Halloween

Every year, on October 31st, people all across the United States celebrate the holiday of Halloween. For non-US readers who do not celebrate Halloween, this entry can still be applied to situations across the globe, so do not fret that merely because it addresses an out-of-country topic that it does not pertain to other such things.

Since the start of this blog, a few holidays have passed without recognition - of course, when Easter and Christmas come, that will change, but for certain holidays, nothing is mentioned, as this is read worldwide. Now, holidays. "Holiday" has a different meaning to different individuals - it can mean a vacation, a day off from work, or perhaps school, or it can mean a holiday such as Easter, or Christmas.

The word “holiday” actually comes from the words “holy” and “day.” The Israelites were command by the Lord to set aside certain days during the year to have festivals, to pray, to thank God for all the things He has done, and to feast. In modern days, we use "holiday" to describe “holy” days such as Thanksgiving - a day to thank God for things he has done for us, Christmas - a day to remember the birth and life of Christ, and Easter - a day to remember the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. (Also referred to as Resurrection Sunday)

However, one holiday leaves God out of the picture. Halloween. It is also known as the "Day of the Dead," formally "All Hallow's Eve," or a number of other names. It is true that Halloween has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday of All Saint's Day, but it has been changed and twisted drastically. It is true that some view Halloween merely as a day where young children dress up and go out, asking for candy, for fun. But there are also those that take Halloween very seriously.


For some, it is a holiday that is set aside to worship Lucifer. There is truth in this - Satan worshipers most certainly take advantage of the fear and such things that amass this day. Before I go any further, personally, if a boy would like to go out and get candy, then he may do so. But for those who take this seriously, there are serious matters to consider. Lucifer hates mankind. He hates all of us, and because of this, he wants to get into our heads, our system, he wants to hurt us in whatever way he can.

The holiday itself is used by certain groups to offer sacrifices to Satan, to stir up demonic activity, and bring problems among fellow man. Think of it this way: if a large portion of thinking among Americans focused into one single day is on something Anti-God, why would Satan not try to use this to his advantage? Would he gain power from all the attention? Most likely. So what can we, as Christians, do?

Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." We are at War with Lucifer and his demons. Paul goes on to say that we need to arm ourselves with prayer. Prayer is a powerful and effective tool, if you are praying for the right reasons.

The people in the Old and New Testament - when we see miracles such as the Red Sea Parting, or the Miracles of Jesus, more often than not, they are because of prayer, though in the case of Christ, he does not need prayer. So, for those who choose to celebrate Halloween, what ought we, as Christians, do? "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21) It is not for one person to tell you whether or not to go out on Halloween.

However, there are many, in church, for example, who have programs or games going on during Halloween, that keep kids in church, or some parents who keep their children at home. The decision is always ours, as most of it comes down to our presuppositions and worldviews. The intention of this entry, as always, was to inform, so if you have felt attacked, that was not the intention.

Understand that yes, Satan tries to gain the upper hand on this day. But unless Christians allow him, October 31st is not a victorious day for Lucifer and his demons. I do not advocate Halloween, nor do I reprimand it. While I celebrated as I child, I no longer do. Does that mean I will make others adhere to the fact that I would rather spend time with friends and family on such a night than go out with children and collect candy? That is not for me to say.

Bear in mind, however, this simple idea. Lucifer is trying to get a foothold on this day, and he will try long and hard, make no mistake. Ephesians 6:11-18 tells us to take a stand against the Devil's schemes, to stand up for Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. So why do Christians have a problem with Halloween, is it bad?

It depends on how you celebrate it, really. If you celebrate Halloween by going out, sacrificing and calling out demons, I would double-check your motives, and keep in mind that Christ will ultimately triumph over Satan. If you plan on celebrating All Saint's Day, or even taking a child to go out and get candy to last them for several months, the choice is yours and yours alone.

Choice is a strong thing, and so is prayer, so I would encourage you to pray about such things. Should we make an ordeal out of Halloween at all? Well, it depends on your viewpoint. My opinion is that I would rather stay home and be with family, while for others, they will go out and get candy. If that is the case, recall what James, brother of Jesus said about keeping "oneself from being polluted by the world," (James 1:27) and bear that in mind.

As Christians, we need to take a stand for our Lord, repel the power of the enemy, embrace God's will, and win the day for God. Do not use Halloween as a device in which Satan can gain sure footing, but use it as a day for the Lord. Use Halloween as a tool in which God may work in and through you to glorify his name.

Whatever your standpoint may be on the holiday, this may not have been the most in-depth look at Halloween or the most instructive or guiding, but I trust it has provided you with insight on the subject so that you make a decision if you live in a part of the world that celebrates, and if the decision comes. Take care, dear reader, and may God bless you! Troy Hillman

Was Jesus a Vegetarian?

Did Jesus eat meat? For many people, you are probably wondering what any of this has to do with us. A good and dear friend of mine had questions about this sort of thing, and once I did a bit of research, I noticed that there was an interest in this subject. Therefore, it is a valid topic, and ought to be covered, given the context we are going to look at it in.

The question goes a bit like this, and a valid question it is indeed: "In Genesis, God tells us that man and creature alike did not eat meat, in God's perfect world, but plants and vegetation. To be a good Christian, ought we follow this? Also, since Jesus is God, did he eat meat when he was on the earth?"

I think it best to look at this first, in its historical context. In the beginning, God created the Universe, a little over 6,000 years ago. He made man, bird, dinosaur, every creature that walks on all fours, every beast of the water, everything that has the breath of life within it. Then God gave them the plants. This is what he said:

"I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." (Genesis 1:29-30)

It is true that in the beginning, even present-day carnivores ate plants. What happened? What changed so that meat consumption took place? The Fall of Man. When Lucifer tempted Eve, who in turn tempted Adam, the whole of Creation fell to sin - food was included in this. Beasts of the wild proceeded to attack each other as food, but since there was abundant plant life in those days, it was most likely not often.

But this was not to last. Man may have continued its plant consumption up until the Great Flood. After the Flood, when Noah and his family got off of the Ark with all of God's creatures, it must have been like stepping off onto an alien planet. Everything was changed. There may have been aquatic vegetation, yes. But it probably took a little while for certain plants to grow and come into the world - unless Noah and his family had taken some onto the ark.

Regardless, stepping onto this new world with little plant life and little life in general, the creatures - birds, lions, tigers, dinosaurs, the like, must have gotten hungry. As did man. There were only 8 people who came off the ark, yes. But that is still a lot of food to be consumed. So what happened?

Since the loss of life throughout the earth, the creatures that came off of the Ark multiplied, and began to attack each other. Fish such as the Piranha came into being after the flood - now that plants were scarce, the "substitution effect" of economics took place, and animals chose the next best source: meat.

The question is then asked, did Noah eat meat after the flood? Actually, God gave him everything. "Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything." (Genesis 9:1-3)

That being said, is it wrong for us to want to eat meat, should we, as Christians, be vegetarian? You can be, but God provided us with more food sources, and all depending on personal preference, there is nothing biblically wrong with eating meat.The question was also asked, "Did Jesus Eat Meat?" If the Son of God did not eat meat, it would mean we ought not to also.

However, that is not the case. Take John 21, for example. After his resurrection, Jesus had his disciples cast out, and when they caught fish, and returned to shore, there he was, ready with a fire for cooking. We are told that they ate the fish - which is meat. Another instance would be Passover.

Passover has not changed its traditions since the Exodus in 1446 BC. Traditionally, Jews took a lamb or goat and ate them during Passover dinner. We are told that Jesus kept the Passover laws, and as such, he ate lamb, or goat - which is also meat.

Passover is a Holy day which celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It was a commanded assembly. You can find the full regulations are detailed are given in Exodus 12. In basic terms, on Passover, a lamb was killed and roasted. Exodus 12:3,5 says, "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth of this month they shall take to them each man a lamb for a father's house, a lamb for a house... Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take from the sheep or from the goats."

While yes, it is true that what Jesus and his disciples ate could have been a goat or even a sheep, it was most likely a lamb. The celebration of Passover for Jews is still in effect - unlike much of the Ceremonial Law found the first five books of the Bible, when Jesus died, Passover was still in effect. His death and resurrection did not negate the importance of the Passover.

In fact, Exodus 12:14 says, "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. You must celebrate this day as a religious festival to remind you of what I, the LORD, have done. Celebrate it for all time to come."


The long and short of it is, yes, Jesus did eat meat - even if he did not have lamb, goat, or sheep, he ate fish. However, if he did not eat at Passover, he would be breaking the Passover laws, and we are told that these he kept. We can come to the logical conclusion that Jesus was not a vegetarian.

It is from this that we can understand that Christ is our Passover lamb. 1st Corinthians 5:7 says, "You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Jesus ate Passover lamb, he was our lamb, and he is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. He can take away our sins if we only confess with our mouth, "Jesus Is Lord," and if we believe in our heart that he is risen from the dead, we will be saved. Pray for forgiveness of sins daily, as we sin daily, and try to spread truth wherever possible, just as Jesus commissioned us. (Matthew 28:16-20)

Another dear friend had pointed out Romans 14. Here is the text, take from it what you will, dear reader. "Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person's faith allows them to eat everything, but another person, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted that person." (Romans 14:1-3)

"Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master they stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Some consider one day more sacred than another; others consider every day alike. Everyone should be fully convinced in their own mind. Those who regard one day more sacred as special do so to the Lord. Those who eat meat do so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and those who abstain do so to the Lord and give thanks to God. For we do not live to ourselves alone and we do not die to ourselves alone." (Romans 14:4-7)

"If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: ' As surely as I live,' says the Lord, every knee will bow before me, every tongue will confess to God.' So then, we will all give an account of ourselves to God." (Romans 14:8-12)

"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then that person is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by eating destroy your brother or sister for whom Christ died." (Romans 14:13-15)

"Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall." (Romans 14:16-21)


"So, whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by what they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is a sin." (Romans 14:22-23) This chapter is a good passage to refer to when issues food-related arise.

I trust this entry has proven insightful and helpful. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email vexx801@yahoo.com, visit the facebook page, or comment below. Take care, dear reader, and may God bless you. Troy Hillman

God and Simple Logic

Are there any specific logical conclusions that we can make about God, merely by using examples and logic alone? Yes, there is. There are many logical reasons to believe in the Creator God, and in this entry, I will not only give scriptural references to his creation, and the defense of this creation, but logical debates, if you will, that some do not think of. (Image Credit to: NASA)

Understand, of course, that these may seem odd or even silly to seem, yet at the same time, mean the world to others. God gave us his word to teach us, correct us, help us. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

I have often found myself in situations wherein people ask such questions as, "How Do You Know God Exists?" Or statements such as, "God could not exist, because I have never seen him, heard him, or touched him." Such things as these, if thought about long enough, are not good arguments to make. In the modern society, many Christians do not know how to answer the first. I trust that many of these entries on the blog have helped you to answer such questions.

Christianity is a testable religion, unlike others. We have science (Creationism), Apologetics (defense of our faith), Philosophy, and Deductive Reasoning to rely on, among other such things. Without getting into science, of which we have covered many a time, and more Creationism can be found at Answers In Genesis, Evidence 4 Faith, and many others.

Let us begin with an example. One of your friends comes up to you and says, "God must not exist, I have never seen him, touched him, or heard him. Therefore, he cannot exist." *Side-note: merely because he has not made himself known to you does not mean he does not exist.* A good, logical response would be, "Have you ever seen George Washington?" "Well, no. But we have historical documents of him." Our reply? "We have historical documents of God." We agree with what we read in Historical Textbooks because of documents and accounts that have been around for a long time. Why is this not the case with God's Infallible Word?

Point being, not one of us alive today has ever seen, heard, or touched George Washington. We have never seen, heard, or touched King George III. Yet there is not doubt that they existed. There is enough evidence to prove the existence of God, our Intelligent Designer.Where else can you go from there?

Say, for example, that someone comes up to you and says, "I don't believe in air, because I can't see it, hear it, or touch it." Our response should be, :Do you believe in love?" "Why of course, what a silly question." Then we say, "Have you ever seen it, heard it, or touched it? No, you have not. But we have FELT it. In the same way, I have FELT air." Also in the same way, many people have FELT the presence of God. I have personally FELT God, just as I have FELT love, though "God is love." (1st John 4:8)

Natural law is another thing. We all have laws that we cannot break - the law of gravity, for example. No matter how many times you jump up, you will always fall back down due to the gravity of the planet. But when we take a look at Moral Law such as knowing the difference between right and wrong. If one is old enough to be able to read this entry and understand it, then they know of the Moral Law, or know of its existence.

The Moral Law contains truths such as not lying, not lusting, not committing adultery, not murdering, honoring your father and mother, among others. But unlike the Law of Gravity, we have a choice whether or not to follow this law. If we merely evolved from pond scum, why should we care what happens in our world? We care because something - someone - gave us a Moral Law to govern our actions.

It did not merely develop within our minds over time, but is something we are born with, engraved on our hearts and minds by our creator - God. If God did not exist, then we would not have a Moral Law, and would have no need to follow it, for then we would merely be chemicals fighting each other in survival. The law is written on our hearts. (Romans 2:14-15)

This next one is a bit scientific, but not so much as to alienate the reader. The tilt of the Earth. Using logic, and not a fallacy, I can determine that the tilt of the Earth, the position of the axis, all of it, the oxygen, the oceans, the land, it is all near-perfect conditions for life. (It was perfect before the fall.) Though scientists have searched for years, to this day, we still have not found ONE planet that would sustain life the way our planet would.

Now, an Evolutionist could argue that it is this very reason that life developed on the Earth. Before I go any further, I would like to point out something. The word "theory" is very commonly misused, especially by myself in past entries. An associate of mine has since pointed out the difference. When someone says, "this is just a theory," more often than not, they mean "hypothesis." Here are the general meanings of such terms:

Hypothesis - an idea based on observations of natural phenomena. This is the everyday man's definition of a theory. Theory - a hypothesis that has been tested repeatedly by many people and not proven false. Law - a theory that has been tested repeatedly by many people over centuries and never proven false. (Terms all in scientific sense) Now, if you have misused these terms as I have, do not feel too bad - people within the scientific community also misuse the term. I merely wanted to point that out, thanks to a "heads-up" from a friend.

Back to the main point. Those who hypothesize about the Big-Bang point out one thing: they can get to the point where they find the supposed "origin of life." The hole in the hypothesis, that they themselves point out? They say that even if the Universe is only 6,000 years old, we can only find one common point: energy. But they say that something, or someone, had to have created that energy.

Using simple logic, we can determine this: logic dictates that creation must have a creator. Therefore, by using logic alone, we can determine that something had to have created this energy, this matter. But who, or what, created the matter? The Lord God Almighty created the Universe over a period of Six, Literal, Days. (Genesis 1-2, Exodus 20:11, 31:12, etc.)

While we could devote an entire series to using simple logic to know of God's existence, it is best sometimes to give only one, and if demand for more arises, the demand will be satisfied. As aforementioned, this entry was only based on simple logic. For those who feel that more is needed, or that even less is needed, see past entries, or visit Answers In Genesis, Way of The Master, or Evidence 4 Faith, three trustworthy and God-gifted organizations devoted to the truth.

Regardless, I trust this entry has somehow improved your faith, or perhaps peaked your mild interest to major. Believe me, eternal salvation is worth looking into - it is not a myth, not a thing created out of lonely people, it is as real as you and I. One more piece of logic for you.

Some people say, "How do you know The Bible is God's Word?" (For more on this subject, see "How Do We Know the 66 Books in the Bible are the Right Books?" and "The Bible - Origin, Purpose, Unity, Content") Simple logic comes into play here. How do you know that I, the writer of this blog, "The Truth," am who I claim to be? How do you know that I am Troy Hillman? Is it because you believe the name signed at the end of each entry? (It is my name, not a pen name.)

But how are you, the reader, to know who I am? Of course, there are friends and family of mine who read this and would think, "Of course it is Troy, we have seen him write it." But what of those across the world, those who statistics show read this in Israel, or Jordan, or Egypt, or the Philippines, or Greece, Russia, China, Iraq, Singapore, and what have you? You have no way of knowing if it is truly Troy Hillman who writes this. But you have faith, and you believe that I am the writer.

The intention of pointing such a thing out was not to shift the spotlight to myself. Nay, all glory ought to be on God. The intention was to point this out: in the same way, we believe by faith that the Bible is God's Word, written by the Lord through human writers, perhaps as a vessel, or merely conveyed his word - word for word. It is not by mere blind faith that we believe God wrote the Bible, there is sufficient evidence. However, using the above analogy, logic dictates that God wrote his word, just as he claims.

Thank you for taking the time to read this entry of "The Truth." If you have any further comments, questions, or what have you, please remain civil in such things, email vexx801@yahoo.com, comment below, or visit the facebook page. May God richly bless you, and if you have never given your life over to Jesus Christ, I urge you to do so right now, for you never know how much longer you may have - no man is promised tomorrow.

All we are asked to do is confess with our mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and if we believe in our heart that he died and rose from the dead, (Romans 10:9) and accept him as our Lord and Savior, asking for forgiveness of our sins (something we ought to do daily is ask for forgiveness of sins), we are forgiven, and are saved. Take care, dear reader. Troy Hillman

The Great Flood (Part Two)

In the previous entry, we covered why God wanted to bring a flood to the earth, what happened to dinosaurs, and other such things. In this entry, going back to Biblical roots, we will be taking a look at just what this flood meant for the world, how it changed the world, and what we can learn from it.

Before we go on, take a moment to think of the world around you. Think of the tundra, the humid continental areas, the savanna, the middle latitude deserts, the rain forest. Now think of different forms of frozen water. We have frost, glaze, hail, sleet, among others. Between the tropical climates of the world and the harsh climates of the world, we have one thing in common: water.

The Earth is made up of about 80% water. (Estimated, percentage tends to change.) 97% of that is found in oceans, whereas 3% is freshwater. 79% of that is found in ice caps and glaciers, while 20% is groundwater, and the remaining 1% is surface water. Some of the purest water we can find is rainwater. Why is this? When water is evaporated, it tends to leave behind certain things, such as wastes. So when it rains, the rain is a bit "filtered."

When we turn back the geologic clock and look of the world God created a little over 6,000 years ago, we see a world that is mostly land. When we look at pictures of the earth, or even traverse the earth, we see that the world is almost filled to the brim with water. The cup is not half empty, and it is not half full - it is mostly filled. What does this have to do with the Deluge? (The Flood)

Think of it this way. Here is the Earth, a few thousand years ago. It is, for the most part, land. A man named Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives all board a lifeboat filled with God's creatures - and since many of his creatures are water-based, they did not need to be on the Ark. Now picture this. "The springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." 

The Earth is now being filled with water. The hydrologic cycle (water cycle) is in its early stages - the water is raining down upon the Earth. Flooding continues for "forty days and forty nights," taking nearly a year for the waters to recede. Where did the water go? It remains on the earth. That is why our world is so covered in water.

But if we stop and think for a moment, we use water for many things, though only about 1% is drinkable. We use water for drinking, for cooking, for washing, for showers and baths, for relaxation, for a myriad of reasons. The flood is the reason that our world is so water-filled. After the flood, there WAS a brief Ice Age, only one, that lasted about 700 years, but was not worldwide. The topic of the brief Ice Age will be covered in a later entry.

Now, let us take a look at what God's Infallible Word has to tell us about what happened next. "The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded." (Genesis 7:24-8:1, NIV) "The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible." (Genesis 8:3-5, NIV)

Psalm 104:6 says, "You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; the flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them." God rebuked the waters after nearly a year, and they receded.

When the flood waters receded, (they are still on the earth, but occupy different spaces - lakes, rivers, streams, ocean, the like, while some at various times is in the air due to the hydrologic cycle) God said to Noah, "Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you - the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground - so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it." (Genesis 8:17, NIV)

Here we see Noah and his family coming out of the ark onto what must have looked to them like stepping off a spaceship onto a foreign world, an alien planet. How the world changed due to the flood. Think of mountains, for example. If you have ever been to a beach, notice the ripples in the sand? Via Google Earth or Satellite Imagery, we can determine that mountains look as if they have "ripples" around them - they look as if they were in water for a period of time. The flood, of course.

God proceeded to make a covenant with Noah - "Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." (Genesis 9:11, NIV) Notice that God did not say, "floods will never occur again." He said, "there will never again be a worldwide flood." He chose a rainbow as a sign of this covenant - so each time you look into the sky and see a rainbow, know that it was the sign given to Noah and his family that he will never again flood the earth - a sure sign as any that God keeps his promises.

God also said, "The fear of you and the dread of shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl [bird] of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered." (Genesis 9:1-2; KJV) In other words, every creature upon the earth is for humanity. This includes birds, fish, the like.

Understand that before the flood, most likely, all that was eaten was plants. Fruits and vegetables. Healthy diet. Noah lived for 350 years after the Flood, (Genesis 9:28) so his diet was most likely healthy as well. The reason for the change in food consumption? Well, at a economic angle, it isn't that prices went up or down. It's that demand was high, and quantity was low. Since plants needed time to grow, and people tend to get hungry fairly easily, the meat that was up and walking around was "ripe for the taking."

The remaining dinosaurs (about 40 species), tigers, lions, and other creatures tended to think the same of man: there is a shortage of goods and services, so utilizing the substitution effect, the animals chose another food source: meat. They began to eat each other, eat humans after they had multiplied, and it has continued from there.

What can we learn from the flood? Well, I suppose if one were to write about the lessons that could be learned from the worldwide flood - be it moral lessons, scientific lessons, theological lessons, or what have you, it could fill volumes. Answers In Genesis has devoted much time to the topic of the flood, and has a better scientific understanding of these events than I. I would recommend you take a look at what they have to offer in this regard, as well as others.

The Great Flood is a defining moment in human history. While God will not destroy the earth again with water, he has said several times that when he re-forms the Earth after the Tribulation and the Millennial Reign of Christ, the Earth will be destroyed by fire before being replaced by the new, reformed Earth. Thankfully, the faithful will not need to worry about this coming destruction. (2nd Peter 3:7;10, among many other verses.)

As I said in the previous entry, I would love to devote another blog to the Flood, all that it implies, all the evidence, all the lessons we could learn, everything. However, I simply do not have the time, and as much as I would love to cover it on here, unless requested, there is always a plethora of subjects I feel I ought to cover and discuss.

There is another fire though, and while many Christians, though not all, thankfully, tend to gloss over the subject, I will not. Let me be blunt. Whether you die today, tomorrow, 50 years from now, or whenever, you are in danger of another fire. I assure you, this fire is very real. Jesus, time and time again, stresses the reality of this place: Hell. Do I want anyone to go there? No, that is one of the reasons I write the blog, is so that others may recognize that Jesus Christ truly is the Messiah, recognize that we all need forgiveness, and that if we confess our sins to him and turn to him, accepting him as our savior, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9) If you have never made a decision to turn to Christ, I urge you to do so today - you never know how much longer we have.

Think of it this way. You are hanging off a cliff, holding on with your hands, and as I offer you a rope to grab onto you, it is your choice whether to take the rope and be saved or to let go and fall to certain demise. Blunt and straightforward way of putting it, yes, but truth. My task is to inform you, the reader, of things concerning us, the Creator, and all of his Creation. If you don't believe that the rope can save you, why would you ever want to grab onto it?

I trust this entry of "The Truth" has proven both helpful and insightful. I realize that much of what we cover is considered "controversial," but is that not how the best things are determined? We look at the intricate layout of things, and determine what is fact, what is hypothesis, what is theory, and what is law. Decide for yourself. Decide today. As always, feel free to email vexx801@yahoo.com, visit the facebook page, or share your comment below. May God bless you, dear reader. Take care. Troy Hillman

The Great Flood (Part One)

Picture, for a moment, that you are sitting outside, having your daily cup of tea or coffee, when all of a sudden, water begins raining down upon you. The precipitation seems to come swiftly, the streets below are filling up, and before you know it, even though you are sitting on your patio, you are up to your knees in water. (Photo Credit to John Pratt; Dinosaur Photo Edited by Troy Hillman, Credit to many)

In no time at all, the water is so high that it is up to your neck. Crazy thing is, your building is the tallest in the area - more than half of the Empire State Building. Where do you go, if its all over? How long can you swim? What happens if debris gets picked up by the rapidly increasing waves, and you're its target?

The good thing is, unless this is a local flood, it will never happen again. Leastwise not globally. However, if we look into the History of our World, there are several distinct events that have changed everything: The Creation, The Fall, The Flood, Christ's Life/Death/Resurrection, and others. What is it about the worldwide flood?

The big picture tends to come into focus better when we look at this with a Biblical lens, as it does with so many other things. Some try to say that the Bible may mean a local flood. However, Genesis 7:19-22 specifically says that the flood water covered all mountains by 15 cubits. (that is, 26ft/8m) It also states that all air-breathing creatures living on land, including humans, died.

The reason that so many people point at a local flood is because they have been taught that rocks, along with fossils, were deposited over millions of years, therefore refuting a Global Flood. Charles Lyell was one of the biggest influences of this. Up until the 1830's, most (westerners, at least) believed the Biblical account of Creation and the Flood - believing the Earth to be under 6,000 years.

Answers In Genesis said it best, "Based on how slowly rock layers usually form today, Lyell rejected the Bible’s claims and declared that the earth’s many rock layers must have been laid down slowly over millions of years. But he never witnessed the actual formation of the earlier rocks to see whether they could be laid by a unique, one-time global Flood unlike anything we observe today. Lyell’s claim was based on his own preconceptions, not his observations. Yet his idea took hold in Western universities and spread throughout the Western world. Sadly, many Christians simply tried to add this idea to the Bible. What these Christians should have done was stand on the authority of the Bible and defend the global Flood, which can easily account for the bulk of fossil-bearing rock layers we find all over the world."

It is no lie to state that there is overwhelming evidence for a Global Flood. I could go on entry after entry, dedicating an entire blog to the Flood, talking about the evidence, the history, the scripture, but this is a one-time deal... for now. God has not lied to us (Titus 1:2), the truth has always been within our grasp, (Revelation 22:13), and if we trust the infallible opinions and speculations of secularists, we are denying God. (Romans 3:4)

We simply cannot fit millions of years into the Bible. The problem is quickly solved when we realize that the former rock layers that would have been laid down would then have been ripped up by the great flood (also called The Deluge) and deposited elsewhere on the Earth. Merely because a few people disagree does not mean we ought not to stand on God's Word. Now that this is all said, we will look at what Biblical History tells us. Remember, "friendship with the world is enmity with God." (James 4:4)

So here's the setting. Approx 2,500 BC, (4,500+ years ago) there lived a man named Noah, with three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth, and his wife. Noah was the Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandson of Adam and Eve. (7x Great.) "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on the earth had corrupted their ways." (Genesis 6:12) All except for Noah and his family.

"So God said to Noah, 'I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high." (Genesis 6:13-15)

Genesis 6:17-19;21 continues, "'I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife and your son's wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you... You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as for you and for them."

Noah did as God commanded. Noah was 600 years old when the Flood occurred, and it is commonly said that Noah took 100 years to build the ark. Genesis 7:11, "On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights." Notice that Genesis 7:15 says, "Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark."

The Bible did not say some, it said all. Many question what happened to the Dinosaurs - the Bible gives us an answer. Though discussed before, (you can find the Dinosaurs series here) it ought to be briefly discussed. The Dinosaurs were created on Day 6, along with all other land creatures. Like all land creatures, they were not carnivores. They became carnivores after the flood.

Merely because a T-Rex had long rows of sharp teeth does not mean it was at first a carnivore. Look at the Panda Bear, for example - it has long, sharp rows of teeth... but it eats bamboo. Full-grown dinosaurs were not put on the Ark, but young ones capable of breeding easier and living longer. There were only about 40 species of dinosaur, and most of them were probably small newborns at this time.

The dinosaurs that were not on the Ark died in the flood. That is why we find Dinosaur fossils - the process of fossilization can only occur under certain instances, and when the flood waters roared across the face of the Earth, it compacted and fossilized all living creatures - save for humans, who were either crushed by rocks tossed around in the water or their bones were oxidized. "Every living thing that moved on the earth perished - birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and the entire human race." (Genesis 7:21)

The dinosaurs that remained on the Ark, after it "landed," went out and multiplied. But since there was a shortage of plants, some dinosaurs became carnivores to survive - something that some humans resort to in apocalyptic tales. The dinosaurs that have not died off due to extinction, most likely hunting or merely could not survive (we see species go extinct all the time) are still around. Even a science textbook in the 1500's claimed that there were still some dinosaurs - and science could agree with this.

(Click to Enlarge;Some May be Hoaxes, Undetermined)

Some tell tales of plesiosaurs found in lakes and seas all across the globe - Africans tell tales of pterodactyls flying through their jungles, the Chinese have caught fish believed to have been extinct for 65 Million years, but alive and well just off the coast - many more stories abound once we look. Mummies can only last around 3,000 years - and the Dinosaur mummies that we have found certainly could not be 65 Million years old. There is abundant clues once we look at dinosaurs in this light. *(See picture, understand that many of these may be hoaxes but most are not - or we cannot determine what they are, so take it with a grain of salt.)

We can observe billions of dead things buried in sediments worldwide, fossil graveyards  that are worldwide, marine fossils on mountain tops that worldwide - such as the top of Mt. Everest, large amounts of biomass buried for fossil fuels such as coal and oil, all found worldwide. There is evidence of turbidities, again, worldwide. There is a lack-of-time breaks between rock layers: great unconformity – Grand Canyon. There is a preservation of animal tracks found worldwide, and there are polystrate fossils found worldwide. Long ages are not necessary for fossils. The flood is why we have most of the fossils on the earth, scattered everywhere.


Genesis is not the only document to record a worldwide Flood. There are many documents written around this time that mentioned a flood in some capacity: there are around 33 separate tablets mention a gigantic flood. 30 of these mention an Ark, 28 mention that this Ark came to rest upon a Mountain, 29 of these state that birds were sent out, 30 mention some kind of favor for the 8 survivors, and most of them mention an act of reverence and worship as they left the ark.

Even Jesus Christ (The Son of God, the Messiah) himself confirms the account of Noah's Ark in Matthew 24:36-39 and Luke 17:26-27. Hebrews 11:7 also confirms the flood, and 1st Peter 2:5 states that only 8 people survived the Great Flood.

Now, we are at the point in which Noah and his Family are on the Ark, and the earth has begun to flood. We will conclude with the next entry in this two-part series on The Great Flood, also called the Deluge. I hope this has proven insightful and helpful in some way. Feel free to comment, email vexx801@yahoo.com, or visit the facebook page - but please remain civil in discussion. God bless, and take care, dear reader. Troy Hillman

Covenants: The Old and the New

Have you ever heard of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant? Perhaps you may have, perhaps not. The basic concept is that the Old Covenant was the Covenant made between God and Israel at Mt. Sinai, whereas the New Covenant was made between God and the whole of humanity, through his son Jesus Christ. In this entry, we will be taking a look at both. (Photo Credit to: Seeking Jesus)

We need to understand that there are not merely two covenants found in the entirety of the Bible. There were covenants made between God and Abraham, (Genesis 15:18) God and Jacob, with groups of people, such as the descendants of King David (2nd Samuel 7:12-16), and like the New Covenant, there were some made with all of humanity, such as the promise that God would not flood the whole earth ever again. (Genesis 9:17-18)

Jeremiah the prophet spoke of the Old and New Covenants. Jeremiah 31:31-33, "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was their master, declares the Lord. 'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that Time,' declares the Lord. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'"

By stating that there would be a new covenant, there is an implied difference between and old and a new - two separate covenants. Paul speaks of this new covenant several times. Romans 7:6, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."  

2nd Corinthians 3:13-16 says, "We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."

Paul tells us in Galatians 3:17, "What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise." In Hebrews 8:6-7, we read, "But in fact the ministry of Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people..." 

The text goes on the show the prophecy from Jeremiah 31. Hebrews 8:13 ends, "By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." God gave the Old Covenant to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. Bear in mind that it was God who gave the covenant, not man. This is what God said to them: (Exodus 19:3-6)

"This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: `You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

Moses, after receiving the Covenant, along with the Ten Commandments, went down to the elders of Israel and spoke with them. They readily agreed to do all God had asked of them. After formalizing the covenant, Moses returned to the Mt. and was told by God to write down the following laws. You can find these laws in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

When Moses passed, God communicated with Israel through various means - the Urim and the Thummim, Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Zechariah, Jonah, Malachi, and many others. About 1,440 years after the Old Covenant was initiated, there was a baby born in Bethlehem. This baby grew up, working alongside his Mother's husband as a carpenter in the town of Nazareth. When he reached the age of 30, he began a 3-Year Ministry across Israel, from Judea to Galilee, and the like.

Between 31-33 AD, he was arrested, and taken to the Roman Governor. After a visit between the King Herod and the Roman Governor, the Israelites called for the man to be crucified for his supposed crimes. So this man was taken to a hill, named Golgotha, and was crucified on a Roman Cross, one of the worst forms of Roman Punishment. A few hours later, the man was dead.

When he died, "the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life." (Matthew 27:51-52, For more on that, see here) But the journey of this supposed criminal was not over. Three days after his crucifixion, he arose from the dead. His name? Jesus of Nazareth. The Messiah.

This was not something that occurred out of the blue. In fact, when Adam and Eve had sinned, and all of God's Creation was spoiled because of it, his game plan was to send his Son, Jesus, so that all who accept him as their savior and ask for forgiveness of their sins would be saved - a New Covenant between God and Man.

In fact, this was spoken of throughout the Old Testament. (Hosea 2:18, Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 16:61-62) The following table is a overview of the New Covenant, and how it applies to us. (Original Table - credit to: Dan and Melinda Harrison, edited by Troy Hillman)

The Characteristics of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 8:10-12)
Prophecy of New Covenant	How it Applies
"I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts." (Jeremiah 31:33b)	Emphasizes the spiritual life, rather than ceremonies and offerings. The covenant appeals to the intellect, will, emotions, and to the conscience.
"I will be their God, and they will be my people." (Jeremiah 31:33c)	Any who partake in the new covenant have a close and personal relationship with God. They do not need to be a priest to be close to God any longer.
"No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." (Jeremiah 31:34a)	No one can become part of the new covenant without already knowing God, and entering into the new covenant through both faith and obedience.
"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:34b)	Under the new covenant, forgiveness is given by God through his son, Jesus, who was the "final sacrifice," so that no more offerings had to take place.

We need to understand that both Covenants cannot be in effect at the same time. Jesus came to fulfill the Old Covenant and put into place the New. He fulfilled the Old when he died for us. (John 19:28-30) The purpose of the Old Covenant has been achieved and is therefore no longer needed. It was put into place to prepare the Israelites for the coming of the Messiah. Once Christ's death and resurrection occurred, the old was gone. (Galatians 3:24-25)

Now, some will take all this to mean that the Ten Commandments are not legally and eternally binding. Not so. They are still binding - Paul and Christ clearly state this more than once. Yes, it is true that when Jesus died, the law was removed. But that does not by any means show that the Ten Commandments are not still in place. The law of Christ is the same as the Commandments. Christ now has all authority under Heaven. (See Matthew 28:18, Ephesians 1:20-23) See the below table for clarification. (Original Table credit goes to Dan and Melinda Harrison, edited by Troy Hillman)

The Ten Commandments and the New Covenant Law
The Commandment	Law under the New Covenant
"You shall have no other gods before me."(Exodus 20:3)	There is only one God, do not put anything before God. (Ephesians 4:6)
"You shall not make for yourself an idol." (Exodus 20:4)	Idolatry is to be avoided (1st Corinthians 10:14; Galatians 5:20)
"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God." (Exodus 20:7)	Only wholesome speech is to be used, do not take the Lord's name in vain, do not swear or curse. (Ephesians 4:29, 5:4; James 1:26, 3:5-10)
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8)	There is no specific corresponding law. However, we are told to live each day for God, and to set aside one day for worship.
"Honor your father and your mother." (Exodus 20:12)	Honor your parents. (Ephesians 6:2-3)
"You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)	Murder is forbidden, any who have ever been angry are guilty of breaking this commandment. (Romans 13:9; Matthew 5:21-22) Bear in mind that it says, "Do not murder." Most misunderstand it to say not to kill. Killing may sometimes be necessary in self-defense situations, though I would not condone killing.
"You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14)	Sexual immorality is forbidden. Do not lust, for lust is like committing adultery in one's mind. (Matthew 5:27-28; 1st Corinthians. 6:18; Galatians 5:19)
"You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15)	Do not steal, no matter how small, large, significant or insignificant something is. (Ephesians 4:28)
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)	All lying is forbidden, be it a "white lie," or a "big lie." (Colossians 3:9; Revelation 21:8)
"You shall not covet."- (Exodus 20:17)	Greed is forbidden. Do not want what others have, be it a girl/guy, object, or other such things. (Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5)

As you can see from the above table, The Commandments are still in place, under the New Covenant. For more on the Ten Commandments, see here. What was the Old Covenant? The Old Covenant was between God and Israel, involving many sacrificial laws, among others. The Old was removed when Christ died on the cross. That is when the New Covenant, between not only Israel, but the Gentiles - all of humanity, was put into effect. It remains that way to this day.

Jesus, at the infamous last supper, gave his disciples bread and "fruit of the vine." He said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." (Mark 14:24-25) After he had said this, when his death and resurrection passed, the New Covenant was in effect. That is why Christians, to this day, drink and eat "In remembrance of" Christ.

I thank you for taking the time to read this entry of "The Truth." I trust it has proven both helpful and insightful, and that you come away with a clearer and better understanding of the Old and the New Covenant. If you wish to comment, or have a concern, feel free to email vexx801@yahoo.com, visit the facebook page, or comment below. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. God bless! Troy Hillman

Book Overview: 2nd Samuel

Following up as the second part of the Book of Samuel, 2nd Samuel gives the account of King David's reign as King, the acts that he committed, the good works - and bad works. The infamous stories of David and Bathsheba, Absalom, and others, are found in this book.

This is the ninth Book Overview in a series of 66 Books. These overviews are written so that it may provide readers with details about the book, things that they may have missed, and will hopefully peak your interest so that you will read the book, the entire Bible in fact, as God wants us to do. Now, onto the Book of 2nd Samuel.

Title: Books of Samuel [2nd Samuel] (English), Sefer Sh'muel ספר שמואל (Hebrew) The two books of Samuel were originally written in Hebrew, as one collective work. However, the books were split into two separate works, since by different authors.

Authorship:Traditionally, the authors of these two Books of Samuel are said to be Samuel, Gad, and Nathan. Samuel is believed to have written the first 24 chapters of 1st Samuel. Whereas Gad, who was the companion of David (1 Samuel 22:5), is believed to have continued the history from that point, and Nathan is believed to have completed the Books of Samuel, and was probably the one who arranged the two books in the form that we now have. (1 Chronicles 29:29).

Written: Sometime between 1043 BC - when Saul was crowned King, and just before 1004 BC - when David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites. It was written between 1043-1004 BC.

Summary: "2 Samuel documents the life and reign of David as Israel’s king. David committed numerous and despicable sins, yet God calls him a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). 2 Samuel shows that although we humans are full of sin, we can lead a godly life." (NIV)

Overview: 2nd Samuel 1-10 - David's lament; David recognized as King
2nd Samuel 6 - Ark of the Covenant Comes to Jerusalem
2nd Samuel 6; 12 - Abner and Ishbaal
2nd Samuel 7 - God's promise of a dynasty lasting forever
2nd Samuel 11-18 - Rejection of David; Bathsheba 
2nd Samuel 12 - The prophet Nathan
2nd Samuel 21 - Account of Rizpah
2nd Samuel 19-24 - David's Restoration to the Throne

While 1st Samuel covered the life of the prophet Samuel, the life of King Saul, and the early years of David, 2nd Samuel continues where 1st Samuel left off - and David is in exile and is given news of the King's death. King David was called "a man after God's own heart," referring to his active skill as a Psalmist.

The first part of 2nd Samuel describes how David came to be king, whereas the second part shows how court life and sparks between family members made a chaotic order out of his happy life. The book ends with David giving an offering to stop a plague. 1st Kings picks up with David making Solomon King.

Points: As we have discussed in previous overviews, you can find multitudes on the different facts, aspects, and insights into these books from different authors and sources. The intention is only to provide a few points, to show things you may or may not have known.

David became King around 1004 BC

A very important footnote is 2nd Samuel 7:12-16. It is a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, though the first part can be taken in such a way that it refers to Solomon - but not the entirety.. "When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by human beings, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me, your throne will be established forever."


Going along with the above passage, it is true that, while David did not live on this Earth forever, when Jesus returns to set up his 1,000-year reign, followed by his Eternal Reign, Jesus, descendant of David (human-terms) will be reigning. Certain scriptures scholars have taken to mean that when Jesus returns, and the saved return with him, that David will be the Prince, whereas Jesus will be King.


Absalom, son of David, is prominently featured in this book. He may not share the fame of Solomon, but this wicked son is still there, as you can see in the text. Absalom committed many heinous crimes - sleeping with his father's women, plotting a conspiracy to kill his father, other such things. When Absalom was pursued, his hair caught in a tree, where Joab went with his man and stabbed him to death with three javelins.


The giants first mentioned in Genesis, of the same kind that David killed in his youth (Goliath) are mentioned yet again. "In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod. In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot - twenty-four in all. He also descended from Rapha." (2nd Samuel 21:19-20)

The Angel (messenger) of the Lord, whom many believe to be Jesus pre-incarnate, makes yet another appearance in this book, though brief. 2nd Samuel 24:16, "When the angel stretched out his hand t destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, 'Enough! Withdraw your hand.' The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." (See entry: "Who is The Angel of the Lord?")

David was the king who expanded Israel's borders. While David was told about God's Temple, due to his lifestyle choices, he was not allowed to build the Temple. That task was given to his son, Solomon.

I hope you have enjoyed this long-overdue book overview of 2nd Samuel. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next, on 1st Kings.

Next Book Overview: Book of 1st Kings

Next Book Overview: Book of 1st Samuel

What is Love?

No, not the 1993 song by Haddaway. The dictionary describes "love" as "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend; a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart." But what is love? (Photo credit to: Women at the Cross)

Well, before I go any further, understand that I am not going as deep as I could, merely scratching the surface of this divine gift. Whether you choose to adhere to what is written here or not is your choice and yours alone, not mine. The verses about love are taken from God's Word.

Verses on love are scattered throughout the Bible, and many verses imply love. If we were to go over each and every one, we may as well type up the majority of God's Word. Proverbs 15:17 gives a good example. "A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate." While this is merely a wisdom, love in many forms is talked about in the Bible.

Other such wisdom, Proverbs 17:9 for example, says "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." This is true. Solomon was one to speak often of love. In the Song of Solomon, 8:6-7, he tells us, "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned."

Paul also often spoke of love. Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." He goes on in Ephesians 5:33 to say, "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." When Paul speaks of love as a virtue, he says, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:14) Even the philosopher Aristotle once said, "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."

I tell you that there is an overall point of this, but I am providing the Biblical definitions of love so that we may better understand what love truly is. We are told that, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1st Peter 4:8) We are later told that God is love - "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1st John 4:8) There is also no fear in love, 1st John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."


Perhaps the most well-known and best passages that describe what love is and should be is found in 1st Corinthians 13:1-8;13. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."


We also find in Galatians that love is one of the fruit of the spirit. But what is love, truly? 1st John 3:16 gives us that very answer. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Love is found in Christ! How many people throughout history, and even today, have found love in Christ? I know that I have. Jesus is love.

When Adam and Eve were tempted by Lucifer and ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, the whole of humanity fell to sin. As stated earlier, love covers sin. In what way? From the first day of the fall of man, God had a game plan he developed. He would send his Son, Jesus, to Earth. Jesus would be born of a virgin, raised in a humble household, have a ministry, and be crucified on a cross - yet three days later, return to life, and spread the good news of his return, and the promise of not only our future resurrection, but of eternal life in him.

You see, when Jesus sacrificed himself, he did it out of love for us. No other reason. He wanted his Creation to be saved. If for even a moment he had called down a legion of Angels, if he had come off of that cross and said, "I'm sorry, but you fell, humanity, deal with it," we would have no hope, and would all be lost. But because of the love of God, he went through with it, suffering the worst form of Roman humiliation and torturous death: crucifixion.

God had to place every past, present, and future sin of humanity, including the sins you and I committed yesterday, the ones that we will commit today, and the rest of our lives till the day we die, and every sin that ever has occurred and ever will be, was washed away by the sin offering of the blood of Jesus. He did this with us in mind, literally, not figuratively - when he was suffering those long hours, he probably saw the face of every human to ever live, including you and me, and kept in mind that he was doing this for us.

Christ's sacrifice, the Messiah himself humbling himself by putting himself "lower than the angels," (Psalm 8:5, Hebrews 2:7) is the ultimate show of love. For the love of his Creation, he gave himself. Psalm 33:5-6 says, "He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth."

God created the Universe, and in his love, created us, and though we fell from our proper place, we have a way to be reconnected with our Creator, to be with him after death: to accept Jesus, his one and only Son, as our savior, ask for forgiveness of our sins, and be saved from the penalty of the eternal fire.


As said earlier, this involved theology, not mere philosophy or logic. Logically, if the Creator makes his creation, and it falls from grace, he provides a link so that it may come back to him. That link is Christ. God is love, and we shows us how to love through his Son and through his word. Love between a man and a woman, between friends, between people and their pets, between the Creator and the Creation, we can learn valuable things if we only take the time to stop, look, and observe.

Some liken love unto God. Say you are a skeptic of God. "God does not exist because I have never seen him, heard him, or touched him." My response would be, "Do you believe love exists?" To which the skeptic replies, "Of course love exists." "Have you ever seen, touched, or heard love?" The skeptic thinks for a moment, "No. But I have felt it." In the same way, I, among so many others, have felt God's presence, felt his love. God is love, and we can feel love. We can feel his presence. 

The philosopher Plato was correct when he said, "He whom love touches not walks in darkness." Those whom God loves, and they love back, will not walk blind in darkness, but will know that light, for the light of the world has come. (John 1:4-5) Will we ever truly experience true love? There is only ever one way to experience it: we must accept the sacrifice made for us.

I thank you for taking the time to read this entry of "The Truth." If you have an questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to comment below, email vexx801@yahoo.com, or visit the facebook page. Take care, dear reader, and may God bless. Troy Hillman 

Did Jesus Really Sweat Drops of Blood?

While this question may not be the most prominent in our minds, and some may have never noticed, it is nevertheless something I feel ought to be discussed, and so we shall. You may have seen Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ, and the scene in the Garden where he sweats drops of blood. Did Jesus really sweat drops of blood? Let's investigate. (Photo Credit to: Passion of the Christ, 2004)

Luke 22:44 says, "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (NIV) Jesus was praying in the Garden before his crucifixion. Luke, the writer of this gospel, was a earnest and trusted physician, and would probably know what he was talking about.

Dr. Henry M. Morris put it in these words, "Luke is also the only gospel writer to mention the bloody sweat, possibly because of his interest as a physician in this rare physiological phenomenon, which spoke eloquently of the intense spiritual agony Jesus was suffering…" This medical condition is called "hematohidrosis." While it is a rare condition, it is well-known, and there are several documented cases.

What happens is, around the sweat glands you find multiple vessels that are in a net-like shape, and under pressure, say stress for example, the vessels constrict. As Anxiety passes, the blood vessels "dilate to the point of rupture," and the blood proceeds to go into the sweat glands. Since the glands are producing a lot of swear, blood is pushed towards the surface, and the drops come out as blood mixed with sweat.

I apologize if that sounds disturbing, but it is the truth - Jesus was under great emotional and physical stress. He was in intense agony - he knew every precise detail of what was about to happen to him, and that caused him a lot of stress. He knew that he was about to face one of the most grueling and agonizing forms of punishment ever. 

Since he was using human form, he would feel all of it. But the real reason for the stress probably wasn't because of physical pain, but because of sin. Even Aristotle and Theophrastus made mention of this medical condition. This is what the scholar Henry Alford had to say: "The intention of the Evangelist seems clearly to be, to convey the idea that the sweat was (not fell like, but was) like drops of blood;—i.e., coloured with blood,—for so I understand the hosei, as just distinguishing the drops highly coloured with blood, from pure blood…."

"To suppose that it only fell like drops of blood (why not drops of any thing else? And drops of blood from what, and where?) is to nullify the force of the sentence, and make the insertion of haimatos not only superfluous but absurd (1874, 1:648, italics and parenthetical items in orig.; cf. Robertson, 1934, p. 1140)."

Jesus never sinned - keep that in mind. However, due to the knowledge that within mere hours he would have all of the sins of humanity - ever sin that has been, is being, and will be committed would be placed upon him during those hours of agony. Since what he would endure was the equivalent to a form of hell for the lost souls, he knew God the Father would have to briefly turn his back on him.

This all happened so that what was written about him by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled: "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:5,7 ) This was fulfilled.


So were the drops of sweat explainable by medical means... or was it something supernatural? We may never know, but what we can tell is this: if the drops were not some supernatural occurrence, it can easily be tested through medical research. I trust that, while this has been short, that at the same time it has been informative and insightful. God bless, and take care. Troy Hillman