By Bob Barney

This is a study on forgiveness using The Plain Truth's very own Bible. This is God's Holy Word that has been put in chronological order and has Jesus' words in Red Letter in the Old Testament and the New Testament. 

Matthew 6:9-13 

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be kept holy.
¹⁰ May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
    as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today the food we need,
¹² and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
¹³ And don’t let us yield to temptation,
    but rescue us from the evil one.

This is the second installment on an article I wrote about the misconception that many have about forgiving others. It seems that most think that Christ told us to forgive what evil things people do to OTHER PEOPLE.  He did not.  Check the Lord's Prayer above and notice the reference to that big "US" in it.   He did not say, 'others'!  Jesus did not say, "as we have forgiven those who sin against them, or him, or her". 

The Plain Truth is, we are to forgive those who sin against us!

Consider the following examples:

The following is from The Plain Truth's Red Letter Bible, where every word of Christ is in RED, including in the Old Testament!  

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The Prophets:

Isaiah 53

THE SUFFERING CHRIST:

            The part of Isaiah not usually read by Jews today. It is about the suffering Christ.

1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD(Jesus)'s power been revealed?

                        The answer to this is Christians. JOHN 12:38   Romans 10:16

2 He grew up in his presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him.

                        Jesus was ordinary looking! In fact, people could not pick him out in a crowd. Even though he taught everyday in the Temple, the High Priest needed Judas to point Jesus out to the soldiers! He was that ordinary          looking!

3 He was despised and rejected. A man of sorrows, familiar with suffering. He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces, and we didn't consider Him to be worth anything.

                        Jews today, claim their Messiah would come as a king. This shows that he was to come like Jesus        did! Adam his his face from Jesus, so did the Jews, so do many today!  Matthew 27:30    Hebrews 4:15                John 1:10

4 He certainly has taken upon himself our suffering and carried our sorrows, but we thought that God(Elohim/Theos) had wounded Him, beat Him, and punished Him.

                        The Jews believed him to be a sinner, beat him and killed him.  Matthew 8:17     1 Peter 2:24

                        literally, "But yet He hath taken (or borne) our sicknesses," that is, they who despised Him because of His human infirmities ought rather to have esteemed Him on account of them; for thereby "Himself took           OUR infirmities" (bodily diseases). So Matthew 8:17quotes it. In the Hebrew for "borne," or took, there is probably the double notion, He took on Himself vicariously (so Isaiah 53:5Isaiah 53:6Isaiah 53:8Isaiah       53:12 ), and so He took away; His perfect humanity whereby He was bodily afflicted for us, and in all our       afflictions ( Isaiah 63:9, Hebrews 4:15) was the ground on which He cured the sick; so that Matthew's          quotation is not a mere accommodation. See Note 42 of ARCHBISHOP MAGEE, Atonement. The Hebrew        there may mean to overwhelm with darkness; Messiah's time of darkness was temporary (Matthew 27:45),       answering to the bruising of His heel; Satan's is to be eternal, answering to the bruising of his head (compare          Isaiah 50:10). 
                        carried . . . sorrows--The notion of substitution strictly. "Carried," namely, as a burden. "Sorrows,"     that is, pains of the mind; as "griefs" refer to pains of the body ( Psalms 32:10, 38:17). Matthew 8:17might       seem to oppose this: "And bare our sicknesses." But he uses "sicknesses" figuratively for sins, the cause of             them. Christ took on Himself all man's "infirmities;" so as to remove them; the bodily by direct miracle,           grounded on His participation in human infirmities; those of the soul by His vicarious suffering, which did      away with the source of both. Sin and sickness are ethically connected as cause and effect ( Isaiah 33:24,     Psalms 103:3, Matthew 9:2, John 5:14, 5:15). (Jamieson)

5 He was pierced for our lawlessness. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so that we could have peace.  He was whipped, and {by His wounds} we were healed!

                        He was killed because of sin. Sin is the breaking of the Law! Christ did not come to take away the       Law, but to take away the punishment for breaking the Law. The Law is still in force and always be – we are   freed from the PENALTY of sin.   Romans 4:25  1 Peter 2:24

                        -a bodily wound; not mere mental sorrow; literally, "pierced" as I used here; minutely appropriate to   Messiah, whose hands, feet, and side were pierced ( Psalms 22:16). The Margin, wrongly, from a Hebrew        root, translates, "tormented."

6 We have all strayed like sheep. Each one of us has turned to go his own way, and the LORD(Jesus) has laid all our sins on Him.

                        We are all sinners (1 John).  In fact, if we say we have no sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us!    Why is there suffering today? This is the answer. We have all gone our own way, a way opposite of God's Way           (HIS LAW). And death and sorrow is our reward! Christ came to pay off this debt-with His blood. In         2 Corinthians 5:21; He was not merely a sin offering (which would destroy the antithesis to   "righteousness"), but "sin for us"; sin itself vicariously; the representative of the aggregate sin of all    mankind; not sins in the plural, for the "sin" of the world is one ( Romans 5:16Romans 5:17); thus we are      made not merely righteous, but righteousness, even "the righteousness of God." The innocent was punished        as if guilty, that the guilty might be rewarded as if innocent. This verse could be said of no mere martyr.

7 He was abused and punished, yet He never said a word! He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He was like a sheep that is silent when its wool is cut off.

                                    He is our Passover lamb!            John 19:9

8 He was arrested, taken away, and judged. Who would have thought that He would be removed from the world? He was killed because of my people's sins.

                        Matthew 27:11-25    removed from the world-- He is in Heaven

                        Acts 8:33; translate as the Septuagint: "In His humiliation His judgment (legal trial) was taken          away"; the virtual sense of the Hebrew as rendered by LOWTH and sanctioned by the inspired writer of Acts; He was treated as one so mean that a fair trial was denied Him ( Matthew 26:5914:55-59). HORSLEY     translates, "After condemnation and judgment He was accepted."

9 He was laid in a tomb like a criminal. He was put there with the rich when He died, although He had done nothing violent and had never spoken a lie.

                        Christ fulfilled this by dying (by crucifying Him with two thieves, Matthew 27:38)  and being buried in a rich man's unused tomb; his uncle two rich men honored Him at His death, Joseph of Arimathæa. Christ  never lied, only truth was in Him. The Devil is a liar and no truth is in him.

10Yet it pleased theLORD(Jesus) to punish Him with suffering. 

When YOU{God the father} make His life a sacrifice for our wrongdoings, He will have a multitude of children, many heirs. The will of the LORD(Jesus) will succeed through Him.

                        They were voluntarily borne by Messiah, in order that thereby He might "do Jehovah's will" ( John      6:38 , Hebrews 10:7Hebrews 10:9), as to man's redemption; so at the end of the verse, "the pleasure of the     LORD shall prosper in His hand."

                        The Margin rightly makes the prophet in the name of Yahweh Himself to speak in this verse.

11When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of what He has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.

                        Yahwehis still speaking according to Jamieson. my . . . servant--Messiah ( Isaiah 42:1, 52:13).

12 So I will give Him a share among the mighty, and He will divide the prize with the strong, because He poured out His life(soul-nephesh) in death and He was counted with  the sinners. He carried the sins of many. He intercedes for those who are lawless {sinners}.

                        IN DEATH-- Jesus died, just as we do. His soul DIED! The word here in Hebrew is nephesh, translated “soul” by the KJV. The same word used in Genesis chapter 1 “and man became a living soul-nephesh.  The best translation for nephesh is a living being- and when speaking of death, the best translation is dead being, or as I translated this here “his life in death.” If not for the power of the FATHER and the resurrection, Christ would still be in the grave awaiting the resuurection of the dead. We see later that ONLY Christ, thus far, has been “born again,” or resurrected from the dead. All of the rest of mankind are still in their graves sleeping! See 1 Corinthians 15.

                        Isaiah 53 plainly speaks of the suffering Messiah – and only Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy- HE IS OUR LORD and SAVIOR.

NOW IN PRINT ~ PART 1 of a 4 Volume Series in Paperback! 

There is no Bible like this Bible!

This will be the most unique Bible you have ever read. First and foremost, did you know that the modern Bibles available today are not arranged in the correct chronological order? Yes, you read that right. They do not even have the correct number of books! We have presented the Old Testament in its correct order. This Bible also is extra special because it has every word of God in RED in both the Old Testament and New Testament! That means that even all of Jesus' words that He spoke as Yahweh are also going to jump off the pages!  The author's intent was to make not only an accurate presentation of God's Word but to create a style of writing that makes the King James version easy to understand.  This Bible is also revolutionary as it translates properly what has been mistranslated in the King James versions and all English Bibles printed thereafter. 

You will have a wonderful experience reading this Bible because it will help you continue to discover WHO God is and who you are in Him! We hope that as you read this Bible, God's Truth's will be made clear as to your true identity as a child of God! You will be reading the most beautiful story ever told. 

Author Joe Kovacs talks with host Scott Laird on "Shabbat Night Live" on Friday, June 17, 2022. (Video screenshot)

One of the most intriguing mysteries in the entire Bible is the famous phrase concerning a plague on the land of Egypt when God told Moses, "there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt" (Exodus 10:21 CSB).

The story also notes "there was thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days" (Exodus 10:22 CSB).

But what do these cryptic events connote?

The author of a brand-new book illuminating the hidden content of Holy Scripture is now shining the light of clarity on these mysteries on the popular Bible TV show, "Shabbat Night Live."  (WATCH THE EPISODES BELOW.)

"The Bible brings up darkness many times, many different examples from the Old Testament to the New," says Joe Kovacs, author of "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything."

"God is light as we know, the Bible makes no secret about that: 'God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all' (1 John 1:5 NLT). But what is darkness?"

Kovacs explained that Jesus spoke exclusively in allegories called parables (Matthew 13:34), and the term "darkness" itself is packing a metaphorical meaning on the Spirit level, since people themselves are made up of darkness, specifically the dust of the earth as is mentioned in Genesis 2:7.

"The earth, as you know, is dark. Soil is dark. It's not a bright light like the sun is. So WE, on the spirit level of God speed, are considered the darkness, and the Bible uses the term darkness many times to refer to people."

"Here's one Scripture that may seem a little obscure to people: 'See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples' (Isaiah 60:2 NIV).

"That's saying the same thing twice. Darkness covers the earth. Again, at God speed, we are the earth (Genesis 2:7). This is our darkness. It doesn't matter what kind of complexion you have. We, as physical beings, are darkness. And thick darkness is over what? The peoples! 'Cause we are the peoples. The earth is the peoples. If you know how to read the poetry of the Bible, darkness is us. It's our flesh. We are the peoples. So darkness is the human condition in our fleshly state.

"Reaching God Speed" is published by Fidelis Books, a division of Post Hill Press.

(Note: Due to extraordinary demand, Amazon has temporarily sold out of hardcover editions of this book, but paperbacks are still available. The publisher is reprinting hardcovers at this time. Meanwhile, hardcover versions may still be available through other booksellers, including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and ConservativeReaders.)

A brand-new book awakening people's minds to the hidden, Spirit content of the Bible was released as an audiobook on Wednesday, with no charge for those who sign up for a free trial on Audible.

The best-seller now being heard is "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secrets Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything" by author Joe Kovacs.

"I am truly grateful and humbled that 'Reaching God Speed' now has an audible voice broadcasting the significant messages of God conveyed in the book," says Kovacs.

"Scripture says 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Romans 10:17 NKJV), so hopefully this will increase everyone's faith substantially.

"Jesus also said: 'If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear' (Mark 4:23 NKJV). So I pray this new tool will help people open their ears so they can better understand what's being broadcast on the Spirit or parable level of Scripture, what I call 'God speed.'"

If consumers choose not to use Audible's free trial, the cost of the audiobook is $24.95 on Audible and $21.83 on Amazon, and a free audio sample of the reading can be heard at both those locations.

"Post Hill Press is honored to publish Joe Kovacs' brilliant book," said Anthony Ziccardi, the company's publisher.

"Joe brings to our everyday life a better understanding of Scripture and many of the world's great mysteries."

One of those mysteries unleashed worldwide this week by God's Holy Spirit deals with a key verse about the resurrection of Jesus, which Kovacs says packs an astounding double and triple meaning when we open our spiritual ears to hear.

The author says the sentence to focus on in John 20:1 is: "She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb."

"Beyond the physical event that everyone already understands," Kovacs explains, "there is a Spirit-based parable message being aired here, and to grasp its meaning, we only need to connect the dots with the rest of the Bible. It's actually quite easy and fun to do."

"Let's start with the stone. We all know what a stone is. It's a rock. And who famously is called a rock as well as a stone in the Bible? Yes, it's Jesus Himself!"

Just a few of the verses calling Jesus a rock or stone include:

Drug addiction, depravity, cheating with his dead brother's widow and very murky finances: TOM LEONARD on the explosive book by the ex-wife of Joe Biden's scandal-ravaged son Hunter that is causing a new nightmare for the President

They'd been married for 22 years when Kathleen Buhle (inset) made the appalling discovery in 2015 that her husband, the father of her three daughters, was hopelessly addicted to drink, drugs and sex. While this sort of tale of sordid excess certainly has a familiar ring to it, Kathleen wasn't married to yet another troubled Hollywood star but to Hunter Biden (right), the son of the U.S. President (left). Kathleen would later learn that Hunter - whom she'd met when they were serving together in their 20s in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps - frequently hired prostitutes, obsessively trawled through internet porn and had such a serious drug problem that she found a crack cocaine pipe in their ashtray. Worst of all, he had an affair with his own brother's widow - a shocking development even for someone as depraved as Hunter, 52, and a discovery that Kathleen reveals was only made after their children saw incriminating text messages on his phone.

The Place of the Skull, also called Golgotha and Calvary, in Jerusalem, Israel (Wikimedia Commons)

An apparent biblical "dilemma" regarding the precise location where Jesus was crucified has caught the attention of a major newspaper in Israel.

As WND reported last week, it's no secret that Jesus was put to death in Jerusalem, according to the New Testament gospels. But some often wonder about a cryptic statement in the book of Revelation indicating He was crucified in "Sodom and Egypt," two other locations, neither of which is Jerusalem.

Now, Jerusalem Post reporter Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, a journalist based in the general environs of the actual event, is digging into the issue of the crucifixion.

"The verses in Matthew 27:32-56, Mark 15:21-38, Luke 23:26-49 and John 19:16-37describe Jesus as being brought to the 'Place of a Skull,'" Berkowitz reports.

Most scholars accept these verses at face value and believe that Jesus was crucified at a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls called Golgotha that was accessible to passers-by and observable from some distance away."

His report in the Jerusalem Post continues:

Eusebius of Caesarea, a fourth-century Greek historian of Christianity, identified its location only as being north of Mount Zion.

The name Golgotha is derived from Goolgolet, the Hebrew word for skull. Similarly, in Aramaic Golgotha means "place of the skull." The Latin word for skull is calvaria, and in English, many Christians refer to the site of the crucifixion as Calvary.

This is supposedly a reference to either the skull-like appearance of the rock face and/or the presence of bones at the site.

The Gospel of John states there was a garden at Golgotha and an unused tomb owned by a prominent rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, into which Jesus’ body was placed. This tomb is believed by some to be a site known today as the Garden Tomb.

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As Jesus had relatively few disciples at the time of his crucifixion, no church or landmark was raised at the site until the fourth century when Constantine ordered the construction of a basilica at the site he believed was Golgotha. This later became known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israel (Image by Anna Sulencka from Pixabay)

The authenticity of this site was questioned as it stands inside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. Archaeologists have uncovered remains of other walls that may have existed at the time of Jesus that would put the basilica outside the city walls.

As a result, there is some dispute over the precise location of events.

 

Is it possible that one intriguing statement from the popular "Star Wars" film franchise sums up God's ultimate purpose and destination for mankind?

The movie in question is the classic "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back."

MORE

A brand-new book unsealing hundreds of Bible prophecies as it unlocks God's hidden broadcast is already receiving sparkling acclaim upon its launch today.

"Reaching God Speed" by best-selling author Joe Kovacs, known for his "Shocked by the Bible" series, is being called "eye-opening," "inspiring and insightful," "lighthearted" and "penetrating" by top believers of Holy Scripture. Hollywood legend and Christian champion Chuck Norris calls it: "Another inspiring and insightful book and resource on the Bible by Joe Kovacs."

David Kupelian, journalist and author of "The Marketing of Evil," raves: "Even though there's nothing more important in this life than discerning God's direction and meaning for our lives, it's easy to miss in a world that always seems headed in the other direction. Fortunately, in 'Reaching God Speed,' author Joe Kovacs, in a disarmingly lighthearted yet earnest and penetrating way, coaches the reader in how to detect God's transcendent and redemptive message in every area of life, even the most improbable."

Joseph Farah, author of "The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament," says: "Joe Kovacs has done it again! Forget 'Shocked by the Bible' and 'Shocked by the Bible 2', though they are masterful books about Scripture. Now he unlocks the hidden principles of God to help you know every jot and tittle."

George Burns as God in 1977's 'Oh, God!'

Bob Barney, editor of ThePlainTruth.com, writes: "Everyone understands the enemy's message permeates our world. Even in the classic comedy film 'Oh, God!,' George Burns noted how 'Nobody had any problem believing that the devil took over and existed in a little girl. All she had to do was wet the rug, throw up some pea soup and everybody believed. The devil you could believe, but not God?'

"This is so true because few ministers or people of faith realize God is actually everywhere and involved in every single thing. That includes the books we read, the music we listen to and the movies we watch. We witness a spectacular dawn and we thank God for it. We understand the Creator made the clear, beautiful morning, but often don't realize the same God inspired some author, even those who hate or reject God, to deliver His messages of hope and warning in popular movies.

"Joe Kovacs' new book, 'Reaching God Speed,' explains what most of us do not know about the real God. It's an eye-opening work that will make us better understand that in everything we do, God is present with HIS MESSAGE! So even though the devil may be embedded in music, God is also there, and deeper still!"

"Reaching God Speed" is nothing short of a biblical breakthrough, cracking the divine code on hundreds of Bible passages – both well-known and obscure – to reveal the higher meaning of the verses, going beyond the obvious physical meaning to shine light on what God is broadcasting on the Spirit level, what he calls the incredibly quick and alive "God speed."

"We've all been operating at human speed, relying on our own physical power and our five senses. But there is something extremely important we've all been missing. It holds the key to everything good – the key to life, success, happiness, peace of mind and understanding beyond our wildest imagination. It's perhaps the best-kept secret in the history of mankind and it packs a staggering, invigorating message about our own personal lives and futures being broadcast on all frequencies. All we have to do is open our eyes and ears."

What is God speed?

"It's the template revealing the way the Creator of the universe thinks, operates and teaches," Kovacs explains. "It is the higher speed or spirit level at which God broadcasts to us, embedding His message in everything."

He says millions of people already understand God speed to some degree, pointing to Jesus' simple example.

"Most everyone already knows that when Jesus tells His apostle Peter to feed His sheep, He is not talking about a group of physical animals penned up behind His house that need to be fed.

"He's talking about providing His followers the spiritual food they need to grow toward eternal life, because the sheep actually represent PEOPLE. This same approach of listening beyond the physical and hearing things on another level, the spirit level, can be applied to the entire Bible, opening up countless Scriptures to amazing, new understanding."

Kovacs is confident even readers with little previous knowledge of Scripture will finally know the secrets of famous Bible events, including mysteries the so-called "experts" have little clue about.

"Reaching God Speed" features a myriad of stunning biblical revelations, as the book:

• Illuminates the reason the darkness of night will ultimately be eliminated, and only never-ending light will exist
• Discloses the amazing reason Revelation says Jesus was crucified in Sodom and Egypt, while the gospels indicate he was executed at Jerusalem

• Broadcasts the never-before-trumpeted meaning of the Exodus out of Egypt. The ancient event in the days of Moses is actually a picture of something tremendous and glorious that's still to come in your future

• Explains the incredible meaning behind serpents crawling on their bellies
• Dishes the astounding secret behind the Second Passover, and the fantastic future it holds for billions of people
• Solves with clarity three of the greatest mysteries in Scripture, unveiling the surprisingly simple meaning of "the beast," "the number of the beast" and "the mark of the beast"

• Investigates the double meaning concerning "Doubting Thomas," and the stunning good news it contains for everyone who's ever doubted God or any Bible story

• Announces the unheard, spirit meaning regarding raising children
• Shines the light on why ancient Egyptians were paralyzed with three straight days of darkness, while God's people in Goshen had light in their dwellings
• Illuminates the surprising and inspiring meaning of a "darkness that can be felt" (Hint: it's something you can do right this second)

• Explains what Jesus specifically meant by "outer darkness"

• Clearly reveals why the Bible repeatedly mentions pagan peoples such as Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Girgashites, Jebusites and Hivites. It goes far beyond these ancient tribes with tough-to-pronounce names, as it actually refers to certain people alive today with whom you deal every day
• Tells why Scripture so often talks about thorns and thistles. They're far more than just sharp prickers growing in your garden
• Explores the untold meaning of the conflict between David and Goliath: it has gigantic significance that Sunday-school teachers seem to have missed

• Fishes out astonishing secret messages God has embedded in the famous story of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish. The scales will finally fall off your eyes when you finally see what you've been missing

• Easily explains how God embeds hidden messages forecasting the future in the physical, historical events recorded in Scripture
• Examines the miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding, revealing why this famous event took place "on the third day," why water was poured into six large containers, and why its instant transformation into the most perfect wine has a sublime meaning that goes far beyond what anyone has ever discussed
• Unwraps the secret messages concerning the human birth of God, including the spirit significance of Jesus in a manger, the real reason the shepherds "returned," and the never-trumpeted, majestic picture the entire story depicts for your own glorious future

• Unmasks the miracle of the blind man healed by washing mud off his eyes. Clue: There's something intriguing about the mud that becomes obvious when we connect the dots in Scripture

• Reveals the incredible reason the Bible constantly mentions "three days" in both the Old and New Testaments. It goes far beyond the time Jesus spent in the heart of the earth.
• Unveils the sublime, additional meanings emanating from "Let there be light" and "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." There's much more to the beginning than you've ever imagined. Plus hundreds more ...

Besides Scripture itself, the book also probes God's hidden messages embedded in popular movies, hit songs from (Adele and the Beatles to Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin), the stories we tell our children, everyday phrases we all say, famous commercial campaigns, historic news events, nature itself, and typical life activities such as such as inhaling every breath you take, sleeping, waking up and many more.

Even before its release Tuesday, "Reaching God Speed" already hit the top spot in Amazon categories such as "Musical Philosophy & Social Aspects" as well as #1 and #2 (Kindle edition) in Spiritual Self-Help, and #5 and #11 in Christian Personal Growth.

A month before its official release, an exciting new book revealing hundreds of mysteries from the Bible and your personal life soared this week to the top position in more than one best-seller category on Amazon.com, ahead of books by Joel Osteen, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen.

Scheduled for release Jan. 25, "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything" by Joe Kovacs hit the top spot in "Musical Philosophy & Social Aspects" as well as #1 and #2 (Kindle edition) in Spiritual Self-Help, and #5 and #11 in Christian Personal Growth.

"Scores of songs have been decoded using the Spirit of God to reveal what millions of people have missed when listening to their favorite tunes on the air. It's astonishing to understand who the true Author of these hits actually is, and the inspiring messages He's broadcasting in these chart-toppers."

The book also probes God's hidden messages in popular movies, the stories we tell our children, famous commercial campaigns, historic news events, everyday sayings we utter, nature itself, and typical life activities such as such as inhaling every breath you take, sleeping, waking up and many more.

"Reaching God Speed" features a myriad of stunning biblical revelations, as the book:

Read More

Surpasses works by Joel Osteen, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen

A month before its official release, an exciting new book revealing hundreds of mysteries from the Bible and your personal life soared this week to the top position in more than one best-seller category on Amazon.com, ahead of books by Joel Osteen, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen.

Scheduled for release Jan. 25, "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything" by Joe Kovacs hit the top spot in "Musical Philosophy & Social Aspects" as well as #1 and #2 (Kindle edition) in Spiritual Self-Help, and #5 and #11 in Christian Personal Growth.

"I am so inspired and humbled to see that despite all the turmoil in our present world, many people have a strong desire to learn hidden truths about God and their own glorious future," said Kovacs, known for his best-selling "Shocked by the Bible" series.

"Perhaps the exponential spread of evil and persecution we're seeing are actually awakening ordinary folks to find truthful answers that have not been forthcoming from the dark powers that be. This book has the answers that people today are hungering for."

"It's especially thrilling to see 'Reaching God Speed' performing well against books by powerhouse names including Joel Osteen, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen," Kovacs added. "It reminds me of the days in 2008 when 'Shocked by the Bible' first debuted, it ranked #1 ahead of a popular 'NOBAMA' product being sold during the presidential election that year."

The theme of Kovacs' new book suggests we've all been missing something extraordinary in life, and that we can discover and understand the secret to everything that takes place in our daily lives, while unlocking hundreds of Bible mysteries that are rarely, if ever, discussed in most churches.

"The secrets become revealed when we make the jump from using our five physical senses, or 'human speed,' to applying the very Spirit of God Himself, reaching what I call 'God speed,'" says Kovacs.

Readers may wonder why it ranks #1 in "Musical Philosophy & Social Aspects" on Amazon.

"It's because the book opens with an in-depth probe of the most popular songs of all time on the radio, revealing the hidden messages they're all voicing," Kovacs explains.

"I'm talking about the biggest hits in history, songs we all know and love, from top artists and bands including the Beatles, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Adele, U2, Frank Sinatra, Don McLean, Lady Gaga, Pink, the Cars, Simple Minds, the Doors, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, Madonna, the Who, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, the Cranberries, Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, Aerosmith, Paul McCartney and countless others."

"Scores of songs have been decoded using the Spirit of God to reveal what millions of people have missed when listening to their favorite tunes on the air. It's astonishing to understand who the true Author of these hits actually is, and the inspiring messages He's broadcasting in these chart-toppers."

The book also probes God's hidden messages in popular movies, the stories we tell our children, famous commercial campaigns, historic news events, everyday sayings we utter, nature itself, and typical life activities such as such as inhaling every breath you take, sleeping, waking up and many more.

"Reaching God Speed" features a myriad of stunning biblical revelations, as the book:

• Easily explains how God embeds hidden messages forecasting the future in the physical, historical events recorded in Scripture

• Solves with clarity three of the greatest mysteries in Scripture, unveiling the surprisingly simple meaning of "the beast," "the number of the beast" and "the mark of the beast"
• • Examines the miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding, revealing why this famous event took place "on the third day," why water was poured into six large containers, and why its instant transformation into the most perfect wine has a sublime meaning that goes far beyond what anyone has ever discussed
  • Unwraps the secret messages concerning the human birth of God, including the spirit significance of Jesus in a manger, the real reason the shepherds "returned," and the never-trumpeted, majestic picture the entire story depicts for your own glorious future
  • Unmasks the miracle of the blind man healed by washing mud off his eyes. Clue: There's something intriguing about the mud that becomes obvious when we connect the dots in Scripture
  • Reveals the incredible reason the Bible constantly mentions "three days" in both the Old and New Testaments. It goes far beyond the time Jesus spent in the heart of the earth.
  • • Unveils the sublime, additional meanings emanating from "Let there be light" and "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." There's much more to the beginning than you've ever imagined. Plus hundreds more ...

    "Reaching God Speed" will be officially released on Jan. 25, but is available for pre-order now, with much more information available at ReachingGodSpeed.com.

    Those wishing to contact Joe Kovacs can email him here.

    Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

It can be called breathtaking, because it's exactly that on all levels.

Every breath you take is packing an astonishing secret for your life not only at the present moment, but also for your glorious future, according to the best-selling author of a brand-new, inspiring book probing countless mysteries, including many from the Bible.

"We may not realize it, but every single breath we take should be filling us with amazement and hope because it's not merely a physical action, it's actually broadcasting a secret and impressive message from the Bible that few people ever consider," says Joe Kovacs, author of "REACHING GOD SPEED: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything."

"To unlock the mystery, we have to use the divine keys that are provided in the Bible itself."

"Here are some of the simple keys that will help unlock not only the hidden message in every breath we take, but in countless other areas of life we experience on a daily basis," says Kovacs.

"The first is Romans 1:20, which explains God's invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature 'have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made.' So we know just by examining anything in our created world, we can understand more about God and His Master Plan.

"Another is Isaiah 46:10, which tells us that God declares 'the end from the beginning.' What this indicates is that God is telling us the end of the story, the conclusion of all things, right from the start. So as we study not only the Bible, but everything we deal with in life, we can see an obvious pattern of the final outcome of events being revealed from the beginning.

"Yet another key is Matthew 13:34: 'Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable.' Millions already know that Jesus employed the parable teaching method, using stories and symbols to hide His message from the general populace of the world, but to reveal it to His true disciples with eyes to see and ears to hear. But what is often missed is that Jesus 'did not tell them anything without a parable.' In other words, everything is a parable. Not only is there a human, physical meaning to everything, there is an additional meaning on the spirit level of God speed."

Once these dots are connected, the author says, it becomes fairly simple to decode virtually anything, including the hidden message inside our human breathing.

"We already know inhaling fresh air into our lungs is what keeps us alive from moment to moment," says Kovacs. "If our breathing completely stops, we physically die rather quickly. So breathing is a natural form of life support. Why is this? Because breath itself comes from God (it's actually a representation of God), and He's loaning it to us on a temporary basis in our current bodies made of dust."

"To understand this, let's go back to the beginning to be reminded of our ancient past: 'And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being' (Genesis 2:7 NKJV).

"The Book of Job also notes: 'The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life' (Job 33:4 CSB).

"Thus, breath represents the Spirit, the very presence of God, providing us life not only in the present, but the future as well. It's easy to understand how breath sustains us now in our physical bodies. But if we read Genesis 2:7 again, keeping in mind how God declares the end from the beginning, we're actually being told the conclusion of our story."

This breathtaking understanding is just one of hundreds of mysteries unlocked in "Reaching God Speed," which features a myriad of stunning revelations, as the book:

• Easily explains how God embeds hidden messages forecasting the future in the physical, historical events recorded in Scripture
  • Solves with clarity three of the greatest mysteries in Scripture, unveiling the surprisingly simple meaning of "the beast," "the number of the beast" and "the mark of the beast"
  • Examines the miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding, revealing why this famous event took place "on the third day," why water was poured into six large containers, and why its instant transformation into the most perfect wine has a sublime meaning that goes far beyond what anyone has ever discussed
  • Unwraps the secret messages concerning the human birth of God, including the spirit significance of Jesus in a manger, the real reason the shepherds "returned," and the never-trumpeted, majestic picture the entire story depicts for your own glorious future
  • Unmasks the miracle of the blind man healed by washing mud off his eyes. Clue: There's something intriguing about the mud that becomes obvious when we connect the dots in Scripture
     

    "Reaching God Speed" will be officially released on Jan. 25, but is available for pre-order now, with much more information available at ReachingGodSpeed.com.

    Those wishing to interview Joe Kovacs can email him here.

    Reveals the incredible reason the Bible constantly mentions "three days" in both the Old and New Testaments. It goes far beyond the time Jesus spent in the heart of the earth.

Those keys, says Kovacs, are verses broadcasting concepts that, once linked together, allow people to make the jump from the human speed of understanding to what he calls "God speed," another way of referring to the spirit level of divine wisdom.

While millions of people are very familiar with the Bible account of the birth of Jesus, many may not know the story is actually written on more than one level, broadcasting additional, secret messages beyond the historical event for those who "have an ear to hear," according to a best-selling author a brand-new book probing the hidden content of Scripture.

"The entire story is actually broadcasting our own miraculous future," says Joe Kovacs, author of "REACHING GOD SPEED: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything."

"Yes, the birth of Jesus is a real event that took place more than 2,000 years ago, but God is using the birth of His Son to 'declare the end from the beginning,' as He says in Isaiah 46:10. He's using it to teach us our glorious future."

"For instance," Kovacs says, "the Bible makes a very big deal out of Jesus initially being placed in a manger."

"A manger is simply a feeding box for animals. It's where the food is," Kovacs says. "Even in basic French class, one of the first verbs we all learn is 'manger,' which means 'to eat.'

"And why is this significant? Because when we connect the dots from other parts of Scripture, we realize that this child lying in a feeding box in Bethlehem (which means the 'house of bread' or 'house of food') is more than just a typical baby. He is our true food, the real bread from heaven, as is stated numerous times in the Gospel of John. We don't get eternal life unless we feed on and follow His teachings."

MORE

also:

Is it possible we've all been missing something extraordinary in life? Can we really discover and understand the secret to EVERYTHING? This inspiring new book unlocks hundreds of mysteries from the Bible and your personal life!

Foreword by Bob Barney:  This book shows quite well that Herbert Armstrong got his view of the Hebrew Lost tribes from previous authors, that predated him considerably.   HWA did not even do his own research to verify the information, but merely repeated it as his own.   Further study actually shows that England is actually Manasseh, and America is Ephraim...  Look at my article here---

• The Number “13” and the United States! We are lost Israel!

Ephraim, or the Present Locations of the Hebrew Tribes," a little volume by Colonel Angelo, of Rottnest, has been lying on our table for some time past, but the heavy demands made on our space, by Parliament in particular, has prevented it from receiving it due attention. The subject with which the author concerns himself is one which of late years has com- manded much consideration by many earnest souls and ingenious and well-stored intellects. To many more it is either a stumbling-block or foolishness. But what- ever may be the opinion of his inferences and conclusions, no reader of Colonel Angelo's book will fail to be struck with the writer's reverent attitude, his facility in combining ideas, his courtesy as a con- troversialist, his unquestionable industry, his cultured mind, and his refined style.

To follow him here through his course of reasoning is obviously impossible. Suffice it to say that his arguments and illustra- tions, though admittedly calculated to carry great weight with, some minds, are certainly not destined to be convincing to others.

Col Angelo appears to favour the idea that 11 of the tribes may be identified in England as Ephraim, America as Manasseh, Ireland as Dan, Wales as Simeon, Scotland as Gad, the Normans as Benjamin, France as Reuben, Germany as Naphtali, Austria as Issachar, Italy as Zebulun, and Aus- tralia as Asher. Why the author accounts for eleven tribes when ten only are gene- rally spoken of as lost is a point on which the reader is left in some doubt. With regard to another matter Col. Angelo cer- tainly does not err on the side of vague- ness. "The-idea," he tells us, "has been fully established that Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria is the lineal descendant of King David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, and of the tribe of Judah. A British theorist some time ago sought an audience of the Queen, and upon the strength of the passage contained in Jer. xxxiv., 17, and of the circumstances related above [relating to the Anglo-Saxon theory of identity] propounded as 'news' to her Majesty the fact of her lineage, to- gether with convincing proofs. It is no ' news' now that the Queen was well aware of the fact, and, indeed, produced the chronological tree bearing the names of both King David and her beloved Majesty.

There can, therefore, no longer be reason to doubt that her Majesty Queen Victoria is the lineal descendant of King David and is ruling over Israel, or at least over a re- presentative portion of it." Realising this, one is hardly likely to be startled by the further statement that "the discovery of the Davidic descent of Queen Victoria affects the identification of another tribe, that of Dan." In a book of this kind the uninitiated would scarcely expect to find support for Lord Salisbury's policy with regard to Ireland ; yet there it is. Listen ! " Moses said, ' Dan is a lion's whelp ; he shall leap from Bashan.' The ancient symbol of Ireland was a lion's whelp, and Bashan was the place where was to be found the fierce stronghold, and this will be readily recognised as the popular type of Ireland.

... We see therefore that the subject of Home Rule for Ireland, which has hitherto puzzled the most acute politicians, can be determined only by faithful adherence to the requirements of scripture, and that when Ireland ceases to pursue an alien policy by recognising her unity with Israel, she will be worthy of and will receive that political independence which is indicated in the words ' Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.' " How the author leads up to a plea for national federation we must leave the reader of the book to find out for himself. It only re- mains to be added that the volume is well printed and neatly got up.

* "Ephraim; or the Present Locations of the Hebrew Tribes." By Colonel Edward Fox Angelo. Eliot Stock, London. Stein & Co., Barrack-street, Perth.

Apparently the book was written to encourage Western Australians to join the Australian federation (the ‘Conclusion – A Plea For Federation’) as they were ethnically descendants of Israel like so many of the people that occupied the land. Below is a newspaper review of the book.

The book has been uploaded here: http://www.friendsofsabbath.org/index_research.htm -> 

Joe Kovacs, a Bible-believing Christian, was just interviewed by the Good News magazine, and was asked by reporter Jerold Aust, “Who are the children of God? What makes them so, or is this simply in-house religious talk?”

Kovacs responded, “If you just look at the natural world around us, you realize that everything reproduces. They have children or offspring after their own kind. I mean, the children of giraffes are giraffes. The children of cats are cats. And what are the children of God? You know people have to come to that conclusion: we’re not here for no good reason. The Bible calls us “the OFFSPRING of God.” (Acts 17:29) It uses the word offspring.

“God is having offspring. And countless times, you will see the phrase ‘children of God’ or ‘sons of God’ in the Bible. In fact, in the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ Paul says in Romans 8:14, ‘For as many are as led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.’ I show you many more verses in ‘The Divine Secret’ but over and over again, the Bible calls us ‘sons of God,’ ‘children of God.’ He (God) says ‘I will be your Father and you will be my sons and daughters,’ (2 Corinthians 6:18), so Jesus is not the only son of God. He’s the only begotten Son of God from the way He came into the Earth, but God wants all of us to be sons of God and children of God.”  MORE>>>>>>>>>>

Stark begins by quite vividly painting a picture of Pope Urban II's speech in 1095, in a French meadow, in which he read from a desperate letter sent by the emperor of Byzantium, who was rightly concerned about the war-like Seljuk Turks – an army within 100 miles of Constantinople. Among other things, the torturing of Christians was becoming a battle tactic of the Muslims. I think this would sound familiar, right now, to Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem.

From there, Stark presents an engrossing tale of the myths and facts of the Crusades. For example, he says clearly that despite what some other historians have said, the Crusader armies were not made up of "the dregs of society" due to terrible economic conditions. Actually, says Stark, there was a period of economic growth in Europe during this time, and not only nobility funded the military excursions, but so did commoners.

Stark also addresses, in skillful fashion, the nuance of this sweeping story. Describing the brutality of a small contingent of Crusaders – "German knights" – who were bent on murdering Jews they found along the way, the bishop of Speyer sheltered that town's Jews (all but 12, who failed to heed warnings and were butchered), illustrating that down through history, while Christendom has a stained record with the Jews, many Christians have come to the aid of the Jews.

It is the encounters that the Crusaders had with Muslims hordes, however, that are most epic (a side-note for the immature reader: Several of the leaders of the Crusades had names that sounded like something straight out of Saturday Night Live: Walter the Penniless, Emicho of Leisingen and so forth).

Recounting an engagement near Tiberias between Crusader forces and the infamous Saladin, Stark adds rich texture to "God's Battalions":

"Then, as the sun rose and with the wind at their backs, Saladin's forces set fire to large collections of brush, and the smoke made it difficult for the Christians to keep track of their units," Stark writes. Carnage then ensued, and, "All of the Templars and Hospitallers taken captive were beheaded; the other captives were enslaved."

Stark does such a good job of fleshing out historical detail, it's difficult to name a favorite portion of the book. However, he shows us that truly, history repeats itself endlessly. In Chapter 10 ("Crusaders Against Egypt"), he shows the reader how critical this ancient land was to stability in the Middle East – just as we are learning in painful ways today.

"God's Battalions" is a wonderful historical record, and readers and historians alike should read it with the gusto it deserves, for the lessons contained in it are instructive for our time. Congratulations to Rodney Stark for harnessing history in such spectacular fashion.

Discover how real and relevant Bible prophecy is to you with Jim Fletcher's "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine): How to stop worrying and learn to love these end times"

Jim Fletcher has worked in the book publishing industry for 15 years, and is now director of the apologetics group Prophecy Matters. His new book, "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" has just been released by Strang’s Christian Life imprint.

English: Single Life Expectancy table (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My article from 2012 with an update proving my point!

We can't cheat death! Ageing process has NOT slowed down in humans due to biological constraints - we're just not dying younger, scientists say

An increase in human life expectancy is due to better survival for kids and young adults, not slowing the ageing clock, say a team led by experts at the University of Southern Denmark.

By Bob Barney

One of the things that I try to do with The Plain Truth is educate our readers in the tenants of propaganda. We are surrounded by “lies, damn lies and statistics,” as Mark Twain once said, which those who try and control us twist these lies into “facts” in order to change our behavior, tax us, and ultimately control us. I proved this with the argument concerning smoking. We are lied to about the effects of smoking, not because smoking is really bad for us, but rather because our government and elite to control our behavior and TAX us!

So today’s topic is life expectancy. How often have we read or heard an “expert say,“Of course people didn’t live long … the average life expectancy was 40 years?” It’s a lie. A complete lie, a lie that again is propaganda used to control you.Go to a cemetery and look at the grave stones and you might be a bit surprised. Look at a list of our Presidents:

Geo Washington - 67

John Adams - 90

Thomas Jefferson - 83

James Madison - 85

James Monroe - 73

John Quincy Adams - 80

Andrew Jackson - 78

Are you a little shocked? The Plain Truth that is when experts use "average life expectancy" numbers, they are so low because they include the number of babies who die at or just after birth (infant mortality) and the number of children who die very early in their lives (before 5). Infant and early childhood mortality was much higher in earlier centuries and millennia for all races and ethnicities than today for all types of obvious reasons. Also, because of the miracles of modern TRAUMA CARE, accident victims live today when even 25 years ago, those patients would die! The only miracle in medicine really isn’t modern drugs, but rather modern trauma care! We see this in the Iraqi war. The deaths were 5X’s lower than VietNam, but injuries of those who may have died in Vietnam, but through modern trauma care survival rates reached 35,000 by 2010! So potentially, if this war was fought in 1865, 45,000 may have died young in this same war!

By averaging in a much higher infant and early childhood mortality rate, along with those who died in childbirth (much lower today) and war and accidents, we end up with a much lower 'average life expectancy.'

The truth is that if you lived to age 5 in Roman times, and were a man, you didn’t die in a battle somewhere, you probably would live to age 75! If a women, and didn’t die in childbirth, your average life was about 79! I know this isn’t what you have been told, but again, what you are often told is a LIE!

Here are some articles on the facts on life expectancy from other sources:

From the book:True Stories of Dogs and Horses and their Service to Man

 

Free PDF:

http://triumphpro.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/CCB-Book8.pdf

Foreword: Professor George Howard is correct in his beliefs and findings that the Gospel of Matthew was most likely first written in Hebrew rather than Greek or even Aramaic. There are a lot of interesting differences between this Matthew than the ones from the Greek and Aramaic.

By William F. Dankenbring

Although many may not be aware of it, Matthew originally wrote his gospel in the Hebrew language. The early church fathers attested to this fact in their writings. Eusebius in his Church History, discussing the canonization of the Scriptures, quoted Origen as follows: “Among the four gospels, which are the only indisputable ones in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the first was written by Matthew, who was once a publican, but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism, and published in the Hebrew language” (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, The Church History of Eusebius, book VI, chap.xxv, 4, page 272). Eusebius himself tells us, “For Matthew, who had at first preached to the Hebrews, when he was about to go to other peoples, committed his Gospel to writing in his native tongue, and thus compensated those whom he was obliged to leave for the loss of his presence” (ibid., book III, chap. XXIV, 6, page 152). Eusebius quotes Irenaeus also on this matter of Matthew’s gospel. According to Irenaeus, “Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching and founding the church in Rome” (ibid., book V, chap. VIII, 2, page 222). Irenaeus, in Against Heresies, made this statement. He declared, as recorded in Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church” (book III, chap.I, 1, vol. 1, page 414). Eusebius also quotes Papias, (circa 60-130 A.D.), as the earliest church father who related that Matthew wrote his Gospel in Hebrew. He declared: “But concerning Matthew he [Papias] writes as follows: ‘So then Matthew wrote the oracles in the Hebrew language, and every one interpreted them as he was able” (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, The Church History of Eusebius, bk. III, chap.39, 16, page 173). Clearly there was an original gospel account, written by the apostle Matthew, which was written in the Hebrew language! The early church fathers acknowledge it!

Matthew’s Hebrew Gospel

But do we have a copy of Matthew’s gospel in the Hebrew language, as it was originally written, according to these ancient sources? The amazing fact is that the complete Hebrew text of Matthew’s gospel was preserved in the body of a 14th century Jewish polemical treatise entitled Evan Bohar. The author of the treatise, one by the name of Shem Tov Ben Isaac Ben Shaprut, completed his work in 1385 A.D. and revised it several times afterwards. He utilized nine different Hebrew manuscripts of the preserved Gospel of Matthew to compile his translation. Ben Shaprut was no Christian. He was a Jewish rabbi who was writing to defend his faith against the encroachments of Christian theologians. To counter-act the teachings of Matthew, he used Matthew’s original Hebrew Gospel, and carefully compiled his translation. The gospel of Matthew, in the Hebrew, has now been translated into English, and is available from Mercer University Press, in Macon, Georgia (ISBN 0-86554-4700):

https://books.google.com/books/about/Hebrew_Gospel_of_Matthew.html?id=4tdEBdVXg3AC