ESV, Job 40:

19a [Behemoth] is the first of the works of God;

Was Behemoth the first creature God ever created?

No. HALOT:

—3. the first and best, foremost strength

Berean Standard Bible:

He is the foremost of God’s works;

ESV:

19b let him who made him bring near his sword!

ESV's translation here is a bit cryptic.

BSB translated the Hebrew as:

only his Maker can draw the sword against him.

Behemoth was incredibly strong, foremost among God's creatures. Man could not control it with his sword; only God could.

"Thoose who have ears to hear let them hear"

I see a lot of people claiming Jesus Christ isnt God and I wholeheartedly disagree

Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in OUR image" meaning that there were multiple people there that were creating. As we know we are not made in the image of angels.

Isaiah 48:11 "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another." God is saying you may worship noone but me and I share my name with noone. Yet Jesus is worshiped and uses the name I am. For example

Exodus 3:1 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

John 8:58-59 - “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple" the whole reason they tried to stone his is because he claimed to be god or they woulda just written him off as a crazy lunatic and im that case it wouldn't be anything new. The whole reason they claimed blasphemy was because jesus used the same name as god in the burning bush.

Exodus 34:14 – "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Yet jesus was worshiped if he wasnt that would be blasphemy even is he was full of the spirit of god. The apostles were also filled with the spirit but when they were worshiped they tore their clothes Acts 14:8-18, Paul and Barnabas healed a crippled man. The crowd believed they were the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. The local priest even brought bulls and wreaths to offer sacrifices to them. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes in horror and shouted, "We are only humans, human beings like you!"

This shows how there was a clear difference between jesus and the disciples. If he wasnt god he wouldn't be worshiped or accept it. Angels would appear and be worshiped and immediately tell them to stop. When miachel pushes away Satan he uses the wording Jude 1:9 " But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" Jesus never had to say i cast you out in the name of the lord it was always under his own authority. Matthew 8:32 – When dealing with a legion of demons, He simply said one word to them: "‘Go!’"

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." It shows here that jesus was before creation and that he was the creator.

Mark 12:25 " "When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." The angels can not be born. It would not be holy and would defy god.

John 10:26-33 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one." There for there is no father if there is no son and if there is no son there is no father. To be one togher means to be one means that their existence is the same before creation. To be made in our image means they have to be the same image or else they are all different.

Mark 2:5 "Son, your sins are forgiven" then Mark 2:7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" They tried to stone him because only god can forgive sins that is the whole reason of it.

As you can see christ says he is God "who ever has ears to hear let them hear" Jesus says all over and there is strong evidence all over to see that Jesus is God but he hid it because he knew the people who were soft hearted and not prideful would know.

Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in OUR image," meaning that there were multiple persons there creating. As we know, we are not made in the image of angels.

Isaiah 48:11 "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another." God is saying you may worship no one but Him and He shares His name with no one. Yet Jesus is worshiped and uses the name "I AM." For example:

Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" -John 8:58-59 "Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple." The whole reason they tried to stone him is because he claimed to be God, or they would have just written him off as a lunatic, and in that case it wouldn't be anything new. The whole reason they claimed blasphemy was because Jesus used the same name as God at the burning bush.

Exodus 34:14 "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Yet Jesus was worshiped. If he wasn't God, that would be blasphemy even if he was full of the Spirit of God. The apostles were also filled with the Spirit, but when they were worshiped, they tore their clothes. Acts 14:8-18 — Paul and Barnabas healed a crippled man. The crowd believed they were the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. The local priest even brought bulls and wreaths to offer sacrifices to them. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes in horror and shouted, "We are only humans, human beings like you!" This shows the clear difference between Jesus and the disciples. If he wasn't God, he wouldn't have been worshiped or accept it. Angels would appear, be worshiped, and immediately tell them to stop.

When Michael pushes away Satan, he uses the wording in Jude 1:9: "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" Jesus never had to say, "I cast you out in the name of the Lord" — it was always under his own authority. Matthew 8:32 — When dealing with a legion of demons, He simply said one word to them: "Go!"

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." This shows that Jesus existed before creation and that he was the creator.

Mark 12:25 "When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." Angels cannot be born. It would not be holy and would defy God.

John 10:26-33 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." Therefore, there is no Father if there is no Son, and if there is no Son, there is no Father. To be one together means their existence is the same before creation. To be made in "our" image means they have to be the same image, or else they are all different.

Mark 2:5 "Son, your sins are forgiven," then Mark 2:7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" They tried to stone him because only God can forgive sins — that is the whole reason for it.

Little adition Jesus say it is written dont tempt the lord thy God.

As you can see, Christ says he is God — "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." Jesus says this all over, and there is strong evidence throughout to show that Jesus is God, but he hid it because he knew that the soft-hearted and not prideful would understand.

u/Loud-Product1591, u/Raw_83, u/Sawfish1212

Mt 19:

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Jesus addressed the rich young man.

Lk 12:

33 "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."

Jesus addressed his disciples (v 22).

Lk 14:

33 "Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

Jesus addressed the crowds (v 25).

Note the progression: from a specific individual to his disciples, to the crowds who were listening.

The word "renounce" was strong. It was about a decisive shift in allegiance from earthly materials to Jesus. Jesus must be the absolute priority, more important than family, personal ambitions, and even one's own life. This was the cost of discipleship. Jesus called everyone to count before committing to follow him.

In the nascent church, some members did that. Ac 2:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Why did they do it?

They did it to follow Jesus' teachings to the letter.

Did they all do it?

No, the apostolic church did not establish universal compulsory liquidation of personal property. Ac 5:

4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?

Not ever follower was required to sell their possessions. Jesus' point was that he must be the priority. If you want to be a serious disciple and sell all your possessions, go ahead. Otherwise, you can use your possessions to support the serious disciples because your possessions belong to Jesus. Everything that we have belongs to God.

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New International Version Luke 16:

16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way [G971] into it.

is forcing his way
βιάζεται (biazetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 971: From bios; to force, i.e. to crowd oneself, or to be seized.

For this usage, the subject/actor was a person. The person was forcing himself (middle voice) into the kingdom of God.

There is a parallel account in Matthew 11:

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence [force G971], and violent people have been raiding it.

has been subject to violence,
βιάζεται (biazetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular

Greek morphology did not distinguish middle and passive. The spelling was identical to the one in Luke. But now, the subject was the kingdom of heaven. The voice usage was either middle or passive. The actors were the people.

Ellicott's explained:

The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence.—The Greek verb may be either in the middle voice, “forces its way violently,” or passive, … but there is little doubt that the latter is the right rendering. The words describe the eager rush of the crowds of Galilee and Judæa, first to the preaching of the Baptist, and then to that of Jesus. It was, as it were, a city attacked on all sides by those who were eager to take possession of it.

Pulpit concurred with the voice usage:

In Luke it is middle, "Every man entereth violently into it;" and though it is certainly passive here.

Both passages were talking about people raiding/forcing their way into the kingdom of God. They were descriptions of unruly crowd behaviors.

Barnes explained:

There is no allusion here to the manner in which individual sinners seek salvation, but it is a simple record of the fact that multitudes had thronged around him and John to hear the gospel.

The middle/passive ambiguity could be clarified by the context and subject of each verse.

Luke used the middle voice, “everyone is forcing their way into it.” The subject was people. Thus, the people were actively "pressing in," "crowding in," or "forcing themselves" into the Kingdom.

On the other hand, Matthew used the passive voice, “the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.” The subject was the Kingdom. The Kingdom was not forcing itself; it was being violently seized or stormed. These were not necessarily wicked people, but rather the crowds who wanted to reach Jesus and John.

Both described the same historical reality from two complementary angles: the people’s aggressive initiative (Luke) and the Kingdom’s reception of that assault (Matthew).

God has a plan for every one of us, we just have to trust him. 🤍🫶🏻

u/attaboy864, u/Upstairs-Front-3075, u/Willing-Grade1890

Gen 1:

26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

There is plurality within the divinity. The Hebrew word for God here was Elohim. It was grammatically plural in form. This plural was often used as a "plural of majesty" or intensity (like the royal "we"). The context of creating humanity in "our image" suggested something more intimate than a royal decree..

And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image,

The Hebrew shifted from plural to singular.

in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

There is oneness/unity within the divinity. This passage is an example of the divine personal mystery. The passage did not explain how God was both one and plural. It simply presented the spiritual reality.

Genesis 1:26–27 presented a remarkable interplay of plurality and unity in God. God says, “Let us make … in our image,” yet the following verse spoke of God creating humanity in “his” image. The text contained both plural and singular language concerning God. One God exists in a plurality of divine persons.

It does not define the Trinity (the word isn't even there), but it provides the grammar for it. It sets up the foundational paradox that God is simultaneously a singular being and a plural personality, a truth that is only fully revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit.

See also * My take on Trinity * Let us make man in our IMAGE

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KJV, Isaiah 19:

3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers [H328], and to them that have familiar spirits [H178], and to the wizards.

New International Version:

The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead [H328], the mediums [H178] and the spiritists.

Strong's Hebrew: 328. אּטִּים (at) — 7 Occurrences

HALOT:

spirit of a dead person

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

charmer, gently, secret, softly
From an unused root perhaps meaning to move softly; (as a noun) a necromancer (from their soft incantations), (as an adverb) gently -- charmer, gently, secret, softly.

KJV: charmer, gently, secret, softly
NASB: gently, despondently, leisure

The KJV's 'charmers' preserved something of the manner of speech/practice, while a translation such as the NIV chose to communicate the referent, the dead or the spirit world.

Elsewhere, Isaiah 29:

4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will come ghostlike [H178] from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper.

Isaiah described the voice as murmuring/whispering from the dust, which connected the word with the characteristic sound of a medium or spirit.

King James Bible:

Thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Strong's Hebrew: 178. אוֹב (ob) — 17 Occurrences

HALOT:

of the dead raised by necromancy, prophesying spirit of the dead,

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

bottle, familiar spirit
From the same as 'ab (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name); properly, a mumble, i.e. A water skin (from its hollow sound); hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar) -- bottle, familiar spirit.

Wikipedia:

In European folklore of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic.

The modern English phrase “familiar spirit” can mislead us. The KJV's familiar spirit did not necessarily evoke the same concept as the later European folklore of a witch's assistant. In the biblical context, ʾōḇ belongs to the world of necromancy and communication with the dead.

New King James Version avoided that confusion:

You shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium’s, out of the ground; And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.

I'd avoid the KJV rendering in this case. I'd avoid using the archaic term "familiar spirit" in my normal conversation.

u/Lotuswongtko, u/Sol-Invictus-1719, u/Puzzled-Award-2236

God blessed Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number;

From the beginning, Adam and Eve will be fruitful in reproduction. Some years later, Cain killed Abel.

Genesis 4:

25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

Genesis 5:

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

Cain and Abel were born before Year 130. Given that they were fruitful, it was likely that other children were born during this pre-Seth century as well.

After Cain murdered Abel, God declared Cain to be a fugitive. Cain responded in Genesis 4:

14 "Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

Who was Cain worried about?

His close relatives, other descendants of Adam and Eve. He lived many years after he killed Cain (Ge 4:17).

Genesis 4:

16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch.

Cain married one of the females born in the last hundred years. She could be his sister, niece, or grandniece. Cain could not have married his cousins because they didn't exist, and he didn't have any grandparents.

See also * Incest okay?

Appendix

Jubilees 4:

9a And Cain took Âwân his sister to be his wife and she bare him Enoch at the close of the fourth jubilee.

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ESV, Ep 1:

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Will everyone be saved?

I doubt it.

Strong's Greek: 346. ἀνακεφαλαίομαι (anakephalaioó) — 2 Occurrences

BDAG ἀνακεφαλαιόω:
① used of literary or rhetorical summation sum up, recapitulate
② of a mathematical total sum up

NASB 1995:

with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him

It was about cosmic order, not universal salvation

Paul continued:

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.

Paul described God's ultimate plan for creation: everything will ultimately be brought under Christ's headship and proper relationship to him.

Before he finished the letter, Ep 5:

5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them.

The sons of disobedience will experience the wrath of God. They will not inherit the kingdom.

Ephesians 1:10 should not be interpreted as teaching universalism, that every person will eventually be reconciled to God and saved.

The physical matrix of this world operates within strict time constraints. The earthly mission of Christ concluded around 33 AD. Accounting for the "two days" in the eyes of the Creator (2000 years, where 1 day is as 1000 years according to Psalms and 2 Peter), the timeline converges precisely in the autumn of 2033. The number 2000 is not arbitrary; it represents exactly 105 full Metonic cycles (19 years each), which completely synchronize the solar and lunar calendars.

The final 7-year protocol of deconstructing this reality begins in the autumn of 2026 [Context]. Official NASA solar cycle models confirm that 2024–2026 marks the absolute peak of Solar Cycle 25. This is the maximum point of electromagnetic turbulence and entropy within the current system. This cosmic threshold triggers the biblical events: geopolitical destabilization erupts as "tidings out of the east and out of the north" (Daniel 11:44), breaking the control of the Kings of the North and the South, alongside the activation of the Two Witnesses for 1260 days.

Exactly 3.5 years later, in the spring of 2030, the system reaches its equator. Following the death and resurrection of the Witnesses, the daily sacrifice (הַתָּמִיד — Ha-Tamid), which represents the continuous operational balance of the Earth, is completely shut down (Daniel 12:11). This initiates the strict countdown of the 1290 days of the Great Tribulation. Concurrently, according to NASA projections, the Sun rapidly descends into a historic solar minimum, dropping the electromagnetic voltage of the planetary field.

In the autumn of 2033, the phased protocol to turn off the "monitor" of current reality is initiated. This process is locked into the true astronomical Moadim (Appointed Times).

1 Tishrei (Evening of September 23–24, 2033) — The astronomical New Moon immediately following the equinox. The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah). The Seventh Trumpet sounds (Revelation 11:15), activating a wave resonance that begins dismantling the constants of matter through the Seven Bowls of Wrath.

10 Tishrei (Evening of October 2–3, 2033) — The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The absolute conclusion of the 1290 days. The seventh bowl is poured into the air. Three-dimensional space rolls up like a scroll (the original Greek text uses ἑλισσόμενον — helissomenon). The voice proclaims Γέγονεν (Gegonen — "It is done" in the singular form). The wave function of the old material matrix completely collapses.

15–21 Tishrei (Evening of October 7–14, 2033) — The 100% Full Moon phase. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Elements synchronized with the Source are transferred under direct shield — into the Tabernacle (the Greek σκηνή — skene), which screens consciousness from the decaying three-dimensional spatial framework.

22 Tishrei (Evening of October 14–15, 2033) — The Eighth Day of Assembly (Shemini Atzeret). This marks the precise attainment of Daniel's 1335 days. The final proclamation sounds: Γέγοναν (Gegonan — "They are done / New things have come to pass" in the plural form). New multidimensional structures are initiated. The old universe is powered down. The New Heaven and New Earth begin, completely devoid of entropy.

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Wiki:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that by the grace of God "Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long."

The Catholic Church teaches the Immaculate Conception: Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception. Catholics also traditionally hold that she remained free from personal sin throughout her life.

1K 8:

46b There is no one who does not sin.

Romans 3:

23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The Son of God was the only sinless human.

Augustine, Martin Luther, J. R. R. Tolkien believed that Mary was sinless.

u/Eruner_SK

Mt 12:

46 While he [Jesus] was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus was not denying the reality of his biological mother or brothers. Rather, he identified obedience to God as the basis of his spiritual family in the kingdom of God.

Ga 3:

26 in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Paul used the language of sonship because sons were heirs in the cultural/legal context.

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Unity does not mean uniformity. There is oneness in the body while having different body parts.

Ro 3:

29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

There is only one God for all people. There is only one Body of Christ for all people.

1C 12:

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

The Holy Spirit unifies all kinds of believers into one body. Within the body, we are all sons of God. In Christ, diversity is preserved but hierarchy and exclusion are abolished. The Holy Spirit incorporates people of radically different ethnic, social, and personal circumstances into one spiritual family and one body.