Note: Scriptures are blue.

How to Have Correct Scripture Study

In order to Quest for the Ancient of Days we must seek Him diligently and if we do seek Him with all of our heart and soul then He has promised us something. There is only one condition the CREATOR has for us to receive this promise. The CREATOR says that we must Quest for Him with ALL our heart and being. That means that we will not receive His Promise with just a half-hearted Quest and only obey the Commandments of our choosing. But to receive His Promise, we must Quest for Him with ALL of our heart. Then the CREATOR says, "you will find Him…" In other words, "we will find ETERNAL!" To receive ETERNAL's promises, the conditions have to be fulfilled.

In the following verse ETERNAL sends a message by Moses for the people to Quest for the SOVEREIGN and that no matter what conditions they encounter they will find Him:

Deuteronomy 4:29 (NKJV). ¹ But from there you will seek ETERNAL your SOVEREIGN, and you WILL find Him IF you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

That still holds true for you and me. Many years ago when I first began to doubt the integrity of the New Testament, I remember I prayed the following prayer:

"I am praying to the Being that created the universe, to the One that led the Hebrew Children out of Egypt, that revealed His back side to Moses, the One that was a friend to Abraham, and the One that wrestled in the dust with Jacob. I do not even know Your Name. Wherever You are and Whoever You are, please reveal Yourself to me. I am a sinner and I weep in Your presence. Please forgive me of my sins and wash me clean as You would wash a plate clean with hyssop."

I did not hear any voices or sounds; I have not seen any signs or visions, and I have not felt any warm fuzzy feelings. ETERNAL cleaned me as He would a plate and He has tested me as I have had many sore trials and tribulations that continue to this day. I often wonder, "What else can happen"? However, beginning with that prayer, I have read the Scriptures anew for what they plainly state and not how I had been previously taught as to what they meant. Try it. It works!

Pray For Understanding Before You Begin To Study

In order to have understanding we must turn from our iniquities and pray for understanding. The prophet Daniel knew this.

Daniel 9:13. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before ETERNAL our SOVEREIGN, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.

King David gives us an example of praying for understanding:

Psalm 119:33-34. Teach me, O ETERNAL, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your Law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

The coming Mashiach ² (Messiah) gave us the main clue to gain understanding. We must "observe (do) what we learn from the Law with our whole heart." If you do that ETERNAL will take notice and open your mind to more understanding.

Dr. James Moffatt translated both the Old and New Testament. In the "Introduction" to his translation he makes the statement: "The Old Testament is just a collection of religious literature thrown up in the course of the story of the journeys of the Israelites." Dr. Moffatt is educated enough to translate the Hebrew Scriptures, yet he does not understand what they so plainly state; he has no clue. Why? Because he does not take these words to heart to be the words of the CREATOR of the universe and thus does not obey what He writes. Therefore, he has no understanding of the Scriptures.

In addition, a formal education is not needed to understand Scripture for ETERNAL tells us that His Word is plain, simple to understand, and the meaning is not hidden:

Proverbs 8:8-9. "All the words of My mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge."

Deuteronomy 30:11-12. "For this Commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'"

Never Accept a Verse Out of Context

There is an old saying: "you can prove anything from the 'Bible.'" This is only true if Scriptures are taken out of context and then linked together. The former church I belonged to was a Sabbath-keeping Protestant church that made up many doctrines this way. They would take a verse here and a verse there and somehow put them together. Their explanation for this practice was based in Isaiah 28:10: "For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little." Now read these verses in context and determine if that is what they really mean.

Isaiah 28:9-10 (New Revised Standard Version). Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."

...28:11-14. Truly, with stammering lip and with alien tongue he will speak to this people, to whom he has said, "This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose"; yet they would not hear. Therefore the word of ETERNAL will be to them, `Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little;' in order that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Therefore, hear the Word of ETERNAL, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.

The very verse that they took out of context to prove that it is okay take verses out of context, if read in context, proves just the opposite. Verse 13 is the answer. If verses are taken out of context then "they (the people doing it) may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."

Whenever some human quotes a Scripture to you, do not take his word on what he says the verse means. He may be quoting it correctly, but what he says it means may be incorrect. Read the context for yourself to see what ETERNAL says it means. What it says is what it means. Also, remember that verse and chapter breaks interrupt the story flow and were first introduced by Cardinal Hugo of the church in Rome.

Check the Hebrew Meaning for Controversial Words

The Greek Septuagint has had a great impact on English translations of the Scriptures. The King James Version contains many mistranslated words that shade the true meaning of a verse. For example:

Isaiah 7:14. Therefore ETERNAL Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This is the primary verse upon which the worship of the man from Galilee is based. There are two problems with this verse. First, the verse is taken out of context; and second, the verse contains a mistranslated word. The English word "virgin" comes from the Hebrew word "'almah" #H5959 in Strong's Concordance of the Bible and means "a lass or maiden." For a fuller explanation see our article "Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6, Who, What?"

The Word of our loving CREATOR is plain and simple to understand, and if you follow these guidelines, you will find this to be a true statement.

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Footnotes

1. All Scriptures quoted will be from the New Kings James Version unless noted and all emphasis is the authors. We will use the word ETERNAL instead of “the Lord" and instead of “God” we will use SOVEREIGN, or CREATOR.

2. This is not referring to a man from Galilee. To see who the real Messiah is please refer to our article New Proof of the Messiah.