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INDEX: Main Article - For Every Tree Is Known By His Own Fruit (Luke 6:44) - Gentleness Health Article - Protection Against Cancer Bible Study and Last Month's Answers Questions on Spiritual Application of Creation - Day 2 Answers to Spiritual Application of Creation - Day 1 Questions and Answers #1 Why doesn't God take away the temptation when I pray that He would? #2 What is the significance of the goat lead to the wilderness in the sanctuary? #3 Isn’t the book of Revelation incomprehensible and therefore should not be studied? Antichrist PICTURE: A single pillar, automatically tiled in the index box, represents "the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)..

FOR EVERY TREE IS KNOWN BY HIS OWN FRUIT (GENTLENESS) (Luke 6:44)

The last four months we have looked at the first four stated fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 ("But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."). This month, we will look at gentleness.

As with our previous lessons, we followed the guidelines of proper Bible study outlined in Isaiah 28:10 and performed a word search. It yielded the following results: gentle was found five times, gentleness four times, and gently two times.

Five of these referred to God Himself. 2 Samuel 22:36 "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great." This is very similar to Psalms 18:35, "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great." From these first two occurrences, we see what these men were seeking for and it was not worldly power and riches. "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation." In other words, "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33). God’s gentleness can be seen when one is seeking in the right direction. Those who are seeking in the wrong direction take God’s gentle nudging as wrath. Remember, the same sun that melts wax hardens clay.

Continuing on with God’s character, Isaiah 40:10-11 "Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong [hand], and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward [is] with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry [them] in his bosom, [and] shall gently lead those that are with young." Here we have something a little more tangible to relate to. As a shepherd leads His sheep by example and calling, and does not beat them with a stick from behind, so is His gentleness. How did Jesus apply this? John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." So the words that Jesus speaks and are recorded in the Bible, are to be heard by His sheep. In other words, those that obey the Word of God, who follow a "Thus Saith the Lord" and not rationalize in the slightest are listening to God’s voice. Those that rationalize slightly are straddling the fence but remember, we "cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24), and those that feel that they do not need to dwell much in the Word of God are listening to a whole other voice – their own fallible ideas and Satan’s deceitfulness. Remember, "holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost" which means if one is "full of the Spirit," that spirit would lead one to be in accordance to the written Word seeing it is the same Spirit. God does not contradict Himself (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). God even tells us this. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).

Still continuing on with God’s attribute in regards to gentleness, we come across the statement recorded in 2 Corinthians 10:1, "Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence [am] base among you, but being absent am bold toward you." How did Jesus display gentleness? Luke 9:54-56 "And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village." When we do err from God’s way revealed in His Word, He doesn’t immediately send fire down from heaven to destroy us, but "now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30).

The last reference to God’s character of gentleness is recorded in James 3:17 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." Notice the end of this verse. We have various scales or partiality, for instance, education, employment, race, wealth, and many others. But God declares that He is not partial. Applying this specifically, all Christians should know that God declares that those who continue to commit adultery "shall not inherit the kingdom" (Galatians 5:19-21), yet excuses are made to allow unmarried people to live together. Excuses include "for tax purposes", "for financial reasons", "we shouldn’t be judging", "oh, but they do so much for the church", etc. The last one is scary because that implies that their good works will counter balance the bad lifestyle earning them heaven which is not taught anywhere in the Bible. In fact, God states "But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, [and] doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked [man] doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die" (Ezekiel 18:24). Yet, our gentle God also states "But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die" (Ezekiel 18:21). It is our choice.

Now let us look at the four times the word is used as in a list of attributes humans ought to have. Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." 2 Timothy 2:24-25 "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." Here we see very good council once again in sharing the Gospel. The right attitude is important, in this case, gentleness is the focus. Gentleness would be to start with those issues that are easily accepted to build faith and trust in God’s Word so that the more difficult subjects that normally cause resistance are now diffused. Some however like to get into arguments especially over the Word. This is condemned by God. Titus 3:2 "To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men." When things begin to heat up and the proper Spirit is leaving, it is time for prayer, and possibly temporary separation, meaning "Let’s call it a night."

Continuing on with the stated human attributes we ought to have, 1 Peter 2:18 "Servants, [be] subject to [your] masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward." To apply this to each one of us, let us examine the employee and employer situation. Do we obey only those employers that are good ones, that are gentle ones, that we agree with? Do we in an unchristian manner argue with employers or even disobey employers that are crooked, perverse, wicked, and treat people unfairly. This does not help the matter, in fact it usually makes matters worse. God even tells us how to deal with such people. "Overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21) and "if thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink" (Proverbs 25:21). There is a time though to disobey an employer. Acts 5:29, "Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."

Next, we have gentleness stated as an expression. 1 Thessalonians 2:7 "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children." We ought to treat all with the gentleness we would have towards children. This of course does not mean to demean them, but rather the manner in which we speak even in disagreement should be gentle.

And lastly, the word gentle was used once to request a certain treatment. 2 Samuel 18:5 "And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, [Deal] gently for my sake with the young man, [even] with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom."

May we treat all people we encounter with Godly gentleness.

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SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES (John 5:39)

Spiritual Application of Creation - Day 2

1. What was created on the second day? Genesis 1:6-8





2. What significant event occurred from the heavens? Matthew 3:16-17





3. Where should we be looking for Jesus to appear? Luke 21:28, Matthew 24:30





4. Will the current heavens last for ever? Isaiah 34:4, Revelation 6:14

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH'S STUDY:

Spiritual Application of Creation - Day 1

1. In addition to heaven and earth, what else was created on the first day? Genesis 1:3-5 "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
2. Where do we find the greatest manifestation of it? John 8:12 "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
3. Where else do we find it? Psalms 119:105 "Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.", Proverbs 6:23 "For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life."
4. How does Jesus define darkness? Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Ignorance is one form of darkness. John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

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YE HAVE HEARD THAT ANTICHRIST SHALL COME (1 John 2:18)

Revelation 13:18 "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six."

REVIEW OF THE IDENTIFYING MARKS:

1. . . . would deny Jesus is the Christ either by words, actions, or both (1 John 2:22, Titus 1:16).
2. . . . is in a populated area of the world (Revelation 131-2, 17:15).
3. . . . would wear titles attributed to God (Revelation 13:6, Matt 23:8-12).
4. . . . is a kingdom (Revelation 13:1-2, Daniel 7:23).
5. . . . derives it’s authority based on satanic principles or paganism (Revelation 13:1-2, 12:9).
6. . . . is a little kingdom (Daniel 7:8).
7. . . . would conquer three kingdoms (Daniel 7:8, 20, 24).
8. . . . a single person would be leader of this kingdom (Daniel 7:8).
9. . . . the leader’s name or title would add up to 666 (Revelation 13:18).

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THAT THOU MAYEST PROSPER AND BE IN HEALTH, EVEN AS THY SOUL PROSPERETH (3 John 1:2)

PROTECTION AGAINST CANCER

Winston J. Craig, Ph.D., R.D.

More than 130 dietary studies confirm that regularly consuming fruits and vegetables provides significant protection against cancer. The risk of cancer is typically reduced by about 50 percent in those eating many servings of fruit and vegetables every day, compared with those eating few servings. Fruits and vegetables are most effective against those cancers that involve epithelial cells, such as cancers of the lung, cervix, esophagus, stomach, colon, and pancreas. Results from a recent Italian study revealed that the risk of these cancers was 50 to 80 percent less in people who eat lots of vegetables, compared to those who eat just a few. High intake of fruits also provided a substantially reduced risk of many cancers, although the protection was generally less than that seen with vegetable consumption.

A recent study of Greek women noted that vegetable and fruit consumption were associated with significant reductions in the incidence of breast cancer, a cancer claiming the lives of 44,000 women in the U.S. every year. Women who consumed the highest intake of vegetables had a 46 percent lower risk of breast cancer, and women who consumed the highest intake of fruits had a 35 percent lower risk, compared with women who consumed the lowest vegetable and fruit intakes, respectively.

Data collected from China indicates that death rates from colon cancer in that country are 40 percent less and from breast cancer 80 percent less than in the United States. On average, the Chinese consume 60 percent less fat and three times more fiber from fruits, vegetables, and grains than North Americans.

Different fruits and vegetables appear to provide protection against cancer at certain locations. For example, carrots and green, leafy vegetables provide substantial protection against lung cancer. Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower provide useful protection against colon cancer. In fact, regular consumption of cabbage has been shown to decrease the risk of colon cancer by 60 to 70 percent, while the regular use of onions or garlic can decrease the risk of stomach and colon cancer by 50 to 60 percent. Regular consumption of tomatoes and strawberries was found to substantially protect against prostate cancer.

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ANSWERS FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURE OF TRUTH (Daniel 10:21)

QUESTION #1 - Harrisburg - Why doesn't God take away the temptation when I pray that He would?

ANSWER #1 - James 1:3 "Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience." It is these temptations that refine our characters. Just as if you would not use your left arm at all for one month, it would become so weak as compared to the right arm that it would be near useless. Likewise, every temptation that we overcome in Christ’s strength will make us spiritually stronger. Further, as the temptations increase with intensity, count your blessings that God has found you worthy to stand against such a tide remembering that "God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

QUESTION #2 - Harrisburg - What is the significance of the goat lead to the wilderness in the sanctuary?

ANSWER #2 - The goat mentioned is one of two goats which was used in the cleansing of the sanctuary in the Old Testament. The goat in question is found in Leviticus 16:20-22, "And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy [place], and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send [him] away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." The other goat is found in Leviticus 16:15, "Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that [is] for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat." One represented Christ and the other Satan. The one called the sin offering symbolized Jesus as the real offering for sin. Hebrews 9:28 "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." The goat that was led into the wilderness finds fulfillment in Revelation 20:2-3 "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."

QUESTION #3 - Newville - Isn’t the book of Revelation incomprehensible and therefore should not be studied?

ANSWER #3 - What does God say? Revelation 1:3 "Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand." Revelation 22:7 "Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." What makes Revelation so hard to understand is all of the human theories. A good concordance reveals that John quotes 75% of the rest of the Bible. This means that the Bible reveals the hard to understand elements of the prophetic book. This brings up a second point. The book for the most part is not literal, rather it is symbolic. Nobody has seen a seven headed beast, let alone one that is made up of various animal parts. Further, nobody has seen a woman ride a seven headed beast. Is there a "Thus Saith the Lord" to declare the book of revelation to be symbolic? Yes. John records the fact that objects represent something as in the following examples: Revelation 17:15, ". . . The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Revelation 17:18 "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." Revelation 19:10 ". . . for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." There are many other elements that are also symbolic which we may be discovered through proper Bible study.

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