by Kenneth F. Sheets Psalm 116:15 is indeed a precious verse, giving as it does the perfect view of death for those who are “saints” of Yihyeh, the LORD, the God Who Exists. Many, however, have never learned what a “saint” actually is in the eyes of God, and, for them, death remains a feared prospect, because they do not know the true nature of “death” or the relationship between the Creator and those He

by Kenneth F. Sheets    The Origins of Externalization Externalization Defined The externalization of religion is the doing of any kind of religious activity as a requirement of a being, or some kind of “religion” associated with a being, whether that being is real or imagined, apart from a full internalized perception of the person and nature of the being which the religion claims to represent. The externalization of true religion, that is, the criteria

by Kenneth F. Sheets To Adam and Eve, God, the Creator, existed. They never had a thought or question regarding His presence or His existence. He had brought them into existence, and they existed in Him. Simply . . . He existed! He was here . . . He was there . . . not as a place, a “location,” but as a presence, an existence. He was, then, in a sense, everywhere, but still,

by Kenneth F. Sheets Humans and Their Relationship to One Another Humans interact with one another according to their perception of what is “acceptable.” Societal norms and other external authorities may influence this perception, but the ultimate deciding factor is their own individual thinking in the matter. Individuals may know well how they should relate to others, and they may even desire to interact in an acceptable manner, but, in the midst of any given

by Kenneth F. Sheets Humans Rely on Other Humans for Information About Things They Have Not Perceived Many humans, in their limited understanding, have wondered about the existence of things they cannot perceive. They live in a limited space, but they can perceive by their senses that much greater space exists, especially if they combine all the space that all other humans can perceive, but they must rely on other humans to tell them of

by Kenneth F. Sheets The Creator God delegated to the Adam the authority to name the “living souls” which inhabited the earth with him. Though God had created them, He had also designed and built into the Adam both the knowledge and the understanding to provide the names. The Adam was to use his perfect linguistic and reasoning abilities to discern names, and these names would be a reflection of the unfettered relationship between him

by Kenneth Sheets The Crucial Nature of Beginning at the Beginning of God’s Revelation Anyone who seeks to represent God in any way to other people, but who himself does not know God as He has actually revealed Himself, whether that person is a man or a woman or old or young, then that person, in whatever aspect he lacks accurate knowledge, will be wrong in his representation of the Creator and His design.  This

by Kenneth Sheets The name “Logos,” translated “Word” in John 1:1, is a descriptive title which functions as a name. Descriptive “titles” differ from pure “names” in that the titles are words which in themselves indicate some characteristic or aspect of the nature of whatever bears that title, while a name, though it may also carry some measure of descriptiveness, takes in all aspects and characteristics without focusing on any one or group of them.

by Kenneth F. Sheets Ancient men and women who “believed,” who “caused firmness to,” Yihyeh, the LORD, the God Who Exists, knew that His revelation was unquestionable fact, totally unaffected in its validity and authority by human acceptance or rejection of its statements. From Adam the first, these Godly individuals knew that the Creator’s expression of Himself and His design was not subject in any way to human recognition or perception of its nature and

by Kenneth F. Sheets   The Hebrew word shälōm and its related forms occur many times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Though this word and its ancient Greek translation eiréné are frequently translated by the word “peace,” or some associated concept, this meaning fails dramatically in conveying the significance which God built into the word.  The shälōm of God is not, nor can it be, defined by its relationship to any human condition or, indeed, by

by Kenneth F. Sheets The word selah is a transliteration, not translation, of the Hebrew word sĕläh (not sēläh), which occurs 74 times in the English Bible where it functions grammatically much like an interjection. An interjection is a word that can, and often does, stand alone and which “interjects” some thought or idea into a context, especially thoughts or ideas expressing emotion. Though sĕläh does appear to function this way in most, if not

by Kenneth F. Sheets The chemical reaction known as “fermentation” has been much maligned over the years by preachers and teachers of the Bible. Many have declared it to be nothing more than a “process of corruption,” but, as will be seen below, it is far more. In many respects, fermentation is worthy of the negative publicity it has received, but this is the result of human misuse of that which God designed “good.” Humans

by Kenneth F. Sheets After having described in his first chapter both John the Baptist and Jesus, and their relationship to one another, the Apostle John presented the account of Jesus’ first “miracle,” His first public sign, of His true person and nature. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Jesus and his disciples, had been called to a marriage in Cana of Galilee. There, Jesus, at the request of his mother, would change water into

by Kenneth F. Sheets   Ishmael, a man who lived from 2080-1943 BC, was a “saved” man.  Considering the fact that he was the only son of Abraham for fourteen years, no question can exist that Abraham imparted his own confidence in the absolute firmness of Ehyeh/Yihyeh, the God Who Exists, to Ishmael during the years before the birth of Isaac. Abraham would later demonstrate his “believing,” “causing firmness to,” Yihyeh by preparing to offer

A Correlation of Ephesians 4:26 and Psalm 4:4 – Did Paul Quote from the Septuagint? by Kenneth F. Sheets   Anger is a powerful and destructive emotional state of mind. Whether called “wrath,” “upset,” “hurt feelings,” or whatever, anger acts as an extremely effective divider in relationships, even in relationships where division should not exist and even where anger exists only to a “minor degree.” Though anger is an emotion of God which He Himself

by Kenneth F. Sheets Proper Interpretation:  Application to All Children of All Ages Though the English translation of these two verses appears to indicate that the words are directed only to “sons,” that is, to male children, such a narrow interpretation and application would be grave error. In keeping with the statement in his purpose that a young man could develop knowledge and discretion (Proverbs 1:4), Solomon identified the person to whom these words of

by Kenneth F. Sheets The Relationship Between the Criteria of God’s Design and the Happenings of Life Bad things happen in life, that is, situations and events that are undesirable from the human perspective arise as if “out of nowhere,” as if they “just happen” without being incited or caused by anything. These conditions are not “random happenings”; they are the design of God for His “fallen” creation. Many humans have, in some measure, the

by Kenneth F. Sheets Esther was a Hebrew young woman with a distinctly Godly character, a character which had been “firmed,” “trued,” into her by her cousin Mordechai.  He had taken her as his own daughter upon the death of her father and mother, and he had realized that, because of her great physical beauty, she needed special intensive instruction in the Creator’s design for how a beautiful young woman was to conduct herself and

by Kenneth F. Sheets   Identification of “the sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4  Many have debated the identity of “the sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:2 and 6:4, and usually, in the conservative realm of Biblical study, the debate centers upon a disagreement regarding whether “the sons of God” were angels or Godly humans. The debate, however, is seldom rooted in intensive analytical study of the Scriptures as God gave them, and most

by Kenneth F. Sheets The word “Shiloh” first occurs in Genesis 49:10, in the record of Joseph, wherein he recorded the last words of Jacob, his father.  There, in regard to Judah, Jacob had said:    In the Genesis reference, the only occurrence in Genesis through Deuteronomy, the word is spelled “shiylōh” (pronounced shēlōh), and this first occurrence is the primary reference for determining the meaning of the word. Though it occurs more than thirty

The Nature and Content of the Only Valid Cursing and Blessing Humans have devised the word “curse” to describe those conditions by which one being intends to bring harm, or some other undesirable experience, upon another being. One person “curses” another person or thing when he has become so dissatisfied with that other person or thing that he expresses, whether in words or actions, his desire for something harmful, something “bad,” to happen to the

Understanding “Elohiym” and the “Plural of Majesty” as Adam Understood Them by Kenneth F. Sheets with Rebecca L. Miller The Need for Proclaiming and Teaching All of God’s Revelation as He Gave It Most present-day proclamations and teachings of the Scriptures misrepresent the person and nature of God. Though some clearly reveal the truth that humans are alienated from God and may be reconciled to Him only through “believing,” “causing firmness to,” His revelation regarding

Understanding Death as God Revealed It to Adam and as Adam Understood It by Kenneth F. Sheets Words Are Expressions of Meaning Words have meaning. They are expressions of information, and information carries a significance to the human brain according to the nature of that brain’s experience with the particular information it is receiving. Humans, however, receive information by all the various sensory abilities they possess, not the least of which is their ability to

Failure to Perceive and Apply God’s Poetic Parallelism Leads to Error and Misinterpretation by Kenneth F. Sheets Through the years, the text of Proverbs 26:4-5 has been used by many to demonstrate the supposed existence of contradictory statements in Scripture. Certainly, the wording of these two verses seems to express two instructions that are obviously contradictory to one another, but those who see only, or primarily, this contradiction are demonstrating their own ignorance of both

by Kenneth F. Sheets The term “400 Silent Years” is just another of the many inaccurate names which humans have given to periods of time in the history of the world.  This name was given to describe the time period between the last of Malachi’s written prophecies, within a few years after 420 BC, and the first historical references of the Gospels, the first of which refers to the birth of Jesus about 5 BC

The Godliness Imparted to Esther by Mordechai Affected Everyone around Her   by Kenneth F. Sheets Esther 2:7 – Mordechai Had “Firmed” Esther’s Character in the Design of God From the time when she was first taken to the king’s house of women, Esther’s excellent character and demeanor had been obvious in her every action and interaction with those over and around her, and that character was not some kind of facade which she wore

by Kenneth F. Sheets The use of the English translations of Biblical words as those words were expressed in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures is not an unacceptable practice for referring to a “doctrine,” but, like the word “doctrine” itself, a word which simply means “teaching,” when the meanings and connotations associated with the English translation become the definitions of that doctrine, then great potential exists for erroneous understanding and application. In the case of

by Kenneth F. Sheets Many verses of Scripture have suffered from inaccurate translations and interpretations, and Proverbs 18:24 is a prime example. A cursory examination of modern English versions clearly demonstrates the difficulty encountered by those trying to render the ancient Hebrew expressions of the text into English according to their understanding. In fact, some of the “most prestigious” modern versions[1] indicate by their translations that their translators totally missed what God was intending to

A Right View of One’s Relationship to the Creator Makes That Person’s Life Totally Free and Unbound   by Kenneth F. Sheets    The LORD God once said that His people suffered destruction in their lives because they had rejected the knowledge of Him and His design for their existence.[1] Their lack of knowledge left them ignorant not only of the proper way to live and interact with everything around them, but also of the

by Kenneth F. Sheets   Many in the churches of today have been drawn into the belief that Jesus  Christ was crucified on what is called “Good Friday,” the Friday before  He rose from the grave before the breaking of day on Sunday. Indeed, the belief in a Friday crucifixion has become an established and unquestionable tradition in many circles of Christianity. Apparently,  some in time past had studied the Scriptures and concluded that Friday

The Significance of the Ancient Hebrew Poetic Parallelism in One of the Best-Known Verses in the New Testament   by Kenneth F. Sheets For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Greek Text: Οὕτω γὰρ  ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε  τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ  ἔδωκεν, ἵνα  πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται, ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν

by Kenneth F. Sheets    Revelation, God’s Primary Purpose, Requires Knowledge When one begins to approach the Scriptures, and indeed all that God has created, from the perspective that the Creator’s primary purpose in all that He has revealed to man was not the redemption of man but the revelation of Himself, the evidence for this approach is literally everywhere. Certainly, redemption is the major subtheme, because His provision of redemption for an erring creation

by Kenneth F. Sheets For years, the Proverbs of Scripture have posed interpretation problems both for those entrusted to teach and proclaim their truth and for those who simply read them. Many have struggled with understanding the nature of “proverbial teachings,” especially those that seem to be stated “too broadly” or “too generally” to serve as valid statements of God’s design. Human life itself often appears to demonstrate that certain of the teachings cannot be

by Kenneth F. Sheets The Relationship of Humans to the Unchanging God When man, the human creation of God, chose to violate the design of his Creator, his action did not make him “like God,” possessing the authority to determine good and evil for himself. The adversary had deceived the female human into violation, and, perhaps, thereby “encouraged” the male human to violate as well, but the male ädäm was not deceived when he went

by Kenneth Sheets God renders to everyone and everything that which is exactly right. He never gives to any individual more or less than is perfectly due. For Him to do otherwise would be for Him to violate perfect rightness, thus misrepresenting His own person, a condition which cannot exist.[1] Accordingly, every human being receives that which is exactly right in regard to his or her response to God’s manifestation of Himself. Stated differently, God

by Kenneth Sheets   Most people tend to associate repentance with some sort of outward expression, some kind of visible, external activity, which indicates what has happened on the inside. They see it as outward proof that a person has actually “believed,” and thus, some kind of outward expression of repentance has come to be understood both as a necessary proof of salvation and a necessary element of salvation. Outward manifestations cannot be trusted, however,

by Kenneth Sheets Humanity rightfully places substantial respect upon those regarded as “fathers,” but this respect takes different forms and expressions as individual humans, or groups of humans, perceive the relationship between “fathers” and their children, that is, those who have descended from them. Primary in consideration is the fact that the father-child relationship, just like every other function and interaction of every thing that exists, is not a “one way” relationship, that is, wherein

by Kenneth Sheets with Rebecca Miller   God’s Preparation of Adam for the Creation of Eve The Creator’s written record of His creation of the first two human beings indicates that He first created the man and placed him in the garden to “dress and keep it,” and, of course, this also placed Adam in proximity to “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God then stated to Adam His prohibition against eating

Many in the churches of today have been drawn into the belief that Jesus Christ was crucified on what is called “Good Friday,” the Friday before He rose from the grave before the breaking of day on Sunday. Indeed, the belief in a Friday crucifixion has become an established and unquestionable tradition in many circles of Christianity. Apparently, some in time past had studied the Scriptures and concluded that Friday must have been the day

by Kenneth Sheets with Rebecca Miller Two Godly women, Martha and Mary, both loved the Lord Jesus, but Martha was satisfied that her knowledge of God was sufficient, and thus, she thought serving was more important than more learning, and her thinking in this manner caused her to fail to seek that more perfect knowledge which comes from the very words of the Creator. Mary had chosen, as Jesus said, “the one thing that exists

by Kenneth Sheets The Hebrew Scriptures make clear the distinction between the name of God and the descriptive titles that refer to Him, and many modern English versions exhibit this distinction in their texts.  God Himself, not man, established the this distinction, and thus, those who minimize or fail to observe its significance do so in demonstration of their lack of understanding of His person and nature, and His relationship to the Scriptures.  Indeed, because

by Kenneth Sheets The LORD, the God Who Exists, the one true God, created all that exists, and by virtue of this fact, all that exists belongs to Him.  Whether it be man or beast, animate or inanimate, creature or creation, it all belongs to Him by right as its Creator; He is the Owner of all.  He is also the Designer, the Definer, the Determiner, and the Sustainer of all that exists, and is,

by Kenneth Sheets Many years ago, only about twenty years or less after the death of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul spoke to a group of philosophers on Areopagus in Athens, Greece, regarding their “worship” of the “gods” they claimed to recognize.  He told them how he had already looked upon the things that represented the nature and content of their “worship,” and he summarized his observations by saying that “with respect to all things”