Discuss Hebrews 11 Page 8

Anne, may the Spirit grace you with his understanding;

Hebrews 11 is a testament about the old testament saints; but pay close attention to verses 39 and 40.

Hebrews 11:39-40 And these all (old testament saints), having obtained a good report through (the work of the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Ghost which is) faith, received not the promise (eternal life, incorruption, immortality):

(vs) 40 God (Spirit) having provided some better thing for us (children of the resurrection), that they (old testament saints) without us (children or the resurrection) should not be made perfect (complete in the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Ghost who only hath immortality 1 timothy 6:16).

John 11:25 ..... I am the resurrection......

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us ( old testament saints, children or the resurrection and Christ) up together......

Revelation 20:5 .... this is the first resurrection....

Matthew 27:52-53 And the graves were opened; and many of the bodies of the (old testaments) saints which slept (died waiting for the promise) arose,

(vs) 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city (new Jerusalem)......

Revelation 7:1-4 (vs) 3 ......till we (Spirit) have sealed our servants (old testament) saints in their foreheads (given them the mind of Christ)......

Revelation 14:4 .......these (old testament saints) were redeemed from among men, being the FIRST FRUITS unto God.....

Revelation 1:3 .... for the time is at hand...

May the Spirit grace you with his wisdom.

Verse 9- Abraham had a great amount of faith in Jehovah God because he didn't know much about the land he was going to or what he would encounter along the way but he trusted in God completely.

this help me do the college bible study.I love it so much

Thank you so much for your answer and your time. You have been more then helpful, God bless you and yours. You brought light to my darkness.

Steven, that's a very worthy desire you have towards God's Word. One can do no better than to store God's Word in one's heart. By it your spirit will be refreshed as you meditate on it wherever you find yourself, & by it God's Spirit can minister His Word when sin prods or difficulties arise. You may not always recall the Bible by chapter & verse, especially as age starts to diminish the memory, but hiding the Word in your heart will bring to mind the needed verse. Psalm 119:11.

The only way I know to memorize Scriptures is to select one & repeat it over again until you absorb it. Then continue to recall it over the succeeding days. Which Scriptures to memorize? Start with those that are most meaningful to you as you read the Bible. I think most of us started off with John 3:16, but in time you can begin to memorize more of that chapter. Then each day pick a new verse or verses to memorize.

To understand Scripture, you are wholly cast upon God's Spirit to reveal not only the meaning of the verse, but to apply it to your understanding & life. Of course, there will always be Bible portions that are hard to understand. Firstly, one must know the setting, the people, the era, God's Covenant & His requirements, even the history of the land to properly understand why verses are written the way they are. There are Bible encyclopedias, on Jewish history, even the Web that can provide you valuable information. You will learn over time which web sites consistently provide proper truthful information. Other helps are, Dictionaries, Concordances, Commentaries, Lexicons, Interlinear Bibles, Atlases/maps, & a good Study Bible is very useful as they often have some of the above helps in a condensed format. For sake of space, I can't give more descriptions of the above Bible Tools. I use a Ryrie Study Bible, but there are many great ones available. Visiting a Christian bookshop & discussing your needs with the staff there will certainly bring a good result. Every blessing.

Is there a book that help you retaine and understand scripture. Thank you for your time in answering my question. God bless you

Hello Lester,

Hopefully these you will enjoy. As I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for, hope these couple are ok:

Psalms 100:1-5 , Psalms 116:1-9 , Psalms 139:1-18

Isaiah 55:1-13 , Isaiah 56:1-7 , Isaiah 58

Lamentations 3:22-31

Matthew 18:19-20 , Matthew 28:20

John 14 , John 15

Hebrews 11:6

James 4:8

1 John 4

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. ( Hebrews 11:4)

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. ( 1 John 3:11-12)

Your faith will increase by studying Gods word.

Romans 10:17 - So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Proverbs Chapter 3

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

James Chapter 1

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Thank you so much. I really enjoyed Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11.6

This verse is really not so difficult when you know God loves you , and he does .

Faith worketh by love .

Focus should be on where we are going and not where we are coming from. Dont focus on the Egypt that God took you out of but the promised land you are going to. If you think so much of Egypt, you will return as the Israelites desired. Set your affections on things above Col. 3:1

There is another story ,Thomas one of the twelve said ,unless he can put his fingers and hands into Christs hand and side ,He would not believe. Then again the Christ appears to the twelve and says"behold Thomas my hands and my side". Thomas gets the opportunity, and says" behold my Lord and my God." Jesus says to Thomas, "You have seen and believe! Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe!" When the wind blows do you see it? If ,you can't see it, does it mean it can't exist? Your interest in this website tells me different! These words from Thomas were not rehearsed, these words came from His heart and soul!

1 Corinthians 15:14 (NRSV)

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.

Note: with this I agree there is no sufficient evidence Jesus was raised therefore that is why I'm not a Christian.

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Psalms 1:1

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

Hebrews 11:1

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

James 1:17

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning

Faith is a substance from above.

Church of the living God

This has always been an intriguing portion of Scripture & you may get other views. But I consider Gen 4:2-7 & Heb 11:4 together. Both Cain & Abel brought their sacrifices to the Lord as an offering (maybe a freewill or thanksgiving offering). But the Lord only had "respect unto Abel & his offering'.

I detect that it was both the type of offering & the type of heart of the giver that comes to question. They were still largely vegetarians in those days, I would think, however, the killing of animals for their skins as garments, would have been necessary. It is also plausible that prior to using the skins, that Abel & maybe their parents, also offered up a 'blood' offering to the Lord, maybe for sin (an instruction from God prior to the giving of the Law?) or as thanksgiving.

Hebrews 11:4: "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Here we read that Abel made it to the Hall of Faith Heroes by reason of 'faith' unlike Cain. So here too, I see that a heart preparedness of Abel with his 'excellent' (acceptable) sacrifice of the "firstlings of his flock & of the fat thereof" engendered him & his sacrifice acceptable to the Lord. Whereas Cain came not in full measure of faith & thankfulness, & maybe for necessity's sake & an impure heart.

I see a correlation to us, as we meet around the Lord's Table & as the Scripture asks us to "examine ourselves" first before coming & partaking. Maybe, Cain needed to do some serious introspection & considering his offering before approaching the Lord. But these are simply my thoughts for your consideration that I wouldn't compel upon you or anyone, as Scripture doesn't clearly give us all the details.

Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Luke 11:9

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 12:31

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Philippians 2:21

For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

Matthew 6:33

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Acts 17:27

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

It is time now to put your foot down on the devils head, and start following Jesus for real. People followed Jesus all over for just free loaves and fishes. There arrives a day when you must follow Jesus because of who he is: the Son of God! If you give your heart to him and follow him; read His Bible every day; you can ask for what you need.

John chapter 3. You must receive Jesus and be born again. Confess everything.

1 John 1:9 Begin your new life in Jesus. Learn how to stomp on satans head in

Ephesians 6. For you and your family. It's time to get serious about what you believe in. Matthew 26:31-46

Jesus is coming back soon and we all have to be watching for his appearing.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. 2 Timothy 3

If you'll take a little time and read these passages, you'll be a whole new person.

Then God can help you defeat your enemies. Get your children saved through your testimony which is a very powerful thing.

I'm agreeing with you that God will undertake and oversee a brand new beginning for you. All those scriptures prove that Jesus is going to help you.

The "faith" chapter, Paul here is trying to define the indefinable. Is faith simply believing or something more tangible? Faith screeches past belief, as faith is more. It is a bet that the words written in the Bible are explicitly true, past debating. It is one's experience that God, for certain, is a rewarder, and His reward is with Him! In the garden, Jesus' night was full of angst, demonstrating his human side, but he proceded with his teaching mission. Moses endured twice 40 days and nights in supplication to El Shaddai, on behalf of the people who resorted to idolatry. The commandments were necessitated and were put into the Arc. There is no faith without obedience to God!!!

Was Enoch's translation by God ( Hebrews 11:5) part of the Rapture?

Joseph, as it pertains to whether or not the land of Nod was inhabited/uninhabited, in my opinion we cannot draw a conclusion one way or another. However, I believe that we can only go by what has been revealed to us in the written word of God.

As Christians, we must believe and receive the word of God by faith. Hebrews 11:3 says, " through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

We will never be able to fully comprehend the word of God by our own human reasoning or intellect. 1Corinthains 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (Understood)

We must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and give us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of Scripture to avoid erroneous beliefs which ultimately leads to erroneous doctrine.

In regards to the creation of Adam, again we must adhere to what is written.

It is evident in Genesis 2:7, that Adam became a "living soul", he was human. We were created in the image and likeness of God, in that we are triune beings: spirit, soul and body, as God who is a Spirit, is the Father, the Word, (that was made flesh, John 1:14), and the Holy Spirit. ( 1John 5:7)

Adam was the first man who was created from the dust of the ground or the earth by God. But Christ who is called the second Adam, is the one who is, and the giver of life. He is the firstborn of the New Creation of God.

Finally, I would like to express the danger of leaning to our own understanding. It is my sincere prayer and desire that you have a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit of God who will lead you and guide you into all truth!

Genesis 4:14-16,

Hebrews 11:32,

John 21:25

Cheryl,

I'm Looking at Hebrews 11:35. It says women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:



Women received their dead raised to life again?



I have some references to share with you where God did did some miraculous things to restore their children to back to them. Read 1 Kings 17:23 and 2 Kings 4:36-37.

Hebrews 11:35 goes on to say: And others, and by the way, the word others, because there are two main words in Greek, one means others of the same kind, and one means others of a different kind.



This is others of the same kind. The reason why that's important is because the others by faith experienced all these conquests.



But others of the same kind of people didn't. And it was all by faith.



And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:



They didn't value the survival of their life, but they were tortured and put to death, and by faith they looked to a better resurrection.

Remember also in the New Testament that Lazarus was raised from the dead.

John 19, John 20. Jesus is the firstborn of believers to be raised from the dead. The dead in Christ now: their bodies are buried and await being reunited with soul and spirit at the moment of the Rapture; in the clouds. Then the alive in Christ, Christians will be next, to be changed into our transformed bodies; incorruptible.

In scripture, God says ALL souls are MINE!

Satan can hunt our souls and try to trick us into giving it to him. We have to receive salvation to avoid satans delusion that he will get our souls. IF we die in our sins our bodies will corrupt in the grave and our souls will await the Great White Throne Judgment; afterwards the soul will be cast into hell for eternity.

If we love our souls? We'll choose Jesus to save us NOW. He is: the LOVER of our souls.

Do you want this too?

verse 35 explain Wasn't Jesus the only one that was raised from the dead?

Sheila, I'm unsure whether you are referring to Hebrews 11:1:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

This is one of the great descriptions of Faith in the Bible. To explain this: the words 'substance' & 'evidence' (in that verse) tell us about things we can physically see or can be proven without any doubt. So what you have around your home or with family members are all real & seeing them doesn't require any faith from you.

What happens when you've planned to go on a holiday? The holiday hasn't happened yet, but you are hoping that nothing will stop you going. Is this faith? No, it's still only a hope. You could say, "I have faith that it will happen", but if there can be a possibility of it not happening, then it's what we say, is a misdirected faith. Then this awful virus starts up & all your plans are cancelled so you've lost all hope of going on holiday.

That's what it's like on the Earth: we can hope for something but we really don't know for sure that it will happen for us. But, when the Bible speaks of Hebrews 11 Faith, we see that we can only use it when God gives His Promise for it to happen. So, if you believe that there is a God & a Heaven (both you can't see), then it means that your faith is based on God's Word & not on your sight. This is Real Faith as you believe according to His Word that His Word is sure. Some people also know about God but are uncertain about Him - no faith - no Heaven.

Noah built a large boat. He may not have seen a flood from rain but still built a strange vessel that seemed of little value & purpose. But he demonstrated faith, because he believed God & trusted God that this vessel would somehow save these few people & animals & a flood would somehow cover the Earth & wipe out all left behind. I hope this explanation helps you understand that Faith is believing (as in, seeing) that something is there or will happen from God's Word, even when there's no evidence for it.

Noah and his family entered into an ark of safety prepared for them before the flood, effectively removed from the then world's destruction. Later, they were restored to a new beginning. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for his people.

Lot and his daughters were removed to safety from Sodom before the LORD rained brimstone and fire on the cities. Sadly his wife looked back.

Our word "rapture" is derived from the Latin "rapiemur", used in the Vulgate translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for "caught up" or "snatched away".

Enoch is our prototype for rapture in Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5 (translated that he should not see death...).

Another precedent: 2 Kings Chapter 2 tells us of Elijah being taken to heaven by a whirlwind in a chariot of fire.

Song of Solomon Chapter 2 relates a king calling his bride to come away with him from her hidden place, much as we can imagine Christ calling his Church out of this world.

!st Corinthians 15:51-52 declares the mystery that some will not sleep (bodily death), then promises all of us will be changed into the incorruptible and immortal.

Truly no man knows the day or hour, but the book of Revelation does not mention the Church on earth beyond the third chapter. In Revelation 7:9 an innumerable multitude of the saved out of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues stand before the throne praising God. After this the wrath of God falls upon the inhabitants of the earth, which wrath the Church is not appointed to (1-Thessalonians 5:9).

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if TWO OF YOU shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Hebrews 11:1 Now FAITH is the substance of things. (healing; jobs;food;rent, businesses, loneliness, blessing on home & family members; drug & alcohol deliverance, & more)

HOPED FOR, the evidence of things not seen.

Now the just shall live by FAITH, but if any man/ woman draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Let us hold fast the profession of our FAITH without wavering (for He is faithful that promised).

Let us draw near with a true heart, In full assurance of FAITH.

But without FAITH it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarded of them that diligently seek Him.

And the prayer of FAITH shall save the SICK. and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Father God, these people have come here today to ask for prayer as touching their needs. They are here to ask for your help. They have read your Word on how Faith works. Being fully convinced that You are here too, they have set their concerns before You.

I pray that You will reward them for Seeking You, in child-like Faith; and answer their prayers according to your riches in glory. They are here for healing in body and mind; in anxiety over the pandemic, employment and lack of employment. Family concerns and need of peace in their homes. Lead them with your eye and show them the path to take for a desired result. Be at work inside of their own wills to Follow Jesus and look to the Bible for guidance, day to day. Help them to see through eyes full of faith through the Light of your eyes. Give our hearts strength to get from one day to the next, by Your abundant Grace and Mercy.

We bless Your Holy Name and give you Thanks for provision and the Love of Jesus.

Amen! Praise the Lord!!!

Thank you so much for your insight on this verse.

I think that if we accept the experiments conducted & hypotheses formed as a result, then the physical laws are correct (e.g. in relation to mass & energy: "that neither matter nor energy can be created nor destroyed, but converted into another form"). This assumes man's observations of matter around him which draws the above conclusion. The problem arises with Heb 11:3, when we read "that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear". We often understand this verse to mean that what we see came from things which we don't see (i.e. atoms). If we stayed with the Law of Mass & Energy, then God had to use atoms in His creative work. Is then God confined by this Law? Or dare we presume that there was no matter in infinite time, but God, Who Himself is without matter, also created the basic building blocks of matter? So what I see here is that Science can only be based on observable, experimental deductions; it simply cannot go beyond that, since that would require faith, or as they might regard it, "blind belief".

Then this creative work of God, when applied to living beings, still has its substance in matter (i.e. the (dust) of the Earth, to which it will return). Yet, as you said, "we do not die when our body dies" would be true if confined to the physical, i.e. the body (matter) returns to dust (matter). Though, can we say the same for the spirit of man? This is not matter, not created from it nor will transform in some way into it. It is God-created & will one day return back to Him (Eccl 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."). This doesn't prove that we were alive before our birth but that at the giving of life, God also gave us a spirit (not matter, nor recycled) that is not subject to death. And with all this, God even knew us (about being a special creation with a specific purpose in life). God's creative Work goes well outside the bounds of human Science. Further thoughts?