or whatever).  Then go to that folder and open "Index" in your browser.  That will give you easy access to his NT, OT notes, the doctrines that he developed, and the charts he drew.  It is my recommendation that, for the most part, you listen to his MP3 lessons from R. B. Thieme, Jr. Ministries; but this will provide you easy access to his translation of verses and his explanation of doctrines.  http://kukis.org/Notes/RBThiemeJr./   The person that I got this from said that he spoke personally to Bob, many many years ago at a conference and asked about sharing notes, and Bob said that was fine.  I think Bob's main concern was people taking the work that he did, repackaging it, and then selling it (either in book form or as a pay-for conference).
  

• Every week, I mail out a new short lesson on the book of Exodus (usually 4-5 typewritten pages designed to be read in 10-20 minutes.  These first 25 lessons are now posted online.  Uploaded Sept. 19, 2018.
  

• Exodus Lessons 1–100 HTML

  Exodus Lessons 1–100 PDF

  Exodus Lessons 1–100 WPD

• Ecclesiastes 2  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)   Pleasure, Production, Possessions and Progeny

  There is a key to Solomon’s reasoning and the conclusions which he draws (which conclusions theologians have struggled with for centuries). One of the early doctrines of this chapter is Through Solomon’s Eyes; and this introductory doctrine will clear up a great many problems of interpretation.

  Solomon began his great experiments in search of happiness in Ecclesiastes 1 and continues them into the second chapter. He tries pleasures of various kinds, building, and the accumulation of possessions. None of these approaches offer Solomon any happiness or contentment.
  

  In fact, his lack of contentment so disturbs him that he begins to consider his most fundamental point: wisdom vs. foolishness; surely wisdom is better. However, now at this point in Solomon’s life, even he is not certain of that axiomatic position. He believes himself to be wise, but is that really an advantage, he asks. After all, the wise man and the fool will both die; and, at some point, they will both be forgotten, as if they never lived.

  Furthermore, Solomon realizes that, no matter how much he produces in this life, he will leave it all to a man (his successor) who may be lazy and worthless. Several times in this chapter, Solomon concludes his life to be empty and chasing after wind.
  

  Topics which naturally arise from the material include: happiness through the accumulation of things; whether short-term stimulation be perpetuated into long-term contentment; the enjoyment of common earthly pleasures and how there is no lasting happiness to be found here; and the simple pleasures to come from the hand of God. We discuss pleasures and endeavors found today that Solomon was unable to tap into (such as, pot, CD’s, movies and iphones); and if indulging in those things bring any sort of lasting happiness. We discuss pleasure and the Christian way of life. We see how, through the study of Solomon and David’s marriages, how these foreshadow the welfare mother of today. We examine the lousy job that both David and Solomon did in raising their own sons. If fact, Solomon is so disappointed with his own sons that he is angry that one of them will inherit all that he has.

  We study a variety of topics in this chapter: contemporary spiritual teachers trying to be too contemporary or too cool; the faithfulness of the pastor with a small congregation; the fact that we will, at some point, interact with God’s justice, whether Jesus is our Savior or our Judge; crude comedians; the unhappiness found in the United States of America (which is the greatest and most blessed nation in human history); the pursuit of one’s vocational passion in life; modern-day building projects; consumerism today; comparing our wealth today to Solomon; the frantic search for happiness; attempting to manage our happiness with psychotropic drugs; the potential contentment of the contemporary believer in Jesus Christ; your work today and your legacy; and the minimal requirements for the believer today.
  
  

  Ecclesiastes—the Meaning of Life (a graphic); from Prettygate Baptist Church; accessed September 7, 2018.

  
  

  Ecclesiastes 2 was written 3000 years ago. It could not be more up-to-date. Complete at 408 pages. Uploaded 9/14/2018
  

• Exodus 02  The First 40 Years of Moses' Life Word-by-word Hebrew exegesis; 3 original translations; 90+ translations; and 2 sets of original notes. 
  

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  228 pages  Uploaded 9/6/2018
  

• Exodus 11-15 uploaded on 8/14/18; Basic word-by-word exegesis; two sets of original notes.  So far, the exegetical study of Exodus is approximately 2800 pages.  (HTML)  (PDF)
  

• Ecclesiastes Introduction (HTML) (PDF) (WPD—zipped).

  Ecclesiastes is a unique book in the Bible, and people over the years have questioned its point of view, as, many times in this book, there are strikingly non-doctrinal statements made. Eccles. 9:2 comes to mind: All share a common destiny--the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. Or Eccles. 3:19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. (NIV) The humanist and the atheist might read these statements and think, that’s alright; maybe the Bible is right now and again! But for the Christian, these statements are quite another thing. Even the casual reader of Ecclesiastes, if he is a Christian, is going to come upon passages which don’t fit in with the rest of the Bible. However, all of this can be easily explained.
  

  We studied a few things in 1Kings 9 which, by themselves, do not mean much, but taken together, suggest that Solomon is veering away from God’s plan. However, when we come to 1Kings 11, there is no question that Solomon has become the proverbial prodigal son. [Solomon] had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD... (1Kings 11:3–9a; ESV; capitalized)

  There is no other book like Ecclesiastes in the Bible; and this may be the book which opens the door for some of your unbelieving friends.
  

  At this point, very incomplete, missing most of the links in the table of contents.

• Ecclesiastes 1 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD—zipped). All is Vanity Under the Sun

  Ecclesiastes 1 begins with the author of the book, its title and its theme (as well as a preliminary conclusion). Solomon, at some stage in his life, began to move away from God’s guidance and God’s wisdom. We saw clues of Solomon’s departure from divine viewpoint in 1Kings 9; but this defection from the truth becomes much more apparent in the first 10 verses of 1Kings 11. The book of Ecclesiastes does not reference anything in Kings; we simply review these passages in Kings to understand how a man of Solomon’s great wisdom can go so far afield.
  

  In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon essentially tries to find happiness and contentment in the ecumenical world that he had established in his households, seeing that his wives and mistresses worshiped a plethora of gods. Surely, he thinks, we are all rational human beings; is there not a set of beliefs which we can all understand and to which we might all subscribe?

  We already know that Solomon was a pretty smart guy. His wisdom is testified to 1Kings 3:5–14 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) 4:29–31 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) and exemplified in his writing of the book of Proverbs. See Proverbs Links (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) (Folder). But let’s say that you take a man of Solomon’s caliber and allow him to pursue the knowledge and philosophies of this world; and to seek happiness in what the world provides. What would be the result? That is the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon had the desire as well as the means to seek happiness and wisdom right here on earth. If that can be done, then, why not? Why not allow every man to reach his full potential in this life? So Solomon made a serious search for the most modern solutions (of his era) and not be bound by the God of those shepherds so many centuries ago.
  

  In Ecclesiastes 1, Solomon begins by making a few simple observations to which every man of his era could agree. This is his kicking off point, which will, he hopes, lead him to some universal truths, concerning which, every man could also agree. Generations come and go, but the earth is forever; the sun rises every morning, and sets every evening; the winds blow, one day from this direction, the next day from that; and the rivers run into the ocean, but the ocean never fills up. Now, strictly speaking, the Christian or the scientist might quibble with aspects of Solomon’s postulates, but the exegete is not bound to force an agreement between Solomon’s statements here and the Bible elsewhere, because Solomon presents his findings and conclusions as a man under the sun. In fact, Solomon is forced to conclude on many occasions that everything is just a breath of breaths; it is all empty, translucent and transitory. So we are not forced to agree with Solomon at every juncture; we simply accompany him on his journey to find truth and contentment on this earth.
  

  
  

  His first experiment is recorded in the second half of Ecclesiastes 1, where Solomon is not simply wise, but he is able to pursue wisdom as no man had done before. No doubt, Solomon had one of the most marvelous libraries of the ancient world; and we might ask, just how many wise men did he invite to his kingdom so that he might pick their brains? But, in the end, he concludes, I have spoken to my heart saying, “Look, I have acquired greater wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My mind has seen great wisdom and knowledge.” So I applied my heart to know wisdom and also madness and folly. I came to understand that this also was an attempt to shepherd the wind. For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. (Eccles. 1:16–18; ULLB)

• Exodus 1 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD-zipped) has been updated with a second set of original notes.  6/21/18
  

• 1Kings 4 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD-zipped). updated with information about the categories of wisdom possessed by Solomon.  This explains the wisdom spoken of found in this chapter, in Proverbs and in Ecclesiastes.  6/21/2018.
  

• 1Kings 9 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD—zipped). God Appears to Solomon/Solomon’s Building Projects 
  

  This chapter begins with a very cohesive message from God to Solomon (and to all subsequent kings)—God begins confirming His promises to King David, but that leads into a solemn warning given to a man who is almost imperceptively going off course from the plan of God.

  What follows are a variety of topics related to Solomon’s building and his means to accomplish these projects, interspersed with mentions of Hiram and Solomon’s Egyptian wife. All of these topics are actually quite cohesive, although it would not seem to be to the casual reader. The NIV Study Bible does a very good job of pulling together a number of what appear to be random historical facts; and I will, in the addendum, explain why Hiram and Solomon’s Egyptian wife figure so prominently into this chapter.
  

  Further, it is easy to miss the big picture and to not completely understand the purpose of this and the previous 2 chapters. What takes place in these chapters is directly related to the joy and happiness of the people of God (1Kings 8:66: On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.—ESV); and I do not believe that any other commentator adequately explains why they are happy (at the end of 1Kings 8) nor do they understand how this is related to us as believers in the 21^st century. At the end of this chapter, I will give you the big picture and tie the things of these 3 chapters together.

  There are some very important topics discussed in this chapter. Do personal interactions with God improve a person's spiritual life? Breathing and Bible doctrine. David and Solomon taking in the Word of God. Wealth is transitory and relative. Solomon’s Influences. We learn a lot about Solomon’s spiritual life in this chapter; although it is not clearly discussed.
  

  Basic exegesis, 3 original translations, and 90+ translations. 352 pages.  Uploaded 5/11/2018
  

•  1Kings 8 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD—zipped).                             King Solomon Dedicates the Completed Temple
  

  We have spent two chapters on the building of the Temple and Solomon’s palace. In this chapter—clearly a follow-on to what came before—we witness the inaugural celebration of the Temple, with Solomon overseeing all of it, offering up the message and the prayer for that day.

  
  

  Despite the dates given in the chapter, we do not know exactly when this celebration occurred—most assume that it took place 11 months after the Temple had been completed. A few others have suggested that this service occurred after all of the building had taken place, based upon the first section of 1Kings 9 (which we will discuss in both chapters 8 & 9).

  Whereas the previous two chapters were filled with building terms and construction; this chapter is primarily one of praise and celebration to God, which many doctrinal things being taught by a very wise Solomon.
  
  
  

  In 1Kings 8, the Temple is open for business. The Ark of God is transported to the Temple and placed inside, and then Solomon leads a great worship service at the Temple, featuring one of the longest recorded sermons and the second longest prayer, all delivered by Solomon.

  We learn many things in this chapter, among them: the Hebrew people always had a sophisticated understanding of God; God’s essence was not something which evolved over time. What Solomon taught in this message was very similar to what Moses taught—we can in fact observe the many overlaps. Like all of God’s miracles, the manifestation of God’s Presence (His Shekinah Glory) was crowd-specific. All those who could see the Temple could see the manifestation of God. Also, we see in David and Solomon, very specific types of the Messiah.
  

  Complete at 636 pages. Uploaded 4/8/2018
  

• The List if partially updated down as far as Nebraska.  The List (links to doctrinal churches and doctrinal resources) has been updated.  (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD). 3/25/2018

• Christianity is Based Upon Old Testament Y^ehowah Worship
  Also known as Old Testament Christianity; or the Continuity between the Old and New Testaments.  There is the confused notion by some that the Old Testament teaches Judaism and that the New Testament teaches Christianity. This is untrue. Orthodox Christianity is firmly based upon the Old Testament and Old Testament Y^ehowah Worship.  This doctrine compares the fundamental doctrines of Christianity to their origins found in the Old Testament.
  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  Updated 3/25/2018

• Additional notes added to Genesis 50 on 3/20/18 
  

  Genesis 50

  Jacob’s Burial; Joseph Allays the Fears of His Brothers; Joseph’s Death

  Exegesis, 90+ translations, notes from Genesis & Basic Exegesis

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD-zipped)

  193 pages

• A new Bible Chart (#2) where 20 or so translations or versions of the Bible are compared side-by-side with regards to formatting and several other issues (accuracy, readability, availability, etc.).   (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD--zipped); uploaded 3/13/2018
  

• Jesus Christ, Our Mediator (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD--zipped).  The Doctrine of the Mediatorship of Jesus Christ.  8 pages; posted March 10, 2018.
  

• The List (links to doctrinal churches and doctrinal resources) has been updated.  (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD).  February 18, 2018.
  

• The Uniqueness of God  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  3 pages; added February 18, 2017
  

• Additional notes added to Genesis 49 on 2/14/18 
  

  Genesis 49

  Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

  Exegesis, 90+ translations, notes from Genesis & Basic Exegesis.

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  268 pages

• 1Kings 7 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).                                 Solomon’s Palace Completed;

  Temple Furniture Constructed

  This entire chapter is devoted to Solomon’s continued building projects (specifically the palace and homes for himself and his Egyptian queen); and to the manufacture of the furniture and furnishings for the Temple. As in the previous chapter, there are a great many technical building terms, and it is very easy to get lost in the language used (as well as in the possible problems with the text). For some people, massive building projects are no more interesting than genealogical lists; for others like myself, I enjoy the concept of these things being built and us being there by means of this literature; but I did become frustrated by the difficulties of the text.
  

  It may be helpful to bear in mind that most buildings have elements which are practical and others which are aesthetically pleasing.

  
  
  

  There is one controversy squarely dealt with—the diameter and circumference of the great basin are given, and this is seen by some as a great scientific confirmation in the Bible; and others as an example of a mathematical mistake made in the Bible. It is actually neither and this will be explained more fully—along with an additional related concept not found anywhere else.

  
  

  Quite frankly, there will be times when there is entirely too much slogging through this or that phrase. If you come to a difficult phrase and you think, I don’t really care what exactly this means; then you can easily skip over the opinions of 3 or 10 commentators who have tried to make sense of it, as they will all be gathered together in a box which may be easily passed over (just as the Hebrew exegesis can be skipped over throughout).

  There are a few other difficulties related to this chapter which have been sorted out (the altar in the Temple; the number of altars overall). On the other hand, I had tremendous difficulty translating some of the passages here. Much of this has been sorted out, with one very important different take on one verse (which appears to differ from all other translations).
  

  The Furniture of the Tabernacle (a graphic); from Pinterest; accessed January 26, 2018.

  God had Adam and the woman work with their surroundings to make them to their liking; something which is legitimate for us to do (within reason). Some of the topics included in this chapter are: the Temple/Tabernacle furniture and their significance; a comparison of the Temple and the Tabernacle; nationalism; and Idolatry and the Temple/Tabernacle Furniture.
  

  Complete at 489 pages. Some updates to 1Kings 6.  Uploaded 2/13/18
  

• The Biblical View of Nationalism and Patriotism (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD--zipped) 
  

  In looking to find a short Biblical blurb on nationalism, which is a very Christian concept, I came across 2 or 3 articles which got this concept exactly wrong: Is an America-First Doctrine Actually Biblical? (from Relevant, which is, apparently, millennial Christianity, as far as I can figure out). The second article is Patriotism and Christianity, from Bible Studies—Transformed by the Truth (which is apparently the doctrinal arm of Christianity Today, which was once a fairly accurate magazine). These articles are clearly influenced by current liberal political thought, which have allowed those who know very little to define or set the parameters for their so-called Christian doctrine.

  The believer enjoying spiritual growth will transform his mind, so that we learn to think like God thinks (Rom. 12:2 1Cor. 2:16). That is very different from the way that the world thinks (Isa. 55:8). Too many churches today seem to want to pull in the millennials by trying to find points of intersection by which they might bring them into the fold. However, the points of intersection which I often see are not Biblical, but a distortion of various Bible passages.

  This article will attempt to correct the mistaken notion that somehow putting your nation first is an affront to Christian doctrine.  Uploaded Jan. 21, 2018.  24 pages.
  

• The Divine Institutions (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD--zipped). Updated and uploaded Jan. 21, 2018  40 pages.
  

• 1Kings 7	Solomon’s Palace, Temple and Temple Furniture Are Completed	Basic exegesis, 3 original translations; 90+ translations.	(HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	288
  1Kings 8	King Solomon Dedicates the Completed Temple	Basic exegesis, 3 original translations; 90+ translations	(HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	423
  1Kings 9	God Appears to Solomon/Solomon’s Projects	Basic exegesis, 3 original translations; 90+ translations	(HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	217

• 1Kings 7-9 uploaded Dec. 19, 2017  WordPerfect files are zipped.
  
• Lessons #1-475 on Genesis now uploaded.  This is a study of the book of Genesis, but without all of the detail found in the chapter-by-chapter study.  Uploaded 12/7/2017 
  

  Genesis Lessons 401–500 HTML

  Genesis Lessons 401–500 PDF

  Genesis Lessons 401–500 WPD

• Additional notes added to Gen.47 and 48 12/7/2017
  

  Genesis 47

  Pharaoh Welcomes Joseph’s Family/The Famine Continues

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  
  

  Joseph brings his family into Egypt permanently in Gen. 47, introducing them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh assigns to his family the land of Goshen, which is apparently not too far from the palace of Pharaoh.

  The famine continues in the land, and Joseph continues to sell the available grain, eventually taking the people of Egypt and their lands for Pharaoh. The priests of the land were not subject to these payments. Joseph institutes what is essentially an income tax in perpetuity.
  

  Jacob, near the end of his life, makes Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan. This final section might have been better placed with Gen. 48.

  Basic exegesis; original 3 translations. Exegesis, 90+ translations, original notes from the basic exegesis, and notes from Genesis. 249 pages.
  

  Genesis 48

  Jacob Blesses the Sons of Joseph

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  In Gen. 48, Jacob blesses Joseph’s two sons, but placing the younger brother before the older.
  

  Basic exegesis; original 3 translations. Exegesis, 90+ translations, original notes from the basic exegesis, notes from Genesis. 182 pages.

• Exodus 9-10 initial exegesis uploaded 12/2/2017.
  

• Exodus 9

  Livestock, Boils and Hail Plagues

  Word-by-word Hebrew exegesis; 3 original translations; original notes.

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  176 pgs

• Exodus 10

  The Plagues of Locusts and Darkness

  Word-by-word Hebrew exegesis; 3 original translations; original notes.

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  161 pgs

• 1Kings 9 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). God Appears to Solomon/Solomon’s Projects
  

  Basic exegesis, 3 original translations, and 90+ translations. 217 pages.  Uploaded 11/28/17
  

• 
  

  Genesis 31

  Jacob Leaves Laban’s Compound

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPDzip)

  
  

  Jacob has worked for Laban for 20 years and it has become clear to him that his work and his faithfulness are not really valued by his employer. Furthermore, God has told Jacob to take his family back to the land of Canaan. Genesis 31 is all about circumstances and dream from God which will guide Jacob to move his family back to the Land of Promise. Unfortunately, Jacob will use his tried and (un) true approach of deception and sneakiness. He convinces his wives to leave with him (which does not require much convincing); so they sneak out of Haran, having a 3-day

  

  head start. However, Laban, when he sees that Jacob has left with his family, and that his deity figurines are missing as well, chases down Jacob and catches up to him in the hill country of Gilead (which is east of the Jordan River). The end of this chapter is their final confrontation where both men air out their grievances with one another, and then manage to find a way to go their separate ways, establishing a non-aggression pact (covenant) between them.

  The following studies and short doctrines are found in Genesis 31: The Doctrine of Envy; What God Achieved in Jacob's Life; Standards of Behavior Agreed to before the Mosaic Law; When Societal Norms Change; What about Jesus' warning not to judge?; When the most fundamental laws are changed; The Husband's Responsibility in Marriage; and Romans 8:28 in the Life of Jacob; The Wealth Inequality Movement and Socialism/Communism; Standards of Behavior Agreed to before the Mosaic Law;
  

  There are some important applications, which come about as a result of Jacob’s polygamous marriage. First, we have to determine just how sinful his polygamy was (if at all—many commentators think this is the worst thing ever that Jacob has done). But then we have some interesting applications. Let’s say you are in a polygamous marriage and 1 or more in the marriage believe in Jesus Christ. What happens next? Let’s say you are in a gay marriage, and 1 or both people believe in Jesus Christ—what then? Also discussed in this chapter, relating the envy of Laban’s sons and how this relates to the current 99% versus the 1% movement. Another topic which you may relate to is, what do you do when you have a bad job and/or a bad boss (as Jacob did). We also examine the problem of, When Societal Norms Change. A little speculation was done on, Was Laban willing to execute one of his daughters? We study, Human works in the plan of God; technology in Communist/socialist countries; will Rachel die the sin unto death; most of us are more blessed than we realize; and American society and homosexual attractions.

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, 3 sets of original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. About 50 commentaries are consulted. Complete at 620 pages.  Uploaded 11/9/2017
  

• Basic Exegesis notes transferred over to Genesis 46  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  Uploaded 10/4/2017.  Now 214 pages.
  

• 
  

  Genesis 30

  Jacob Sires More Children/An Agreement with Laban

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  Genesis 30 can be broken down into two sections: (1) The sons born to Jacob in Haran and (2) the labor agreement entered into between Laban (management) and Jacob (contract worker). Although there is an odd continuity between these topics, they would have more logically been separated into two chapters. In fact, both Genesis 29 and 30 are oddly divided. Jacob begins to sire children by Leah near the end of Gen. 29 and this is continued into Gen. 30, along with fathering children by Rachel and by the personal maids of Leah and Rachel. The final 6 verses of Gen. 29 should have been combined with the first 24 verses of Gen. 30, and a chapter assembled devoted strictly to the sons of Jacob.
  

  The latter half of Gen. 30 (vv. 25–43) outlines an agreement that Jacob and Laban came to regarding Jacob’s future wages; and both men try to cleverly improve on their part of the agreement.

  This chapter is often noted by critics of the Bible for two reasons: (1) Jacob marries more than one woman and is coerced into impregnating his wives’ personal servants; and (2) Jacob apparently has some odd breeding theories which he puts into practice (these theories would not have been unusual for his day and time). Proponents of gay marriage point to Jacob’s polygamous marriage and conclude, “If he can marry more than one woman, then two men can marry.” Critics point to Jacob’s breeding schemes and say, “This is stupid and unscientific and it is in the Bible!” These objections will be met head-on and explained within the exegesis of this chapter.
  

  There are two odd topics found in this chapter, which are closely related. Rachel attempts to use mandrakes in order to cause a child to be born to her; and Jacob cuts up branches and places them in the water of Laban’s sheep and goats, hoping to affect their breeding outcomes. Both of these schemes have caused commentators no little consternation over the years—why is this goofy stuff found in the Bible? As we will find, these two odd topics are very closely related and teach us a marvelous bit of doctrine. I believe that the development of this particular relationship is unique to this commentary.

  
  
  

  Jacob’s Goats (a photo); from The Scripture Says.org; accessed September 15, 2017. Because of this incident, oddly-colored goats are often called Jacob’s goats in the Middle Eastern world.

  
  

  Also, I believe that this chapter is key to explaining why Joseph is so different from his older brothers. Why does he have personal integrity when they seem to have none? There are many clues in this chapter. This is also unique to this chapter, but the germ of this idea came from Milton Spenser Terry and Fales H. Newhall (two men you have never heard of), whose work is found in Whedon's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments.

  Quite frankly, you will be hard-pressed to find another chapter in the Bible with as many applications to real life as will be discussed in this chapter.
  

  Complete at 433 pages.

• Doctrine of the Pivot  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  The greatest flood disaster in the history of the United States occurred August 25–31, 2017.  What was quite amazing about this disaster is, although the flooding and damage from rain was horrendous, about 95% or more of the people in the Houston area continued to have electricity.  That was grace from God in a monumental disaster.
  
  In watching the reports of Hurricane Harvey, and seeing the eye of this massive hurricane and the mighty storms which are spun off, it reminded me of the Doctrine of the Pivot, which R. B. Thieme, Jr. taught; the pivot of mature believers and the spinoff of the reversionist believers.  This is where we are in this nation and where we are in the Houston area.  Posted 8/28/17
  

• The Seed of the Woman  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The sin nature is passed down genetically by the man, as the man sinned against God knowing what he was doing.  The woman was deceived.  A child born from a woman only would not have a sin nature.  The fact that a virgin gave birth to the Lord was not simply a matter of fulfilling a prophecy; but it was also necessary so that the Lord was born apart from the imputation of sin.  This doctrine begins in Gen. 3; is found in Isaiah, in two gospels, and Paul speaks of it as well.  It is an amazing doctrine, which retains consistency over a period of 2000 years; and not fully developed until long after the completion of the New Testament.  Uploaded August 21, 2017.
  

• 
  

  Genesis 29

  Jacob Marries Both Leah and Rachel; and Sires Four Sons

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  Uploaded August 21, 2017.
  
  

  In Gen. 29, Jacob arrives at his destination in Padan-aram, coming upon some shepherds who know Laban (Jacob’s uncle) and the Laban family. When discussing the use of the well, Rachel, Jacob’s first cousin, comes onto the scene, leading a flock of sheep. Jacob tells her who he is and she runs back to her family to tell her father. Her father immediately comes out to meet Jacob, to invite him into their home.

  
  

  A month goes by and Jacob is apparently helping with the sheep and Laban’s ranch, and Laban asks what he would like to be paid. Jacob suggests that he work for 7 years in order to marry Rachel, with whom he was in love. Laban accepts this offer.

  7 years later, Laban throws a wedding party for Jacob, and, at the end, Jacob goes to the bed of his new bride. In the morning, Jacob awakens to find that he has married Leah, the older sister, and not Rachel. He goes immediately to Laban and confronts him, and Laban gives him a phony excuse. Laban proposes that Jacob work another 7 years, and that he would also be allowed to marry Rachel. Jacob agrees to this. At the end of Gen. 29, Leah has given birth to 4 of Jacob’s sons.
  

  One dispute out there in the theological world is, how old is Jacob at this time? Whereas I expected this to be a very difficult question, it is not (as long at you are not expecting a specific and definitive answer). The issues here are not complex.

  An important topic of discussion is, Jacob’s spiritual growth or lack thereof. We know what Jacob was like—he was a scheming manipulator. However, before leaving the land of Canaan, Jacob had a meeting with God (Gen. 28). This certainly impacted his life. The question is, how much? In the theological world, there has been a lot of discussion of this. And, related to that question is, how much growth or impact does personal interaction with God do for us? That is, why doesn’t God appear to me and give me a spiritual boost?
  

  This leads us to consider the fact that there are some believers who somehow think that they got the short end of the stick, because they have been born into a time where they will never hear Jesus teach the sermon on the mount or one of His many parables; and we will never have some great vision of God where God speaks to us from heaven. On the contrary, that is what is amazing about living in the Church Age—we have all of that and more in our lives! Right now is the greatest time for the believer to be alive! We have it better than Peter and John did, who learned Bible doctrine directly from Jesus Christ. This will be one of the very important topics of discussion in this chapter, and one which few teachers discuss. Too many believers today are trying to recreate Pentecost; are trying to present our God as a God Who is doing many visible miracles today. Their approach to the Christian life means that they neuter themselves.

  Another issue of interest is, we know in this chapter that Laban intentionally deceived Jacob, so that Jacob ended up marrying both of Laban’s daughters. An unanswered (and often, unasked) question is, what part did Leah and Rachel play in the deception of Jacob? I attempt to answer this question (although that will require some speculation).
  

  It is also fascinating that the first 4 sons of Leah both parallel the events of the Exodus and the gospel message.

  Finally, the text of this chapter, combined with the narrative in later chapters, suggests to me how the book of Genesis was written. At a point in this chapter, I will give what I believe is a unique explanation as to how Genesis was compiled.
  

  Complete at 397 pages.

• Genesis 28 Isaac Sends Jacob to the East/Jacob's Ladder (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). This is complete and uploaded (I have been working on this chapter off and on since 2013).  Uploaded July 19,2017.
  
  

  In Gen. 27, it has been determined that Jacob will go east to marry a woman from their family rather than a Canaanite woman, as his brother Esau had married. Gen. 28 begins with his father, Isaac, giving him a blessing before he goes—a blessing which recognizes Jacob as being the line of God’s promise.
  

  Esau, his twin brother, takes notice of this and the importance of marrying someone from the family, so, even though he was already married to two women of Canaan, Esau then married a daughter of Ishmael (Isaac’s half brother). One thing that I have observed is, some commentators make an attempt to tell you why Esau was a terrible person and why Jacob was a pretty good guy; and so, God chose Jacob and did not choose Esau for the line of promise. This is simply incorrect and there are problems with both men. Twice in Scripture, God says, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This verse is correctly explained within this chapter.
  

  Meanwhile, Jacob traveled north, going through Luz, where he had a dream-vision of angels going from earth to heaven and back again; and God is above all of this (this is often referred to as Jacob’s ladder). God speaks to Jacob and gives him the promises previously delivered to Abraham and to Isaac; and then God promises to be with Jacob wherever he goes; and that He would bring Jacob back to this land.

  When Jacob awakens the next morning, he is amazed at the place where he is, and renames it Bethel (which means, house of God). At the end of this chapter, Jacob makes a vow to God about tithing. Many commentators do not appear to get Jacob, and he is given far too much credit for his spiritual perspicacity. Remember, Jacob had only just left his family a day or so after he had gone to great lengths to deceive his own father in order to get a better blessing than his brother. He has not changed dramatically in the space of a few days. This chapter allows us, to a limited degree, to get into Jacob’s head. This study attempts to do that, without assuming too much.
  

  There are a lot of fascinating topics which are brought up in this chapter. Have you ever seen someone spell God as G-d or as G*d? This will be explained. Jacob has quite a wild vision, of angels going up and down some sort of ladder/elevator/escalator; after this vision, God tells Jacob what he needs to know. So, why the vision of the angels? What was that all about? Jesus suggests that one of His disciples might have a vision similar to what Jacob saw; so why did He say that? In this and the previous chapter, Jacob was blessed three times. What is that all about and what are we to make of it?

  There is a great deal of supplementary material covered in this chapter. Many have alleged that the Bible is filled with contradictions—therefore, many pages are devoted to taking some of these contradictions and explaining them; which set of doctrines is followed by The Uniqueness of the Bible. There are several other very important doctrines in this chapter: The Spiritual Life in the Old and New Testaments; Jacob's Clarifying Moment; and A Spiritually-Empowered Jesus Christ is our Spiritual Model. Also presented: a new understanding of the assembling, writing, and ordering of the book of Genesis.
  

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, 3 sets of original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 361 pages.

• The initial Introduction to Exodus is now posted and can be accessed via Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (folder).  It is a compilation of the work of a dozen or so commentators along with my own work.  It includes an excellent overall summary and a chapter by chapter summary of the Book of Exodus.  113 pages. Uploaded on July 16, 2017.
  

• Exodus 1-8 are all updated and uploaded; basic exegesis, 3 original translations, selections from 90+ translations, and notes transferred from original Exodus study.  Approximately 1500 pages.  Accessed via Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (folder).  Uploaded on July 10, 2017.

• Genesis 1-45 are all updated with basic exegesis notes.  Gen. 1-28 are complete studies (although I will go back eventually and do some more updating).  See Genesis Links: (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Folder) Uploaded June 28, 2017.
  

• Exodus 8 is uploaded; basic exegesis, 3 original translations, selections from 90+ translations, and notes transferred from original Exodus study.  230 pages.  Accessed via Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (folder).  Uploaded on June 27, 2017.

• The basic exegesis (and 3 original translations) has been done for Exodus 5, 6, and 7.  Links to these chapters are found in Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (folder).  Uploaded on June 21, 2017.

• Basic Exegesis Series; AKA Genesis Lessons #401-450 now posted.  This is all about the famine of Egypt and Canaan, and how the sons of Jacob go up to Egypt to purchase grain.  This is one of the great narratives of Scripture and these lessons are approximately 5 pages each, each lesson designed to be read in a 10-15 minute sitting.  These are not complex lessons; but they are more detailed than most which you will read. (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  June 21, 2017.

• Christianity is Based Upon Old Testament Y^ehowah Worship 
  There is the confused notion by some that the Old Testament teaches Judaism and that the New Testament teaches Christianity. This is untrue. Orthodox Christianity is firmly based upon the Old Testament and Old Testament Y^ehowah Worship.  This doctrine compares the fundamental doctrines of Christianity to their origins found in the Old Testament.
  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  Posted 5/8/2017
  

• 1Kings 6 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).                                     Solomon Builds the Temple

  1Kings 6 is all about the specifications and details of Solomon building of the Temple of God. In the previous chapter, the materials needed, the workmen needed, and how they were all gathered was at the forefront; in this chapter, it is putting all of these materials together to build the Temple, the Holy of Holies, the annex, and the courtyard. It took 7 years to build the Temple.
  

  This is a record—perhaps the earliest record—of the building of a religious structure in the ancient world, with specifications, designs, and finishing work all presented in a fairly careful narrative. The Temple was destroyed twice after this, rebuilt twice; and then destroyed for the third time. No doubt, this chapter was consulted for subsequent buildings of this structure.

  The Temple of Israel’s God was unique among all religious buildings in human history. No one thought that God lived there or was confined in any way by this Temple; and only a very small percentage of the people of Israel ever actually entered into the Temple.
  

  In this particular chapter, we will study the relationship between priests, prophets and kings (prophets, as we know them, did not arise until Israel decided to have a king—and there is a reason for that).

  Some of the important studies/doctrines in this chapter include: how New Testament Christianity is based firmly in the Old Testament worship of Y^ehowah; we compare Kings David and Solomon and why Solomon built the Temple and David did not; we study the difference between statutes, commandments and judgments; improvements which have occurred in the modern Catholic church (these are Orthodox Christian studies, not Catholic studies); Solomon, Solomon’s Temple, and the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ; we study the Ark of God and the Holy of Holies; and we study how Solomon it is type of Jesus Christ in the Millennium.
  

  Solomon’s Temple – Illustrated (a graphic). Taken from ABC Parish; accessed April 13, 2017.

  Complete at 407 pages. Posted 5/8/2017
  

• 1Kings 5 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).   Solomon Organizes the Builders for the Temple

  In 1Kings 5, Solomon and his father’s friend, King Hiram connect, both having genuine respect for one another. They will work together to gather and prepare the raw materials for both the Temple and (later) for Solomon’s palace. Most of this chapter is devoted to the negotiation between the two men and the number of men involved in this project.

  Some of the very important short doctrines covered in this chapter are: The Temple and the Line of Promise; Why Solomon Builds the Temple, and Not David; Hiram, Solomon and Self-interest; The believer and ministries of others; a discussion on trade and commerce between different countries; and at least two discussions built upon commentators who think that building the Temple was a mistake.
  
  
  
  

  Photo of the Sagrada Familia from Google (including 360° photos); accessed March 6, 2017.

  When I begin a particular chapter, I never know exactly what I am going to cover or what information I will be conveying. It is a very organic process, based first on the material before me; and secondly, on where this material might lead me (sometimes, this is combined with things occurring out in the real world). This particular chapter led me on a number of interesting tangents. What about personal or doctrinal attacks on other pastors or upon other local churches? What about people who attend the congregation who are gay (who think that they are gay)? Also, I found this a good chapter to insert one of my favorite secular columns, George Will: Pencils and Politics. Also included is the fascinating list Genocides and Political Killings of the 20th Century.
  

  Also discussed: Typology in the Old Testament and the Church Age; Free Enterprise and Trade Between Countries; Why God Allows Manuscript Errors; The Difference Between Teaching Mathematics and Teaching the Bible (and why most doctrinal churches only teach 3–4 times per week). 

  Completed 3/16/17.  223 pages.
  

• Updated: Doctrinal Terms (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) updated  5/8/17.  37 pages. 
  Old Testament topics (a document that tells which topics are covered in the various chapters which are posted)  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) Now 390 pages.
  

• Classifying Various Bible Translations classifies about 100 English translations of the Bible.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Which are accurate?  Where are good reading Bibles?  Which offer a unique perspective?  All of these questions answered, in order to help you determine which Bible (s) to read.  This is a short chart, perhaps 2-3 pages.  Added February 20, 2017.
  

• Extensive material added to Exodus 4 and Genesis 41 & 42.  Check Genesis Links: (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Folder) and Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (folder).  Uploaded on February 20, 2017.

• There have been advances on the Genesis and Exodus chapter by chapter series.  Check Genesis Links: (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Folder) and Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (folder).  February 15, 2017.
  

• Basic Exegesis Series; AKA Genesis Lessons #401-431 now posted.  This is all about the famine of Egypt and Canaan, and how the sons of Jacob go up to Egypt to purchase grain.  This is one of the great narratives of Scripture and these lessons are approximately 5 pages each, designed to be read one at a time.  These are not complex lessons; but they are more detailed than most which you will read. (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  February 15, 2017.

• Basic Exegesis Series; AKA Genesis Lessons #301-400. (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  We begin these lessons by following Jacob, for the most part.  He cheats his twin brother Esau out of a blessing from Isaac, and then, because of the anger of Esau, finds that he must leave the land of promise.  Jacob works for his uncle Laban outside of Canaan, and marries Laban's two daughters.  In this set of lessons, we examine the doctrines of Hatred, Emotions, Heart, Emotional Revolt, Reversionism, the Spiritual Life in the Old and New Testaments, Christian Giving, Biblical Marriage, Alternative Forms of Marriage in the Bible.  We also examine many of the so-called Bible contradictions, the Uniqueness of the Bible, Why Moses Did Not Write Genesis, the Reasons Why Genesis was Written at the Time of the Events of Genesis, Humility, Jacob and Esau, Rape in the Bible, God's 6 Appearances to Jacob, Benjamin as a Type of Christ, and the Parallels between Jacob the Man and Israel the Nation. Some of these doctrines are unique to this study, and found nowhere else. Uploaded Jan. 11, 2017.
  

• As some of you know, I send out short, weekly study in Genesis; and at this point, we are 420 lessons into this study.  Lessons #1-420 are now posted.  Genesis Lessons 401–500 HTML  Genesis Lessons 401–500 PDF   Genesis Lessons 401–500 WPD These first 20 lessons take us from Joseph as a teenage boy to Joseph in Egypt, first as a slave and then as a prisoner and then standing before Pharaoh.  I thought I had already posted this, but apparently, I did not.  Uploaded Jan. 11, 2017.
  

• The basic exegesis has been completed for Genesis 47 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD), Genesis 48 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD), Genesis 49 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD), and Genesis 50 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  The Hebrew dictionaries and the list of OT Topics covered has also been updated.  What has and has not been done can be found in the Genesis Links: (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Folder).  So far, every chapter in Genesis has been exegeted word-by-word with 3 original translations; and the first 46 chapters have a plethora of translations included.  Jan. 9, 2017
  

• 1Kings 7 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Solomon’s Palace and the Temple Are Completed

  Basic exegesis and 3 original translations only. I had tremendous difficulty translating some of the passages here.  Not everything has been translated, but the Hebrew tables are in place.  168 pages.  12/11/16
  

• 1Kings 8 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). King Solomon Dedicates the Completed Temple

  Basic exegesis and 3 original translations only. 177 pages.  12/11/16
  

• Genesis 28 Isaac Sends Jacob to the East/Esau Takes an Ishmaelite Wife (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 12/3/2016.

  In Gen. 27, it has been determined that Jacob will go east to marry a woman from their family rather than a Canaanite woman, as his brother Esau had married. Gen. 28 begins with his father, Isaac, giving him a blessing before he goes—a blessing which recognizes Jacob as being the line of God’s promise.
  

  Esau, his twin brother, takes notice of this and the importance of marrying someone from the family, so, even though he was already married to two women of Canaan, Esau then married a daughter of Ishmael (Isaac’s half brother).

  Meanwhile, Jacob traveled north, going through Luz, where he had a dream-vision of angels going from earth to heaven and back again; and God is above all of this. God speaks to Jacob and gives him the promises previously delivered to Abraham and to Isaac; and then God promises to be with Jacob wherever he goes; and that He would bring Jacob back to this land.
  

  When Jacob awakens the next morning, he is amazed at the place where he is, and renames it Bethel (which means, house of God). At the end of this chapter, Jacob makes a vow to God about tithing.

  There is a great deal of supplementary material covered in this chapter. Many have alleged that the Bible is filled with contradictions—therefore, many pages are devoted to taking some of these contradictions and explaining them; which set of doctrines is followed by The Uniqueness of the Bible. There are two other very important doctrines in this chapter: The Spiritual Life in the Old and New Testaments; and A Spiritually-Empowered Jesus Christ is our Spiritual Model.
  

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, 3 sets of original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 209 pages.

• Genesis 29 Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel and Sires Four Sons (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 12/3/2016.

  In Gen. 29, Jacob arrives at his destination in Padan-aram, coming upon some shepherds who know Laban (Jacob’s uncle) and the Laban family. When discussing the use of the well, Rachel, Jacob’s first cousin, comes onto the scene, leading a flock of sheep. Jacob tells her who he is and she runs back to her family to tell her father. Her father immediately comes out to meet Jacob, to invite him into their home.
  

  A month goes by and Jacob is apparently helping with the sheep and Laban’s ranch, and Laban asks what he would like to be paid. Jacob suggests that he work for 7 years in order to marry Rachel, with whom he was in love. Laban accepts this offer.

  7 years later, Laban throws a wedding party for Jacob, and, at the end, Jacob goes to the bed of his new bride. In the morning, Jacob awakens to find that he has married Leah, the older sister, and not Rachel. He goes immediately to Laban and confronts him, and Laban gives him a phony excuse. Laban proposes that Jacob work another 7 years, and that he would also be allowed to marry Rachel. Jacob agrees to this. At the end of Gen. 29, Leah has given birth to 4 of Jacob’s sons.
  

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, 3 sets of original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 269 pages.

• Genesis 30 Jacob Sires More Children/An Agreement with Laban (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 12/3/2016.
  

  Genesis 30 can be broken down into two sections: (1) The sons born to Jacob in Haran and (2) the labor agreement entered into between Laban (management) and Jacob (contract worker). Although there is an odd continuity between these topics, they would have more logically been separated into two chapters.
  

  In fact, both Genesis 29 and 30 are oddly divided. Jacob begins to sire children by Leah near the end of Gen. 29 and this is continued into Gen. 30, along with fathering children by Rachel and by the personal maids of Leah and Rachel. The final 6 verses of Gen. 29 should have been combined with the first 24 verses of Gen. 30, and a chapter assembled devoted strictly to the sons of Jacob.

  The latter half of Gen. 30 (vv. 25–43) outlines an agreement that Jacob and Laban came to regarding Jacob’s future wages; and both men try to cleverly improve on their part of the agreement.
  

  This chapter is often noted by critics of the Bible for two reasons: (1) Jacob marries more than one woman; and (2) Jacob apparently has some odd breeding theories which he puts into practice (these theories would not have been unusual for his day and time). Proponents of gay marriage point to Jacob’s polygamous marriage and conclude, “If he can marry more than one woman, then two men can marry.” Critics point to Jacob’s breeding schemes and say, “This is stupid and unscientific and it is in the Bible!” These objections will be met head-on and explained in the exegesis of this chapter.

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, 3 sets of original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 272 pages.

• As some of you know, I send out short, weekly study in Genesis; and at this point, we are 420 lessons into this study.  Lessons #1-420 are now posted.  Genesis Lessons 401–500 HTML  Genesis Lessons 401–500 PDF   Genesis Lessons 401–500 WPD These first 20 lessons take us from Joseph as a teenage boy to Joseph in Egypt, first as a slave and then as a prisoner and then standing before Pharaoh.  Uploaded Nov. 20, 2016
  

• Genesis 31 Jacob Leaves Laban’s Compound (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded November 25, 2016.
  

  Jacob has worked for Laban for 20 years and it has become clear to him that his work and his faithfulness are not really valued by his employer. Furthermore, God has told Jacob to take his family back to the land of Canaan. Genesis 31 is all about Jacob moving his family back to the Land of Promise using his tried and (un) true approach of deception and sneakiness. He convinces his wives to leave with him (which does not require much convincing); so they sneak out of Haran, having a 3-day head start. However, Laban, when he sees that Jacob has left with his family, and that his deity figurines are missing as well, chases down Jacob and catches up to him in the hill country of Gilead (which is east of the Jordan River). The end of this chapter is their final confrontation where both men air out their grievances with one another, and then manage to find a way to go their separate ways, establishing a non-aggression pact between them.
  

  The following studies and short doctrines are found in Genesis 31: What God Achieved in Jacob's Life; Standards of Behavior Agreed to before the Mosaic Law; When Societal Norms Change; What about Jesus' warning not to judge?; When the most fundamental laws are changed; The Husband's Responsibility in Marriage; and Romans 8:28 in the Life of Jacob

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, and 3 sets of original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 354 pages.

• Genesis 32 Jacob Returns to Canaan and Wrestles with God (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded Nov. 12, 2016
  

  After sorting things out with his Uncle Laban, Jacob nears the Land of Promise, where he will have a scheduled meeting with his brother Esau, from whom Jacob is estranged. This chapter is all about Jacob’s anticipation and worries. He gives a most marvelous prayer, and then he falls back to manipulative, human viewpoint solutions. Finally, because Jacob has spent his life in conflict with Jesus Christ, he will find himself actually wrestling with the Lord right before dawn.
  

  Readers can be easily confused by Gen. 32, because this is Jacob acting positively schizophrenic. On the one hand, he prays this most marvelous prayer to God; and on the other hand, he keeps trying to solve his own problems with human viewpoint solutions. In a sense, he finds himself in conflict with God—does he depend upon God or does he search for a human viewpoint solution to the problems in his life? In his own soul, Jacob cannot seem to decide, does he place his faith in God or in himself? He is wrestling in his soul and God brings this point home by actually wrestling with Jacob in his real life. In any given circumstance, will Jacob be guided by his sin nature or will God prevail [= Israel] over Jacob’s sin nature?

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 216 pages.

• Genesis 33 Jacob and his Family Return to Canaan (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).
  Uploaded 11/6/2016

  20 years previous, Jacob escaped Canaan with his life, having just deceived his father in order to claim Esau’s blessings. When Esau found out, he was angry, threatening to kill Jacob at a later date.
  

  Here, the two brothers meet, both men separated from Isaac their father, and both men have apparently matured and put their past behind them. It was a congenial meeting between former rivals, despite Jacob’s apprehension the night before. In fact, Esau invites Jacob to join him in Seir, and Jacob appears to agree to this, but he goes in a different direction, remaining in the land promised to his father and grandfather.

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 142 pages.

• Genesis 34 The Rape of Dinah/The Slaughter of Shechem (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 11/6/2016
  

  Genesis 34 is a chapter where the plan of God moves forward, despite the actions of the people in the chapter (we will see this same sort of thing in Gen. 36, 37 and 38). God’s plan always moves forward, whether man is cooperative or not. This chapter also foreshadows the future. The sons of Israel (Jacob) cannot remain in the land because (1) they will either be subsumed by another family or (2) they will be destroyed by the people around them. Or, another way to say this, they will become corrupted and then destroyed. At the end of this chapter, Jacob bemoans his situation: “Levi and Simeon, you have made me odious to the people of this land, and they will gather together and destroy us because we are few in number.” And this is why God will have to remove them from the land.
  

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 211 pages.

• Genesis 35  Jacob’s Sons/The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
  

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  Uploaded Oct. 28, 2016. 
  

  Gen. 35 is a chapter of milestones: (1) Jacob and his family move to Bethel; (2) Deborah, Rebekah’s maid dies; (3) God reappears to Jacob and Jacob worships Him; (4) Rachel bears Jacob’s 12^th son but then dies during childbirth; (5) Reuben is intimate with one of Jacob’s mistresses; (6) the 12 sons of Jacob are listed; and (7) Isaac dies.
  

  What is remarkable is the great grace that God had given to both Jacob and Esau (recounted in this chapter and the next). How petty and ridiculous had been their undue competition and jealousies 20 years previous.

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 208 pages.

• Genesis 36  Nation Esau (Edom)  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) Uploaded Oct. 26, 2016. 
  

  This is the genealogy of Esau. Esau is Jacob’s twin brother, of whom God has said, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Gen. 36 is Esau’s line, including the many rulers who have come from his loins. The line of Esau seemed poised to become great in the land.

  On the surface, Gen. 36 appears to be nothing more than a list of names, most of whom are lost to history and not found in the Bible again. However, there are a great many lessons that we can take from this chapter—contemporary and spiritual.
  

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 183 pages.
  

• Genesis 37 Joseph and His Brothers (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Uploaded Oct. 20, 2016.   Gen. 37 begins the final section of the book of Genesis, which centers on the life of Joseph (with the exception of Gen. 38). From the beginning, young Joseph is clearly at odds with his older half-brothers, who resent the favoritism of their father towards Joseph. Joseph has 2 dreams which particularly irritate his older half-brothers because they indicate that he would rule over them. When the brothers confront Joseph next, away from their father, they plot to kill him. Reuben convinces them not to kill him, but to simply throw him into a pit (hoping to rescue the boy later). Judah suggests that Joseph be sold as a slave and the other brothers agree to this.

  Because Joseph is sold to traders, his older brothers send back Joseph’s bloodied and torn tunic, to make it appear that he had been attacked and killed by a wild animal. Jacob is heartbroken to receive this tunic and mourns inconsolably afterwards.
  

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 267 pages.
  

• Genesis 38 Judah and Tamar (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).   Uploaded Oct. 20, 2016.   Judah leaves his family and takes up with a Canaanite woman, having 3 children by her. Judah decides to choose a wife (Tamar) for his first son, but he dies. The wife is given to his second son in order to raise up seed for his deceased brother (aka, a levirate marriage), but then he dies. Then Joseph has to figure out what to do about Tamar.
  

  Exegesis from the Hebrew, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, original notes from the exegesis, from Genesis & Basic Exegesis. 228 pages.
  

• Genesis 39 Joseph, Potiphar and Potiphar's Wife (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) 
  Exegesis, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, notes from Genesis & Basic Exegesis.  175 pages  Uploaded 10/3/2016.

• Genesis Links   (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  These links indicate that Gen. 1-46 have been uploaded, but in various states of completion (which are given chapter by chapter in this links document).  This is a nearly 10,000 page exegetical study of Genesis, which is still incomplete.  As long as God gives me the grace, I will continue to work on it.  Updated 9/26/2016
  

• Genesis 40 Joseph, the Chief Baker and the Chief Cupbearer (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) 
  Exegesis, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, notes from Genesis & Basic Exegesis.  150 pages  Uploaded 9/26/2016.
  

• Genesis 41 Pharaoh’s Dream and the Famine of Egypt (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  
  Exegesis, 3 original translations, 90+ translations, notes from Genesis.  302 pages.  Uploaded 9/26/16.
  

• The Scientific Achievements of Ancient Hamitic Peoples  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 9/25/2016.  This is a list by Arthur Custance of scientific discoveries and achievements of the Hamitic peoples (I first saw this in Clough's Dawn of the Kingdom).  What was known in the early eras is quite amazing.  This is quite an amazing list, and when you read through it, you will see why both Clough and myself reproduced it.
  

• 1Kings 5 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).   Solomon Organizes the Builders for the Temple

  Basic exegesis and 3 original translations only.  Uploaded 9/25/2016
  

• 1Kings 6 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).                                     Solomon Builds the Temple

  Basic exegesis and 3 original translations only.  Uploaded 9/25/2016

• The Doctrine of Intercalation (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD) is updated again, as of Sept. 9, 2016.  I noticed that the vocabulary would have been difficult for some believers, so I added a vocabulary chart.  Another verse is added as well.  Intercalation is where we find the 1st and 2nd advents of Jesus Christ presented without any intervening events.  However, intercalated (inserted) between these events is the Church Age.  Because the church age was a mystery age, hidden from the OT Jews, it is not referenced in the OT, but skipped over.  There are at least 30 OT passages in which this occurs.

• Genesis 42 Joseph’s Brothers Come to Buy Grain in Egypt (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) 
  
• Genesis 43 Jacob’s Sons Return to Egypt with Benjamin (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  For both chapters, the basic Hebrew exegesis completed along with 3 original translations; 90+ translations added in; notes from Genesis added in. Uploaded 9/9/2016
  
• All links, notes and updates of Genesis can be gotten here:
  Genesis Links
  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Folder)

• Genesis 27 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) Jacob Deceives his Father Isaac

  Posted 8/29/2016
  
  

  Genesis 27 is a deceptively simple chapter, where everything appears to be said and explained, but there are events, conversations, and motivations which are important to this narrative which are not clearly laid out. Gen. 27 appears to be simple and it appears to have all the relevant information given to us, but as we examine it more and more thoroughly, it becomes quite clear that there is a great deal of hidden and unspoken information.

  
  

  Isaac Blessing Jacob by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (Oil on canvas) 1642; from Web Gallery of Art; accessed August 7, 2016.

  Gen. 27 is rarely understood, despite its being about a fairly simple series of events. For this reason, few commentators have correctly explained all of what is going on. This chapter is all about words; it is all about the words that Isaac will say regarding his two sons. That is what the entire conflict is over. The key to understanding this chapter, the blessing given to Jacob and then the blessing given to Esau is the very fact that the words spoken by Isaac have power. They are meaningful, even when they are spoken in a gathering of only two or three.
  

  To understand Gen. 27, you have to understand that, when Isaac blesses Jacob, that blessing has meaning and power. Once it has been said, it is out there, already in effect; and it cannot be withdrawn. If Isaac could simply withdraw his words, then his words would have been meaningless in the first place. Extenuating circumstances do not nullify the words spoken by Isaac.

  It is clear that Jacob is one of the least deserving men of Scripture, who has received some of the greatest blessings of God. This is grace; this is the plan of God. It is men like Jacob who often give us very imperfect believers more hope than a man like Abraham.
  

  Jacobian narratives typically leave out a great many details which can often be supplied using a little logical deduction. Sometimes his narratives are accused of being contradictory not because they are, but because they leave out some details. Much of this narrative is helped along with a few details that may be deduced, and which help explain any questions about the accuracy of the narrative. At the end of this chapter, there will be a summary, where the motivations and actions of the principal characters are clearly laid out, so that everything that happens makes perfect sense. At the end, you will understand what each principal knows (and doesn’t know) and what motivates them to do what they do.

  This narrative is about the foibles of man, the free will of man, and the sovereignty of God; the actions of man playing out according to their volition; and the plan of God moving forward, despite the things which man does.
  

  As a personal aside, I have worked on this particular chapter on and off for 3 years (2013 to 2016). 505 pages.

• Genesis 43  

  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)   Jacob’s Sons Return to Egypt with Benjamin 
  The basic Hebrew exegesis completed along with 3 original translations; 90+ translations added in; notes from Genesis added in.  Posted 8/29/2016  Genesis 44-45 also posted.
  

• In church today, Bobby was teaching the dual meaning of the words of Caiaphas the High Priest, and how Caiaphas proposed the killing of Jesus to the Sanhedrin; and yet, God the Holy Spirit used the exact words from Caiaphas to state the gospel of Jesus Christ, to prophesy that Jesus would die for our sins.  This is an excellent illustration of the "Dual Authorship of Scripture" (where the human author means one thing by the words that he writes; and God the Holy Spirit means something else, by using those same words).  Therefore, I have updated this doctrine with this additional passage.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Updated 8/21/2016.
  

• Also updated: Genesis Links  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Folder)  8/19/2016
  

• Genesis 46 Jacob’s Entire Family in Egypt (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) Posted 8/19/2016
  

  As Jacob (Israel) travels toward Egypt, he stops off in Beersheba to offer up sacrifices to the Revealed God, and God appears to Jacob and tells him that it is okay to be leaving the Land of Promise and moving to Egypt.
  

  A list of all the males descended from Jacob, along with the two females, are given. His wives are also named.

  Joseph meets his father Jacob after 20 years.
  

  Joseph gives his family instructions in case Pharaoh asks them about their livelihoods.

  Basic Hebrew exegesis, 3 original translations, and 90+ translations. The notes from Genesis are transferred over.

• Genesis 45 Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brothers (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  Because Judah offers up himself for Benjamin (Gen. 45), Joseph, known to his brothers as the prime minister of Egypt, can no longer hide his identify from his brothers. He reveals himself to them. He explains to them how, despite their actions against him 20+ years ago, God had a purpose in all of it, which purpose is being fulfilled before their very eyes—delivering them and Egypt from the great famine.
  

  Joseph invites his entire family to live with him in Egypt because of the great famine. His brothers return to Canaan to fetch their father Jacob.
  

  Basic Hebrew exegesis, 3 original translations, and 90+ translations. The notes from Genesis are transferred over.

• Genesis 1-40 are all updated (3 chapters did not need updating); Genesis 41-44 added 8/4/16.  Some of these are basic exegesis files; and some of them have the 90+ translations included.  To access, go to: Genesis Links  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (Folder) (which includes basic information about uploaded files Genesis 1-44).
  

• Deuteronomy 16 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)    3 Feasts; Choosing Judges;Outlawing Idolatry

  Posted June 23, 2016.  In Deut. 16, Moses spends most of this chapter discussing the 3 feasts which require a gathering of the people of Israel to one place. Then, from the feasts, which represent communion with God, Moses speaks of choosing judges and officials throughout the new land, who, they themselves, represent God’s judgment to the people.
  

  Moses then speaks of idolatry, which is not allowed, and represents the greatest violation of the laws of God.

  Doctrines covered in this chapter: The Passover; the Feast of Unleavened Bread; the Feast of Weeks; and the Feast of Booths. Jesus as our Passover; the Asherah and Idolatry.
  
  
  
  

  Important topics and discussions found in this chapter: the misguided JEPD theory (that the Law of Moses was not written by Moses but by a variety of people, aka Documentary Hypothesis); since the United States provides both the gospel and Bible teaching, a discussion about opening up our borders to all who want to come here; the forgiveness taught to the Jews in Scripture as opposed to century-old grudges held by Muslims; revolutionary equality before God (slaves were encouraged to come to the feasts); revolutionary concepts of justice (which we take for granted today); the Holy Spirit as the Divine Editor of Scripture; alleged similarities to contemporary heathen feasts; and how a good judicial system contributes and encourages prosperity in a nation.

  
  

  Deuteronomy 16:19 (NIV) (a graphic); from twitter.com; accessed June 20, 2016.

  
  

  Like nearly every chapter in Scripture, there are practical applications to our lives today; and there is clearly a connection between the concepts of justice found in this chapter and our judicial system that we have today in the United States. 247 pages.

• If you are ordering lessons from R. B. Thieme, Jr. ministries, and you need a document that you can edit to keep track of what you have ordered and what you have listened to:                R. B. Thieme, Jr. lessons list that can be edited.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (DOC)

• In case you want to see if Bob exegeted a particular passage or subject, it can be found here in several different formats. R. B. Thieme, Jr. All Lesson Summaries (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (DOC) 581 pages (6/21/2016)
  

• Additional maps, text and/or formatting added to the following documents: Introduction to Joshua (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The Book of Numbers   (HTML)   (PDF)  (WPD).  Introduction to Deuteronomy  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Deuteronomy 2  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  6/19/2016
  

• Exodus 4  (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  Uploaded 6/13/16 Basic Hebrew exegesis and original translations.
  

  Exodus 4 is simply a continuation of Ex. 3. Moses is still out in the desert speaking to God. When God tells Moses what He wants him to do, Moses objects, eloquently arguing that he is too inarticulate to speak before Pharaoh and bring him God’s message. God tells Moses that his brother is able to talk, so he will be the spokesman for Moses, who is the spokesman for God; and, oh by the way, Aaron is on his way right now to meet Moses.
  

  Moses and Aaron meet, then go to the elders of the sons of Israel and convince them that God knows of their difficulties and that He has visited the sons of Israel. 143 pages.
  

• A verse-by-verse study of Exodus has just begun.  Right now just the bare-bones exegesis of Exodus 1-3 are posted (word-by-word exegesis, 3 translations, and very basic commentary).  Access is through Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD), which includes access to a 450 page exegesis of the entire book.  It will probably be several years before the complete exegesis of any chapter is posted.  6/9/16

• The Levirate Marriage Arrangement (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 6/6/2016.  This is a fairly obscure marriage arrangement found in the Bible, which has gained some notoriety in, of all places, the gay marriage movement.  Gay marriage advocates made the argument, there are a bunch of weird marriage arrangements found in the Bible.  Since they are in the Bible, that means that Christians and Jews believe that such marriages must be from God.  Gay marriage is no more weird than any of these arrangements, so Christians and Jews should support gay marriage."  The distortions of the gay marriage movement have been already discussed in Marriage Alternatives in the Bible (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The custom of levirate marriage is discussed in greater detail, so that it is obvious that this sort of marriage was (1) probably not original with God and (2) of great benefit to women in the ancient world.  9 pages.
  

• Documentary Hypothesis (also known as the JEPD Theory)  (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD)  Many years ago, some theologians had been convinced that no one wrote during the era of Moses, and, therefore, they needed a theory to explain his writings.  The theory that was developed was quite convoluted, as in involved several sets of people or individuals who wrote at various times (hundreds of years after Moses was alive), the books which became the Pentateuch.  Later others wove these narratives together; and, ultimately, sold these writings as having come from Moses, hundreds of years later, even though they would have suddenly appeared on the scene.  This convoluted and preposterous theory is still taught today in many seminaries.  Although this doctrine has been posted on my website for many years, this is a major update with a great deal of additional material added.  This study is not for most people; but, if you have ever questioned the Mosaic authorship of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, this study may help to answer questions that you may have.  Posted 6/3/2016. 12 pages.
  

• 1Kings 4 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).updated with information from Deut. 17 5/20/2016.
  

• Deuteronomy 17 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)           Laws for Idolatry, the Death Penalty,a Higher Court, a King

  Uploaded 5/19/2016.  Deut. 17 is simply a continuation of Deut. 16, somewhat arbitrarily divided. Moses continues speaking to a number of mostly unrelated issues (although one can sense a train of thought): Moses speaks of the sort of sacrifice which is unacceptable, and, having spoken about the right way to worship God, he then speaks of those who are idolaters, who are subject to penalty of death for their idolatry. One must be careful here—Israel was not to execute someone merely on the
  

  testimony of a single person. That leads, logically, to the courts, and how sometimes and issue might come before the court that was impossible for a judge to decide. He was given the option to take this case to a higher court, with the understanding that he must obey and enforce the decision of the higher court. That is essentially the exercise of executive power, which brings to mind the idea of a king—the next topic that Moses explores in this chapter.

  A reasonable question to ask is, since God knew that the Israelites would eventually demand a king, why did He not just let them have Moses and then Joshua as their first two kings? The exegesis of Deut. 17 will clearly answer this question.
  

  This same section has been criticized as having been added hundreds of years later, in order to justify the concept of a king in Israel (some people cannot accept the idea of prophecy in the Bible and they reject it every time they come across it). I will demonstrate that no one added to the Word of God here, and provide not only a doctrine lifted from Dr. Bob Utley, but provide additional logical arguments to show that adding a passage like this to the Bible would be impossible to do.

  There is also a question about the king and war horses. There is a verse in this chapter (Deut. 17:16) which seems to indicate that a king over Israel should not have a cavalry. This will be explained correctly; along with an excellent up-to-date application. I am unaware of any commentator explaining this verse correctly, let alone give it an application that we can all understand.
  

  Sometimes, in just a few words, Moses conveys some amazing truths. The book of Deuteronomy is a great advance on the concept of inspiration of Scripture; and what he says here in this chapter—and you will miss it if you simply read through the chapter—is he equates his own words with the words of God. This is the same Moses, in the book of Exodus, is so careful to distinguish what God says from everything else.

  How do you understand the laws found in the Torah, and apply them to client nation United States? Many believers struggle with this. What do we disapprove of? What laws do we follow? Are there laws that we can disregard in the United States today? Deut. 17 talks about a king, limiting his wives, gold and silver, and horses. Is there any application of this to today’s world? A discussion of this is begun.
  

  Doctrines covered in this chapter: the Death Penalty in the Mosaic Economy; the Doctrine of Separation; the Doctrine of the Priesthood; the Doctrine of Authority;

  Interesting discussions include: Global Warming as today’s Gaia Religion; Papal infallibility (there is claim that a verse in this chapter affirms this false doctrine); the Concepts of Inspiration and the Recognition of the Old and New Testament Canons as an organic process; How easy would it have been to change the Bible around later on in history (adding a few verses here and there); What is the place of the United States in today’s world; the title of Deuteronomy; and Applying the Torah to Modern Nations today.
  

  A sincere attempt is made with each chapter of the Word of God to find parallels in today’s society or in today’s political system. Since the Bible is the Word of God, we should expect to often find passages which have application to our lives here and now. 269 pages.

• Marriage Alternatives in the Bible (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Updated 4/19/2016.  The picture on the right has been distributed throughout the internet, to hundreds if not thousands of web pages. What it purports to do is list a number of different marriage configurations which are found in the Bible. Their purposes for this graphic are: (1) to shake the faith of the believer; and (2) to sell gay marriage (which this movement has renamed marriage equality). What they are not interested in is truth. What the Bible really says about the alternate marriages listed is not of any interest to these people. No one is going to read this examination of alternate marriages in the Bible and say, “Oops, got that one wrong. Let me redo this graphic to reflect that.” The study which follows is for believers; this is an examination of these passages for any believer who saw this graphic and perhaps was a little shaken by it.  This doctrine has been updated with a better explanation of the Levirate Marriage from the viewpoint of the woman.  This is a strange custom in ancient societies, and it is rarely understood because it is explained from the male viewpoint.  When we look at this from the woman's viewpoint, this custom becomes much easier to understand.  I believe that this is a unique approach.
  

• 1Kings 4 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).              Solomon’s Cabinet, Kingdom and Wealth
  
  

  1Kings 4 stands out because it is not really a continuation of the narrative of 1Kings 1–3, but gives an overview of the reign of Solomon. His chief officers and captains are named, along with their responsibilities. We also get a feel for the tremendous operation that the government of Solomon was. It was very well organized and quite large (because the population of Israel was large). We learn both of Solomon’s great wisdom and of the wonderful prosperity of that era.

  1Kings 4:25 (a graphic); from A Little Perspective; accessed April 15, 2016.
  

  Because Solomon’s wisdom is compared to that of other ancients, we take a brief look at some ancient wisdom literature. Afterwards, you should have an appreciation for the depth of the wisdom of the Scriptures as well as for the preservation of Scriptures from this same era.

  This would be such an easy chapter to skim through in 3 minutes and go directly to chapter 5, but this is quite an amazing and inspiring chapter. There were a number of times I was inspired to make observations and applications quite pertinent to the day in which we live. In fact, rarely do I come upon a chapter with so many applications to our lives today. For instance, why were Americans so happy in the 1950's and early 1960's, but are so miserable today, even though we have so much more stuff today than we did then? This study helps us to understand that. Another application to today is, what does a good leader do with his military during peacetime? This is something that liberal America deals with constantly, hoping to reduce the military footprint and shift all of the money over to the government to distribute.
  

  There is a very important question to discuss: How could Solomon be so wise and the country so prosperous, to all of a sudden, go to crap at the end of Solomon’s reign. What happened. What happened to Solomon’s wisdom; and why did this great nation enjoying great prosperity suddenly sputter and come to a halt?

  
  

  Solomon’s leadership teaches us a great deal about leadership in American today; what did he do that was right? How can we imitate Solomon today? 292 pages.

• 1Kings 3 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded March 16, 2016.
  

  

  In 1Kings 3, God speaks to Solomon in a dream, and offers to fulfill whatever request that he has of God. Solomon asks for wisdom. God approves of his choice and tells Solomon that he will receive much more than that.

  The last half of 1Kings 3 is the famous court case of two women coming before Solomon, each claiming to be the mother of the same child.
  

  Solomon, in many ways, is defined by this chapter. He asks wisdom from God and receives it; and this gives us the opportunity to discuss what happened. In the future, Solomon will become a failure near the middle or end of his reign as king—so we have to figure out, if God gave him wisdom, how could he fail?

  We studied the doctrine of prostitution, which, interestingly enough, I could not find on any doctrinal site.
  

  We took the opportunity to discuss the nature of worship in Israel and why neither David nor Solomon brought the Ark of God to the Tent of Meeting, and placed it inside, as God originally designed it to be. 241 pages
  

• The High Places  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) updated 2/28/2016.  Although we often associate the "high places" with heathen worship; it is not always used in this way.  9 pages
  

• Proverbs 10 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Righteousness versus Wickedness; Wisdom versus Folly

  Chapter 10 begins a whole new section in the book of Proverbs. We think of proverbs as pithy, self-contained sayings which illustrate fundamental truths (often establishment truths). This is what we find in Prov. 10, a chapter primarily of antithetical distichs.
  

  Because of the nature of the proverb, it is much more difficult to organize Prov. 10 (although some sections of this chapter lend themselves to organization). There is no simple approach like, this is the section on wisdom, this is the section on love, etc. At no time did I come across a person who organized a chapter, and remarked, “Okay, I get it; that makes sense.”

  A word should be said about the concentrated study of the remainder of Proverbs: don’t. I found this one chapter to be quite exhausting. When it comes to the study of this material, you may want to limit yourself to a chapter at a time, or a particular topic, or, on occasion, a simple read through.
  

  Furthermore, whereas, a pastor might reasonably teach Prov. 1–9 as a cohesive unit over a period of months or years; that same pastor would not serve his congregation well to cover the rest of Proverbs in a similar fashion. With the remainder of Proverbs, it is better taught a chapter at a time, or taught from the standpoint of a particular subject area.

  Consider it a very rich food. It is wonderful in small doses, but it is not to be taken as the entire meal.
  

  I have introduced two new summary tables in this chapter. Each half of each verse has a message. If there were 3 or more commentators which had something interesting to say about the verse, I gathered them into a table. When it was possible, I ended the table with a list of illustrations from Bullinger.
  

  At the end of each verse—and proverbs really lend themselves to this approach—I have listed perhaps a half-dozen translations, some various commentators on the entire verse, and then complete the table with a list of some parallel verses (because there is generally a contrast of ideas in each proverb, parallel verses may speak to one half or the other of the proverb).
  

  If you wanted information or inspiration on a particular proverb, these tables would be the place to go for a quick summary (they may also be accessed at the Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines links).

  
  

  As in Prov. 1, I probably went overboard with the quotations of other commentators, registering over 800 footnotes. Someday, I will need to go back and weed some of these out and perhaps edit out as much as 100 pages. In any case, the idea is to provide as much relevant material as possible, so that you can read and understand each proverb.

  There are a plethora of topics found in this chapter as well as doctrines from the Word of God. Topics found: Advising the Pastor-teacher about teaching this portion of Proverbs; Wealth (the complications of; and believer and unbeliever and wealth); Work, the Work Ethic; work and the believer; European Socialism; Laziness and Television; Personal Integrity; Gay Marriage and the Believer; Hatred; Love Covers all Sins; True Knowledge; Laying Up Knowledge; Material Wealth; the Proper Use of Wealth; Life Comes with Rules; Believers and Verbal Sins; the Blessing of God; Hostility Toward Wealth; Lengthen Lives, Shortened Lives; and Expectations of Life. Doctrines presented: Antithetical Parallelism; Wealth; Diligence and Prosperity; Redeeming the Time; the Variety of Spiritual Gifts; Wealth and Poverty; Authority; Sins of the Tongue; the Way of God; and the Problem Solving Devices. Quite obviously, there are far more topics and doctrines found in this chapter as compared to most.
  

  There are four discussions in this study which are quite important:

  

  Gay Marriage and the Believer; Dealing with Sin in Your Home or Around the Church; the Varieties of Spiritual Gifts, and Life Comes with Rules. All of these discussions relate directly to your individual life and the things that you say and do when interfacing with friends, family members and business associates.

  
  

  Every attempt has been made to make this a self-contained unit where all the information you need to find on Prov. 10 are found in this document. 410 pages.

• Liberalism, Conservatism and Christianity, updated 2/15/2015   (HTML)   (PDF)  (WPD).  This doctrine covers such topics as Abortion, Anti-Semitism, Atheism, Change, Conservation and Nature, Education, Eminent Domain, Environmentalism, Evolution, Gay Rights, Homosexuality, Global Warming, Government Regulations, Guantanamo Bay Prison for Enemy Combatants, Homelessness, Income Inequity, Income Redistribution, Inheritance Tax, Islam, Islam and Child Sacrifice, Land Ownership—National, Land Ownership—Personal, Marriage, The Military, Missionary Activity, Morality, National Threats, Nationalism versus Internationalism, Nuclear Disarmament, Patriotism, Political Activism, Poverty, Racial Issues, Reparations, Revolution, Separation of Church and State, Socialism, Taxation, Taxing the Rich, War, The Work Ethic.  These issues are covered briefly, giving the general liberal position, the general conservative position, and then what the Bible says.  There is also a 29 page addendum where some of these issues are explored in more depth, as the format--side by side columns--does not lend itself to an in depth approach to each topic.  Everything is hyperlinked, so it is easy to go to whatever contemporary issue interests you.  Recently added: eminent domain, the family unit, gun control, transgender issues, and wealth inequality. 70 pages.

• The Doctrine of Socialism  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  updated and expanded 2/15/2016.  We face several great attacks today on Christianity and the Laws of Divine Establishment: (1) Communism and socialism; (2) Humanism and modern American culture; (3) Islam.  A form of socialism is first found in the Bible (there is no new thing under the sun); in our American history (before the time of Karl Marx); and it appears that our country is heading toward socialism.  Therefore, it is important to understand what this ideology is all about and what does the Bible say about it.  A current news article about current conditions in socialist Europe has been added. 15 pages.
  

• Miscellaneous Types in Genesis (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted 2/11/2016.  In studying the book of Genesis, we have come across several types of Christ.  A "type" is a person, event or institution that looks forward to Jesus Christ, and portrays some aspect (s) of His Person.  These are never trivial parallels, but often reveal, in part, the unique aspects of the Lord's Person.  "You pore over the Scriptures [= the Old Testament] because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me," said Jesus to the religious types on the Sabbath (John 5:39; Berean Study Bible).  Abraham's servant and Melchizedek are both presented here as types.  Also included is a set of links to other types which have already been posted.  The study of the tremendous amount of typology found in the early books of the Bible often serves to confirm the Reality of Jesus Christ, His Divine nature, and His Divine purpose, to die for our sins.  Typology is difficult to study objectively and still reject the inspiration of the Bible.
  

• Benjamin as a Type of Christ.  Benjamin in his birth was given two names, one by his mother who died; and one by his father who lived.  These names and his birth look forward to the Person of Christ and His two natures.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted 2/11/2016.
  

• The Doctrine of Rape (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 2/10/2016.  There is a great deal of confusion about rape and the Bible; and there are even those who think that, man was so primitive then, that raping a woman and then making her your wife was the order of the day.  This study dispels such notions; and refers to actual passages in Scripture which deal with rape.  There are two cultural differences in the Old Testament era which are often ignored: (1) Women were rarely raped in that era because women were not allowed to run around with men at an early age.  In fact, very often, women might find themselves promised to a man from a very young age.  (2) As a result, there is no word for rape in the ancient Hebrew.
  

• Basic Exegesis Series; AKA Genesis Lessons #301-380. (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  We begin these lessons by following Jacob, for the most part.  He cheats his twin brother Esau out of a blessing from Isaac, and then, because of the anger of Esau, finds that he must leave the land of promise.  Jacob works for his uncle Laban outside of Canaan, and marries Laban's two daughters.  In this set of lessons, we examine the doctrines of Hatred, Emotions, Heart, Emotional Revolt, Reversionism, the Spiritual Life in the Old and New Testaments, Christian Giving, Biblical Marriage, Alternative Forms of Marriage in the Bible.  We also examine many of the so-called Bible contradictions, the Uniqueness of the Bible, Why Moses Did Not Write Genesis, the Reasons Why Genesis was Written at the Time of the Events of Genesis, Humility, Jacob and Esau, Rape in the Bible, God's 6 Appearances to Jacob, Benjamin as a Type of Christ, and the Parallels between Jacob the Man and Israel the Nation. Some of these doctrines are unique to this study, and found nowhere else.  2/10/16
  

• A verse-by-verse study of Exodus has just begun.  Right now just the bare-bones exegesis of Exodus 1 and Exodus 2 are posted (word-by-word exegesis, 3 translations, and very basic commentary).  Access through Exodus Links (HTML)  (PDF).  It will probably be several years before the complete exegesis of any chapter is posted.  1/31/16
  

• Proverbs 1–9 Introduction A Father’s Advice to His Son: Become Wise (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

  
  

  Word Cloud for Proverbs 1–9 (ESV) 
  

  
  Although there is a lot of material from other commentators, there is also material in this introduction which is unique to this study, including Jesus Christ in Proverbs 1–9 and God in Proverbs 1–9.
  

  This document includes discussion of the vocabulary of Prov. 1–9, quite a number of outlines of these first 9 chapters (some simple and some quite complex), an overview of the format found in these 9 chapters along with some treatment of the translations used and why they are classified as they are, and the authorship specifically of these first 9 chapters.

  Also included is a full translation of these first 9 chapters.
  

  Even though I am not completely happy with my organization of this material, dividing up the introduction to this section of Proverbs from the rest of Proverbs is the correct thing to do. 71 pages.

• Proverbs 9 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). The Banquets of Lady Wisdom and Madam Folly

  Uploaded 12/15/2015.
  

  Chapter 9 presents the final arguments of both Lady Wisdom and Mistress Folly, and completes the first section of the book of Proverbs.

  
  

  Confused Human Viewpoint:

  Khalil Gibran: Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain.

  Witold Gombrowicz, Polish author: Foolishness is a twin sister of wisdom.

  Foolishness:

  Mark Slouka, American novelist: It's a race between your foolishness and your allotted days. Good luck.

  Rumi: You know the value of every article of merchandise, but if you don't know the value of your own soul, it's all foolishness.

  Sophocles: Foolishness is indeed the sister of wickedness.

  
  

  Interestingly enough, the first proverbs actually found in the book of Proverbs are found in this chapter. There are 3 proverbs of wisdom and 1 proverb of foolishness.

  
  Proverbs 9:8 (The NIV) (a graphic); from Wife Begins; accessed December 12, 2015. This is one of the 3 proverbs of wisdom.
  

  Wisdom and Folly pursue the same categories of young men, but with very different intentions. Wisdom seeks to provide what is lacking, to repair the deficiency; whereas, Folly seeks to exploit that deficiency. Wisdom is there for the benefit of the young man; Folly is there to achieve her own ends. Wisdom looks to extend the life of those influenced by her; Folly seeks to end to lives of those who follow her.

  
  

  There is certainly more going on than a morality play here. Mistress Folly represents human viewpoint and cosmic thinking; and she is always pursuing the souls of men. In this world, the key to life, is what you think. Satan always wants your thinking to be opposed to God’s. This cannot be over-emphasized this more. 161 pages.

• The Doctrine of Scoffing (or, Scorn) (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 12/6/2015.  The scoffer not only rejects the offer of grace of God and entry into the plan of God, but he makes fun of those who believe this.  When given the opportunity, he will scorn and mock such people.  This 4 page doctrine will be a part of the Proverbs 9 exegesis (when posted).
  

• Liberalism, Conservatism and Christianity, updated 12/6/2015   (HTML)   (PDF)  (WPD).  This doctrine covers such topics as Abortion, Anti-Semitism, Atheism, Change, Conservation and Nature, Education, Eminent Domain, Environmentalism, Evolution, Gay Rights, Homosexuality, Global Warming, Government Regulations, Guantanamo Bay Prison for Enemy Combatants, Homelessness, Income Inequity, Income Redistribution, Inheritance Tax, Islam, Islam and Child Sacrifice, Land Ownership—National, Land Ownership—Personal, Marriage, The Military, Missionary Activity, Morality, National Threats, Nationalism versus Internationalism, Nuclear Disarmament, Patriotism, Political Activism, Poverty, Racial Issues, Reparations, Revolution, Separation of Church and State, Socialism, Taxation, Taxing the Rich, War, The Work Ethic.  These issues are covered briefly, giving the general liberal position, the general conservative position, and then what the Bible says.  There is also a 29 page addendum where some of these issues are explored in more depth, as the format--side by side columns--does not lend itself to an in depth approach to each topic.  Everything is hyperlinked, so it is easy to go to whatever contemporary issue interests you.  Recently added: gun control and transgender issues. 66 pages.
  

• Proverbs 8 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Wisdom Calls Out

  Prov. 8 is offered up in contrast to Prov. 7. In Prov. 7, we had the temptation of the immoral adulteress, calling out to the young man in the night; but in Prov. 8, we have Lady Wisdom calling to all believers from the most public places. We are warned as to the dangers of hooking up with the married woman (who represents false doctrine and human viewpoint thinking) in Prov. 7; we are encouraged to take advantage of the wisdom of God, which is offered to us in Prov. 8 (however, we do not acquire wisdom overnight).
  

  We studied a variety of doctrines in this chapter, including The Wisdom of God; 2 Doctrines of Evil; Grace Apparatus for Perception; Fear of the Lord; the Concept of Divine Institutions; the Fifth Divine Institution (Human government); the Royal Family Honor Code; the Trinity in the Old Testament; the Omniscience of God; the Water Cycle and the Bible; and the Dual Authorship of the Scriptures.

  There are several very important topics discussed in detail in this exegetical study: the Dual Authorship of Scriptures (and what that applies); the great availability of Bible doctrine in this day and age (and how it is being rejected, even in the United States); and how the Bible accurately refers to scientific phenomenon from time to time.
  

  For believers who do not really understand the importance of reaching maturity so that quality divine good can be produced, an excellent illustration is given to explain why this is of the utmost importance.

  
  We saw many applications of the principles found in this chapter to modern politics (specifically, the dishonest language of President Obama); and the importance of Bible doctrine to the founding fathers. 340 pages.
  Lady Wisdom by Adam Howie (apparently a photo of something that he created); from Red Bubble; accessed November 26, 2015. He sells this image to hang on the wall, to decorate the back of a laptop, or as a throw pillow.

• The Divine Institutions (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Revised somewhat and posted 11/8/2015.  These are the 5 fundamental institutions established by God for believers and unbelievers alike. 38 pages
  

• Fear of the Lord (in the Old Testament)  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Updated 11/7/2015.  The phrase "Fear of the Lord" is found throughout the Old Testament, and a few times in the New.  It is important for believers to have an understanding of what this phrase means. Quotation, graphics and a better definition added, along with a discussion of "Perfect love casts out all fear." 12 pages.
  

• Proverbs 7 Seduced by the Adulterous Woman (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

  Proverbs 7 concentrates on the subject of adultery, and what the author of this chapter (probably King David) personally observed. He is teaching Bible doctrine and divine establishment principles to his sons, so that they will not make the same mistakes.
  

  Quotations:

  J. Vernon McGee: This young man is taking a walk down the wrong street.

  Henry Scougal: Youth is a time of life wherein we have too much pride to be governed by others, and too little wisdom to govern ourselves.

  Julian Lennon: Dad could talk about peace and love out loud to the world, but he could never show it to the people who supposedly meant the most to him: his wife and son. How can you talk about peace and love and have a family in bits and pieces - no communication, adultery, divorce? You can't do it, not if you're being true and honest with yourself.

  Besides the topic of adultery, there seems to be a parallel narrative occurring under the surface—the lure and flattery from the adulterous woman, is much like the lure and flatter of false doctrine, human viewpoint, and cosmic thinking. The parallels are remarkable.
  
  

  Included in this study is a new look at the Edification Complex Structure, having both a man-ward and a God-ward view; the Doctrine of Adultery; a Parallel Interpretation of Proverbs 7; and a very important new doctrine: Why didn't God just give us a simple list of what to do and what not to do?

  
  Like all previous studies, there will be up-to-date applications to the events of today, so that you can take the doctrine from the Bible and apply it to what we observe every day. 191 pages.

• The Sin unto Death (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Updated 10/18/2015.  The sin unto death is not a particular sin, but the final stage of discipline for the believer whose life has gone awry.  Some graphics and two additional related doctrines were added.  I originally found the Doctrine of the Sin unto Death posted in 3 different places, and in each case, it seemed incomplete.  The bulk of this doctrine is compiled from those 3 places.  8 pages.

• The Doctrine of Work (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 10/8/2015.  This is one of the most important doctrines found in the Word of God for this generation, and yet has been so often ignored by our churches.  Work is the second divine institution; Adam worked in the Garden when he was without sin; and Adam worked on the earth after the Fall.  The Bible many times affirms the importance of hard work; the Bible never presents sloth as a viable alternative.  As a divine institution, this is true for believers and unbelievers alike.  In client nation United States year of our Lord 2015, it is clear that we as a nation are on the decline, and one of those tell-tale signs is the massive number of people who are no longer working.  So many are on welfare, section 8 housing, unemployment, disability and retirement (the Bible never speaks of the glories of retirement).  As I write this, 94 million Americans, out of a population of 220 million or so, are not working and are not looking for a job--and yet one political party calls our for more welfare and food stamps!  Whereas the Bible clearly urges charity toward the poor, it does not advocate that nearly half of a nation's population ought to be supported by the other half.  This is an outstanding study, primarily pulled from the exegesis of Proverbs 6 (but more will be added to this doctrine as time passes).  (This is not the Doctrine of Works) 46 pages.
  

• Proverbs 6 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Uploaded 10/6/2015 
  

  John Ortberg: Sloth is the failure to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done - like the kamikaze pilot who flew seventeen missions.

  Jon Foreman: Greed, envy, sloth, pride and gluttony: these are not vices anymore. No, these are marketing tools. Lust is our way of life. Envy is just a nudge towards another sale. Even in our relationships we consume each other, each of us looking for what we can get out of the other. Our appetites are often satisfied at the expense of those around us. In a dog-eat-dog world we lose part of our humanity.

  Ronald Reagan (I think this was in response to his taking naps during his presidency): I've heard that hard work never killed anyone, but I say why take the chance? 

  Judge Roy Moore: When we forget God, we lose the only true basis for morality and ethics, and we are cast upon the shifting sands of moral relativism in which anything goes, including lying, cheating and stealing.

  Gary North: The predictability and impartiality of biblical law are to undergird the social order. All those who break the law are subject to its penalties. This points to the final judgment. God does not “grade on a curve.” Paul wrote: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

  
  
  

  Unlike the previous chapters of Proverbs, Prov. 6 covers a wide range of topics, although one can certainly see a relationship between each topic going into the next. (1) In life, we all accumulate debt; we all are under a variety of obligations. David tells Solomon to honor his obligations; what he says binds him to that thing. (2) David then speaks about the importance of hard work, and talks about the ant and his industriousness (obviously, David did not own a house cat as a pet). (3) The man who does not work hard is covered in the next section, the worthless man. (4) Obviously God does not care for laziness; but the things which He hates are then listed. (5) An oft-time repeated refrain of Proverbs is for the hearer/reader to pay attention to the doctrinal teaching of his parents and keep that in his soul at all times. Knowing Bible doctrine and divine establishment principles, (6) keeps a man from getting involved with the wrong women and (7) keeps a man from committing adultery.

  As an aside, the reference work on ants was fascinating to me.
  

  There is a marked difference between the way a father relates to his son and how a mother does. This difference explains why so many children raised without a father grow up to be little thugs (and sometimes, lifetime thugs). Hidden in this study is how mothers and fathers raise their children differently; and what a single mother must do in order to keep that from happening.
  

  If you teach your children properly, then they will respect hard work and they will be willing to work hard. They will avoid premarital sex and intoxicants. As a result, most children of believers grow up to be materially successful. A portion of this study is devoted to living the spiritual life in a material world. Although I draw upon a great many sources and include a great deal of commentary within this document, there is nearly always be information unique to this commentary. One thing which I have not read elsewhere is the spiritual application of surety (the first 5 verses of this chapter). However, there is an application. Surety foreshadows where we should place our own faith.
  

  Doctrines covered in Proverbs 6: The Doctrines of Work, Evil, Pride, Murder, Lying, and Adultery. Also, The Western Work Ethic; Living the Spiritual Life in a Material World.

  Important studies in this chapter: The importance of living up to your word and to the agreements which you sign; the importance of working.
  

  There are a great many applications of this chapter to modern life, including the concept of evil and an example of someone who embodies evil. Modern examples of arrogance and sowing discord among brothers are given. Also, a great (and relevant) Peanuts cartoon. 290 pages.

• The Doctrine of Socialism  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  updated and expanded 10/4/2015.  We face several great attacks today on Christianity and the Laws of Divine Establishment: (1) Communism and socialism; (2) Humanism and modern American culture; (3) Islam.  A form of socialism is first found in the Bible (there is no new thing under the sun); in our American history (before the time of Karl Marx); and it appears that our country is heading toward socialism.  Therefore, it is important to understand what this ideology is all about and what does the Bible say about it.  A graphic and some additional text has been added.
  

• Liberalism, Conservatism and Christianity, updated 10/4/2015   (HTML)   (PDF)  (WPD).  This doctrine covers such topics as Abortion, Anti-Semitism, Atheism, Change, Conservation and Nature, Education, Eminent Domain, Environmentalism, Evolution, Gay Rights, Homosexuality, Global Warming, Government Regulations, Guantanamo Bay Prison for Enemy Combatants, Homelessness, Income Inequity, Income Redistribution, Inheritance Tax, Islam, Islam and Child Sacrifice, Land Ownership—National, Land Ownership—Personal, Marriage, The Military, Missionary Activity, Morality, National Threats, Nationalism versus Internationalism, Nuclear Disarmament, Patriotism, Political Activism, Poverty, Racial Issues, Reparations, Revolution, Separation of Church and State, Socialism, Taxation, Taxing the Rich, War, The Work Ethic.  There are 35+ pages on these issues, giving the general liberal position, the general conservative position, and then what the Bible says.  There is also a 29 page addendum where some of these issues are explored in more depth, as the format--side by side columns--does not lend itself to an in depth approach to each topic.  Everything is hyperlinked, so it is easy to go to whatever contemporary issue interests you.  Recently added: more links, more text and more graphics.
  

• Genesis Lessons #301-360. (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  posted 9/30/2015.  We begin these lessons by following Jacob, for the most part.  He cheats his twin brother Esau out of a blessing from Isaac, and then, because of the anger of Esau, finds that he must leave the land of promise.  Jacob works for his uncle Laban outside of Canaan, and marries Laban's two daughters.  20 years after moving the Paddan-Aram,  Jacob leaves (as per the directive of God), taking his wives and children with him.  His Uncle Laban chases after him and catches up with him; and, soon thereafter, Jacob comes face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who wrestles him.  In the most recent set of lessons, we examine the doctrines of The Husband's Responsibility in Marriage and the Function of Angels.  We also studied changing societal norms, Terah's Genealogy, Rom. 8:28 in the Life of Jacob, the Meaning of Jacob's Wrestling Match, and modern-day land disputes between the Jews and the Palestinians.

• The Sins of the Tongue (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Some material has been appended to this doctrine.  9/21/2015.
  

• The Doctrine of Sin (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) is expanded with links to a variety of sins and a sin list.  This doctrine was compiled; it is not original work.  Uploaded  9/21/2015
  

• Proverbs 5 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 9/4/2015. 
  

  David talks about one of his favorite subjects in this chapter of Proverbs: women—in particular, the right woman for any man (and, in this case, it is the right woman for Solomon, his very young son). One of the things which is fascinating is, David had 10 wives and 10 mistresses; Solomon had 1000 wives and mistresses; and yet David is teaching his son about the importance of one wife, of one relationship, of one love. This is the boundary given by God for personal and sexual love. The reason that this is fascinating is, most people like to justify themselves. Most people like to point to things that they have done and say, “You may think that I got it wrong, but what I was doing was a-okay.” But David does not do this. Solomon, in recording this information, does not do this. Both men, David by his teaching and Solomon by his recording of this information, testify to God’s plan for men and women, which is not the plan which they followed. At no time in any of their writings does either man try to justify their own mistakes. Solomon never writes, a man with one wife is blessed and a man with two is double-blessed. David never says, you know, in this line, we men of Judah have the sexual vigor of 20 men, so we need to have many women at our beck and call.

  
  Much of this chapter can be taken as allegorical, which only one or two commentators have done. Furthermore, from the earliest times, a significant portion of the chapter has been incorrectly interpreted. A correct interpretation will be given, along with a complete argument as to why the previous explanation was wrong and why the explanation found here is correct.
  

  Doctrines covered: Wormwood; Flattery; Lusts of the Soul; Sheol; the Cosmic System; Sexual Love in Marriage; and the Sin unto Death.

  Important topics covered: Islam and Multiple Wives; The Cost of Sexual Immorality; Children being raised without fathers; Marriage and the 3^rd Divine Institution; the Omniscience of God; and a Metaphorical Approach to Prov. 5.
  

  This is one of the most common sense and applicable chapters of the Bible. 196 pages.

• The Doctrine of Homosexuality was updated 9/3/2015  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD). The two doctrines from below, dealing with Ruth and Naomi as well as David and Jonathan, were added to the appendix.
  

• Ruth 4 was updated to include a brief section on a recent perversion on the contents of the book of Ruth from the gay movement (some claim that Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi were lesbian lovers).  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)   2Samuel 1 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  was also updated with similar material (the gay movement alleges that David and Jonathon were gay lovers and possibly even married).  These silly notions are put to rest.  Updated 9/3/15.
  

• The Doctrine of Lust (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 8/28/2015.  Surprisingly enough, most of the doctrinal sources that I refer to do not have the doctrine of lust.  This one is fairly basic, looking at the varieties of lusts, the Biblical passages on these various lusts, and the solution to the lust problem.  2 pages.
  

• Genesis 26 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) uploaded 8/9/2015.

  
  

  William Wenstrom, Jr.: Unbelief is the failure to take into account and acknowledge the character and nature of God, His presence and His Word.

  Kukis: In this life, as believers, we have both promises and direction from God. They will never be in conflict with one another.

  Kukis: God knows our limitations and what God requires of us, we are able to do.

  Kukis: Anytime a political movement encourages mental attitude sins, you know you are in the wrong movement.

  Kukis: God blessing one man does not mean that God withholds blessing from others.

  
  
  

  It ought to surprise you, as it did me, that there is a lot of application to be found in the chapter. The concept of envy is examined in great deal, along with two doctrines dealing with envy (the second one deals with envy and socialism); and there is a great deal of commentary about socialism in this study. This is done because communists in Latin America were having trouble making headway with the Catholics there, so they began to teach that Jesus favored socialism and that the Bible was all about socialism and feeding the poor and the needy (even though socialism does not actually do this, it purports to do this). So, instead of communism butting heads with Catholicism, communist principles and doctrine began to be taught as if they had come out of the Bible (this is known as liberation theology). As a result, even the most recent pope (I forget his name; I write this in 2015) has a plethora of socialistic ideas (he is from Latin America, if memory serves). Many of the doctrines and commentary in this chapter put to rest the idea that the Bible teaches socialism.

  There are 3 very similar incidents in the Bible, and this chapter examines all of them together. Because Isaac is moved around quite a bit, we study the geographic will of God as well as the will of God in general. We see that Abraham and Isaac both lived in a unique era, when all the survivors of the flood began to die out; and how that related to God’s promises to Abraham.
  

  Important doctrines covered: The Doctrine of Envy; the Politics of Envy; Socialism and Envy; The Relativity of Wealth; The Doctrine of Mental Attitude Sins; The Best Use of Our Time; Relocating to Go to a Doctrinal Church; Problems with the Current Democratic Party. How to Live Your Life (as a believer). Isaac in the New Testament.

  Important concepts explored: We study how God has blessed the United States; how our schools are funded. We study the dramatic change of mores in the United States where gay marriage is accepted by a majority of people; we see how an entire society can be changed by propagandizing the youth of that society. We examine the bankrupt moral system which attacks and steals from the rich and exalts the poor. We study how higher taxes on the wealthy does not make life any better for the poor. You may have noticed, when corresponding with some people, that they use the word/notation G-d. An explanation as to why they do this and why this is stupid.
  

  This is an outstanding and very contemporary study. This not only deals with current political movements, but also answers the question, what should I, as a believer in Jesus Christ, be doing today? 345 pages.

• Genesis Lessons #301-350. (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  posted 7/22/2015.  We begin these lessons by following Jacob, for the most part.  He cheats his twin brother Esau out of a blessing from Isaac, and then, because of the anger of Esau, finds that he must leave the land of promise.  Jacob works for his uncle Laban outside of Canaan, and marries Laban's two daughters.  In this set of lessons, we examine the doctrines of Hatred, Emotions, Heart, Emotional Revolt, Reversionism, the Spiritual Life in the Old and New Testaments, Christian Giving, Biblical Marriage, Alternative Forms of Marriage in the Bible.  We also examine many of the so-called Bible contradictions, the Uniqueness of the Bible, and Why Moses Did Not Write Genesis.

• Blessing by Association updated 7/20/2015  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Once a believer begins to mature spiritually, God begins to pour out more blessings upon that believer (called "more grace" or "greater grace").  These blessings overflow to those who are around you.  This doctrine explains and documents the concept of blessing by association.  Added was a short section of clear examples of blessing by association taken out of the Bible.
  

• In performing a search of this website, make certain that your search terms go in the second google box.
  

•  The List, a 56 pages list of suggested links has been updated 7/19/15 The List  (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD).. There are 31 states with doctrinal churches in them (most of these churches are small).  By doctrinal, I mean (1) they teach the Word of God, often book by book; (2) they teach salvation by faith alone in Christ alone; (3) they teach the importance of spiritual mechanics, such as, naming one's sins to God in order to be restored to fellowship with God; (4) they teach the importance of knowing the Word of God; (5) they teach grace, dispensations, spiritual mechanics, and (6) provide you a place where you may grow spiritually.  The list of churches was updated somewhat (some of them no longer exist); and the links to online exegesis of books of the Bible was updated.  Every believer needs to be in a local church that facilitates spiritual growth and they need to learn why they are alive right now.

• The Doctrine of Envy (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) updated 7/15/2015.  An abbreviated version of this doctrine was added, along with the Doctrine of Envy and Socialism.  Also, a number of quotations were added as well.  One of the mental attitude sins often ignored in Christian teaching is envy.  This is a sin which is actually encouraged today by those who would move us toward socialism.  We are to look to the rich and feel envious, desire their things, and therefore, promote socialism so that we might take these things from them.  Such envy is sinful, and there is no good end for those who allow their envy to rule over them unchecked.

• The Divine Institutions (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted 7/14/2015.  These are the fundamental institutions established by God for believers and unbelievers alike.  This is actually a portion of the Divine Establishment doctrine directly below.
  

• Just updated: The Doctrine of the Laws of Divine Establishment 7/14/2015.   (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD)    The Laws of Divine Establishment are laws which are designed for believers and unbelievers alike.  These laws are constantly under attack.  Minor formatting update with a little editing.  This is the most complete treatment of this topic that I am aware of.

• The Abrahamic Covenant (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded July 10, 2015 (actually, this was uploaded a year ago, but I never provided any links to it).  This is essentially taken from the Basic Exegesis Series, starting with Gen.12  15  17.  The first instance of the Abrahamic Covenant is given, followed by ancient and modern examples of "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you."  Also included is an examination of the Suzerain-Vassal treaty, Circumcision means Regeneration (circumcision was often required to show one's faith in a promise or covenant from God), and a list of God's covenants with Abraham.  Included is a graphic borrowed from Slide Share which gives an overall view of the covenants of the Old Testament.  52 pages. 
  

• Genesis 25 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded July 5, 2015.
  

  
  
  

  Although much of Genesis 25 deals with the Arab line from Abraham, there is a great deal about Abraham in this chapter study. In fact, one very extensive section of this chapter study, delves into all of the New Testament passages where Abraham is mentioned.

  There is an excellent short section in this study called The Bible, Poverty, Inheritance, Wealth, and Spreading the Wealth Around: There has been a great deal of communist propaganda which has found its way into mainstream liberal thinking, that makes the God of the Bible to appear to be anti-wealth. Abraham, as a case history, shows that this is simply not true.
  

  Included is an extensive section within Gen. 25: Abraham in the New Testament (this is very much a summation of all that we have covered up to this point; as well as seeing how Abraham is referenced in the New Testament). This is simply a look at every New Testament passage where Abraham is mentioned. Within this study, we get an excellent study of a great many Christian doctrines; including at least one you have not seen before.

  Some commentary, from time to time, will appear to be very political. Such commentary teaches the laws of divine establishment; or is illustrative of a Biblical principle, which is brought into the 21^st century. 100 years from now, the principles will remain the same, although the people named from contemporary history will become much less relevant to future generations.
  

  Like most chapters, which I cover, there will be extensive application to contemporary circumstances, philosophies and personalities. We will study or use as illustrations: President Obama, socialism, spreading the wealth, the Bible’s view of wealth, our actual history,

  We will spend a significant amount of time in the New Testament studying all of the times that Abraham is mentioned by name. This will bring into focus stories from the Bible you may have never heard—like Jesus and the short, rich tax collector. This section is very much the reason for the unusual length of this chapter.
  

  Regarding twin sons Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Rebekah, their parents, chose to raise them separately. Although most commentators who expressed an opinion about this was negative, I will suggest a reason why Isaac and Rebekah did what they did. This might put them in a different light for you.

  There are several extremely important doctrines and studies presented in this study: Reinterpreting Old Testament Truths (the New Testament does not supplant, overwrite, or replace the Old Testament; it provides another dimension to it that was previously hidden); The Seed of Abraham and the Life of the Believer (which is a series of parallels); Canonicity—who decided what the New Testament would be.
  

  We study the doctrines of the Human Soul, the Human Spirit, and Morality.

  There are also two sets of genealogies. I understand how some people may not be that interested in those sections. However, do not neglect this chapter of the Word of God because of the genealogies. There is much more to be found in this exegetical study than named above.
  

  This is a unique and extremely dense study of Gen. 25; it is covered nowhere else in this depth. In fact, it is remarkable to me that some commentaries, like the Bridgeway Bible Commentary, only devote 2 pages of commentary to this chapter. The idea is, you will walk away knowing about as much about Gen. 25 as is humanly possible to know. Furthermore, there are unique contributions to be found within this study of Gen. 25—things you will not read anywhere else. 400 pages.

• The Ark of the Covenant  (HTML)  (PDF)   (WPD).  The Ark of the Covenant (also known as the Ark of God) is one of the most amazing pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle (and later in the Temple).  This doctrine includes a physical description of the Ark, false theories bout the Ark; the uniqueness of the ark; the Movement of the Ark of God; and How the Ark is a Type of Christ.  The is one of the most accessed doctrines at this site; and this represents an update on this doctrine.  Posted 6/6/2015.
  

• Doctrine of the Sabbath (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted 6/5/2015.  The Sabbath is clearly one of the Ten Commandments and had great meaning to the Jewish people.  Is this still a command for today?  If so, why; and if not, why not?  There is also a passage in Hebrews which reads, And there remains a Sabbath for the people of God.  That seems pretty clear.  This passage is examined and exegeted as a part of this study.
  

• Deuteronomy 34 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Posted 5/30/15
  

  

  Deuteronomy 34 is the final chapter of Deuteronomy, and it is narrative which deals with the death of Moses.

  There are some extremely important studies in this chapter: The Categories of Reasons Why Moses Will Not Go into the Land; How Moses Is a Type of Christ. Since Moses dies in this chapter, dying grace is a part of this study as well.
  

  Because God shows Moses the land that will be given to Moses, we study both the early boundaries of Israel and the mountains in Israel. We discussed who buried Moses (and there is a surprising consensus here).
  

  In some incidental studies, we compared the gospels to one another and what order they were probably written (and how this is related to this final chapter of Deuteronomy). 128 pages. 

• The Essence of God, as per the Pentateuch.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD). Posted 5/26/2015.  This is the standard doctrine of the Essence of God, but the supporting texts are taken only from the Pentateuch and the book of Job.   This shows that the God of the Old Testament--the God of the Law--is the exact same God that we worship today.
  

• The Essence of God  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD). This was posted some time ago, but apparently not listed before.
  

• Deuteronomy 4 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 5/18/2015.
  

  
  

  Quotations:

   George Orwell: To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle.

  Matthew Poole: the true greatness of a nation does not consist in pomp or power, or largeness of empire, as commonly men think, but in the righteousness of its laws.

  Quotations about idolatry:

  Emilio Estevez: What I find interesting is that the people that follow your Twitters are called 'followers.' Talk about false idolatry, right? 

  
  

  Deut. 4 completes the great first sermon of Moses, east of the Jordan River, delivered before Israel is to cross over the Jordan without him. At the end of this chapter, there are two short narratives: the setting up of the cities of refuge east of the Jordan; and an introduction to Deut. 5 (which should have been placed with Deut. 5, but was not).

  There is an extremely important doctrine in this chapter entitled The Bible is Whole and Complete. Moses, in Deut. 4:2 says “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.” (ESV). But Joshua writes the final chapter of Deuteronomy; Joshua then writes the book of Joshua; and then various men write the book of the Judges. So, are they not adding to the word that Moses commanded the people of God? This doctrine explains; and is a part of rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
  

  Contained in this examination of Deut. 4 is perhaps the best, easiest to understand outline of this chapter, which is a series of object lessons, which the Israelites were to think about and learn from.

  
  Moses explains to this generation that they are unique—they have seen the great signs and wonders done by God and they have heard God’s voice. Therefore, they are commanded to tell all that they have seen and heard to their children and grandchildren.
  

  Topics discussed in this chapter: Deuteronomy and the Suzerain treaties; sexually addictive behavior and homosexuality; homosexuality prohibitions in the Bible and the mixing of divers fabrics; ancient law codes; how to determine if you are in a good church; the national greatness of Britain; why the United States has been so greatly blessed; correctly interpreting and understanding current history (current events); and chapter and verse divisions.

  Doctrines discussed in this chapter: The Fear of the Lord; Idolatry—Ancient and Modern; Categories of Reasons Why Moses Will Not Go Into the Land; and The Exclusivity of God and the Jews.
  

  As usual, this is the most complete examination of this chapter available. 419 pages.

• Liberation Theology/Black Liberation Theology  (updated 5/15/15)  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  A former communist spy admits that they developed Liberation Theology.  His testimony and several graphics are added.  This doctrine is examined and laid side-by-side orthodox Christian Doctrine.
  

• The Doctrine of War  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  updated 5/2/2015 with one of General George Patton's prayers.
  

• Homosexuality and the Bible updated 5/2/2015  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  With some additional commentary on gay marriage and some relevant articles on gay marriage and gay parenting have been added.
  

• Deuteronomy 3 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 3/30/2015.
  

  If you read Deuteronomy 3 first, you ought to have two questions: (1) how could God leave Moses behind and let the rest of Israel go into the Land of Promise? And (2) how did the Israelites defeat 60 cities in a relatively short period of time?
  
  
  

  As in the previous chapter, much of what we find in Deuteronomy 3 is review of events which have just taken place. Everyone in attendance knows these events. Moses explains them so that their spiritual meaning will be understood.

  Moses will remind the people of the tremendous victory over Og of Bashan; how the land east of the Jordan will be give to 2½ tribes (Reuben, Gad and Manasseh), but how they must continue to help their brothers to take the land west of the Jordan River.
  

  Moses also reminds them that Joshua will lead them at the point of crossing the Jordan and forward; he will lead them into victory over the peoples of Canaan. And they can look back on what God has done for them recently in order to have confidence that God will continue to be with them in battle. Moses himself will not go forward. He will die east of the Jordan River, never having set foot in the Land of Promise.

  
  

  There are many important and unique doctrines found in this chapter: Why Won’t Moses Enter the Land with the Children of Israel? And What can we as individual believers take from Moses going this far and no further? And, What are we, cops of the world? These are relatively short doctrines, but there is a lot of information and application to our lives today found in these doctrines. Also very important in the theological realm is, Why Joshua leads the people instead of Moses. There is a great deal of typology which is involved here. However, when you see it all explained, all kinds of things will make perfect sense.

• Dishonest Anti-Bible Graphics (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 3/23/2015.  There are a great many dishonest graphics posted on the internet.  The internet and email has allowed for those who are against the Bible to devise cleaver anti-Bible graphics, and then to post them on facebook (or, wherever) and then allow these graphics to proliferate.           
  
•  
  
  These graphics have become the bumper stickers of the 21st century.  They are brief enough for those with a short attention span, yet long enough to make their point.
  
  It is certainly reasonable to ask, why call these graphics dishonest?  After all, not everyone knows the Bible very well.  So, maybe they are just mistaken or ill-informed.  Here is why they are dishonest: if you tell the person who has posted an anti-Bible graphic where they are wrong, and correctly explain the passage, they are not going to remove the graphic.  They are not going to say, okay, I get it now; I have a better understanding now; and then delete the graphic from their personal web page or facebook page.  They will leave it up.  They leave it up because they are against the Bible.  So, it does not matter how well their mistaken notion is correctly explained to them; they are still going to leave the graphic up—which makes it, at that point, a dishonest graphic.  Their purpose is to promote their discomfort with the Bible as the Word of God; and they hope that you adopt their position as well.  They are not worried about getting this or that point of doctrine wrong.
  
  Many of these graphics are posted by groups who go by names like the Christian Left.  These are a mixture of people who have strong, leftist convictions.  They are liberals or socialists first; and then, whatever else, second.  Some of them have believed in Jesus Christ; some have not.  However, when a graphic that they come across and post turns out to contradict the Bible; rarely do they remove it.  Rarely do they write a retraction.  Rarely do they post next to this graphic, “I am mistaken.  This graphic which I posted presents the Bible incorrectly.”
  

• Exegesis of Proverbs 4 (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 3/10/2015. 
  
  
  
  

  Quotations:

  1Kings 2:1–4 When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the LORD may establish His word that He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before Me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' ” (ESV; capitalized)

  J. Vernon McGee: It was Pascal who said that human knowledge must be understood to be loved. But divine knowledge must be loved to be understood.

  Prov. 4:13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.

  Judith Martin (Miss Manners): Heaven knows that Miss Manners is not against the disciplining of children. We are all born charming, frank, and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society.

  Robert Dean: Does it take a village to raise a child? This misguided notion insists that training children must be a joint effort of schools, families, and government organizations. Proverbs 4 places the teaching of good judgment and clear thinking solely on the shoulders of parents.

  
  

  This is a very unusual chapter in Scripture, as God is not named in this chapter. You can see this when you examine the Word Cloud for the translation of this chapter. However, it is still a part of the Word of God; and divine inspiration is clearly a part of Proverbs 4. This would suggest that this chapter deals mainly with the laws of divine establishment. This is true; but it also deals with the spiritual life as well.

  Black Americans used to be a powerful spiritual force in America; and now they are a drag on American society. What happened? How does Proverbs 4 help to explain what happened?
  

  We study how evil and sin become a part of our nature as we sin more often or commit acts of evil more often (evil may include acts of sin and acts of human good). This is presented in parallel to eating and drinking, and how the food becomes an actual part of us (just as Bible doctrine; or acts of sin and evil become a part of us).

  Topics discussed: teaching your children; the necessity of discipline; the use of the word heart in Proverbs (and the rest of the Bible); gays and gay marriage; taxing sin; the variety of gifts of the body of Christ; Proverbs 4 and Operation Z; the concepts of evil and sin; the consistency of the Bible with heart science;
  

  Doctrines covered: Crowns; Scriptural Promise for a Long Life; Crime and Punishment; God and Light; the Spiritual Life in the Age of Israel; Darkness; Walking, Running; Sins of the Tongue; Sin. 219 pages.

• Just appended from Proverbs 4: The Doctrine of the Heart (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) and the Sins of the Tongue (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 3/10/2015.
  

• Just added from Proverbs 4: The Doctrine of Sin (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD), the Doctrine of Walking (and Running) (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD), and the Doctrine of Darkness (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  All uploaded 3/10/2015.
  

• The Doctrine of Crowns (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 3/8/2015.  Taken directly from the exegesis of Proverbs4;   Most of the work was done by others (primarily by R. B. Thieme, Jr., I believe).  A small amount of texture and additional material has been added.
  

• The Bible and Capital Punishment (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 3/7/2015. The Bible is very clear on its teaching on capital punishment.
  

• Crime and Punishment in the Bible (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 3/7/2015.  Interestingly enough, even though the Bible spends a great deal of time discussing sin; there is much less time devoted to crime.  This is because sin stands between us and God; and crime is only a societal matter.  This is taken out of Proverbs 4. 
• See also the Doctrine of Criminality (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)
  

• The Doctrine of Light  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD). Updated 2/28/2015.  Added to this doctrine: "Sanctification, Light and the Believer" and "God and Light" (both taken out of Proverbs 4).
  

• Proverbs 3 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Uploaded 2/15/2015.  David continues teaching his son in Proverbs 3. This chapter could be summed up as the application of wisdom of life and its many benefits; contrasted with the lives of those who reject the wisdom of God.

  This chapter is filled with memorable passages—your favorite verse of some of your favorite verses may be found in this chapter; here are a few (and these are not the only ones):

  Proverbs 3:11–12    My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom He delights. (ESV; capitalized)

  Proverbs 3:13–18   Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,

  for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.

  She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

  She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. (ESV; capitalized)

  Gary North: Adherence to God’s laws brings visible, external benefits. These benefits are long life and plenty.

  Larsen: In the final analysis all government, all economics, all currency and banking, all institutions and all marriages, all relationships between people, are fundamentally governed by trust. Without trust, society deteriorates into paranoia, the feeling that everybody is out to get you.

  
  
  

  There is a great emphasis in this chapter about the physical and mental health benefits of knowing and applying God’s knowledge to life. This will be discussed because this has both been overblown by some, and, by others, disregarded.

  One of the mysteries of this chapter is the mention of the Tree of Life. We can understand what the Tree of Life was back in Genesis and even what it means in Revelation; but what does it mean here, in the middle of a wisdom book? What is the relationship? This will be explained (as far as I know, this has not been correctly explained before).

• The Fatherhood of God (Old Testament)  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 2/5/15.  There has always been a Trinity, and even though Jewish theologians never recognized it, the Trinity is taught in the Old Testament.  Along these same lines, God is presented as the Father--not of all mankind--but as a Father of specific persons and groups in the Old Testament.  This short doctrine simply documents this truth.  The Trinity in the Old Testament   (HTML)   (PDF)  (WPD) was uploaded some time ago.  The doctrine of the Fatherhood of God (from both testaments) ( HTML)  (PDF) (WPD)  has already been covered and posted:
  

• The Doctrine of Bones  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 2/5/15.  "Bones" are found 100x in Scripture; so it is worth our while to understand the ways in which this word is used.
  

• The Doctrine of Envy (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 1/30/2015.  One of the mental attitude sins often ignored in Christian teaching is envy.  This is a sin which is actually encouraged today by those who would move us toward socialism.  We are to look to the rich and feel envious, desire their things, and therefore, promote socialism so that we might take these things from them.  Such envy is sinful, and there is no good end for those who allow their envy to rule over them unchecked.
  

• The Doctrine of Socialism  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  updated and expanded 1/30/2015.  We face several great attacks today on Christianity and the Laws of Divine Establishment: (1) Communism and socialism; (2) Humanism and modern American culture; (3) Islam.  A form of socialism is first found in the Bible (there is no new thing under the sun); in our American history (before the time of Karl Marx); and it appears that our country is heading toward socialism.  Therefore, it is important to understand what this ideology is all about and what does the Bible say about it.

• A Spiritually-Empowered Jesus Christ is our Spiritual Model  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted 1/28/15.  For many years, we have heard the insipid question, what would Jesus do, posed by believers and unbelievers alike.  What Jesus did during His public ministry was multi-faceted, and few Christians fully appreciate the complexity of this.  Historically speaking, most theologians and learned believers understood that Jesus is the Messiah, and that He came to the Jewish people as their Messiah.  Most theologians and learned believers understood that He kept the Law perfectly (as well as perfectly explained the Law) and that He fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies concerning Himself.  However, Jesus also fulfilled the typology of the Old Testament, something which was not fully developed theologically until Finis Jennings Dake (1902–1987) recognized it and wrote about it.  And one of the things which Jesus did was, He was the model for our spiritual lives.  He revealed in His Own life the spiritual life for the believer today during the Church Age.  As the one who developed this doctrine, R. B. Thieme, Jr. explained, our Lord test-drove the spiritual life for us.  These general concepts have certainly been around since the Apostle Paul originally wrote about them, but they have become more fully developed in the past two centuries.
  

• The List, a 55 pages list of suggested links has been updated 1/26/15 The List  (HTML)   (PDF). There are 31 states with doctrinal churches in them (most of these churches are small).  By doctrinal, I mean (1) they teach the Word of God, often book by book; (2) they teach salvation by faith alone in Christ alone; (3) they teach the importance of spiritual mechanics, such as, naming one's sins to God in order to be restored to fellowship with God; (4) they teach the importance of knowing the Word of God; (5) they teach grace, dispensations, spiritual mechanics, and (6) provide you a place where you may grow spiritually.  The list of churches was updated somewhat (some of them no longer exist); and the links to online exegesis of books of the Bible was updated.  Every believer needs to be in a local church that facilitates spiritual growth and they need to learn why they are alive right now.
  

• The Doctrine of Giving (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 1/25/2015.  Giving has been greatly distorted in the Church Age.  I recall a pastor on the radio who started his 30 minute show by asking for money; and continued throughout almost the entire show, asking for money, presumably so that he could come on the radio the next day to do the same thing.  This is a great distortion of Christian giving, and this has given many unbelievers a legitimate reason to criticize various Christian churches and organizations.  Herein is a brief section on Old Testament Giving, followed by the Doctrine of Giving in the Church Age, followed by a set of links to various churches which all present an accurate view of giving--grace giving.
  

• Genesis Lessons #301-425. (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Uploaded 1/21/2015.  We begin these lessons by following Jacob, for the most part.  He cheats his twin brother Esau out of a blessing from Isaac, and then, because of the anger of Esau, finds that he must leave the land of promise.  In this set of lessons, we examine the doctrines of Hatred, Emotions, Heart, Emotional Revolt, Reversionism, and the Spiritual Life in the Old and New Testaments.  We also examine many of the so-called Bible contradictions as well as the Uniqueness of the Bible.

• Genesis 24 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 1/16/2015.
  

  
  

  J. Vernon McGee: My Christian friend, if you have a boy or girl in your home who is marriageable, you ought to pray that he will not marry one of the "Canaanites." They are still in the land, and there is always a danger of our young people marrying one of them. If they do, as someone has put it, they are going to have the devil for their father-in-law, and they are always going to have trouble with him.

  J. Ligon Duncan on the servant who falls to the ground and worships God upon meeting Rebekah: He instantaneously falls on his face and he worships God. Success inflates the ego of the natural man, but it humbles the man of God.

  Gen. 24 is the longest chapter in the book of Genesis. Abraham calls in his chief servant and tells him to saddle up and go to Haran in the east to his extended family there and find a wife for his son Isaac. God’s promises to Abraham cannot be fulfilled unless Isaac has a wife and children.
  

  Gen. 24 makes us realize just how different God’s thinking is from ours. What historian would spend time with such an extended narrative about the material found in this chapter? This is simply not historical, from man’s viewpoint. However, from God’s viewpoint, this is important. Isaac must have a wife in order for the promises of Abraham to be fulfilled; and he cannot take a wife with a heathen upbringing. He could not continue the faith of Abraham unless he is helped by a life partner who thinks the same way as he does. Isaac needs a woman who also has faith in the Revealed God.

  God focuses upon what is important; and yet man often does not even see it.
  

  Because of the length of this chapter, I made a real effort not to include many quotations from other commentators—yet the exegesis of this chapter still ended up being nearly 400 pages.

  We study several important concepts in this chapter: that Jesus is not some brown revolutionary Who is giving away free healthcare; how slavery is not the evil which we have been brought up to think it is; how there are different kinds of slavery and some slaves held a higher social position in the eyes of others than you or I; typology and how this chapter continues and completes Isaac as a type of Christ; and there are references to Operation Fast and Furious, Benghazi, our present president and past presidents.
  

  We studied the doctrines of Racial Intermarriage; Angels; the 5 Divine Institutions; and Slavery. 434 pages.

• 
  

  Genesis 23 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 1/16/2015 (or so).
  

  Gen. 23 is one of the most enigmatic chapters of the Bible. This entire chapter seems to deal with relatively trivial information, and could be summed up in one verse: Sarah died at age 127, so Abraham purchased a plot of land with a cave from the Hittites for her grave site. There are details about Abraham’s interactions with some of the prominent Hittite men which seem excessive, to say the least. You may not realize this the first time you read this chapter; but when you read it a second time, and ask yourself, why is this chapter in the Word of God; you might find yourself hard-pressed to answer that question.
  

  This is quite a surprising chapter in the Bible. Gen. 22 was a landmark chapter in the Word of God, with God asking Abraham to offer up his uniquely-born son; and then, in Gen. 23, Sarah dies, and most of the chapter is devote to Abraham purchasing a plot of land with a cave where he might place her body. This is a very unusual juxtaposition of chapters, examining the mundane details of the purchase of some land in Gen. 23 as over-against the incredible narrative of Abraham offering up to God his son Isaac.

  Sometimes in a narrative, it is a good idea to look carefully at the narrative. In Gen. 23, Abraham travels to a nearby city of the Hittites to purchase a fairly large plot of land, and he will place the body of his wife in a cave which he purchases. No doubt, Abraham made 2 trips to this city—but it could have been as many as 4 trips. The text is not completely clear about this. However, a superficial reading of the text would not suggest that there was more than one meeting that took place.
  

  Although this seems like a very odd insertion into the Word of God, this chapter verifies the authorship of Abraham and indicates to us that, if Moses was the ultimate editor of Genesis, then he did not edit anything out; he simply added in a few references to geographical locations, giving them their ancient and updated names. It is this chapter, Gen. 24, and Jacob’s remembrances of Rachel which are very telling, and reveal to us the true authorship of the book of Genesis—that these events were recorded by the people who experienced these events. The minutiae of this chapter strongly argues against an historian like Moses assembling the chapters of Genesis some 400 years later, and including information that strikes him as important and leaving out things which seem trivial to him. If Moses assembled the final book of Genesis, he treated it with respect and did not leave any details out of it. In my opinion, the only thing that Moses (or Joshua) did, was update some of the geographical references (which obviously were added after the fact).

  Subjects covered in this chapter: the Hittites; how the people of the land of Canaan changed; business and land deals; the value of silver today; Jewish stereotypes; and the thinking and recollection of Abraham of this time.
  

  Doctrines covered in this chapter: Sarah’s Life; Physical Death; and Hebron. 145 pages.

• The Doctrine of Evil (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 1/16/2015.  Evil is both the thinking and policy of Satan in his desire to become God. What stands in opposition to evil is grace, which represents both the thinking and policy of God.  Satan desires to use his policy of evil in order to influence and pervert the souls of mankind.  Evil, therefore, can be a simple distortion of God's Word and His directives.  Evil invades all aspects of thought and life as it pertains to mankind: religion, philosophy, society, etc.  Evil thinking can manifest itself in apostasy, legalism, socialism and other various human panaceas, and liberalism.
  

• Typology: Abraham’s Offering of Isaac/God’s Offering of Jesus  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Updated 1/10/2015.  Gen. 22 is one of the most amazing chapters in all of the Bible.  God comes to Abraham and asks for him to offer up his uniquely-born son, the only time that God ever calls for a human sacrifice.   This is done to set up a parallel between the offering of Isaac to the offering of our Lord for our sins.  This is an example of typology.  Isaac is the type; Jesus is the antitype.  The actual historical narrative of God asking Abraham to offer up his son is real; but it foreshadows our Lord being offered up on the cross and being judged by God the Father for our sins.  This is an amazing set of parallels, much like the birth of Isaac foreshadowed the birth of our Lord (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).

• The Doctrine of Divine Blessings (with an emphasis on the Church Age).  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD). Posted 1/4/2015.  The growing believer is always blessed by God.
  

• The Dual Authorship of the Scriptures updated1/3/2015  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  This doctrine was taken out of Psalm 51 (below).  All of the related doctrines and text from Psalm 51 was gathered together in order to form this doctrine.  The idea is, because there are two authors of Holy Writ, man and God the Holy Spirit, it would therefore follow that, now and again, the man thinks one thing and writes it down; but God the Holy Spirit, the co-Author, uses those exact same words to express an often related but different concept.  This, in many ways, will revolutionize the interpretation of Old Testament Scripture, particularly the psalms and the prophetic passages. Another example of Dual Authorship is provided.
  

• The Doctrine of Racial Intermarriage (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Updated Dec. 18, 2014.   Even though there are warnings to the Jews not to intermarry with the heathen who lived around them, and warnings to the New Testament believer not to be "unequally yoked" in marriage, there is no actual ban in the Bible of intermarriage between different racial groups.  In fact, strictly speaking, we are all descended from Adam and from Noah--so that marriage always involves two people from the same family, even though they might be very distant cousins.  This doctrine examines what the Bible says about this particular topic.
  

• Genesis 22 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded Dec. 13, 2014.
  

  Genesis 22 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament; and within it are some amazing events as well as amazing statements. However, there is a verse found here which almost every believer has heard, but is incorrectly translated.
  

  Quotations:

   J. Vernon McGee: If you were to designate the ten greatest chapters of the Bible, you would almost have to include Genesis 22...This chapter compares with Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. The first time that I saw in this chapter these great truths which depict the cross of Christ, it was breathtaking. Not only in the birth of Isaac, but now also in the sacrifice of Isaac, there is a strange similarity to the life of our Lord.

   Philippians 2:5–8 You should think about things the way Christ Jesus did. He existed in the form of God [i.e., He shared God’s very nature], but did not consider [remaining] equal with God something [to continue] to hold onto. Instead, He gave up what He had and took on the form [i.e., the nature] of a slave, becoming like a man, [and even] His appearance was found to be like a man’s. He humbled Himself [by] becoming obedient [to God] to the point of death, even death on a cross.

  In Gen. 22, God comes to Abraham and tells him to take his son to Moriah and to offer him up as a burnt offering. This begins one of the most incredible narratives in the Old Testament.
  

  One thing which is clearly found in this chapter is the concept of type. That is, Abraham, by offering his son Isaac as a burnt offering (and then God stopping him, and giving a ram instead to be offered) is clearly typical of God the Father judging God the Son in our stead, pouring the sins of the world upon Him.

  Doctrines discussed in this chapter: The Angel of Jehovah; The Parallels between Abraham offering Isaac and God offering His Son on the cross; Operation Footstool; the Doctrine of Typology; Escrow Blessing in the Plan of God.
  

  Subjects examined in this chapter: How can God ask Abraham to offer up his son? How can re reconcile this chapter of the Bible with God’s prohibitions of child sacrifice? Homosexuality and how it is portrayed on television. God’s blessings to Abraham and the timing of these blessings. The types of genealogies found in Scripture.

  We also look at the concept of foreshadowing, in both movies and in human history; one of the most well-known verses in the Bible (God will provide) is mistranslated (the way it should be translated is much more meaningful); we take an atheist interlude during this study. At the end of this chapter, we have the genealogy of Nahor—and we discuss why it is here.
  

  A most amazing journey, which ought to increase your faith and enhance your understanding of Who and What God is. 264 pages.

• Alleged Bible Contradictions  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 12/10/14.  There are many websites fully or partially devoted to pointing out alleged contradictions in the Bible: The Secular Web, Evil Bible, The Thinking Atheist, and Freedom From Religion, to name a few.  Hundreds of books can be pulled up using Bible contradictions on Amazon.com.  Here, I have simply taken the first 10 or 20 contradictions listed by Evil Bible in each category, and explained them.  In most cases, the explanations were surprisingly simple.  Only 2 or 3 cases required some research.  Includes "The Uniqueness of the Bible."  35 pages.

• Proverbs 2 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

  Dr. Thomas Constable: [Proverbs 2] emphasizes moral stability as a fruit of wisdom.

  Warren Wiersbe: Obtaining spiritual wisdom isn't a once-a-week hobby, it is the daily discipline of a lifetime. But in this age of microwave ovens, fast foods, digests, and numerous 'made easy' books, many people are out of the habit of daily investing time and energy in digging deep into Scripture and learning wisdom from the Lord. Thanks to television, their attention span is brief; thanks to religious entertainment that passes for worship, their spiritual appetite is feeble and spiritual knowledge isn't 'pleasant to [their] soul' (Proverbs 2:10). It's no wonder fewer and fewer people 'take time to be holy' and more and more people fall prey to the enemies that lurk along the way.

  From Calvary Chapel: Isn't it amazing the time we spend watching movies or television shows, the amount of time we watch sporting events, the amount of time we are on the Internet or Facebook or one of those social media sites, the amount of time we spend texting people and that list can go on-and-on! And yet, when it comes to God's Word, "I just don't have the time" we say! Solomon is telling us that you can't afford not to be in God's Word! And I am not talking about a casual reading of God's Word, but digging deep and mining out the silver nuggets that are in there! 

  Kukis: When it comes to mining for silver as an analogy to seeking out Bible doctrine,...You do not just wander over a piece of land and collect whatever bits of silver ore that might be laying there upon the surface—you dig deep and wide and you go back to places where you have mined before and you mine some more. Mining is ambitious and thorough, as your study of the Word of God ought to be.
  

  
  

  I had far too many quotations in Proverbs 1 and over 500 footnotes. This time, I made a conscious attempt to have as few as possible, but without cheating the reader of the information found in this chapter (there are only 160 footnotes in Prov. 2). My intention is that each chapter exegeted from the Bible stand on its own as a separate literary unit. That is, all that you need to understand in any chapter is what is found in the exegesis of it. Therefore, there are some overlapping doctrines in Prov. 1 and 2.

  Prov. 2 is a discourse from father to son. The father extols the virtues of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, and gives some of the results of having a heart filled with understanding: wisdom with come into the heart and understanding be pleasant to the soul. A man with wisdom and understanding will know how to avoid evil and how to avoid the wrong woman. In the end, those who are upright and have integrity will inhabit the earth, while the wicked will be uprooted from it.
  

  The doctrines studied in this chapter: the Doctrine of the Heart, the Fear of the Lord, the Doctrine of Evil, the Doctrine of Adultery, the Doctrine of Flattery, the Palestinian Covenant, and the Baptism of Fire.

  Applications in this chapter involve Alexis de Tocqueville, the day that your child asked you 50 questions, why banks and Walmart are not evil, the so-called 99%, the Ferguson riots and Jonathan Gruber.
  

  We study and discuss how wisdom is not a function of I.Q., storing up Bible doctrine in your heart, the importance of Bible doctrine, the joy of Bible doctrine, the problems of cults, King David and how he raised most of his sons poorly, and even ask the question is the Bible racist? 163 pages.

• The Doctrine of Murder (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  uploaded November 23, 2014.  Although R.B.Thieme, Jr. did this doctrine many years ago, it is difficult to find.  Much of this doctrine came from his notes and from Maranatha Church. This is a relatively short doctrine covering primarily what the Bible teaches about murder.
  
• The Doctrine of Socialism  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  uploaded November 23, 2014. The Doctrine of Socialism is long overdue.  Socialism is first found in the Bible (there is no new thing under the sun); in our American history (before the time of Karl Marx); and appears to be the direction our country is heading.  Therefore, it is important to understand what this ideology is all about and what does the Bible say about it.
  
• The Doctrine of Criminality (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  uploaded November 23, 2014. A lure of young people is the criminal lifestyle, and this lure is examined in Prov. 1.  Much of the material for this doctrine originally came from R. B. Thieme, Jr.; but it has been edited and appended. 

• Proverbs 1 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded November 23, 2014
  

  
  

  On Wisdom:

   Paul E. Larsen: When a man knows the right and does the right he is a wise man. It is the wedding of knowing and doing-it is the junction of the good and the true.

   Warren Wiersbe: It isn't enough simply to be educated and have knowledge, as important as education is. We also need wisdom, which is the ability to use knowledge. Wise men and women have the competence to grasp the meaning of a situation and understand what to do and how to do it in the right way at the right time...The pages of history are filled with the names of brilliant and gifted people who were smart enough to become rich and famous but not wise enough to make a successful and satisfying life. Before his death, one of the world's richest men said that he would have given all his wealth to make one of his six marriages succeed. It's one thing to make a living, but quite something else to make a life.

   John C. Maxwell: A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.

   Isaac Asimov: The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.

   Frank Zappa: Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom.

   On the Book of Proverbs:

   Kukis: Is there any book written by any man about wisdom and about doing right which comes to mind which is known and revered by even one-hundredth of those who know and revere this book of Proverbs?

   Albert Barnes: The writer’s purpose [of the book of Proverbs] is to educate. He is writing what might be called an ethical handbook for the young, though not for the young only. Of all books in the Old Testament, this is the one which we may think of as most distinctively educational.

   E. Johnson: [This] is a collection of proverbs. Condensed wisdom. Landmarks in the field of experience. Beacons of warning from dangerous shores. Objects of interest in life’s travel.

  Although the study of this particular chapter is quite extensive, I may have gotten somewhat carried away with some of the internal doctrines, borrowing liberally from Precept Austin for all the occurrences of this or that word in the book of Proverbs.
  

  I may also have gotten carried away with quotes from various commentators. There are over 500 footnotes in this chapter, and most of them are quotations from others.

  The combination of the imported text from other sources, and the original material found within, you should be able to fully understand this chapter of Proverbs and everything that is found within it, including some of the more difficult and obscure passages (like the one about the bird watching a net being set for him).
  

  It should be easy to see why R. B. Thieme, Jr. spent in excess of 30 hours teaching this one chapter of Proverbs. Not only does this lay the foundation for the book of Proverbs, this is the essential pamphlet of the spiritual life in Israel and the Christian life for us today.

  What we do not find are scores of thoughtful Proverbs simply thrown together. There is an organization throughout this chapter, as well as an internal organization to every section and passage. Often understanding the structure of a passage makes the passage more understandable, as well as easier to remember.
  

  One of the important discussions in this book is canonicity—when was it developed, how were books added, when did we understand what it meant for Scriptures to be inspired, etc. There are a lot of misunderstandings about these things which misunderstandings can be dispelled with some simple logic. For instance, some people believe that some person or some influential group decided what would be in the Bible and what would not be; and that they chose these things according to some set of doctrines which they already held. Not only is this belief not historical, it is also illogical.

  Doctrines covered in this chapter: Authority, The Old Testament and Typology, Fear of the Lord, Separation, The Importance of Bible Doctrine, Basic Divine Discipline, Murder, and Socialism.
  

  Also examined: The organic formation of the canon of Scripture; What you may judge; Ann Landers on motherhood; parents’ basic training for children; the promises of criminals; Sheol; and client nations Great Britain and the United States.

  I probably got carried away with including quotations from outside sources. A lot of people had a lot of good things to say about Prov. 1.
  

  At some point in time, perhaps a quarter of this material will be transferred over into an introduction to the book of Proverbs. At present, over 308 pages.

• 1Kings 2 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded October 18, 2014
  

  In 1Kings 2, David gives Solomon some advice about various people, and then he dies. Solomon is quite young when taking over the kingdom, being somewhere between 20 and 30. In this chapter, we first study David’s advice, and then we study Solomon’s implementation of his advice.
  

  There is a great deal of confusion about David’s final words and reasonable commentators over the years attribute David’s final words to revenge motivation. This is completely and totally wrong! David has spent that last 7 years teaching his son Solomon Bible doctrine, the laws of divine establishment and how to assume the throne. That means, they have gone over the Law of God, the historical books as they existed, and then Solomon wrote much of the book of Proverbs based upon what David taught him. How do you start there, include David’s marvelous addresses to the people at the end of 1Chronicles, and then somehow think that, in this final hour, David is filled with a heart of revenge? That is wrongly dividing the Word of Truth and imposing upon this narrative goofy, pansy ideas resident in a confused soul.

  Throughout this chapter, there are mistaken notions of understanding and interpretation. Adonijah will have a meeting with Bathsheba, and some excellent commentators misunderstand the interplay between these two. Some commentators suggest that Bathsheba is just a simple woman who does not get political intrigue. This will be explained and with details which are not found in any other commentary. Once you understand this, you will then understand the interaction and motivations of the principals of this chapter. There is also something else at play here, which is ignored in the 30 or so commentaries which I read: Solomon is king and Adonijah is not king because of Bathsheba. She played an important role in this matter.
  

  There are a lot of motivations in this chapter and things unsaid which are misinterpreted by many of the commentators which are available. Where motivations can be reasonably assigned to this or that person; they will be. When such an assertion is impossible to back up, then that will be explained as well. There are a number of people who populate this chapter: Solomon, Joab, Adonijah, Shimei, and Bathsheba. Some times it can be very instructive to delve into their thinking and motivation.

  Now, Adonijah goes to Bathsheba and asks her to ask Solomon for the hand of Abishag, David’s nurse. One of the questions raised in this chapter is, can Solomon simply give Abishag, a free woman, to Adonijah to wed? Is this within his power as king? Is this another indication that the Bible is archaic and holds women in low esteem? This will be discussed fully. We are not discussing the question does he? as much as we are discussing the question can he really do this?
  

  There is some fairly complex genealogy referenced in this chapter which calls into question the accuracy of the text. Was there someone or some group who changed the Bible, at some point in time, to reflect a particular point-of-view from that era (either a point of view that was popular or the opinion of the individual or group that made these changes). There are many people who believe this. They believe that some certain individual or some group made wholesale changes to Scripture to reflect some certain viewpoint, and, for that reason, we are not really reading the Word of God, but the viewpoint of some person or some group. Many accuse the Catholic Church of doing this—they think that the Catholic Church stepped in, somehow took over the Bible, and then called all of the shots after that. That is, they determined what belonged in the Bible and what did not; and they made whatever changes to the Bible needed to be made in order to fill the Bible with their own theology. Such a concept is poppycock, and why it is poppycock will be discussed in 1Kings 2.

  Furthermore, the is a significant addition in the Greek to 1Kings 2:35 and 46; so does not that addition prove that there was some sneakiness and chicanery which occurred during the formation of the Bible and its canon? This will be discussed, as there is a very important distinction which needs to be made between copies made of Scripture and translations made of Scripture.
  

  This chapter becomes a rich field of discussion topics, many of which are related to the day and time in which we live. Many of these topics deal with a variety of theological issues which are of interest to the believer in Jesus Christ.

  There are two extremely important sections in this chapter dealing with the preservation and inspiration of the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures. There are some things in these sections not found anywhere else.
  

  Like all other chapters exegeted, every attempt is made to make the study of this chapter a stand-alone unit. You should be able to, as a believer in Jesus Christ, follow the narrative, the thinking and motivations of the people in this chapter, and the related theological issues, even if you do not have a full understanding of the history which precedes this chapter.

  Doctrines covered or alluded to in this chapter include: Famous Last Words; Death and Dying; Dying Grace; the Doctrine of the Way of God; Why Joab must die; David in the New Testament; David as a type of Christ; A Study of Inspiration and Preservation Parts I & II.
  

  Along with this are a great many political applications; and an explanation as to why such applications are made in the study of the Word of God. Furthermore, this is some additional discussion on believers who do not get the privilege of discussing politics.

  There is also an update to the Doctrine of Progressive Revelation in this chapter; with material on this topic that you will read nowhere else.
  

  This is the complete study of the 2^nd chapter of 1Kings with details found nowhere else. 402 pages.

• Progressive Revelation updated October 7, 2014.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  The concept of progressive revelation is, each additional truth builds upon, expands, and better explains that which was already taught.  New revelation does not supercede, replace or nullify previous revelation, but it builds upon that which is past. There is also the concept of contemporary progressive revelation, where new doctrines are built upon previously taught doctrines.  These new doctrines expand upon and better explain that which we already know; but they do not supercede, replace or nullify orthodox Christian teaching.
  

•  Kings, Prophets and Priests  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) posted 10/6/2014 is a chart the mostly coordinates the kings and political rulers with the various priests and prophets of their day (the emphasis is upon the priests).  This actually gets rather dodgy into two places (1) there is someone with the same name in the two primary priest lines and (2) there is a father and a grandson with the same name as well.  This is primarily posted as reference material if you have come across specific priests and you are confused by who they are or who they are related to.
  

• The Doctrine of the Heart (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) posted 10/1/14.  The word heart is a metaphorical term used one way in the original Greek and Hebrew, but is used in a much different way in contemporary society.  To add to this confusion, many modern translations of the Bible translate words that do not mean heart in the original languages as heart.  This rather lengthy doctrine will help you understand what the original authors meant when they used the word heart.  This is a very technical doctrine, with a great many technical terms being used.  Therefore, a dictionary of doctrinal terms will be a part of this doctrine.  40 pages.
  

• Doctrinal Terms (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) updated 10/1/14.  30 pages now. 
  

• Refuting Dawkins.  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  uploaded 9/30/14.  Richard Dawkins, a renown  atheist, wrote the book, "The God Delusion."  I made an agreement with a friend to read it.  So far, I am not very impressed.  These are some comments which I have made on this book (they will be added to as I get further along in the book).
  

• Lucky Guesses found in Genesis  and What is Incontrovertible about the History of the Bible updated 9/17/2014  (HTML)  (PDF) (WPD)   There are a number of amazing things found in the first 15 chapters of Genesis; things which are difficult to explain, apart from Genesis being a part of the written Word of God.  There are matters of science, history and theology which Genesis speaks of, in some cases, 1000's of years before these things should have been known.  For instance; God spends an entire day making the atmosphere for the earth.  The atmosphere is clearly important to our well-being; but how come ancient man recognized this?  How did some old Bible guy come to the idea that, all around him is an atmosphere, and that God needed to create it?   The second chapter of Genesis speaks of modified cloning, 4000 years or more before the concept of cloning was ever thought of.  This is one of 24 lucky guesses found in the first 15 chapters of Genesis.  As a companion piece, I have a number of points on what is incontrovertible about the history of the Bible.  I have heard a lot of goofy things in my life, such as, this or that group made wholesale changes to the Bible.  This list ought to help dispel such myths.  File this study under apologetics; so that you can give a reason for the faith which is within you.

• Genesis 21 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 9/11/2014.
  

  
  

  Genesis 21 is about the birth of Isaac; the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael; the provision of God for Hagar and Ishmael; and a contract between Abraham and King Abimelech of Gerar.

  The birth of Isaac is quite amazing, as there are no fewer than 22 parallels between the birth of Isaac and the birth of our Lord. Interestingly enough, most of these were not stated until the past 50–100 years. Nowhere in any of the Pauline epistles does Paul stop and say, “Now, let me explain to you how Isaac’s birth is significant.” None of the gospel writers, who record all of the details of the birth of Jesus, add in a paragraph about these parallels. In fact, the recording of Scripture was done centuries before the concept of type and antitype is fully developed.
  

  One of the things which confused and later fascinated me was, there are passages in the Old Testament which are clearly meant in a specific way in their context; but, in the New Testament, they are given a different shade of meaning; and sometimes a different meaning. In this chapter, Sarah will tell Abraham to throw Hagar and her son Ishmael out. Although we are not told of the motivation here—Sarah could be looking to protect her son and she could be looking for any reason to rid herself of her slave woman and her son by Abraham—Paul, in the New Testament, puts an entirely different spin on this situation. What happened is accepted as an historical incident (which it is), but how Paul looks at it and explains it is very different than what we might suppose. Furthermore, no one during Old Testament times would have ever explained this incident in the same way that Paul did.

  The final half of this chapter has perplexed commentators for centuries, who are able to make a few accurate comments on the incidents contained herein, but have a more difficult time explaining the spiritual relevance of Abimelech and Abraham’s contract. It is reasonable to ask, what do I, as a believer in Jesus Christ in the 21^st century, get out of these incidents which occurred 4000 years ago? Hopefully, you will be able to answer this question by the end of this study.
  

  A number of believers put themselves on some sort of a Bible reading course (they read the Bible over a period of a year or 5 years), and no doubt they come to chapters like this—particularly the second third of this chapter—and, if they are honest with themselves, wonder, what the hell? Why am I reading this? To the untrained eye, these are a series of barely related vignettes from life long ago. However, every part of the Word of God has purpose, meaning and definition. It may or may not relate directly to your life today, but it is a piece of the puzzle of the overall plan of God.

  
  
  

  There are several sections of this chapter which are unique among commentaries: (1) Is it possible that the gospel writers used the birth of Isaac as a model for the birth of Jesus? (2) Abraham, when making a contract with Abimelech, sets 7 ewe- lambs aside. Most commentators do not discuss this; and the few which do, only superficially. In the commentary of Gen. 21, you will actually find out why God the Holy Spirit chose to place this paragraph in the Word of God. (3) Gen. 21–22 contain an odd set of incidents that are not all in chronological order (most of Genesis is set up in chronological order). However, these incidents match up with events in the life of our Lord chronologically. Near the end of this chapter will be the parallels of these two chapters and the ministry of our Lord.

  There is a great deal of important material in this chapter—the concept of type and antitype; logical conclusions which we can draw about the Bible; the Doctrine of Legalism; Paul’s use of this chapter in the New Testament; the Angel of Jehovah and the Angel of God; man is designed to work; the parallels between Genesis 21–22 and the ministry of Jesus Christ; and Abraham’s life in Beersheba.
  

  Hopefully, we answer a few questions in this exposition of Gen. 21: Was Abraham remiss in the supplies he gave Hagar and Ishmael? Did he really give them enough? Is God the greatest Egotist of all? Why do we have a contract between Abimelech and Abraham at the end of this chapter? What is that all about? What is the relevance of that incident? 276 pages.

• Genesis 20 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Posted August 30, 2014.
  

  
  

  In this chapter, Abraham lies to Abimelech the king of Gerar about Sarah, saying that she is his sister and not his wife. Abraham had done the same thing to the King of Egypt back in Gen. 12, and Isaac will pull this same stunt with Abimelech II in Gen. 26. So, you may think, this is going to be fairly repetitive with very little to offer. Wrong.

  This chapter is a case study in God taking Abraham, a believer who has lied to his host king; and Abimelech, a host king with too many wives—and God will take these men and their actions and still work it altogether for good, for His glory, and for His plan.
  

  This is a deceptive little chapter. First of all, it seems very similar to the time that Abraham went to Egypt and lied about Sarah. Later on, in Gen. 26, Isaac will lie to Abimelech about his wife. So, at first we might think this chapter to be repetitive and perhaps even disconcerting to those of us who believe in the inspiration of Scripture (is this merely a tradition handed down from 3 different sources?). And it is a scant 18 verses long. For these reasons, a great many commentators chose not to even comment on this chapter. That is a big mistake.

  One of the most important aspects of this chapter is, Abraham is clearly set up as a type of Christ, both as a man who represents God to man, and as a man who represents man to God. He will intercede on behalf of Abimelech, and heal him. In all of this, Abraham illustrates the Messiah to come. Not only is this quite amazing, but I do not believe that many commentators fully appreciated this.
  

  Fundamental to this chapter is the concept of grace. God is about to bless Abraham and Sarah with a child—a child who will be a type of Christ—who begins the line of promise and is a sign of the good things to come (that is, the fulfillment of God’s many blessings which He has promised to Abraham). And what does Abraham do, literally a month or so before his wife is to conceive—he gets himself into a jackpot in Gerar by lying to the king, and exposes his wife to another man. Abraham puts everything at risk. What Abraham potentially has done here is put his position as father of the Jews into question for all time. He could not have done anything more stupid or dishonorable. All of a sudden, Abraham is doubting God and God’s protection, despite the fact that God has been with Him for all this time. But, despite Abraham’s failure, God does not withdraw His blessing from him. God pours on the blessing. If you understand grace, you are fine with all this. If you do not understand grace, then this chapter becomes confusing. Abraham fails again, and yet, God still blesses him? And Abraham is already a rich man, and God blesses him more. This chapter should rock the world of the legalist. Furthermore, it ought to rock the world of those who believe in covenant theology. They believe that God finally just gave up on the Jews and gave their inheritance away to us, Church Age believers. Then why didn’t God do that right here? Why didn’t God say to Abraham, “Look, you are not the man I thought you were; you have failed me again and again. You just hang out here and do whatever and I will find someone else worthy of My blessings.” But God does not do that. God not only blesses this failure (and right after he failed too), but God later calls Abraham His friend.

  This study also includes a number of important doctrines and graphics: several maps are provided so that you have a feel for the territory that Abraham covers; Sin Cannot Derail God’s Plan; The 20 (or so) Dreams of Scripture; The Doctrine of the Sin unto Death; Shem’s life Overlaps Abraham’s life; Examples of God’s Protective, Overruling Will; The Parallels between Abraham and the Coming Savior; The Fear of the Lord; How to avoid repeated sins; Abraham’s life seen from the standpoint of testing; Jesus Christ in Genesis 1–22. Several questions are also dealt with: Speculation: Why did Abraham move? Does God prosper Abraham for lying?
  

  Like all previous chapters of Genesis, it is not apparent at first just how packed this chapter is with spiritual information, a significant portion of which is unique to this commentary. 199 pages.

• The Doctrine of Hatred  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) uploaded 8/25/2014.  Surprisingly enough, this doctrine is missing from most doctrinal websites.  There are several things which need to be sorted out.  God said, "Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated."  But, hatred is called a sin in both the Old and New Testament.  You may not realize it, but the OT distinguishes between involuntary homicide and 1st degree murder; and the key is whether the person who killed had the mental attitude sin hate toward the victim.  Finally, Jesus told His disciples to "Love your enemies."  Does this mean that we should be sending aid and comfort to ISIS?  All of these topics are covered and explained.
  

• Fear of the Lord (in the Old Testament)  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Updated 8/22/2014.  The phrase "Fear of the Lord" is found throughout the Old Testament, and a few times in the New.  It is important for believers to have an understanding of what this phrase means. Quotation, graphics and a better definition added, along with a discussion of "Perfect love casts out all fear."
  

• Genesis 19 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

  This is the first complete chapter posted in Genesis. No major revisions or updates will be applied to this Chapter. This is a complete, word-by-word study of this chapter.
  

  Gen. 19 has the two angels of Gen. 18 going to Sodom to both destroy Sodom and 4 other cities; and to rescue Lot and his family from the destruction.

  There are a number of minor errors found in other commentaries. For instance, several commentators have Lot and family carrying out containers of wine from Sodom upon their exit. That is simply illogical and wrong. Some try to cover over Lot’s bad choices in offering up his daughters or in later having sex with his daughters. These will all be straightened out in this study.
  

  Because of the subject material of this chapter, there will be an in-depth study of homosexuality and Christianity. The more complete Doctrine of Homosexuality has also been updated. Important information about homosexual men and their number of partners; the continuum of human attraction; the addictive nature of the homosexual lifestyle; AIDS; Will and Grace; sexual attraction is not a matter of genetics alone; the pro-homosexual propaganda which has been going into our schools to our youngest children;

  Other topics explored in this chapter: the Christian and Politics; the Physical Nature of Angels; the Stages of National Discipline (there is a 6^th Stage of National Discipline which is included here); the Proportionality of the Pivot in a Nation; Why God Destroys Sodom and Gomorrah; the idea that people want to matter; the Dead Sea Scrolls; along with a great deal of artwork that Gen. 19 has inspired.
  

  You may or may not realize that the fire and brimstone destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah actually has a scientific basis directly tied to the area of Sodom and Gomorrah.

  The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is also an extremely important topic of Scripture, and that will be explored as well.
  

  This is an extensive study of Genesis 19 at over 390 pages of text and graphics.

• Genesis Lessons #201-300  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  posted 8/4/2014.  These lessons cover most of Gen. 19, where is about the angels going to Sodom and rescuing Lot and his family and all of Gen. 20-25, and most of Gen. 26.  These 100 lessons include the a retrospective of the life of Lot; Lot as found in the New Testament; a comparison between Lot and Abraham; the Sin unto Death; how Abraham foreshadows Jesus Christ (in a passage I don't think has ever been fully explained before); the testing of Abraham; a list of things that we learn from Gen. 20; where Jesus is found in the first 22 chapters of Genesis, the birth of Isaac and the dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael.  Also included in these lessons: Abbreviated Doctrine of Homosexuality; the Mechanics of God's Judgment of Sodom; the Physical Nature of Angels, Paganism; the Stages of Discipline for a National Entity, Eschatological Vocabulary, a Chart of the History of Israel, a Chart of the Prophets (3 charts worthy of being printed and kept in your Bible), complete coverage of Sodom and Gomorrah as found throughout the Bible, a lesson on the authorship of Genesis, the parallels between the births of Isaac and Jesus, Isaac's birth in the NT, the Doctrine of Legalism, reasons why we can believe that the Bible is the Word of God, Paul's NT use of the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac, Gentile Salvation, Grace Apparatus for Perception, the Trinity in the Old Testament, the Great Analogy of the Written Word of God and the Living Word of God; Inheritance and Escrow Blessings; the Doctrine of Typology; the Parallels between Isaac Being Offered and Jesus on the Cross; the Coniah Curse; Baptisms in the Bible; the Sabbath Day;  Reinterpreting Old Testament Truths, a retrospective of Abraham in the New Testament, Repentance of Sins as found in the Bible, Things Which Belong to Israel, Doctrines of the Human Soul and the Human Spirit; The Doctrine of the Firstborn; God's Covenants with Abraham; Laws, Commandments, Ordinances and Statutes; and the Doctrine of Mental Attitude Sins.  All previous lessons have been given some minor updating as well.
  

• The Doctrine of Mental Attitude Sins (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). uploaded July18, 2014.  Although this doctrine has been posted before, this is a major update, with additional text on the various sins, a more complete list of the various mental attitude sins, along with appropriate quotations and graphics.  29 pages.
  

• 1Kings 1 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded July 1, 2014.
  

  
  

  The Bible Illustrator: The Winter of Life overtakes men [even] in the highest rank.

   Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. (Proverbs 23:13; ESV)

   You will always harvest what you plant. (Gal. 6:7b; NLT)

   Karin Ireland, as if to describing Adonijah in this chapter: “No one can give you authority. But if you act like you have it, others will believe you do.”

   R. B. Thieme, Jr.: You are not promoted unless God promotes you.

  
  

  One of the keys to a child growing up to be honorable and having integrity is having a father who is involved with his life; a father who gives him the strong hand of guidance. In this chapter we have yet again another loser son of King David—Adonijah—a man who had no training from his father, and so he had no future as king.
  

  The Bible again affirms what we have found out through study after study: it is not poverty which ruins the souls of young men (all of David’s sons were raised in relative luxury); but it is the guidance of the father that is key to their growth and development. David sired at least 3 sons who were criminals and losers: Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah. By all accounts, these men should have been great, but they were not. On the other hand, David’s son Solomon, who is raised and trained by David, becomes a great king over Israel (he was not perfect and he did stray from the truth; but he was still a great king).
  

  This chapter of the book of Kings introduces us to the new king over all Israel; and to the intrigue surrounding his coming to the throne. There was another power struggle within the House of David, but David himself—even in ailing health—stepped up to place Solomon before the people as their king. However, this power struggle splits the allies of David, much as the kingdom itself would be split at the end of Solomon’s reign.

  There are a number of details in this chapter which are explained, which explanations are not found in the commentaries (insofar as I know). How did Nathan know who would be the next king? Why did Nathan the prophet go to Bathsheba in order to bring Adonijah’s coronation to David’s attention? Why did David call in Bathsheba to renew his vows to her? Why did Abiathar the priest side with Adonijah? I had to speculate to answer this question.
  

  There are misconceptions about the relationships in this chapter. The New Berkeley Bible says David and Bathsheba seem to have drifted away from each other. However, this narrative says exactly the opposite—if you know how to properly exegete the text. You can read the text 20 times, and you will not understand why the New Berkeley Bible is wrong; but when you will read the explanation in this exegesis, and you will understand perfectly.

  
  There are a number of important topics covered in this chapter: Why does God allow some men to experience a decline in health at the end of our lives? Single parent statistics and why God’s plan is not for a mother to raise children on her own. The Doctrine of Leadership. Israel, Horses and Mules. The Oath in the Old Testament Economy.   Also, why does God insist that Solomon build the Temple and not David?  I do not believe that this has been accurately explained before.  373 pages.
  

• 2Samuel 24 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) (uploaded May 27, 2014) is the final chapter of Samuel, bringing nearly to an end a 13 year project for me (I began 1Sam. 1 in 2001, and this brings to completion a nearly 9000 page commentary on this book).

  
  

  Ralph Waldo Emerson: 'Tis pedantry to estimate nations by the census, or by square miles of land, or other than by their importance to the mind of the time.

   Andy Rooney: I hope all of you are going to fill out your census form when it comes in the mail next month. If you don't return the form the area you live in might get less government money and you wouldn't want that to happen, would you.

   Michele Bachmann: If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the Census Bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations at the request of President Roosevelt, and that's how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps.

   Tom G. Palmer: The reason the government sells the census as your ticket to getting goodies - rather than as your civic duty - is that distributing goodies is now all the government does.

   Nisbet: It was very clear what David had an eye to in numbering the people. It was one of those steps which the kings of the nations around were accustomed to take from time to time when they wanted to know how strong they were and what wars they could carry on, what countries they could invade and what cities they could take. This was the way of the heathen world, whom the Israelites were specially bidden not to imitate.

  
  

  In this chapter, David numbers the people, which is a sin, and which is also a theological mystery to this day, with no shortage of theories as to why. David takes a military census, which is identified as a sin. Those theories will be presented along with a unique theory of why this census was a sin, as well as a unique approach to this question.

  Although this chapter is part of an addendum, and certainly not the end of David’s life (which can be found in the first chapter or two of Kings), it is a fitting end to the book of Samuel, as it looks forward to the cross of Jesus Christ.
  

  The relationship between king and prophet is cementing in this chapter; the king might be the political leader, but he is under the authority of the prophet. This sets the pattern for many kings and many prophets future from this time.

  Also important and nearly unique in this chapter is the study of God’s sovereignty, our free will, and the volition of Satan.
  

  Included in this chapter is a discussion of what is God able to do, relative to the volition of men? This is an important and nearly unique doctrine hidden in this chapter. God, through the prophet Gad, gives David three options for a penalty, and one option that God offered David, was to be pursued by men for 3 months. How can this be a real option? Whatever it is, it sounds as if God, in order for His plan to be worked out, must cause David’s enemies to chase David. Just how exactly does that happen? Does God get into their bodies and make them do this? Does God allow demons to indwell them and do this? We know that God does not take over the volition of man in general; so He would not take over the volition of David’s enemies. Therefore, what is God doing in such a case? I suspect that this topic could be the seed for a master’s thesis or a doctoral.

• Doctrine of the Altar (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) (posted 5/25/2014)  The various altars in the Old Testament are examined, as well as the meaning and the purpose of the altar.
  

• 2Samuel 23 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) (posted 5/8/2014) contains both David’s final psalm and a list of the great military heroes who served under him. In the previous chapter, the psalm of that chapter appeared to be a psalm that David worked on for most of his life. In this chapter, the psalm is much shorter, and very appropriate to what matter to him at the end of his life.

  The Bible does not list the greatest pacifists of all time or from this era or from that era; but it does list the greatest soldiers from David’s army here and in 1Chron. 11.
  

  Those of us who have been fortunate to have been born into freedom often lack the appreciation for those who have made us free. The second section of 2Samuel 23 is a memorial to the great men of David’s military and we may reasonably assume that these are men of great spirit as well. From the human standpoint, these men are named in this chapter for their courage and skills in war, and selflessness in providing freedom for those of Israel. However, God the Holy Spirit places these men in the Bible because they understood the laws of divine establishment and they had believed in the God of Israel, the True God of the Universe.

  Much of this chapter is a list of names, and I can understand the reticence of the Bible student to embrace and study such a chapter. As a commentator, I approach a chapter like this with great trepidation. Will I find anything worthwhile in this text? Is this nothing more than just a list of names? I think that you will be quite surprised as to how packed this chapter is with spiritual information. God the Holy Spirit did not make a mistake, making this chapter a part of the canon of Scripture.
  

  The following doctrines are introduced or referenced in this chapter: the Baptism of Fire; Light, Rock in the New Testament, Thorns; the Doctrine of Inspiration; Liberalism vs. Conservativism; Military Doctrines; the Trinity in the Old Testament and Typology.

  Other short doctrines which are included in this study are: Exercising Righteousness and Justice in Israel; Jesus Christ is our Light; Catholic Bible translations; Who can be saved?; Why are their doctrinal differences between teachers?; How does one choose between so many Bible teachers?; and Why the names do not match up exactly.
  

  There are also two important sections in this chapter: one on canonicity and why no single organization decided what the books of the Bible should be; and the second is on the man’s leadership role in marriage. 267 pages

  
  
  

  As is nearly always the case, both the list of Doctrinal Terms (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) and the list of Old Testament topics which are covered (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) are both updated and posted with each new chapter of Samuel.

• The Doctrine of Light  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted May 5, 2014.  Culled from 2Sam.23
  
• The Doctrine of Thorns  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted May 5, 2014. Culled from 2Sam.23

• The Doctrine of the Rock in the New Testament  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) posted May 5, 2014.  In the Old Testament and the New, Jesus Christ is the Rock, the Chief Cornerstone, the basis of our faith, the foundation upon which we build. 
• The Baptism of Fire (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) posted May 2, 2014.  I was surprised to see that there were few doctrinal sources for this doctrine, which describes the judgment of unbelievers before the beginning of the Millennium.  This phrase only occurs twice in Scripture, but in both cases, the context helps guide us to the truth.  The concept is found in many places in Scripture.
  
• The Doctrine of Intercalation (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD) is updated again, as of May 2, 2014.  Intercalation is where we find the 1st and 2nd advents of Jesus Christ presented without any intervening events.  However, intercalated (inserted) between these events is the Church Age.  Because the church age was a mystery age, hidden from the OT Jews, it is not referenced in the OT, but skipped over.  There are at least 30 OT passages in which this occurs.

• The Coniah Curse and the Sin Nature  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  posted April 23, 2014.  It appears that Coniah (also known as Jeconiah), a descendant of King David, is supposed to be cut out of the line of Christ in Jer. 22:24–30.  However, we find his name in Matt. 1:11, which is a part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  So what gives?
  
  This is a fascinating doctrine, which has parallels to the sin nature; that is, Coniah himself illustrates the sin nature, and the necessity of the virgin birth.
  
  A great many weird accusations have been made about the Bible, including the idea that so many men got in a room, chose which books to insert, and edited the books so that the Bible would teach doctrines that this elite group favored.  This is historically inaccurate, impossible at any point in time, and doctrines like the Coniah Curse show us just how complex and intricate the Bible actually is.
  
  This doctrine of the Coniah curse is based upon the writings of three different men, the first of whom is separated from the second two men by a period of over 600 years.  We know this to be true, as there was already a Greek translation of the Old Testament in use when Matthew and Luke came on the scene.  The concept of the virgin birth can really be traced back all the way to the 3rd chapter of Genesis, as well as to the writings of Isaiah.  The concept of the sin nature is found throughout Scripture.
  

• Laws, Commandments, Ordinances and Statutes (in the Old Testament)  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  uploaded April 23, 2014.  Interestingly enough, God says that Abraham listened to His voice and kept His charge, His commandments, His ordinances and His laws--500 years before God gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai.  What do these various words mean and just exactly what did they mean in relationship to Abraham?  23 pages.
  

• The Doctrine of Intercalation   (HTML)   (PDF)   (WPD) has been updated April 21, 2014 with the 26^th OT passage where  the 1^st and 2^nd Advents of our Lord, the Church Age are found.  The 1^st Advent has already occurred, where Jesus was incarnated and came to us as our Savior.  He will return to the earth in the 2^nd Advent to judge the world.  In the Old Testament, there appeared to be no separation between the two advents of our Lord; and had the Jews accepted His offer of the Kingdom of God, which was a legitimate offer that Jesus made to the Jews at this time, then the 1^st and 2^nd Advents would have occurred one after the other.  This is not a minor doctrine; there are at least 26 OT and 2 NT passages where the Advents of Jesus Christ are treated as one event. Intercalated between these events is the church age, unknown in the Age of Israel.  Understanding this doctrine also explains a New Testament passage, where Jesus is reading from a passage in the Synagogue, and then He suddenly stops reading, mid-passage, and sits down.

• 2Samuel 22 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) is actually a psalm written by David added in as a part of appendix to the book of Samuel. Uploaded 4/10/1014.
  

  This chapter asks and answers a number of unusual questions. Why is there a 2Sam. 22 and a Psalm 18, which are virtually identical? Does God not believe in editing? Why is God seen to be transported by a host of angels? Can’t God go from point A to point B on His Own? I don’t believe that these questions are dealt with in any other commentary of this chapter.
  

  Doctrines covered in this chapter: The Doctrine of the Rock in the Old Testament; the Trinity in the Old Testament; the Dual Authorship of Scripture; the Doctrine of Rebound; the Essence of God; God’s Laws, Commandments, Ordinances and Statutes.

  
  

  Quite frankly, I don’t think that I fully unearthed all that is in this chapter. Although I believe this to be the most thorough examination of this chapter of the Bible, I think that there is more to discover. Most of the time, I am quite satisfied with the end result; here, only so-so. 267 pages.

• The Doctrines of the Human Soul and the Human Spirit  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 4/9/2014.  The Bible, particularly the New Testament, has very technical meanings for these two words.  We interact with other people via the human soul; we interact with God via the human spirit.  We are born with a human soul, but without a functioning human spirit.  When we are "born-again", our human spirit is revived or made alive.  Being born again allows us to have a relationship with the Living God.  It also gives us a "storage area" for information about God.  If you do not have a complete understanding of these two terms, you will find this study to be very enlightening.  Included in this study is the God-ward and the man-ward sides of the Edification Complex, and how this is directly related to the soul and the spirit.
  

• Jesus is not a Liberal   revised and reposted 4/6/2014   (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  Some  time ago, I had a discussion with someone on the internet on whether or not Jesus was a liberal, and posted this here.  This is a much more careful study, taking each one of their reasons, each of the Biblical passages which they distort, and show that Jesus is not a liberal nor is He a socialist (nor is He the first counter-culture revolutionary, in the contemporary sense).   This is a very lengthy study (it is over 100 pages), wherein, nearly everything related to this topic is discussed.  First of all, there is the basic dishonesty of liberalism; the conflation of wealth and greed; the idea that, it just depends upon how you interpret the Bible, followed by the Bible and socialism.  The meat of this doctrine is examining the myriad of liberal causes which Jesus is said to have espoused: peacemaking rather than war making; being anti-war and anti-military, being for nonviolence; how Jesus was supposedly against the strict adherence to religious law, etc.  Social justice, corporate greed and individual wealth are all examined, along with nearly every passage touted by liberals (along with the many passages which they ignore).  There are many short doctrines covered in here, including Why the Government Does a Lousy Job; The Bible, Capitalism and Private Property; Morality and Capitalism; Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler (liberals absolutely love this narrative); and God and the Welfare State.  Finally, there is an extensive addendum, which you ought to find as interesting as the rest of this examination, where we learn a little from General George Patton, President Thomas Jefferson and columnist George Will.  If you ever had any doubts about this subject, it is covered here in the greatest detail.

• 2Samuel 21 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

  Uploaded March 8, 2014
  

  2Sam. 21 begins the appendix of Samuel. This appendix, extending from chapter 21 to 24, can be neatly divided into 6 parts—4 sets of historical incidents, a psalm, and a list. These final 6 sections also form a chiasmos, which will be given in the exegesis of this chapter.

  These few miscellaneous events did occur, but, unlike the rest of Samuel, they seem to have been added to this book rather than a continuation of it. There are aspects of the style of 2Sam. 21 which are quite different from any previous chapter of Samuel, suggesting that a different author is involved at this point. Furthermore, simply the fact that they are tacked on the end of this chapter suggests a different author.
  

  2Sam. 21 in particular is a very unusual chapter—so unusual, that there is at least one rabbi and at least one Christian commentator who both publically expressed that they wished that this chapter were not in the Bible; or gave reasons why this chapter should not be in the Bible. The narrative which was so objectionable was that of David, the Gibeonites and the descendants of Saul. Saul had persecuted and killed many Gibeonites, even though they had made a valid treaty with Joshua; and this left a divine shadow over the head of Israel—a problem which God expected David to solve. The Gibeonites asked for 7 of Saul’s descendants to hang, and David gave them over to the Gibeonites for execution. No doubt, you can see the mountain of theological problems. Furthermore, this chapter cannot be written off simply as, “David did this, and maybe he shouldn’t have.” At least 3 times in this chapter, God’s approval is implied.

  As a commentator, my work is cut out for me, to explain this historical event. As a believer, you may find the first half of 2Sam. 21 to be quite frustrating. Sons and grandsons of Saul are delivered over to the Gibeonites to be executed, although nowhere is it recorded that they have committed a crime. We examine this narrative from many angles, discussing, of course, how the justice of God plays a part.
  

  Furthermore, this historical incident, like many others in the Bible, really happened, and it plays out as it does to be illustrative. What it illustrates is exclusively presented in this exegesis. You may or may not be 100% satisfied with the examination and explanations of this incident, but you should feel better about it than you did the first time you read it.

  This is followed by the grief of Rizpah (the mother of two of the men handed over to the Gibeonites) and the killing of the 4 other Philistine giants.
  

  There is about a 99.9% chance your pastor has never done a sermon on this chapter; and for good reason.

  There are two authors throughout the Bible: the human author and God the Holy Spirit. This leaves the commentator with 3 problems: (1) How does this chapter fit in with the rest of the Bible? (2) Why does the human author record this chapter? (3) Why does God the Holy Spirit include this chapter in the Word of God? When it comes to the exegesis of the book of Samuel, these questions will be most difficult to answer for this chapter.
  

  There will be several things unique to the exegesis of this chapter. (1) An excellent theory will be presented as to the culpability of the descendants of Saul. (2) There is a reason why this information is left out of 2Sam. 21. (3) There is a parallel hidden in this chapter to the cross of Christ (one commentator, if memory serves, alludes to this idea). (4) The end of 2Sam. 21 provides a great deal of texture to 2Sam. 11; to David’s great sin involving Bathsheba. In fact, this caused me to go back to 2Sam. 11 and revise and rewrite portions of it. My guess is, you may not appreciate many of these unique observations and approaches because this might be the first time you actually study this chapter. When developing the commentary on any chapter of Scripture, I spend a great deal of time studying about 30 or so commentaries; so that I can guarantee you there are several unique takes on this chapter.

• Weekly Lessons in Genesis, up to lesson #280 (HTML)  PDF)  (WPD) posted 3/5/2014.  This adds the next 10 lessons, which begins to look at all of the places where Abraham is found in the New Testament. New doctrines include Parallels between the Seed of Abraham and the Life of the Believer; Repentance of Sins in the Bible (which is not associated with salvation, as some evangelists would have you believe); and the Things which Belong to Israel.

• Updates/Revisions: In the light of my study of 2Sam.21 (which should be completed in a week or two), I had to go back and make changes in 2Sam.11 and revise my remarks about why he remained in Jerusalem when his soldiers went to war.  2Samuel 11   (HTML)   (PDF)  (WPD).   Also updated/revised: the Davidic Timeline   (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  and the Doctrine of the Interlocking Systems of Arrogance   (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  All revised and uploaded 3/2/2014.
  

• 2Samuel 20 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)  uploaded 2/17/2014
  

  2Sam. 20 is one of the bleaker chapters in the book of Samuel. Another revolution begin under the leadership of a man named Sheba; David tries to shuffle his cabinet around, and sends out an army to put down this second rebellion. Sheba is tracked to the city of Abel, where Joab leads the troops to destroy the city walls. A wise woman manages to get an audience with Joab, and dissuades him from further destruction, offering to throw the head of this revolutionary over the city wall. Joab agrees to that.
  

  The chapter ends with a delineation of David’s cabinet after the revolutions have bene put down.

  We will study rape in the ancient world, and why this was a very rare occurrence at that time. David’s 10 mistresses are mentioned on several occasions. We will study why the Bible mentions them so often and what we are to learn from them.
  

  There are a number of applications that we make in this chapter—that the slogans that politicians use really work, no matter how meaningless they are. We learn that for many leaders, political ideologies are simply a means to an end, but not something that they necessarily prescribe to. We find out that revolutions are anti-God and that there are only 3 ways to end a revolution.

  There are reasons why Joab’s actual position in the military is unclear at the end of 2Sam. 19 and at the beginning of 2Sam. 20. Furthermore, I found it much more difficult to believe that King David replaced Joab with Amasa (something which I struggled with when exegeting 2Sam. 19); however, I think that there is nearly conclusive proof that Joab was demoted hidden in 2Sam. 20.
  

  This chapter includes the assassination of Amasa by Joab. One of the interesting facets of this chapter is, we have two incidents which are apparently related, but the Bible does not explain how they are related. A sword falls out of Joab’s sheath, as he goes to greet Amasa; and then, Joab guts Amasa. In between, there is no explanation as to how one leads to the other (although, of course, theories abound in the realm of commentators). What is unique in this exegesis of 2Sam. 20 is, I tell you why these two incidents are so recorded, but without an explanation as to how one led to the other.

  Included in this chapter is a good examination of the person of Joab, with points you have not read anywhere else.
  

  Other topics in this study: the Doctrine of Wisdom, God and Revolution, Joab—the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and the Massorah.
  

  As is nearly always the case, both the list of Doctrinal Terms (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) and the list of Old Testament topics which are covered (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) are both updated and posted.

• 2Samuel 19  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD)  (uploaded 1/31/2014) continues the most complete examination of the book of Samuel available.  In the previous chapter, David’s army defeated Absalom’s army and Joab killed Absalom.  This chapter begins with David weeping and mourning the death of Absalom, and Joab has to brace him.
  
  It is in this chapter that David exits the interlocking systems of arrogance through grace orientation and listening to what Joab tells him, and then doing what Joab tells him to do.  A new gate is introduced in this chapter, along with the fact that David’s emotional arrogance did not interlock with that gate.  This chapter tells us how David stepped out of the interlocking systems of arrogance.
  
  David will be greeted by those from northern and southern Israel; sort of celebrating his return to Jerusalem as king.  He will also speak to three men in particular; and his exit from the interlocking systems of arrogance is clear in his actions and what he says to these men.
  
  Just as we have seen in all previous chapters of the Book of Samuel, there are applications which are just as current as today’s news.  Absalom’s appeal as a possible king was very much like Barack Obama’s appeal as president.  Whereas, President Obama is not a carbon copy of Absalom, there are still a great number of parallels that could be made between the two men—particularly the appeal of these two men to their constituency.
  
  For those who know who R. B. Thieme, Jr. is, he stopped the David series suddenly, about a third of the way through this chapter, taught a psalm, and then unceremoniously ended the 600+ lesson series.
  
  David is faced with the choice to abuse his considerable power as a king, and unlike the aides of Barack Obama and Chris Christie, David chose not to exert his power to silence a voice of dissent in his kingdom.
  
  In studying King David, it is easy to write him off as just a good king, whereas the Bible calls him a great king (all other kings are compared to him; he becomes the gold standard for all subsequent kings).  Therefore, there must be a reason why God rates David as great; and we will uncover some of those reasons in this chapter.
  
  One of the important themes of this chapter is the generation which is passing away doing what is necessary for the next generation to take over.  I think that David’s dealings with Barzillai and Hushai the Archite have got him recognizing that his age has him limited now, and that he needs to look at the next generation.  I believe that this will be key in David’s legacy (something which most commentators ignore completely).  At this point, David has less than 10 years to go before his death.
  
  At the very end of this chapter, there appears to be a problem between northern Israel and Judah (southern Israel).  The exact cause for this is not fully explained.  A possible explanation as to what exactly happened is offered up.  This is not found in any other commentary.
  
  The Bible is not just filled with random events.  What we read in the Bible is placed there for a reason.  In this chapter, there are parallels between what David does in relationship to his kingdom which is in revolt and what God does in relationship to His kingdom in revolt.
  
  Virtually every chapter of the Bible opens up discussion on a variety of topics.  In this chapter, we will explore Emotional Arrogance; David’s Recovery and Joab’s part in his recovery; the Doctrine of Wealth; and Links to the Doctrine of Happiness.
  
  Interestingly enough, most of this chapter is narrative, and few pastors have spend more than 20 minutes on this chapter, at most.  In fact, most pastors have never taught this chapter.  There is not a single verse which sticks out in my mind which we would quote.  However, this chapter is filled with a number of principles and topics.  A lot of time is spent looking behind the narrative.
  
  What I found fascinating is, this appears to be a celebration and a re-coronation of David; but that is never clearly stated in the text.  Any reporter or historian there would have described that aspect of this chapter first, as that is what was happening.  But the writer of this chapter does not even mention that, except by inference.  Also, a great portion of the narrative would involve David and his supporters being ferried across the Jordan River; but this chapter barely speaks of that as well.  337 pages.
  
  
  As is nearly always the case, both the list of Doctrinal Terms (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) and the list of Old Testament topics which are covered (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD) are both updated and posted.
  
  

• Weekly Lessons in Genesis, up to lesson #271 (HTML)  PDF)  (WPD) posted 1/15/2014.  This adds the next 10 lessons, which include the other children of Abraham, the death of Abraham, and Abraham as presented in the gospels.  New doctrines include a Summary of God's promises to Abraham; the Coniah Curse; Baptisms in the Bible; the Sabbath Day; and Reinterpreting Old Testament Truths.
  

• Genesis 18 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Uploaded 1/4/2014. 
  

  
  

  This study of Genesis 18 is the most doctrinally rich study that you will find on any chapter of the Bible, simply because there is so much going on in this chapter. The application of the information of this chapter to what is going on today will amaze you.

  In the first half of this chapter, God and two angels come and speak to Abraham. There is a big picture view here, which I have not seen explained in any other resource.
  

  In the second half of this chapter, Abraham speaks to God about Sodom and Gomorrah, cities which are about to be destroyed, and asks, “What if there are 50 righteous men there; will you destroy city and them with it?” This stimulates a great deal of discussion on the concepts of a national entity, a Christian nation, a client nation, the pivot and the spinoff. Are nations just random things which pop up or is there a corporate relationship between a nation and God? These topics are covered in great detail, along with a great deal of application to today’s world. A believer never has to be afraid of history or of current events; what is true in Genesis and what is taught throughout the Bible about God’s corporate relationship with various groups of people continues to be true today. There are a multitude of principles to be found here, as well as a multitude of applications.

  Some of the doctrines covered in this chapter include Angelology, Human Viewpoint Thinking versus Divine Viewpoint Thinking; How Isaac’s Unusual Birth Foreshadows the Birth of our Lord; What Preserves a National Entity; The Client Nation; the Pivot; Heathenism (What about those who have never heard the gospel?); and the Seeds of Doctrines found in this chapter.
  

  There are also discussions in this chapter about the so-called contradictions found in the Bible; the concept of the national entity; how these concepts relate to today and to recent history. Expect a great deal of modern-day application and illustration to be taught in conjunction with this chapter. 304 pages.

• The Doctrine of the Jewish Messiah  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Updated and uploaded 12/31/2013.  You may not realize it, but there have been dozens of Jewish messiah’s over the years.  However, there is only one of them Whose name you know—Jesus.  This is true for most Jews as well.
  
  Most people have a very limited understanding of Messiah as presented in the Old and New Testaments.  Most understand that there is the mention of Messiah in the Old Testament and that Jesus is the fulfillment of this; but few have actually studied the relevant passages.
  
  For a person to use the phase Jesus Christ in the first century would be seen as a blasphemy by the pharisees.  They knew the Man Jesus; and they knew of the Messiah (= Christ) to come; but they thought it blasphemy that Jesus would be so identified.
  

• Deuteronomy 2 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 12/31/2013
  

  One aspect of Deut. 2 that is fascinating is, Moses is teaching the people about historical events which have just happened. All of these events are fresh in their minds, and yet Moses takes the time to talk about them and explain them in the light of the will of God.
  

  One of the difficult passages in the Old Testament is where God is said to harden a man’s heart; or where God puts fear into the hearts of some army. These are topics which have been discussed for thousands of years. Do we have free will? Are we nothing but pawns in God’s game? God wants us to make a left turn, and boom, do we then make a left turn, even though we were intending to go right? Where is our free will? Moses recounts God putting the fear of his people into the hearts of his enemies; and of God hardening the heart of King Sihon. In this chapter, we will examine these topics and see that, not only does God not necessarily get into our thinking and change it, but that there are some clues in this passage which suggest how the thinking of some people changes. God may have caused the events leading up to the change of thinking, but the people herein mentioned still change their own minds. Understanding this topic has been considerably advanced in this chapter, although I don’t believe that I am quite yet there.

  
  
  

  Deut. 1–4 is all about teaching the Israelites their own history, and then correctly interpreting this history. The Christian should never be afraid of human history; and should never become disillusioned by the spin and distortion put on human history by liberals, humanists, communists and other anti-Christian forces. Many times this is done with a simple, but dishonest graphics such as the one from Pinterest to the right (accessed December 16, 2013), which proclaims “No WAR was ever fought in the name of Atheism!” (Apparently completely forgetting about the communist revolutions in Russian, China, Cuba and elsewhere; where more people die in those countries during peacetime than die during most wars). In this chapter study, as in every other, time is spent on giving modern, up- to-date applications.

  
  

  One area of disagreement among scholars and a confusion to most readers of the Bible concerns the wandering Jews in the desert. There is this mistaken notion that the Jews were led by Moses in the desert for most of 40 years. This is patently untrue. Most of the time that they were in the desert-wilderness was spent at Kadesh-barnea, and there is an abundance of Scripture, with dates, to show that is true. Furthermore, Moses knew the geography of where they were and where the various peoples of that day lived. This was his training. So Moses was never confused about where they were at any given time. In case you have ever wondered about this so-called wandering, a reasonably clear timeline will be laid out in Deut. 2.

  There is another very important and difficult discussion in this chapter: the requirement that some peoples are devoted to God and destroyed completely. The second item will always be difficult for men to understand and go along with. How many of us are wholeheartedly in favor of there being a hell? I understand the rationalization behind it; but I cannot imagine the horror of being thrown into hell forever. Therefore, it is difficult for myself and most others to fully appreciate the concept of a people being completely wiped out at the command of God. When dealing with such topics, we have to bear in mind that God is perfect love and perfect justice, and that these two attributes cannot cancel one another out; nor can one suffer while the other is dominant. And, every bit as important is the discussion as to whether this has any application to us today.
  

  Also included in this study is an abundance of maps and graphics, so that you will have a full understanding of where Moses led his people. 266 pages.

• Doctrinal Terms and Concepts  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted 12/28/2013.  Many of these terms come from R. B. Thieme, Jr..  Some are common (and sometimes uncommon) theological definitions.  Some of the words and concepts are original.  I initially expected to have 3–5 pages of terms.  At this point, however, there are 22 pages.  This is, in itself, a theological education.  If you know and understand these terms, it is likely that you are a growing believer or you have a high level of spiritual maturity.  If you have been a Christian longer than 5 years, then you ought to know nearly all of these terms (or at least their concepts).
  

• The Doctrine of Devoting to God (the Doctrine of Cherem, Placing Under the Ban)  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Posted 12/28/2013.  This is a very difficult doctrine to deal with, because it involves the wholesale slaughter of entire groups of people.  Examples from the Bible are examined and the rationale for this considered as well.
  

• Genesis 17 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Posted 12/7/2013
  

  
  

  For 24 years, God has been speaking to Abram of promises for the future, which promises did not appear to have an established foundation from a human perspective—Abram had no sons, and all of God’s promises were off in the distant future based upon Abram having a son. In the previous chapter, Abram and Sarai, his wife, tried to help God along by employing a surrogate slave girl, Hagar, by whom Abram would sire a son. The result of this union was Ishmael; but this also introduced a great deal of drama to the Abram compound, due to the considerable friction between Sarai and Hagar (this is covered in Gen. 16).

  13 years have passed since Gen. 16—Ishmael is a young teenager—and God again comes to Abram, introducing Himself as ʾEl Shaddai, God Almighty or God Omnipotent. God makes the unequivocal promise that Abram will have a son by his wife Sarai. God changes Abram’s name to Abraham (which means, father of many) and tells him that he will be the father of many nations and that kings would come from him. God also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah (princess).
  

  God first tells Abraham “Walk before Me and be [spiritually] complete;” and then He tells Abraham to be circumcised—along with every other male in his compound. Furthermore, circumcision is to be perpetuated among his people, whether they be slaves or children born as descendants to Abraham.

  We examine many doctrines in this chapter, including: Comparing and Contrasting the Church and Israel; Slavery in the United States; Ancient Translation of the Bible; God’s 4 Responses to Prayer; and the Doctrine of Sanctification.
  

  We also study the following topics: Ancient Law Codes and why these codes were developed; we examine the spiritual life of Abram—what it was, and what did Abram know (most believers today do not know the first thing about their own spiritual lives—for instance, most believers today do not know how to get in and out of fellowship with God); Circumcision—just what does it mean and why did God require it; and we look forward to Acts 7 and Rom. 4 to see how our study impacts this New Testament chapters. We will also step back and see the similarities between this chapter and the Suzerain-Vassal treaties of old; and we will look at this chapter as a chiasmos. 231 pages.

• The Doctrine of Circumcision  (HTML)  (PDF)  (WPD).  Uploaded 12/3/2013.  This is a doctrine which has been expanded upon considerably since it was first written in 1995.  Pretty much everything that you need to know about circumcision is found here, including its meaning and purpose (circumcision originally illustrated regeneration; taking that which was dead and making it alive again).

• Genesis 16 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Uploaded 12/2/2013.
  

  
  

  Gen. 16 is the story of the birth of Ishmael, the father of many Arab groups who are alive today. Sarai, who obviously knew of the promises that God made to Abram, suggested that her personal maidservant, the Egyptian girl Hagar, function as a surrogate mother, through whom Abram would father a son, and, in this way, help God fulfill His promises to Abram. What happened instead was great discord in the Abram household, where Sarai and Hagar could not be reconciled, and Hagar ran off. God went and found Hagar, and asked her to return to Abram’s compound, telling her that He would multiply her seed greatly.

  This is the first appearance of the Angel of the Lord in the Bible (that is, the first time He is given this name). The Angel of the Lord is the Revealed God and this will be shown clearly by the doctrine of the Angel of the Lord.
  

  We also look at the Doctrine of Slavery and applications of that doctrine to today. This is an unemotional, objective examination of the practice of slavery, a practice which is still legitimate today (but not as was practiced in the United States at the time of our founding).

  We also will study the Geographical Will of God; Why the Word of God was Not Supernaturally Preserved; and we compare manuscripts which we have of the Bible compared to other ancient manuscripts which have been preserved. People typically have a lot of mistaken notions about the Bible and the manuscript evidence which we have for today’s modern Bibles. This section should help set you straight on that topic.
  

  This is a relatively short chapter (only 16 verses), but packed with a lot of important material. 138 pages.

• Genesis 15 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).  Uploaded 11/29/2013.
  

  
  

  Gen. 15 is a very unusual chapter of the Bible. Twice, Abram is said to be communicating with God when in a trance state; but there seem to be a variety of real activities related to these communications which take place as well. There is a great deal of prophecy in this chapter, where God helps Abram to look forward into time, to see what God will bring to pass.

  Also in this chapter is the clear statement of Old Testament salvation: And Abram had believed in the Lord and it is credited to him as righteousness. This verse is quoted 5 times in the New Testament, but each time with a slightly different emphasis (all quotations will be studied in Gen. 15).
  

  The doctrines studied in this chapter will include Four Generation Degeneracy, with a modern example of it; Abram and the large numbers associated with him; and an argument in favor of the less-than-literal Bibles.

  There are two doctrines studied at the end of this chapter which I believe are extremely important. The first is the “Lucky Guesses in Genesis 1–15.” These are 20 or so things which are amazing that anyone would have, at anytime in ancient history, recorded these things. The Bible speaks of cloning, of the Big Bang Theory and of the chemical composition of man; as well as about the atmosphere—things which make perfect sense today, and things which were found thousands of years before their discovery in the first 15 chapters of Genesis. There are also a number of very sophisticated theological concepts found in the first 15 chapters of Genesis, which, if this were not the Word of God, we should not expect to find such things.
  

  People have a lot of misconceptions about the Bible itself. They think that the Catholic Church or this or that group sneaked in and changed the Bible to conform to all of its theories. Others think that there have been so many translations of translations made of the Bible that there is no way possible to know what it said originally. Others think that, somehow, the prophecies were written after the prophecies had come to pass. All of these ideas are silly; and having some real understanding of the history of the Bible shows these ideas to be false. This is one of the final doctrines found in Gen. 15. 162 pages.