Deuteronomy 12-13

A specific place of worship and eating meat.Beware of false gods and religions.Life is in the blood.Separation from the world.False prophets, with false prophecies, dreams, signs and wonders.The LORD’s instruction concerning ecumenism.Why can't all religions just get along?The life, or nephesh; Human sacrifice

BIBLE IN FIVEPastor Dave KooyersValley Bible FellowshipBox 433Boonville CA 95415http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org

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Deuteronomy 12

A specific place of worship.Eating meat.

Beware of false gods and religions.Life is in the blood.

Separation from the world.

Deuteronomy 12:5, The Exact Location

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:5 "But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.

• Jerusalem Inspiration , “There are many mystical names of God which have different nuances and implications. We often refer to His Presence as the שכינה - she-khee-NA which comes from the word שכן - sha-KHEN, meaning a close neighbor, alluding to our close, personal relationship with the Almighty….”

Jerusalem Daily Photo, Welcome to new photographer, Hillel Van-Leeuwen! His breathtaking photo shows the Tower of David, which despite its name, has no connection to King David! Located near the Old City’s Jaffa Gate, the citadel is actually a medieval fortress with archaeological artifacts from nearly every period of the Holy City’s rich history.

Deuteronomy 12:8, The Exact Location

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:8 "You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes;

• The context is concerning the exact location that God would prescribe. Apparently they have been worshiping God, or offering sacrifices where they chose to. God does not want them to start utilizing the pagan worship places.

Deuteronomy 12:10, When God Gives You Rest

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:10 "When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security,

• Hebrews 3:11-4:11; … NAU Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

Deuteronomy 12:15, We Get To Eat Deer Meat

• Deuteronomy 12:15 "However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer.

Deuteronomy 12:23, Life Is In The Blood

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:23 "Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.

• NAU Genesis 9:4 "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 "Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

• NAU Leviticus 17:10-14, … 14 "For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, 'You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.'

Deuteronomy 12:23, Life Is In The Blood

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:23 …for the blood is the life [nephesh] …

• What a shame that the best scientific minds of the time of George Washington didn't understand this verse, or pay heed to it. For they bled George Washington three times before he died.

• �ֶפ�ש� <05315> )nephesh )659b ֶנ• Meaning: a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire,

passion, appetite, emotion …

Deuteronomy 12:23, The Life, Nephesh chayyāhA matter of life … and non-life, by David Pitman

• A very good article concerning the biblical meeting hope life, from plants to animals vegetables, and even insects, can be found at;

http://creation.com/nephesh-chayyah

• The full article is included after the THE END slide

Deuteronomy 12:23, The Life Is In The Blood

• creationmoments.com says, “The Bible teaches us that our physical life is in our blood. It also teaches us that our spiritual and eternal life is dependent upon the blood of Jesus Christ. Your heart pumps blood at a speed of more than three feet per second. This means that any given red blood cell will make a full circulatory trip from your lungs and back in only about a minute. But your heart is not the only hard-working part of your circulatory system. Your red blood cells live only about 4 months. In that time, a red blood cell has made over 170,000 trips from your lungs to bring oxygen to every part of your body. That means your body must constantly replace red blood cells. So your body produces about 2 million new red blood cells every second. Your body does this most efficiently by recycling the iron from dead red blood cells into the new red blood cells. Iron, of course, gives the hemoglobin in red blood cells the ability to carry oxygen.

• As we learn more about our circulatory systems, we see that physical life is a daily gift from God. Yet, it was the life-blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for us in His holy, innocent suffering and death that makes eternal life possible for us.

• Notes: Science News, 6/3/06, pp. 346-348, Ben Harder, “Blood, Iron, and Gray Hair.” Photo: The bright red drop of blood on the left is oxygenated while the drop on the right is deoxygenated. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Deuteronomy 12:31, Human Sacrifice To Molech

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:31 "You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

• NAU Leviticus 20:2 "You shall also say to the sons of Israel: 'Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

• 2 Kings 3:26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. 27 Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering [to

Chemosh] on the wall…

Deuteronomy 12:31, Human Sacrifice To Molech

• NAU 2 Kings 16:3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before the sons of Israel.

• NAU 2 Chronicles 28:3 Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel.

• NAU 2 Kings 17:17 Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.

Deuteronomy 12:31, God Hates Human Sacrifice

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:31 "You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

• NAU Jeremiah 32:35 "They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. [Jeremiah 7:31]

• NAU Jeremiah 19:5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind;

Deuteronomy 12:31Despicable Human

Sacrifice

Deuteronomy 12:32, Adding To God’s Words

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:32 "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

• NAU Deuteronomy 4:2 "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it…

Deuteronomy 12:32, Remember Moses Added To God’s Words

• NAU Numbers 20:10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?“

• NAU Revelation 22:18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;

• NAU Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.

Deuteronomy 12:32, Why The King?

• NAU Luke 19:38 shouting: "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD…

• Why did the people (and the Holy Spirit who inspired Luke to record it) bring up the King when “king” is not used in Psalm 118?

• NAU Psalm 118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

• There are commandments to not to the word of God in both the OT and NT;

• John 12:13, Luke 19:28, Proverbs 30:6, Revelation 22:18

Deuteronomy 12:29, Separation From The World

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:29 "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?'

• NAU 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17 "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18 "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.

Deuteronomy 13

False prophets, with false prophecies, dreams, signs and wonders.

The LORD’s instruction concerning ecumenism.Why can't all religions just get along?

Deuteronomy 13:1, Biblically, What Are Wolves?

• NAU Deuteronomy 13:1 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams…. 5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD…

• NAU Jeremiah 23:16 Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 "They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You will have peace "'; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.‘

Deuteronomy 13:1, Biblically, What Are Wolves?

• NAU Deuteronomy 13:1 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams…. 5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD…

• NAU Jeremiah 23:16-18• Shabbat Inspiration In this week's Bible portion, God warns us not to follow

a false prophet even if he seems able to perform overt miracles. How can one distinguish whom to follow and who is misleading? God is very clear on this point – if a message is inherently false, then regardless of the wonders and miracles performed, this man will be deemed a false prophet. God has already given us His commandments, and will never change them. Just as God redeemed His nation and performed unbelievable miracles in Egypt, He alone is sovereign over the world, and we must only follow Him!

• Today's Jerusalem Photo Usher in the Sabbath with Joe Aminoff's fantastic Jerusalem skyline sunset.

Deuteronomy 13:1, How Do You Know if a Sign or Wonder Is False?

• Search the Scriptures Daily Program #1404a Transcript follows:• T.A. McMahon; Tom: “Well, I’ll quote from Matthew:24:4, which talks about watch out, take heed, lest you be

deceived….• Dave: And there are a lot of books written and sermons preached about the signs of the last days: Wars, rumors of

wars, earthquakes, pestilence, famines, and so forth. But the very first thing He warned about…• Tom: And then it’s followed by, “Many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many, for there shall arise false

Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. And that’s Matthew:24:4—that’s the one we started with—and verse 11 and verse 24.

• Dave: Mm-hmm. So, Tom, not only is this the first sign that Jesus gives, but He emphasizes it three times. It must be important.

• Tom: Dave, we can get a sense of false prophets. There are always people spouting off about this and that. But it’s a little more difficult to understand the idea of a false Christ. Where could we look for a false Christ today?

• Dave: Well, Paul also warned about a false Jesus, a false Christ, another Jesus, another Christ, and there are positive confession teachers today who claim that they are Christ and that they can do everything Jesus did—that they’re just like Jesus on this earth. But Morris Cerullo goes maybe a little bit farther. He says, “When you look at me, you’re not looking at Morris Cerullo; you’re looking at God !” Wow! What blasphemy. But this is Now, Jannes and Jambres were the magicians, sorcerers, in Pharaoh’s court. They didn’t resist Moses and Aaron by atheistic arguments: “Oh, there’s no such thing as miracles.” No, they duplicated by the power of Satan what Moses and Aaron were doing by the power of God, up to a point—as far as God allowed them….”

Deuteronomy 13:5, False Prophets Were To Be Killed

• NAU Deuteronomy 13:5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

Deuteronomy 13:5, God Is All-Powerful So Follow Him

Deuteronomy 13:6-10, The LORD’s Instruction Concerning Ecumenism

• NAU Deuteronomy 13:6 "If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods ' (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9 "But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10 "So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Why Can't All Religions Just Get Along?

• NAU John 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 "You are of your father the devil…

• NAU Romans 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.

• NAU 2 Corinthians 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

• NAU 2 Corinthians 11:14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Leviticus 20:13, Homosexuals To Be Stoned

• Leviticus 20:13 'If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

• God judged it strongly in Gen. 9, 19, now stoning

I found this interpretation on the web.

In closing

THE END

Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, Why The King?

• Why did the people (and the Holy Spirit who inspired Luke to record it) bring up the King when “king” is not used in Psalm 118?

• NAU Psalm 118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

• There are commandments to not to the word of God in both the OT and NT;

• John 12:13, Luke 19:28, Proverbs 30:6, Revelation 22:18

Leviticus 18, 19, 20

• In Leviticus 18-19 God spelled out clearly what sins were forbidden. Now in Leviticus 20 He defines the sin again and spells out the punishment

• No one should be surprised at the punishment for each, or complain about it. There is no provision here for ignorance of the Law here.

• You commit the crime, you do the fine.

God’s Putting The Brakes On Sin• Exodus was God getting the people out of Egypt• This second half of Leviticus is God getting Egypt out

of the people• The first half of Leviticus was God setting the

standards for the people to “come before” Him, and to tabernacle with Him.

• We humans love a good a good story, and many readers really struggle with Leviticus because there is no story, just rules, laws and regulations.

• Kind of the same reason we seldom read the DMV code book.

Leviticus 20:9, Cursing Parents= Death

• NAU Leviticus 20:9 'If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him.

• Jesus quoted this verse to the Pharisees and the scribes in…

• NAU Mark 7:10 "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH';

Deuteronomy 12:10• He will give you rest from your enemies all around, and you will

dwell securely.• Deuteronomy 12:10• Jerusalem Inspiration• One of the miracles of Israel has been the revival of Hebrew. While used for

Bible study and prayer for centuries, for Jews it was not a spoken language until the last century. Eliezer Ben Yehuda is known as the father of modern Hebrew and came up with thousands of modern words, often based on a Biblical precedent. The final word in today’s verse, ַט�ח be-takh which / ֶּבmeans to dwell 'securely’ is the source for the modern word for insurance, bee-too-okh. Learn more Hebrew with eTeacher, and enter to win 2 / ביטוחFREE tickets to Israel.

• Jerusalem Daily Photo• Today's photo shows Ben Yehuda Street in downtown Jerusalem, named for

Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the father of modern Hebrew. This fun pedestrian mall is filled with cafes, stores, street musicians and plenty of ambience.

Abortion, Subjective Morality, Down’s Syndrome, Birth Defects, Mental Illness

• RICHARD DAWKINS: "ABORT IT AND TRY AGAIN." • • Pastor Scott LaPierre • • Richard Dawkins started a controversy when a woman said, "I honestly don't know what I would do if I were pregnant with a kid with Down Syndrome.

Real ethical dilemma," and he responded with, "Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice." Dawkins later defended his advice:"If your morality is based, as mine is, on a desire to increase the sum of happiness and reduce the suffering, the decision to deliberately give birth to a Down baby, when you have the choice to abort it early in the pregnancy, might actually be immoral from the point of view of the child's own welfare." The child's welfare? The child will be thankful it was aborted? The child would later be offended it wasn't murdered?

• • What really surprised me though was the amount of outrage Dawkins' comment received, because here's the truth: if you believe in evolution you

SHOULD agree with him! You should say, "We need to think about what's best for the advancement of the human race and that means removing from the gene pool those individuals threatening its progress...and if we're honest, there's no greater threat than those born with genetic disorders." And here's another painful, but equally true reality: this thinking isn't very far removed from Hitler's desire to eliminate the inferior people orUntermenschen (German for subhuman): Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, etc., to allow the superior Aryan Herrenvolk (Master Race) to develop.

• • Dawkins mentioned morality: he said it would be immoral to give birth to the child. But if you don't believe the Bible, you CAN'T argue with him! If you

disagree with him apart from Scripture what is your argument based on? It's based on absolutely nothing more than your opinion! In the absence of Scripture, morality is completely subjective. While people try to identify right and wrong or good and evil without the Bible, their positions are based entirely on opinion. When one opinion differs from another, how is it determined which opinion is correct? Is it determined by which opinion sounds better? Is it determined by which opinion can find the most similar opinions? If the Bible isn't your authority on morality, the only weight behind your case is how well it can be argued...including debates about murdering babies. In other words, in the absence of Scripture, there is no argument against murdering babies; the absence of Scripture puts us in the days of the Judges when "Every man did what was right in his own eyes."

• August 25, 2014 by Pastor Scott LaPierre• http://scottlapierre.org/2014/08/25/richard-dawkins-abort-it-and-try-again/

Deuteronomy 12:23, The Life, Nephesh chayyāhA matter of life … and non-life, by David Pitman

• NAU Deuteronomy 12:23 "Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.

• Nephesh chayyāh, A matter of life … and non-life, by David Pitman• What does the Bible means when it talks about ‘life’?• The Bible tells us that death, suffering, and disease were not part of the original creation. Rather, they came as a result of

Adam’s sin, which affected the entire creation (Romans 8:19–23a). The grief that we experience when someone close to us dies bears witness to the fact that this was not how it was originally intended.

• Although naturalists try to say otherwise, death is most certainly not a natural thing.• Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthian church describes death as the “last enemy to be destroyed” (1 Corinthians

15:26).1 Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus, even though He was about to revivify him (John 11:35).• The Bible promises that all trace of this awful state of affairs will be removed with the final restoration of all things. The

last chapters of Revelation foretell, with clear Edenic allusions, a restored new creation with no more death because there will be no more curse, and the Tree of Life will exist.

• This whole sin-death causality is a key reason we can’t logically mix the Bible with millions of years.• This whole sin-death causality is a key reason we can’t logically mix the Bible with millions of years.2• The doctrine of the Restoration/New Creation is also banefully undermined—restored to what exactly—billions more

years of death and suffering?3• Many questions• It’s natural for people to ask questions about what the Bible means when it talks about ‘life’, since this has to inform our

understanding of what ‘death’ is in the Bible. While most can at least understand the concept of life and death in terms of cats, collies and canaries (creatures that we naturally have a certain degree of empathy for), fewer people are as certain when it comes to creepy crawlies, corals and carrots—creatures that are certainly biologically alive, but which are different from ‘higher animals’.

• Common questions may include: What do you mean by ‘no death’? What if Adam had stepped on an ant? What about skin cells dying? Don’t plants die? What about the bacteria in Adam’s digestive system? Weren’t these organisms already dying before the Fall?

• Thus, as with all matters; in our quest to define what ‘life’ is, we must ground our thinking in God’s word.• What is really alive? Where do we draw the line between life and non-life? This is important, since in order to adequately

explain what is meant by the doctrine of ‘no death before sin’, we must have a correct definition of what constitutes ‘life’ in the first place (since logically, only something that is alive can die).

• Under the modern western biological definition, any organism that can display at least most of the following characteristics is considered to be living: movement, respiration, sensation, growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrition (feeding). Viruses are excluded under this classification system since they are really only capable of reproduction (and even that completely depends on a host cell).

• However, this approach may not tally with the biblical definition of life. And if the Bible defines ‘life’ differently from modern biology, then arguments against the notion of ‘no death before the Fall’ that presuppose the modern biological definition of ‘life’ are invalid because they are anachronistic. Thus, as with all matters; in our quest to define what ‘life’ is, we must ground our thinking in God’s Word.

• The life principle

• The biblical answer to the question of life and non-life can be found in that foundational document: the book of Genesis. There, it is tied intrinsically to the Hebrew word nephesh (ֶנֶפש), meaning ‘living being’ or ‘soul’. We can therefore understand that if nephesh defines life, then only the nephesh creatures are subject to death as a result of the Fall.4

• The word conveys a sense of a ‘breathing creature’. It is used throughout the Old Testament to also convey a sense of ‘emotions’, ‘feelings’ and ‘consciousness’.5,6

• This is similar yet subtly different from the Hebrew ruach (רוח, e.g. Genesis 1:2) meaning ‘spirit’—which also carries a sense of ‘wind’ or ‘breath [of life]’ and is also used on occasion in reference to animals.7

• Animals (in the everyday sense of the word) and humans both possess this life quality.8

• Most often, the word nephesh is combined with another in the form nephesh chayyāh ( חיה from chay meaning life ,(ֶנֶפש(modern Israelis toast lechayyim, meaning ‘to life’). This is normally translated as ‘living creatures’ when referring to animals (e.g. Genesis 1:20), and ‘living soul’ when referring to man (e.g. Genesis 2:7).9

• The two main areas in Genesis where the word nephesh appears with particular frequency are the creation of the animals and man (Genesis 1 and 2), and the description of the animals taken aboard the ark (Genesis 6 and 7). In both places the term is used in conjunction with defining specific groups of organisms: one deals with the impartation or inclusion of this life principle as the organisms are created; the other addresses the preservation of certain organisms and the watery destruction of others.

• These will help us determine which creatures are included (as nephesh life) and which are not.

• Table 1. Usage of nephesh chayyāh in Genesis.3• Reference Translated as Refers to:• Gen 1:20 ‘living creatures’ Moving creatures of the water.• Gen 1:21 ‘[every] living creature’ or ‘every living soul’ Creatures that swarm in the water (primarily fish).• Gen 1:24 ‘living creatures’ Creatures of the earth (of which livestock, creeping things and beasts of the

earth would appear to be subsets).• Gen 1:30 ‘life’ All creatures that possessed this ‘life’ were to eat plants.• Gen 2:7 ‘living soul’ Adam after God breathed into him.• Gen 2:19 ‘[every] living creature’ The creatures brought before Adam in order that they might be named.• Gen 6:19 ‘[every] living thing’ The creatures that Noah was to bring on the ark.• Gen 9:4 ‘the life’ Life that is linked to the blood.• Gen 9:10 ‘[every] living creature’ The creatures preserved on the ark with Noah.• Gen 9:12 ‘creature’ The creatures with Noah.• Gen 9:15, 16 ‘[every] living creature’ All creatures, including those with Noah.• Note: The list is not exhaustive, but merely intended to illustrate the main occurrences.• The Flood account is relevant because it was God’s intent to destroy ‘all flesh, wherein is the breath of life …’ (Genesis

6:17); while preserving representatives of all living land creatures upon the Ark (along with Noah and his family). The creatures that went on the Ark are described as nephesh chayyāh (although it is only dealing with the land-living, air-breathing ones, since the sea-living nephesh creatures were able to survive the Flood). These were: birds, cattle (likely domestic animals), creeping things (likely reptiles and small vertebrates—see later), and beasts. Thus any land-dwelling creatures not included in this description are probably not regarded as nephesh life.

• Life in the blood

• Other passages also shed valuable light on how we define life. Leviticus 17:11 states: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (also mentioned in Deuteronomy 12:23 and Genesis 9:4—see table). The word translated ‘life’ here is nephesh. This links life (or spirit) with the presence of blood. By ‘blood’, it is likely that the common understanding of the term is intended.

• Death was the penalty for sin, so something had to die in order to atone for people’s sin.• That is, the red liquid that is actively circulated in the bodies of vertebrates (specifically with hemoglobin-containing red

blood cells).

• Blood is an indicator of life (in the nephesh sense), and this logically connects with the way in which blood had to be shed for the forgiveness of sins. Sacrifices for this nature involved animals (specifically certain mammals and birds). While the flesh of the sacrificial animal was given for food (post Flood at least), the animal’s life—its blood—was given for sacrifice.10

• Death was the penalty for sin, so something had to die in order to atone for people’s sin.

• Thus blood had to be shed—albeit this merely covered sin only on a limited and temporary basis (Hebrew kaphar כֶפר (cover) hence Yôm Kippur (‘Day of Atonement’). Only the blood of the Messiah shed on the Cross could take away sin (Hebrews 9–10). Something without blood was not alive in the nephesh sense, and so could not die as a substitute.

• ‘Living creatures’

• Armed with this information, we can now draw up some boundaries for what is considered nephesh life.

• Wikimedia commons/Alexander Vasenin. (CC BY-SA 3.0)• 9537-nemo• Fish, while they don’t ‘breathe’ in the same sense as we do, are among the swarming living creatures of Genesis 1:20–21.• Humans are clearly referred to as nephesh chayyāh right from the start—we even get our own flavour of translation

‘living soul’ as compared to ‘living creature’ although the Hebrew phrase is identical.

• Other vertebrates, including fish,11 are regarded as nephesh creatures. Fish, while they don’t ‘breathe’ in the same sense as we do, are among the swarming living creatures of Genesis 1:20–21. Whales and large sea-going reptiles are also included under the grouping of the ‘great sea creatures’.

• Land vertebrates (including those now extinct, such as dinosaurs) are covered under the classifications of ‘cattle’, ‘beasts’, and ‘creeping things’.

• Birds are also included. If not referenced directly as nephesh chayyāh in Genesis 1, they are certainly included among those ‘living creatures’ brought before Adam (Genesis 2:19) and also in the Flood account among those brought on the Ark.

• ‘Non living life’

• Insects and other invertebrates are likely not regarded as nephesh creatures. While the group translated as ‘creeping things’ in Genesis 1:24 (remes) are regarded as nephesh, this is referring to small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, mice, etc. This term is not used to refer to insects or other invertebrates.12

• The account of Noah further backs this assertion. The creatures taken on board the Ark did not include invertebrates.6 Although the creeping things are included in the description of ‘all flesh’ that perished in the flood, this is then further qualified as being ‘all those in whose nostrils was the breath of life’ (Genesis 7:21–22).

• Single-celled organisms such as bacteria, and individual cells within an organism are not regarded as nephesh life.• Insects do not have nostrils, but rather breathe through small openings in their sides (spiracles).13

• Also, invertebrates do not have blood in the true sense (as vertebrates do), so they are ruled out as per Leviticus 17:11. Sessile creatures such as coral, sea anemones and tube worms are not included. Apart from being invertebrates as per above, they can be excluded on the basis that all the sea-dwelling nephesh creatures mentioned in Genesis 1:20 are moving (swarming), and of course they do not have blood in the true sense either.

• Single-celled organisms such as bacteria, and individual cells within an organism are not regarded as nephesh life. Indeed programmed ‘cell-death’ (apoptosis) is a necessary part of multicellular life,14 particularly in fetal development,15 and would have been occurring even in the perfect pre-Fall world.

• The descriptions of created things in Genesis are not all-inclusive. They focus primarily on those creatures that are regarded as nephesh chayyāh (perhaps because these are the very creatures that were affected directly by the curse of death, and so their inclusion had the greatest relevance to the overall narrative). Thus, the specific mention of the nephesh creatures in the creation account should not be taken to mean that only nephesh creatures were created at that time.

• 9537-eden-bones• At the end of day 6 God pronounced his finished creation as ‘very good’. If evolution were true, would Adam and Eve

have been standing on a fossil graveyard of death and struggle over millions of years that God called ‘very good’. The Bible describes death as the last enemy to be destroyed.

• What about plants?

• Right from the outset, plants are excluded from being classified as living things.

• The term nephesh chayyāh is never used to describe plants.6 While plants do experience tissue damage (wherein individual cells may ‘die’ in a biological sense—to cease functioning), a plant has no brain to interpret that damage as pain. Furthermore, plants do not have blood, which is intrinsically linked to nephesh life. This is evident in the account of Cain and Abel, where Cain’s sacrifice of plants was not acceptable to God—for there was no blood—unlike Abel’s sacrifice of animals from his flock.16

• Plants were the original food source for all creatures in God’s creation (Genesis 1:29–30), while animal carnivory began at the Fall17 (not the Flood,18 Genesis 9 was the beginning of divinely allowed human meat eating).

• Plant consumption clearly could not have involved suffering or death or else it would contradict God’s declaration of the finished creation as ‘very good’.19

• Conclusion

• A clear understanding of the Bible’s definition of what life is—and what is considered to be truly alive—helps us tackle the skeptical questions levelled at us regarding Scripture’s reliability in the areas of life, death and the Fall. As with any subject, we should start with what the Bible has to say, and build our understanding from there.

• The biblical classification of ‘living creature’ best seems to fit those that we would recognise today as vertebrates.• However, whenever we look at what the Bible teaches on a subject, we need to come to the text on its own terms.

• This includes understanding the Bible’s definition of words like ‘life’. As we can see, the biblical view of life differs from the usual biology textbook definition and if we don’t recognise this difference at the outset, our reasoning will become confused later in the process. In general terms, the biblical classification of ‘living creature’ best seems to fit those that we would recognise today as vertebrates.

• Any other organism could arguably be considered not truly alive as defined by Scripture, and therefore need not be covered by the ‘no death before the Fall’ ruling.

• Related Articles• Exposé of The Genesis Question• Did God create over billions of years?• The Fall: a cosmic catastrophe• Did fish die before the Fall?• Insect inspiration solves giant bug mystery• ‘No death before the Fall’?• Apoptosis: cell ‘death’ reveals Creation• Is Genesis myth or reality?• The carnivorous nature and suffering of animals• The problem of evil: pre-Fall animal death?• ‘Carnivorous’ dinosaurs had plant diet• Bugs, baramins and beauty• Creation, Suffering and the Problem of Evil• The silky anteater• A coat of many colours• Venus flytrap• Hitch-hiking insects• When did animals become carnivorous?• Further Reading• Is it possible for animals that are carnivorous in our world today to have survived in a pre-sin world without eating meat?• Creation: Why it Matters• References and notes• Cosner, L., Christ as the last Adam: Paul’s use of the Creation narrative in 1 Corinthians 15, J. Creation 23(3):70–75, 2009;

creation.com/1-corinthians-15. Return to text.• Bates, G. and Cosner, L., Did God create over billions of years? And why is it important? creation.com/billions, 6 October

2011. Return to text.• Grigg, R., Some issues for ‘long-age’ Christians, Creation 25(4):50–51, 2003; creation.com/future. Return to text.• Sarfati, J., The Fall: a cosmic catastrophe, J. Creation 19(3):60–64, 2005; creation.com/plant_death. Return to text.• Batten, D., Catchpoole, D., Sarfati, J., Wieland, C., The Creation Answers Book, 3rd edition, p.100, Creation Book

Publishers, Georgia, 2009. Return to text.• Bullinger, E., Appendix 13 to The Companion Bible, Kregel Publications, 1995, as sourced from eclesia.org. Return to text.• Morris, H., The Genesis Record, Baker Book House, Michigan, p. 73, 86, first published 1976, reprinted 2006. Return to

text.• Ref. 7, p. 69. Return to text.• Sarfati, J., Refuting Compromise, 2nd edition, p. 201, Creation Book Publishers, Georgia, 2011. Return to text.• Ref. 7, p. 223. Return to text.• Sarfati, J., Did fish die before the Fall?, creation.com/fall-fish-death, 21 April 2012. Return to text.• Woodmorappe, J., Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study, p. 3, Institute For Creation Research, California, 1996. Return to text.• Yes, insects really do breathe—see Catchpoole, D., Insect inspiration solves giant bug mystery, Creation 27(4):44–47,

2005; creation.com/giant-bug-mystery. Return to text.• Cosner, L., ‘No death before the Fall’? The importance of the distinction of nephesh chayyāh life, creation.com/death-fall,

3 June 2012. Return to text.• Bell, P., Apoptosis: cell ‘death’ reveals Creation, J. Creation 16(1):90–102, 2002; creation.com/apoptosis. Return to text.• May, K., Is Genesis myth or reality?, Creation 17(3):22–23, 1995; creation.com/gen-myth. Return to text.• Gurney, R.J.M., The carnivorous nature and suffering of animals, J. Creation 18(3):70–75, 2004; creation.com/carniv.

Return to text.• Sarfati, J. and Cosner, L., ‘Carnivorous’ dinosaurs had plant diet, creation.com/veg-dinos, 27 January 2011. Return to text.• Bell, P., The problem of evil: pre-fall animal death?, creation.com/animal-death, 29 March 2011. Return to text.

http://creation.com/nephesh-chayyah

Deuteronomy 13:1, How Do You Know if a Sign or Wonder Is False?

• Search the Scriptures Daily Program #1404a Transcript follows:• T.A. McMahon: Tom: Okay. Well, that’s what we do, Dave. We keep trying here. (Laughing) Okay. In Matthew 24, Jesus warned that a major sign of His return would be religious deception.• Dave: In fact, Tom, that is the first sign that He gives.• Tom: Well, I’ll quote from Matthew:24:4, which talks about watch out, take heed, lest you be deceived.• Dave: That’s the first thing He says.• Tom: Right.• Dave: And there are a lot of books written and sermons preached about the signs of the last days: Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilence, famines, and so forth. But the very first thing He

warned about…• Tom: And then it’s followed by, “Many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many, for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders insomuch that

if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. And that’s Matthew:24:4—that’s the one we started with—and verse 11 and verse 24.• Dave: Mm-hmm. So, Tom, not only is this the first sign that Jesus gives, but He emphasizes it three times. It must be important.• Tom: Dave, we can get a sense of false prophets. There are always people spouting off about this and that. But it’s a little more difficult to understand the idea of a false Christ. Where could we

look for a false Christ today?• Dave: Well, Paul also warned about a false Jesus, a false Christ, another Jesus, another Christ, and there are positive confession teachers today who claim that they are Christ and that they can do

everything Jesus did—that they’re just like Jesus on this earth. But Morris Cerullo goes maybe a little bit farther. He says, “When you look at me, you’re not looking at Morris Cerullo; you’re looking at God !” Wow! What blasphemy. But this is part of the last days deception that Jesus warned about. Now, interestingly, He tells us exactly what will be involved. He says there will be false signs and wonders, v. 24: “There shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.”

• And this is really fulfilled in our day. We have—the main thing that some of these people emphasize is signs and wonders. You remember when we wrote Seduction of Christianity?• Tom: Mm-hmm.• Dave: Oral Roberts, in reaction to that, formed an organization called Charismatic Bible Ministries. And they all signed an agreement that they wouldn’t correct one another. You remember that?• They have an annual conference there in Tulsa, and over the platform it says, “Love and Unity through Signs and Wonders.” This is their big emphasis. Well, Jesus warned about that

inMatthew:7:22-23: He said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, haven’t we prophesied in your name? In your name we cast out devils, in your name we did mighty works. And I will say to them, I never knew you. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity.” Solemn words from Christ, who said, “I know my sheep, and are known of mine.” So if He never knew them, they were never His sheep.

• And then, we could go to Paul—you know, he says the same thing in 2 Thessalonians 2, he says: “Beware. Don’t be deceived, because there’s going to be a great religious deception that will arise.” And in 2 Timothy:3:8, Paul says: “As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”

• Now, Jannes and Jambres were the magicians, sorcerers, in Pharaoh’s court. They didn’t resist Moses and Aaron by atheistic arguments: “Oh, there’s no such thing as miracles.” No, theyduplicated by the power of Satan what Moses and Aaron were doing by the power of God, up to a point—as far as God allowed them.

• So I think Paul is warning us very clearly, “You know—do you want to know the opposition to the truth in the last days? It’s not primarily skeptical or atheistic university professors, and so forth. It will be inside the church, and it will be through false signs and wonders—men claiming to do miracles in ‘ my name.’” And Jesus said—and they said it—“in your name,” and yet it will be not of God but by the power of Satan. Now, that’s a solemn thought, Tom, but it’s in the Word of God, and I’m not going to try to name those who would seem to fit into that category, but I think there are many today.

• Tom: And growing, Dave. When the scripture says that “if possible,” in Matthew 24: “If possible, even the elect could be deceived.” Now, Dave, when we’re looking at signs and wonders, we see people supposedly doing these things, especially drawing our attention to them, like Benny Hinn, for example. But these are—somebody could easily be skeptical about that, although a lot of people are drawn into it, or are convinced by it. When the signs and wonders increase, when they are stunning, for example, is that an application of this verse: “If possible, even the elect….” How do you understand that, Dave?

• Dave: Well, I don’t think the elect could ultimately be deceived. But it will be so astounding that if possible, even the elect would be deceived. Now, we’re talking about false prophets and false signs and wonders. Now, let’s put the two together. You mentioned Benny Hinn. My wife and I were in South Africa. Benny Hinn had a big crusade, and in the midst of the meeting, a man fell out of his chair, collapsed onto the floor in the aisle. They carried him out, and Benny Hinn told the audience, “Don’t be concerned. God has just told me that he’s going to be okay.” In fact, he died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

• In Switzerland, Benny Hinn prophesied over a man of many more years of powerful ministry that God had for him, and so forth. Three days later, he died.• I could tell you of other instances—in the little town of Bend that we live in, Tom, a dear lady went to the Benny Hinn crusade at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. She was a long-time supporter, but

she didn’t have much money—maybe it was like the widow’s mite that the Lord commended. She saw a line standing there. She got in line to get into the arena, and when she got to the door, no! Her name wasn’t on the donor’s list. She hadn’t given enough money! So she had to go to another door. Well, she went up, finally—she got up on the stage during the meeting, and Benny knocked her down, you know, supposedly the power of God. She fell down, but then Benny knocks a huge man down on top of her, broke her hip! She—this is someone from our own town here. She’s crying out in pain, and they do nothing for her. Her hip was broken. She had to go to the hospital, and so forth.

• I remember watching Benny on TBN with Paul and Jan sitting there, and he’s telling how he knocked this guy down with the power of God supposedly, and his toupee flew off. The man got it and put it back on a little bit askew, and got up, and Benny said, “I knocked him down five times, just to see the wig fly off!” And Paul and Jan are laughing uproariously, as is Benny. I don’t believe that the Holy Spirit knocks people down in order to see their toupee or their wig fly off so you can laugh about it.

• Now there is some power operating there, and I’m sorry, but Benny is so popular that I almost dare not say this, because then these people will turn me off! But let’s just examine what Christ said. Let’s examine what is going on, and see the lifestyle that these people live, and so forth.

• But mainly, it’s like Jannes and Jambres. And they are opposing the truth through false signs and wonders, and it is a tragedy today. But this was the first sign that Jesus gave of the nearness of His return.

• Tom: Dave, I want to go back to Matthew:7:22-23

. This is an incredibly sobering verse: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Wow! These are people who are offering, as you say here, they are offering their works—this is a works-salvation—not just the supposed signs and miracles, and so forth, but this is offering Jesus something other than their faith—their trust in Him.

• Dave: Well, they’re pointing to their signs and wonders as the evidence, as the evidence that they belong to Him. Well, what is the evidence that we belong to Christ? What they should have said was, “Lord, you made a promise. You said ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ I have relied upon your promise. I have simply trusted you.”

• But, Tom, you say it’s a very solemn scripture, and indeed it is. Because notice the ones that the Lord focuses on. He’s not saying, “Well, many people will try to get to heaven by their good works.” Now that is a problem, and that’s part of this. But these are people who must have been Christian leaders! They must have been in positions of authority—high profile. They were showing signs and wonders and people were accepting them as this.

• Tom, when you think about that, and not a few but many—this is a great movement that will lead people astray.• Tom: Dave, we’ve said this in the last few programs—we’ve been pointing to an increase, a conditioning, in preparation for mankind to receive the Antichrist. So the signs and wonders are going to

become more powerful. What’s the verse with regard to the “man of lawlessness”? He’s going to be with every kind of lying sign and wonder.• Dave: Yeah, “Then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose working is after the power of Satan with all signs and wonders

—lying signs and wonders and all deceivableness of unrighteousness, and those who receive not the love of the truth…”—that’s solemn, Tom.• Tom: So, “a love of the truth.” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” A love of Him, and wanting Him more than we want some things that—not just tickling our ears, I think it’s going to

go way past that, but the very things that we’d say, “Wow! Look at that! This has got to be God! It can’t be anybody else.”• Dave: Yeah, Tom, I remember seeing—well, actually on a video—this was Richard Roberts at Robert Tilton’s Word of Faith World Outreach Center in Dallas—it’s no longer there, now. He had to go

underground. But anyway, I remember Richard Roberts having everybody stand up and “repeat after me: ‘When you see a miracle, you know it’s God.’” Well, that was a setup for exactly what Paul and Christ are warning us about. Tom, we’ve seen it in our day. You remember the Toronto Blessing. You remember Brownsville Assembly of God.

• Tom: You could throw Rodney Howard Brown into that mix, too.• Dave: And people coming by the thousands from all over the world, pursuing—what? Pursuing truth? No, pursuing signs and wonders. Wanting to see more miracles. I watched so many tapes

from the Brownsville Assembly of God in…• Tom: Yeah, their services—main services…• Dave: Right. And I didn’t hear the gospel. I didn’t hear the truth. But I saw people shaking and falling over, and Tom, I’m not trying to be critical, but I think we’d better pay attention to what the

Bible says and that people went there and the testimonies you heard—I heard testimony after testimony about how “I began to shake…” and there was a pastor and his wife who wrote a letter after they came from, I think, Minnesota or somewhere, and they said, “Oh, wow! What a blessing! You know, all the way home…we were staying in a motel and we just couldn’t stop laughing. We were afraid the people next door would think we’re crazy.”

• Tom: Or they needed a designated driver because one of them was “drunk in the Spirit.” Wow!• Dave: Yes, sometimes they could hardly get a person back on the airplane to go back to England—that would be from Toronto—and this was what they were focusing on: Signs and Wonders.

Exactly like these people in Matthew 7: “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do this? Didn’t we do that?” But it was all signs and wonders and miracles and casting out devils instead of saying, “Lord Jesus, you died for my sins on the Cross. You paid the penalty. And you promised that if I would believe in you—you said, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ And Lord, I simply believed your promise.”

• But that’s a little bit boring, apparently, for some people, and we’ve got to have some kind of power. And that opens the door, sadly, for a delusion. And Paul warns, “Don’t let anyone deceive you. That day [that is, the last day] will not come except there come the apostasy.”

• He didn’t say, “Except we see a last days great explosion of signs and wonders and great revival, and so forth.” He warns of apostasy, and, Tom, that doesn’t make me happy. Would God that we were living like the first-century church, but these are warnings from the Bible that we have to take seriously.

• Tom: Dave, you refer back to the false prophets in the Old Testament. They were always crying, “Peace and safety! Peace and safety!” When Isaiah, Jeremiah, others, were saying “No. We have to submit to God here. We need to repent. You know, this is a doing of God. God is bringing judgment here.” And the same thing today. These so-called “prophets.” They’re talking about “no, a revival! Things are going to happen. Things are going to get exciting. God is pouring out His Spirit.”

• Let me give you a quote from A.W. Tozer, which I think is so appropriate to this. He writes: “It is my considered opinion that under the present circumstances we do not want revival at all. A widespread revival of the kind of Christianity we know today in America might prove to be a moral tragedy from which we would not recover in a hundred years…” that is, if the Lord tarries.

• Dave: Right.• Tom: But I think he’s right on the money there.• Dave: Well, Tom, the same thing happened in Israel. It’s amazing. You want to talk about signs and wonders! Nobody saw miracles like the Jews. The Red Sea opens up, you go through on dry land,

your enemies are drowned in the Sea. God speaks with an audible voice from Mt Sinai. You promise to obey Him and don’t. You are led each day by a pillar of cloud and each night by a pillar of fire that shows you exactly where to camp, and so forth. You are fed with manna, miraculously, it comes from heaven every day. Your shoes, your sandals, your clothes do not wear out. Water out of a rock! And that rock apparently followed them, and here comes that rock again, and…Tom! You couldn’t have asked more miracles, and yet the Jews, according to Scripture—this is not anti-Semitism, these are Israeli prophets and the psalmists writing—were the most rebellious, disobedient people this world has ever seen. They are a picture to us of the fact that signs and wonders is not what is going to change our hearts. It can really intrigue you and lead you astray.

• And I’m not against signs and wonders. I have seen God do miracles, incredible miracles, in my own life. I’ve take Bibles, for example, and other things behind the Iron Curtain in those days, and seen God blind the guards’ eyes. I’ve seen people healed instantly, okay? But we are warned about this.

• And listen to what Peter said—in other words, we don’t go after signs and wonders. Someone has put it very well. He said, “You don’t seek the gifts. You seek the Giver.” And we want His truth because it’s the truth that sets us free. And if it is pleasing to God to heal us or to bring these miraculous events into our lives…. Tom, almost every time I get off an airplane, I say, “God, you did it again. I don’t know how you do it.” He puts me next to someone—it’s just incredible! Okay?

• Tom: [Someone] who needs to hear what you have to say!• Dave: That’s right—who needs the gospel. But I don’t seek this. But listen to what Peter said: There were—you’re referring to the Jews now. There were false prophets who were saying “Peace,

peace,” when there is no peace. And Peter warned: “There were false prophets also among the people even as there shall be false teachers among you [speaking of the last days], who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction, and many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of….” Tom, some of the antics of these people on TV, unsaved people ridicule this. And then, listen to this! What a prophecy: “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.” I remember Avanzini offering…

• Tom: John Avanzini on TBN…• Dave: Right. Right. Oh my… “Send a dollar a day,” or something—all kinds of promises of prosperity. Kenneth Copeland said he’s commissioned by God to preach the “gospel of prosperity.” It’s not

in the Bible. Oral Roberts—I have a letter from Oral Roberts—he was up all night praying for me ! Can you believe it? And God revealed 33 specific blessings God wanted to give me if I would of course “prime the pump” by sending in that seed-faith offering to Oral Roberts. But notice what he says, “They will make merchandise of you.” Make merchandise of you! I remember a man, very angry, very angry, who said, “My wife caused me to send in money to Oral Roberts and he promised her a healing. A year after she died , I got another letter from Oral Roberts saying God had just revealed to him that He was going to heal her.

• Tom: Wow. As Tozer said, what we need is reformation, not revival. Especially looking at the condition of the church today.