random bible ish on my mind...

one of the reasons why the kjv isn't favored today isn't just that they somewhat FOUND more reliable bible manuscripts, even though that's the gist of it...

kjv has REALLY strong words against women who sell themselves out to other husbands; the modern bibles call these people prostitutes; kjv calls them whores.

the kjv has STRONG language against homosexuals too; calling them sodomites. calling what they do abominations, fornications.

there's probably others.

now, some of you may be saying, is this language necessary? aren't we basically degrading women or gays with this language?

hold on... think about it... THAT'S how much god hates our sin. when it is labelled like this, it is supposed to draw up a mirror and force you to look deep inside of you; human reaction to being called a whore or a sodomite is naturally to lash back in anger, compared to being called a prostitute. we simply don't LIKE being called this. but god's intention is to show us just how much he loathes our sin, in the hopes that we'd become disappointed of ourselves and wish to changes ourselves back.

unfortunately, like i've pointed out, human condition is not to change ourselves when we hear this, but change our speaker.

and i want you to realize(i'll have to confirm it), that allegedly, one of the chief editors for the niv was an admitted lesbian. think about that.

but anyways, here's some verses of note as i was reading today; all of them come from romans 1.

romans 1:25(it's talking about unrighteous men here)
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

the 1st portion of the verse; i'll keep from saying anything and let you interpret it; who do you think would change the truth of God into a lie, and how would they do it?

other verses:

romans 1:26-27
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

so now you can't say god only condemned homosexuality in the old testament; that line just doesn't work no more.

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but as i was trying to do some looking on a kjv bible search tool for sodomities in the bible on my cpu, this verse interestingly popped up:

revelations 11:8
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

why is this important, and why did it strike me?

think about all that i've said about alexandria, egypt during biblical times... it was the area where people kept an open mind to everything, the science and technology pinnacle of the world. from these places, the corrupt biblical manuscripts, vaticanus and sinaiticus were born.

sodom i don't need to get into.

but those two words aren't exactly that far off describing today's modern world; egypt(due to technology and our open-mindedness and stuff like that) and sodom(sf, anybody?)

now, the dead bodies that this verse refers to are the two "witnesses" that prophesy about god a thousand, 2 hundred and 3score days, or 1,260 days, then get killed by the people of this world.

now, when a freshman in college, back for the summer, i remember learning that in sunday school, these "witnesses" were supposedly not yet appeared on the earth, that'd it appear sometime when the antichrist comes. supposedly, these prophets would be moses and maybe elijah.

but i've learned something else this year concerning these 2 witnesses.

look at revelations 11:3-4
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

2 olive trees, and 2 candlesticks huh?

and now, go read zechariah 4 in the kjv; in fact, here

so now, the interpretation was that this HAS happened already; what i've read suggested that during some dark ages when the roman catholic church had full grasp of its power, the bible was forbidden or something to that degree. and that days here doesn't really mean days as in 24 hrs, but years, because days are like years and years like days to god.

i don't have the exact words of the writer in front of me right now, but if i can remember to come back and show you it, then i'll do so.