-WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY-  

"Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth." - John 1:45 -

The first person to write anything down was Moses. God instructed Moses to write as a permanent memorial the divine vow that the name of Amalek would be blotted out. From that time until the end of the New Testament age, the writing of the many books and parts of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible continued. Behind the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible is a thrilling story of how God revealed Himself and His will to human spokesperson and then acted throughout history to preserve His Word and pass it along to future generations.

"In the words of the prophets: The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God remains for ever." - Isaiah 40:8 - "Lasting to eternity, your word, Yahweh, unchanging in the heavens." - Psalms 119:89 -

 "I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." - Matthew 24:34-35 -

"In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God." - John 1:1 -

It would be difficult to find a person in Israel's life who was better prepared and qualified than Moses to write the history recorded in the Book of Genesis. A man who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. In fact, Moses was providentially prepared to comprehend and integrate, under the inspiration of God, all the available records, manuscripts, and oral narratives.

Moses may have written the Book of Genesis during the years of the wilderness wandering to prepare the new generation to enter the land of Canaan. Moses, as a prophet who enjoyed the unusual privilege of unhurried hours of communion with God on Mount Sinai. Moses was well equipped to record for all generations this magnificent account of God's dealings with the human race and the nation of Israel/Jacob.

The early Universal Church, however, held to the conviction that Moses wrote the first book of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible. Placed at the opening of the Hebrew Scriptures, Genesis is the first of the five Book of Moses, known as the PENTATEUCH. Moses may have finished writing the Book of Genesis not long before his death on Mount Nebo. - Deuteronomy Chapter 34 -

In such a crucial historical context, the message of the Book of Genesis would have been of tremendous spiritual help to its first hearers. The 'creation of the world', 'the beginnings of sin and disobedience', 'the principle of judgement and deliverance', the scattering of the nations', 'the call and covenant God made with Abraham', and 'the checkered careers of the first descendants of Abraham'.

The Book of Genesis takes the reader to the moment when the Creator spoke into being the sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies, plants, moving creatures, and mankind. Those who seek to discredit the Book of Genesis by pointing to alleged discrepancies between religion and science are blind to the 'exalted spiritual' content of this work. If anyone expects to find in Genesis a scientific account of how the world/earth/universe came into existence, with all questions concerning primitive life answered in technical language, he/she will be disappointed. The Book of Genesis is not an attempt to answer such technical questions.

"Yahweh God called Moses, and from the Tent of Meeting addressed him, saying 'Speak to the sons of Israel.'" - Leviticus 1:1 - 

At that time they were reading from the Book of Moses to the people, when they found this written in it, "The Ammonite and the Moabite shall never be admitted to the assembly of God." - Nehemiah 13:1 -

And his leprosy was cured at once. Then Jesus said to him, 'Mind you do not tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering prescribed by Moses, as evidence for them.' - Matthew 8:4 -

I was blessed with God's help, and so I have stood firm to this day, testifying to great and small alike, saying nothing more than what the prophets and Moses himself said would happen: that the 'Christ' was to suffer and that, as the first to rise from the dead, He was to proclaim that light now shone for our people and for the pagans too. - Acts 25:22-23 -

This promise is realized in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham through whom peoples of all nations and families may enter into the joy of knowing the God of Abraham. The true 'seed' or descendants of Abraham, Apostle/Saint Paul affirmed, are not Abraham's physical descendants but those who have the same faith as Abraham.

"Merely by belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ you are the posterity of Abraham, the heirs he was promised." - Galatians 3:29 - 

Not all those descend from Israel/Jacob are Israel/Jacob; not all the descendants of Abraham are His true children. Remember: It is through Isaac that your name be carried on, which means that it is not physical descent that decides who are the children of God; it is only the children of the promise who will count as the true descendants. The actual words in which the promise was made were: I shall visit you at such a time, and Sarah will have a son. Even more to the point is what was said to Rebecca when she was pregnant by our ancestor Isaac, but before her twin children were born and before either had done good and evil. 

In order to stress that God's choice is free, since it depends on the one who calls, not on human merit, Rebecca was told: the elder shall serve the younger, as Scripture says elsewhere: I showed my love for Jacob/Israel and my hatred for Esau. - Romans 9:7-13; Genesis 21:12; John 8:31-44; Genesis 11:5-6; 25:23; Matthew 1:1-2 -

At times attention is focused on the men in the Book of Genesis. But women of major significance also appear in the Book of Genesis. Eve is the mother of all living. - Gen. 3:20 - Sarah had a faith that was complementary to Abraham's. - Gen. 21:1-7 - Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah are the mothers of the 12 patriarchs of Israel/Jacob. - Gen. 29:31-30:24; 35:23-26 -

Other religions and philosophies result from the endless human quest for God; Christianity results from God's quest for lost mankind. What can be known of God from nature? God has made Himself known to all people everywhere in the marvels of nature and in the human conscience, which is able to distinguish right from wrong. This knowledge is 'Universal' and continuous, by it God has displayed His glory to everyone.

As valuable as general revelation is for justice, honesty and decency in the world today, nevertheless, it must be completed by the "Good News" of God's mercy and His gracious gift of perfect righteousness. Nature does not show God's plan for saving: those who do wrong, and those who are wicked and evil. The message of salvation was seen dimly throughout Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies.

This promise is realized in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham through whom peoples of all nations and families may enter into the joy of knowing the God of Abraham and be saved.

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.

                                Abraham was the father of Isaac,

                                Isaac the father of Jacob/Israel

                                Jacob/Israel the father of Judah and his brothers.....

                                David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,                                                      Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,.......

                                After the deportation to Babylon:....

                                And Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;

                                 of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. 

The sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation; and fourteen from the Babylonian deportation to Christ. - Matthew 1:1-17 -

The full and final revelation of God has occurred in Christ Jesus. And the Good News is not complete until we witness and hear that Jesus Christ rose again triumphantly over sin, Satan, and the grave, and is alive for ever and ever.

As according to the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, the last book is the revelation given by God to Jesus Christ so that the Lord Jesus Christ could tell His apostles, disciples, teachers, believers and all those who loves God, about the things which are now to take place very soon; God sent His angel to make it known to His servant John, and John has written down everything he saw and swears it is the Word of God guaranteed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible is a written, authoritative record by which any teaching or theory may be judged. But behind the writing lay periods of time when these messages were circulated in spoken form. (Oral Tradition) The stories of the patriarchs were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth before they were written. (Written Tradition) The message of the prophets were delivered orally before they were fixed in writing. Narratives of the life and ministry of Christ Jesus were repeated orally for two or three decades before they were given literary form. But the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible owes its preservation to the fact that all these oral narratives were eventually reduced to writing. Just as God originally inspired the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, God has used this means to preserve His Words for future generations.

The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible or collection of books, accepted by the Christian Church as uniquely inspired by God, and therefore, authoritative, providing guidelines for belief and behavior.

"Now you together are Christ's body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third teachers [religious, spiritual, Christian teaching, that is: John 14:6 - Christ Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life and it has nothing to do with Secular, Temporal, Worldly teaching]; and after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good teachers, those with many languages." - 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 - 

These remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, and to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers." - Acts 2:42 - "Didache" (Tradition, Sacred Scripture, The Magisterium) The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible or collection of books, accepted by the Christian Church as uniquely inspired by God, and therefore, authoritative, providing guidelines for belief and behavior. 

The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible contains two major sections known as the Old Testament and the New Testament. As for the Catholic Christian, the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, consists of 72 or 73 books: that is, 45 or 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus/Sirach, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah. Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, [Old Testament] - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, The Acts Of The Apostles, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation. [New Testament]

As for the Non Catholic Christian, the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible consists of 66 books (most of them): that is, 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs/Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, [Old Testament] - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, The Acts Of The Apostles, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation. [New Testament]

The books of the Old Testament were written over a period of 1,000 years in the Hebrew language, except for a few selected passages, which were written in Aramaic. The Old Testament tells of the preparation that was made for the Lord Jesus Christ coming.

The New Testament was written over a period of 100 years. The original language in which it was written was Greek, This portion of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible tells of Christ's coming, His life, His teachings, His person, His work and ministry, and the growth of the early Church.

The English word testament normally refers to a person's will, the document which bequeaths property to those who will inherit it after the owner's death. But the meaning of testament from both the Hebrew and the Greek languages is "settlement," "treaty," or "covenant." Of these three English words, "Covenant" best captures the meaning of the word testament. Thus, the two collections that make up the old covenant and the books of the new covenants

The authority of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible is implied by its title, "the Word of God." It is the written record of the Word of God which came to prophets, apostles, and which "became flesh" in Jesus Christ. Christians believe Jesus Christ was the Word of God. Through Jesus Christ, God communicated the perfect revelation of Himself to mankind. The Old Testament was the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible that Jesus used and quote, especially to the Pharisees, and Sadducees. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and led away to His execution, He submitted with the words: "Now all this happened to fulfill the prophecies in scripture." - Matthew 26:56 - Jesus saw His mission in the world as a fulfillment of the predictions of the Old Testament.

The New Testament presents the record of Jesus' birth, life, teachings, work, ministry, passion, death, resurrection and the ascension; a narrative of the beginning of the Christian Church with the coming of the Holy Spirit; and the story of the extension of the Gospel and the planting of His Church during the following generation. It also contains the written teachings of Jesus' apostles and other early Christians who applied the principles, and practices of the Lord Jesus Christ doctrines and redemptive work to their lives.

According to the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, God has made Himself known in a variety of ways. "The heavens declare the glory of God." - Psalms 19:1 - For since the creation of the world God invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. But while God is revealed in His creation and through the inner voice of man's conscience, the other means by which He has made Himself known is through the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible.

Indeed, God has revealed Himself through His mighty acts and in the words of His messengers, or spokesperson. Either of these ways is incomplete without the other. In the Old Testament record, none of the mighty acts of God is emphasized more than the "Exodus" God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. As He delivered His people, God repeatedly identified Himself as their redeemer God: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods except Me." - Exodus 20:2-3 -

If they had been delivered with no explanation, the nation of Israel would have learned little about the God who redeemed His people. The Israelites might have guessed that in such events as the plagues of Egypt and the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, some supernatural power was at work on their behalf. But they would not have known the nature of this power or God's purpose for them as a people.

God communicated with His people, the nation of Israel, through Moses, to whom He had already made Himself known in the vision of the burning bush. God instructed Moses to tell his fellow Israelites what has been revealed to him. This was no impersonal force at work, but the God of their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In fulfillment of His promises to them, God was acting now on behalf of their descendants.

In communicating with His people, God revealed both His identity and His purpose. His purpose was to make the Israelites a nation dedicated to His service alone. This message, conveyed to the Israelites through Moses, would have been ineffective if God had not delivered them personally. On the other hand, God deliverance would have been meaningless without the message. Together both constituted the Word of God to the Israelites - the saving message of the God who both speaks and acts.

This pattern of God's mighty acts and the prophetic word interacting with each other continues throughout the course of scriptural/biblical history. The Babylonian Captivity is a good example of this process. A succession of prophets warned the people that if they continue sinning against God, and did not correct their sinful ways, Captivity would come on them as judgment. But even during the years of the Captivity the prophets continued to speak, encouraging the captives and promising that God would deliver them from their plight.

The prophets were God's primary spokesperson to the people of Israel in the Old Testament times. But they were not His only messengers. Priests and sages, or wise men, were other agents through whom God's will was made known. The teachings of many of these messengers are preserved in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible.

In addition to God's revelation of Himself through the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, God's Word also records the response of those to whom the revelation was given. Too often the response was unbelief and disobedience. But at other times, people responded in faith and love, and obedience. In the book of Psalms, especially, proclaim the grateful response of men and women who experienced the grace and righteousness of God. These faithful people sometimes voiced their appreciation in words addressed directly to God. At other times they reported to others what God had come to mean to them.

There is one thing in the world that is definitely and absolutely your own, and that is your will. Health, power, life, and honor can all be snatched from you, but your will is irrevocably your own, even in hell. Hence, nothing really matters in life, except what you do with your will. 

"You." "We are all individuals in the sight of God. He calls His sheep by name. This Word was the foundation of Christian democracy. Every soul is precious in God's sight, even those whom the State casts out and kills. At the foot of the Cross, Mary witnessed the conversation of the good thief, and her soul rejoiced that he had accepted the will of God. Her Divine Son's Second Word promising Paradise as a reward for that surrender, reminded her of her own Second Word some thirty years before, when the angel had appeared to her and told her that she was to be the Mother of Him who was now dying on the Cross. In her First Word she asked how this would be accomplished since she knew not man. But when the angel said she would conceive of the Holy Spirit, Mary immediately answered: 'Be it done to me according to your word.'" Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. - Luke 1:38 -

 -     WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY     - 

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -

Your generous contribution and support is profoundly cherish. I sincerely pray that: God blessing be upon you, always. Amen! Bank transfer: Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah - Public Bank Berhad account no. 4076577113 - Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.