This page is devoted to finding the Truth about scriptures that sometimes baffle us. I do not have all the answers and my answers may not line up with yours, as there is varied beliefs and interpretations of the Scriptures. However, it is God´s desire that we seek His answers to the best of our ability and this is my aim. Sometimes, to find the real Truth, we must put aside our preconceived beliefs and doctrines, and take a fresh look at what the Bible really has to say. Above all, we must each (individually) study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed when He stands before his God. We must not rely on the man´s words, for we are all fallible. Below is the question(s) that I will attempt to answer. This page is not for disputing God´s Word, but feel free to voice your opinion, if you feel I am in the wrong pertaining to specified questions and answers on this page. Periodically, I will post rebuttals of those who in a loving manner disagree. Any rebuttals that I receive that contain negativity, apparent heresy, deception, or bad language, will not be posted. God bless each of you, and I pray this page will be a blessing to many and an eye-opener to others. Tara Hart

Question:

I am interested in knowing more about Adam and the Jews. Can you tell me if Adam and his sons were Jews?

Answer:

Adam and his sons were not technically Jews, but their close descendant were.  I do  believe that Adam and his descendants were a 'foreshadowing' of the nation of Israel. We find that Cain did not believe what Jehovah Elohim declared concerning sin and its penalty. He portrayed this when he offered a sacrifice from the ground (which God had cursed after the fall). Cain grew to hate Abel and thus later he killed his brother. This seems to be a foreshadowing of the Jews, who rejected Christ and delivered him into the hands of the Gentiles to shed His innocent blood.

Abel believed what Jehovah had taught them about the sacrifice of sin. He believed in the substitutionary sacrifice and thus offered his first fruits offering from the flock. Cain's offering was a 'natural offering' and Abel's was a blood offering.

Cain was unregenerate and was cursed by Jehovah. He then left the presence of God and went to live in Nod. There is no genealogy of Cain mentioned in the Bible. It was as though he never existed after he murdered Abel and was sent away. Later when Eve again conceived, she named this son Seth. She proclaimed that Seth was the substitute for Abel.

The beginning of the nations began after the flood; the covenant of Noah and the altar. The first mention of this in the bible was in Genesis 8:20-22.

Genesis 10 expounds on the generations of Noah:
Ham- the meaning of his name is 'Hot, black, sunburnt'. Some believe that he was a black man. Ham did not receive the curse from uncovering his father's nakedness, but his son Canaan did. Nimrod (the mighty hunter) was part of his lineage and was also the founder of Babylon (Satan's stronghold).

The sons of Ham are listed in Genesis 10: 6-20.
During this time period the whole earth had one language, until the tower of babel was built. This was a God defying/man-made confederacy. These people thought to build this tower in an effort to reach heaven and dethrone God himself! For this reason, God confused their language and they all dispersed to other nations (Genesis 11:1-9).

The sons of Japheth are listed in Gen. 10: 2-5
Japheth's name means 'expansion'.  His sons settled and became the nations of Gomer, Magog,Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tirus.  We find these nations mentioned in Ezek. 38, which many believe to be end time prophecy.

The sons of Shem  are listed in  Genesis 10: 21-32.

Shem's meaning is 'Name' and means the family in which Jehovah the 'NAME' will be revealed (Jehovah is the God of Shem). A son (or descendant) of Shem was Abram and his seed became the depository of Jehovah's revelation of Himself.  Moses was also a (son) of Shem (Exodus 3:15). He calls himself the soul of Shem, and this is the birth of the Jews.  Shem's blessings were these:  (1) He was the carrier of the name of Jehovah. (2) He was the controller of Canaan and was master over him.  (3) He was the shelter to Japheth and allowed him to share in his blessing. Japheth dwelt in the tents of Shem and was a partaker of his blessings and responsibility.

Genesis 11:10-26 shows the line of Shem in degeneration:
Terah the father of Abram was an idolator, and many of the descendants of Shem worshipped idols. (Joshua 24:2) when the line of Shem finally failed, God called Abram. Terah went to Ur to go into the land of Canaan and after his death came the Abrahamic covenant with God. (Gen. 11:27-32; 12: 1-20). Abraham was the father of the people of Israel. It was the Sovereign Grace of God that called Abraham. Jehovah because of Shem's descendants' departing from God, called Abraham and made a covenant with him that still stands today. Abraham's name is mentioned 74 times in the New Testament, which attests to the fact of the continuing covenant.

May His Spirit breathe on you the peace that passes all understanding, happiness that surrounds you daily, and may He overwhelm your heart with the perfect, unconditional love of Christ Jesus.--  Tara Hart © 2003

Question:

Why did Jesus forbid Mary (at the tomb) from touching Him, while later the same day, the other women embraced his ankles?

Answer:

Many have suggested that this passage contains a contradiction, and thus they blame the supposed error on the writers of the New Testament. It is true that all four writers wrote the happenings as they remembered them as being. These men of God were eyewitnesses, to the scenarios played out while Jesus resided on Earth. As such, these men being individuals, saw each happening with their own eyes and made their own determinations. If we were to take 100 people, and show them the same picture and asked them to describe the picture in detail, chances are most of them would see it differently. There is no contradiction here, merely a time frame that has made many misunderstand the sequence of events. Jesus had resurrected from the grave, Mary had already seen the evidence and had heard the angels proclaiming that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, but risen.

John 20:17

“Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brethren and tell them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”

Matthew 28:9-10

“And as they went, behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they went up to Him and clasped His feet and worshipped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be alarmed and afraid; go and tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Can you see the difference here? In the first account, Mary was forbidden to touch Jesus because He was apparently anxious to go to His Father, and had no time to explain His resurrection at this point. He did not want her to detain Him from His duties to the Father. At this point, He meant only to cause Mary to be His messenger of good news. Jesus had a mission to accomplish and that was to present Himself to God, with His precious blood in heaven. (Hebrews 9:11-12).

Later in the day, and after Jesus had accomplished His mission and returned to Earth, then the women were freely allowed to clutch him around the ankles and worship Him. They knew then that He truly was the risen Savior.

So, we see here, that the first encounter of Jesus was with Mary, and the second encounter included a group of women and Mary. The message of the first encounter was for Mary to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen and was going to the Father. The next time He met them was hours later, after He had accomplished in mission in Heaven. Then He told them to tell the disciples He would meet them in Galilee. – Tara Hart © 2002

Question:

In the distressing times that we now find ourselves living in, is there any promise that God will protect us through all that we may have to encounter? Will He really be there when we need His help?

Answer:

The answer to that question is a resounding Yes! There are many examples of God´s protection in both the Old and New Testament. God has always stood on His Word, and His Word never fails. In the book of Isaiah 54:17, we find these comforting words about protection. “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper, and every tongue that will raise against you in judgment you will show to be in the wrong. This peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition is the heritage of the servants of the Lord; those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced. This is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me, this is that which I impart to them as their justification, says the Lord. In this verse, we are reminded that this is a promise from Almighty God, a promise of protection. Every day, we as Christians step into a world that knows little about Jesus or His Gospel. We often encounter threats and dangers from the ungodly of this world, but we are assured, God is in charge. We must always look upward, knowing that He has said in Matthew 28:20: “Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion) to the very close and consummation of the age.” In Psalm 46:1-2, we find more confidence of protection. “God is our Refuge and Strength (mighty and impenetrable to temptation), a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the sea.”

We are not guaranteed a trouble free ride in this life, bad things do sometimes happen to good people. But we have the assurance that Nothing, nothing at all, will happen to us that is outside of the will of God. In the midst of this world´s chaos, we can be more than creatures of circumstance by standing on God´s promises and His provision. We must be people of God who are ‘redesigned´ by the presence of the Holy Spirit, strong sons of God who reject the spirit of fear that can consume our lives. We must claim the promises that He has so generously afforded us, and stand on those promises until the victory breaks through!

2Timothy 1:7, should be our motto in the days in which we now live. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear. But He has given us a spirit of power, of love; and of a calm and well balanced mind; discipline and self-control.”

Psalm 91: 1-16, promises so much to those who truly walk in His ways and obeys His will. We would do well to read this psalm everyday to remind us He is in control.

“He Who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty, Whose power no foe can withstand. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him, I confidently trust! For then, He will deliver me from the snare of the fowler (the hunter) and from the deadly pestilence (raging epidemic). Then, He will cover me with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; his truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day. Neither of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprises and lay waste at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only a spectator shall you be, yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High, as you witness the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High, your dwelling place. There shall no evil befall you, nor will any plague or calamity come near your tent (home). For He will give His angels special charge over you, to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways of obedience and service. They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Luke 4:10-11; Hebrews 1:14). You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. (Luke 10:19). Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name and has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love and kindness. He trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no never! He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.”