Good Morning Mike,

Thanks for the reply. I had actually found e- sword in a search a few days ago, and attempted to install it, but had some inexplicable difficulty (firewall and browser protection settings I imagine – perhaps not inexplicable at all)

I’ve made the attempt again at your suggestion and was both successful and frankly thrilled at the quality and utility of the software. It’s already saved me hours of research, and countless thumbed pages in Greek/ Hebrew dictionaries.

I know I’ve just scratched the surface of the resources on the web, but e- sword looks already as if it will be my primary study tool.

I had also found some software – bibledatabase – which I have enjoyed, but I can see the great value of Strong’s numbering and the immediate reference to the Greek and Hebrew.

Thank you so very much, Mike.

I’d like to keep in touch. Although I consider(ed) myself a critical atheist, I’m not at all satisfied that I know well enough that which I claimed not to believe… if that makes any sense.

I was scholarly in my atheism (study of objectivism and epistemology), but it seems unfair to declare philosophical victory having never really given the other side a fair shake so to speak. I’ve honed my debating skills, but I really don’t have much else to show for it. Winning debates is sort of like winning at chess – it’s a game, and it really doesn’t matter once all is said and done, unless you are a lawyer.

In fairness to the theology which I had rejected, I will begin a post graduate correspondence course in Christian Apologetics relatively soon, but can see already that the Statement of Faith of the Calvinist school (Trinity) is based on less than scriptural interpretations… perhaps most immediately observable in the name of the school! LOL

It will be an uphill battle for me to maintain my scholarly integrity and still put together an acceptable (to them) thesis, but as a law student, I understand that learning and presenting both sides of any case as fairly as possible, and applying the rules equally is the real challenge. Anyone can attempt to make any argument for anything, but I really just want truth. It is not about the winning for me… well, truth is the real winning, and I the winner if I discern it.

K____

Thanks Again.

Hi K____,

I do not claim to be a Greek or Hebrew scholar. I do not believe that our salvation requires that. I do, however, believe that we ought to “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed but rightly dividing the Word of truth.”

The only tools I have are a KJV Bible, a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and a Wigram’s Englishman’s Greek, and a Wigram’s Englishman’s Hebrew concordances. The reason for the KJV is simply that it is the most popular and most widely used Bible in history. The reason for the Strong’s Concordance is that Wigram’s is keyed to Strong’s numbers.

The single most helpful tool you can have is e- sword, which you have already downloaded. It is full of different translations and different commentaries. I find that I use these very little. What I do use very much is the Strong’s numbers which give me every entry for any Greek or Hebrew word. E- sword will do more for you than all the other translation and commentaries combined.

If you are willing to take the time to look at every entry for any word in the original Greek and the original Hebrew, you will then know the difference between how the translators have mistranslated that word and the true meaning of that word.

Two verses are paramount to consider if your understanding of scripture is to be truly extant.

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

The first verse shows only by God dragging you to him [ the word ‘draw’ here is the same word used elsewhere for ‘drag’] will one come to know Christ and thereby His Father, and the second verse explains why some have understanding and some don’t. I pray that God will open your eyes and ears spiritually and draw you to Him.
Let me hear from you.

Mike

Good Morning Mike,

Yup…. very helpful. I have downloaded seven or eight modules… but not the KJC. I’m going to download it after I have pushed ‘send’ on this email.
If you have any other modules which you recommend, please don’t hesitate.
I did not download any commentary, because I am afraid they are loaded with Babylonian doctrines. Do you use anything more than Bible translations and Concordances?
Your brother in Christ,
R____

Good morning R____,
Thanks for your question.
You ask:

Do you use anything more then Bible translations and Concordances?

Not one commentator that I am aware of has been given eyes that see the things of the spirit. I nevertheless have Barnes, Matthew Henry, Gill and several other commentaries which I reference from time to time just to see what they do with verses like “I the Lord create evil… an evil spirit from the Lord troubled Saul… The Lord has created all things for Himself, yes, even the wicked…” etc.
But as far as seeking spiritual understanding and growth, the answer is no, I do not use anything but translations and concordances. 90% of my own research is done with the text and KJC sections of e- sword.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Please tell me which bible/ bibles you study?

I use the KJV, only because it is the most widely used, and it is keyed to Strong’s and Wigram’s numbers. What you need is a Strong’s and a Wigram’s and e- Sword, and then it really doesn’t matter which version you read. All “versions” and translations are flawed. You need a Wigram’s or you can download free from the internet e- Sword to discern what God’s Spirit means by its use of any given word.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Mike

Thanks Mike. These are 2 new tools for me to learn the plan of God. I will let you know what I learn.

L____

Dear Brother Vinson,

I greatly appreciate your sharing of the revelation knowledge that God has shown you concerning the Scriptures, especially regarding the true Jews or Israel of God. I am in the process of distributing a Christian Newsletter, and I would like to print the sound doctrine as I’ve read on your website. Please share with me where I can purchase the materials needed to obtain further knowledge of the scriptures according to the original Hebrew and Greek text.

Thank You and May God Bless You Richly,

L_____

Hi L_____,

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. The greatest revelation for me, as far as research material is concerned, is the discovery of George V. Wigram’s Englishman’s Greek Concordance and his Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance. These books are far superior to Strong’s inasmuch as they give you the original Greek or Hebrew word first, then all the ways it has been translated into English. So when you find out that the word translated ‘eternal’, ‘everlasting’ and ‘for ever’ is actually the Greek word ‘aion‘ in its noun form or ‘aionio‘ in its adjective form, you can now go to Wigram’s and find every scripture where that Greek word appears. Now you no longer have to take your minister’s word for how God uses this word. You can go to the scriptures themselves and let God Himself demonstrate right before your own eyes how He wants this word to be understood. And, WOW! What revelation!

If you are using a computer bible study program, such as E- sword (which you can download for free!) you type in Strong’s #166 and you see that the disciples asked Christ “what [ would] be the sign of His coming and of the end of the ‘aionios‘” (Mat 24:3). You have just learned that what the King James translators considered ‘eternal’ in the usage God gives this word has nothing to do with ‘eternity.’ No, it doesn’t. The disciples wanted to know what would be the END of ‘aionios.’ Eternity has no end!

Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [ shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? [ Greek ‘aion.’]

Next you notice that on several occasions, the apostle Paul talks about how it was “before times aionios.”

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world [ Greek – aionios] began,
Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world [ Greek – aionios] began;

God Himself has now revealed to you, if he has “given you ears to hear and eyes to see” (Mat 13:11-16), that these Greek words, aion and aionios have a beginning and an end. What you do with this God- given knowledge depends not on you, but on what God has given you. But if He has given you a hunger for the truth (2Th 2:11-14), then you will act accordingly and reject the teachings of the greatest ‘scholars’ of the Christian religion for the plain truth of the Word of God. Wigram’s Concordances are rather expensive, costing at least $70 for the pair. This can all be avoided by simply going to the web page, http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com. Click on e- sword and simply download the e- Sword Bible study program, which offers the same functionality as Wigram’s and much more in electronic format. This is all made available for free by Rick Myers at www. e- sword. net. Rick goes to great lengths to be constantly updating this free service. Often used copies of the Wigrams can be found on eBay or half. com at great savings.

Now I want you to go read ‘How To Scripturally Study The Bible’ and the article on ‘Rightly Dividing The Scriptures.’

In the final analysis, the understanding of God’s Word depends not on us and all of our efforts to understand, but solely on the Truth of this verse:

Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it [ who Christ really is] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

The very definition of ‘eternal life’ scripturally is:

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

God bless your efforts to get to know the mind of Christ! Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with in this regard.

In His service,

Mike