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Conscience and the Bible

The Bible does not only speak of scientific things, historical, social and moral but also psychological things in life.
(Romans 14:21) “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.”
Although it is not prohibited in the Bible to eat animal meat, the preceding verse was cited by the apostle Paul as a warning to Christians not to offend fellow Christians. It is a kind of admonition which can be considered psychologically sound and healthfully good.
(I Timothy 4:3-5) “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
When it said, “it is good not to eat flesh and to drink wine”, [if it is an an offense to anybody]; it does not only speak of social things but of scientific aspects as well. Eating meat or flesh of animals and drinking wine is common to drunkards. The word “flesh” used in the verse is kreas, which means animal meat.

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κρέας
kreas
kreh’-as

Perhaps a primary word; (butcher’s) meat: - flesh. (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words taken from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., 1890.)

Scientifically, human beings are not designed to be meat eaters or carnivores. If we study our physical being, our body’s design is very much different from natural meat eaters. Carnivores or meat eaters have fangs designed to kill, sharp claws designed to tear flesh, short intestines (about 3 times the length of its body) for the quick disposal of the waste product of meat containing putrifacted materials. They have highly acidic saliva and digestive enzymes needed for the digestion of flesh, bones, feathers and a remarkable enzyme uricase that digest and expels uric acid, a highly toxic by-product of meat. They have large liver that helps in the detoxification of the chemical by-products of meat. Whereas human beings which is naturally born a frugivore have fangs, but not sharp, meaning it is not intended to kill. Our fingers were not equipped with sharp claws needed to tear flesh. Our intestine is 12 times the length of our body that allows the longer stay of fruits and vegetables without harmless by products (needed for proper and complete assimilation of nutrients in them). Our liver is not as large as those of natural meat eaters because fruits and vegetables and nuts do not have plenty of toxic by-products for the liver to neutralize. Our saliva is alkaline and with little ptyalin needed to digest the small amount of starch in fruits and vegetables.

Considering all these factors we know that we are not natural meat eaters and therefore it is scientifically sound to say it is good (for humans) neither to eat animal flesh nor drink wine.
Wine, (those that are intoxicating) is equally not fit for human consumption. Scientific studies show that alcohol and other fermented materials in wine cause a lot of unhealthy effects in the human body.
Heavy alcohol use destroys the liver, the body’s primary filtering system, which means that germs of all kinds won’t leave your body as fast. The result is, heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body — it actually takes more fluids from your system than it puts in.
( http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/5/4068_103.htm )
• Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for teenagers.
• Alcohol-related car crashes are the number one killer of teenagers in the United States.
• Alcohol is the number one drug problem in America
(http://www.sacsheriff.com/crime_prevention/documents/substance_abuse_01.cfm)

Nausea and sickness
Too much alcohol can irritate the stomach, leading to sickness and nausea, and can lead to temporary impotence in men.
Alcohol has a dehydrating effect, and the traditional hangover arrives partly as a result.
However, it is the longer term effects which worry doctors.
Too much alcohol over a prolonged period can affect nearly every organ in your body.
Alcohol is essentially a poison, and the cumulative effects can be horrific.
Long term drinkers can suffer liver damage, as the liver is the organ that processes the alcohol and removes it from the body.

Liver damage
There are three types of damage - fatty liver, in which fat is deposited in the liver, impairing its function, alcohol hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver which can cause severe symptoms and lead in some cases to alcoholic cirrhosis, which can eventually cause liver failure if the drinker does not stop.
The first two stages are usually reversible, whereas cirrhosis has no cure.
Heavy drinkers can suffer from chronic gastritis - essentially a daily recurrence of hangover style nausea and sickness. They can also suffer damage to the esophagus.
Pancreatitis is a common problem in heavy drinkers - this is an extremely painful condition which is hard to treat, and sometimes fatal.
Brain damage is also possible in some cases - alcoholic dementia is often found in very long-term drinkers.

Heart disease and stroke
However, it is damage to the heart and circulatory system that place many drinkers at risk. Drinking over the recommended limits is one of the most common causes of high blood pressure, which can contribute to heart disease.
Drinking heavily is also likely to greatly increase the calorific intake, perhaps leading to obesity, which also increases these health risks.
Regularly drinking more than three units of alcohol a day increases the risk of a type of stroke called hemorrhagic stroke.
It can also contribute to osteoporosis, lead to muscle weakness, make skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema worse.
In men, there is likely to be a loss of libido and potency, shrinking of the testicles and penis, reduced fertility, loss of pubic hair and if cirrhosis is present, increased breast size and loss of body hair.
In women, ovulation may cease, and breasts and sexual organs shrivel.
Many cancers are alcohol-related, particularly those of the mouth, esophagus, liver, stomach, colon, rectum, and perhaps breast cancer in women.

Harming unborn children
Heavy drinking, even in one-off binges, by pregnant women can harm their unborn child.
It can lead to miscarriage, low birth weight, and, in the worst cases, to fetal alcohol syndrome, a group of defects which can include lowered IQ, facial malformations and growth deficiencies.
Many studies have found suggestions that moderate alcohol drinking, for example one or two units a day, can have a protective effect against in particular heart disease.
This has yet to be conclusively proven, as it is not clear whether it is the alcohol, or some other ingredient in the drink, which is having the effect.
( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/medical_notes/a-b/872428.stm)
By all these scientific wisdom we may conclude that the Bible is a no nonsense book. But what I admire most in the Bible being the words of the Creator is it can penetrate the depth of one’s being.
(Hebrews 4:12-13) “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

The words of God are so powerful that it can divide asunder the soul and the spirit meaning that it can penetrate the innermost part of our being. In fact it speaks of the conscience and by this we know that it speaks the truth. My dear readers I know that you have your conscience.
(Romans 2:15) “Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another…”
You can feel how truthful this pronouncement of the Scriptures. Our conscience bears witness of the existence of God. The Bible exactly tells us what is happening inside our being or in our conscience. It may accuse or excuse our own self and other people. Do you feel the same?
I hope that you will be honest enough in your reply; after all, it is not my business knowing your conscience, but yours. In our conscience also, the Bible tells us that there are”things of the law” written by God. Even if we have not heard the audible voice of our Creator, we know that our conscience can tell us of what is right and what is wrong. Verily, these are the things contained in God’s law: what is right — the dos, and what is wrong — the don’ts.
(Romans 2:14) “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:”
Considering all these facts do you now agree with me that the Bible does not only speak of scientific but also psychological matters.
God knows our being, He knows our promptings. Solomon, with his God-given wisdom, once judge two quarreling women: each claiming that the baby boy is her son. He rendered judgment and said, “Divide the boy into two.” And the real mother gave up her son for it not to be divided.
(I Kings 3:16-27) “Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.”
Do you now believe that the Bible speaks of psychological matters? What am I trying to prove by narrating all these things? I want you to realize the Bible is a no-nonsense book. It comes from somebody who know even our conscience which cannot be known by the dearest and the most intimate of our relatives. It is known only to God.
(Jeremiah 17:9-10) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
You might say, “So what if there is a God?”. I am trying to convince you to believe that we came into existence because of a loving God who is always waiting for us to acknowledge him. There are fools, who do not believe in God.
(Psalms 53:1) “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”
No amount of intelligence and knowledge that an atheist may posses can make him a good and better person, than to acknowledge the existence of God who created him and his neighbors. The best men in the whole history of humanity (men with human considerations, pity, justice, loving-kindness, moral aptitude and great leaders) all believe in God. I know that there was once a tyrant and demonic leader who caused the death and unspeakable sufferings of about 9 million people, and that person does not believe in God. Have you heard of Hitler? My advice is that for you to investigate.
My goal in preaching and teaching the Gospel to other people is to convince them to believe in God: the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, because I know in my conscience, had it not been for my acknowledgment of the existence of a great God, perhaps I would just be like those fine looking people who hide a monster in their conscience. Belief in God will make you a better person, more caring and more considerate to others — and that is the element of a more peaceful society of humans. Unbelief will not make you good, but 100% evil.
(Romans 3:10-18) “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.”


God Bless,

Bro.Eli Soriano

Is everything written in the Bible true? Are there valid proofs or pieces of evidence that the Bible really came from God? Must we believe the Bible? How does the Bible differ from other books written by man? These are the questions that we will seek answers for. And we will do it by using the Bible as our basis.

We must not accept other people’s contention that the Bible must not be believed in because it was simply written by man. It does not always follow that if a work was just written by man, it is no longer true, and that we must not believe it anymore! Actually, the Koran as well the Book of Mormons was also written by men. But there is something unique about the Bible—written by 40 penmen, the Bible was guided and inspired with the Holy Spirit. Must we believe everything that was written in the Bible? We are going to answer all these, one by one, through the Holy Scriptures.

One of the vital issues that many people raise is that the Bible contains many contradictions. We must investigate the validity of this claim. Besides, it is wise for a Christian to know the deepest part of the Bible, which is the basis of our faith.

Are there really contradictions in the Bible? In a commentary made by Ahmed Deedat about the Bible, he said that, the Bible contains a number of errors and contradictions. And on that premise, we will begin our discussion: insofar as the word of God is concerned, Will there ever be a possibility that God would contradict Himself?

First of all, to contradict oneself is against the law. The law, particularly under the Rules on Evidence, states that, you cannot contradict yourself. You just cannot stand on something today, which you will deny, or falsify, the next day!

The following are the instances of conclusive presumptions:

Whenever a party has, by his own declaration, act or omission, intentionally and deliberately led another to believe a particular thing true, and to act upon such belief, he cannot, in any litigation arising out of such declaration, act of omission, be permitted to falsify it; (Rule 131 (a), Rules on Evidence)
A witness may be impeached by the party against whom he was called, by contradictory evidence, by evidence that his general reputation for truth, honesty or integrity is bad, or by evidence that he has made at other times inconsistent with his present testimony, but not by evidence or particular wrongful acts, except that it may be shown by the examination of the witness, or the record of the judgment, that he has been convicted of an offense. (Rule 132, Rules on Evidence)

If we are given the responsibility not to contradict ourselves, more so with God! Just like what Romans 14:22 says—

“Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.”

That is the principle of the Bible: Happy is he that condemns not himself in that thing which he allowed. It is not right that a person condemns, or contradicts, the things that he had previously agreed to. It will appear that he is unprincipled. But God is a principled God! Therefore, God will never contradict Himself; God will never oppose Himself!

Verses that will prove that God will not contradict Himself is in Proverbs 8:8-9—

“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.”

This is the God’s claim in the Bible, quite a tough claim. This is a statement of assurance, or guarantee, to the readers of the Bible. Unfortunately, the Vedas (Hindus), the Book of Mormons, as well as the other books that claim that they are of God, do not offer that kind of assurance. It is only in the Bible where you can read such definite pronouncement. And it was God, Himself, who said this, through the writings of King Solomon— “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness.”

God said, ALL! When a pronouncement comes from God, they are all of righteousness. And should you find any false pronouncement, they did not come from God. Unlike the book of Bahaula’s teaching that God created everything by pair. At first glance, the claim may seem correct. Left hand is paired with right hand; right foot is paired with left foot; right ear paired with left ear; man is paired with a woman; tall and short, etc. However, in recent studies, one-celled organisms like the spirogyra could reproduce without a pair. These organisms do not need a female to reproduce. They reproduce by cell division. There are no males and females. In other words, Science had proven Bahaula’s claim to be wrong.

The Bible declares that— “ALL the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.” If anyone can prove that God gave false pronouncements – or, even a single wrong pronouncement – then, we must not believe the Bible anymore! God, however, says that there is nothing false or perverse in His words. On the other hand, if there are no contradictions in the Bible, why is it that one verse in the Bible says that Joaquim will reign for 8 years, while another verse tells that he will reign for 18 years? Are they not contradictory? Granting without accepting, the question is, why do situations like that arise? Genesis 2:16-17 says—

“And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

These verses were read by Mr. Damian Sotto. He even continued reading until Genesis 3:4—

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.”

Are they not contradictory? God told Adam, on the day that you eat the fruit you shall surely day. On the other hand, the serpent said, you shall not die. Some people insisted that those verses contradict each other. On the surface, it may appear to be right, but, if we study the verses very well, we will come to realize why those statements are contradictory. The first statement comes from God, while the other comes from the serpent. None of His words are contradictory.

Do you know who is that serpent whose words are against the words of God? In Revelations 12:9—

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Who is the serpent? It is Satan. No wonder, why he was uttering statements that contradict God’s, because he is an enemy of God. But, as far as the words of God are concerned, there are no contradictions! NONE! Therefore, if statements contradict each other, for sure, one of them did not come from God. Another example is 1 Corinthians 6:12—

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

If we are to ask some people, they will say all their actions are lawful and correct. For example, there are people who add little sugar to their “adobo” because they prefer that their “adobo” taste a little bit sweet. For these people, nothing is wrong with adding sugar to their “adobo” because for some people, all the things that they do are lawful and correct. But if we continue reading, it says, not all things are expedient. That is why conflict and contradictions are bound to arise.

But, God is an absolute God! He is upright and righteous! Unlike man! Not everything that man perceives to be righteous is also righteous in the sight of God. Why? Proverbs 14:12 says—

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

A person may perceive one particular path/way to be right, but is only insofar as his personal perception is concerned. For example, whatever man thinks to be right may not be absolutely right for God. More often than not, what man perceives to be right is wrong. For these reasons, contradictions are bound to happen. If the Bible contains contradictions, it is primarily because, not all the words there came from God! The Bible is a compilation of truths. But whether something is a lie or the truth, that is the reality. They did happen, and they were all written in the Bible. Everything had been recorded in the Bible so that man will be able to distinguish the truth from lies. We have to exercise our wisdom in discerning which words are of God, and which are not.

The Bible exemplifies the whole world. In this world, there are cheaters and there are people being cheated; there are robbers, and there are those who are being robbed; there are fornicators, while the others are their objects of fornication. All kinds of people are there. And, if we adopt everything that these people do, our world would become a very chaotic place.

The Bible is picture of the entire world, and it tells the complete story to the whole of humanity. And it is up to us to choose what is good or bad for us. However, there are people who prefer the bad from the good, that is why the outcome is also bad.

Whenever you read the Bible, identify where a certain pronouncement came from: are they from God, or not? If they came from God, you can be sure that they are absolutely correct, they are free from all flaws and errors, and they are free from any kind of contradiction. But if they did not come from God, definitely, they will oppose God’s words. Not all things written in the Bible are words of God. It also contains words of angels, and also words of those who do not believe in God. In fact, Psalms 53:1 says—

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt they are, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”

The fool denies the existence of God. There are a lot of people today who do not believe in God. There are a lot of people today who do not believe in God. What some people say that the Bible is the word of God is wrong. Even the words of the fool are also written in the Bible, even the words of the devil and even the words of those who do not believe, just like Thomas when our Lord Jesus Christ resurrected, written in John 20:25—

“The other disciples therefore said upon him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and thrust my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

What kind of words are those? Those are the words of someone who does not believe. He will never believe unless he sees. That is where the saying, “to see is to believe,” came from. But is that correct? Can you see your mind? No! Does that mean that simply because you can not see your mind you do not believe the existence of your mind? To say that you will not believe unless you see it is a wrong principle.

In the Bible, there are words that came from non-believers, and there are also words that came from believers, like the centurion. In Matthew 8:5-10,13 it says—

“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him. And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. … And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believeth, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”

Those are the words of a person with a very strong faith. He believes that even if Christ would not go to his place, his servant would be healed. No need to touch the TV screen, as a point of contact. Christ simply uttered the word, and the servant was healed. But, was the servant that was healed, a man of faith, or not? He had been bed-ridden, so how could he have faith? How could he believe? Nowadays, preachers who introduce themselves as “men of God,” still instruct their ailing viewers or listeners, to touch their radio or TV set, if they want to be healed. That is plain “acting.” When Christ healed the servant, He did not have to go to the house of the centurion. He only said the word, and the servant was healed. And Christ healed even the non-believers. Unlike today when pretentious pastors act to show they are men of God, then, they must have the capacity to heal all of those who are sick. They must prove that they can do what our Lord Jesus Christ has done. They are just fooling the people. Even the Passion (“Pasyon”) gave a stern warning against false pastors:


“Ang mga pagmimilagro (The miracles that they perform)
Tutulungan ng demonyo (will be assisted by the devil)
Anopa’t mangangabayo (He will go riding a horse)
At dito sa buong mundo (And in this whole world)
Maghahari itong lilo (This deceiver will reign)

They are very dangerous, my fellowmen. Please, take caution.

Going back to our topic, definitely, there are contradictions that can be read in the Bible, inasmuch as not everything that it contains came from God. The Bible is a compilation of all the events. The Bible contains the words of those who are on the side of God; there are also words coming from those who are against God. As there are words coming from the preachers of God, there are also words from the preachers of the devil. It contains words from the prophets of God, and also words from false prophets. It contains the words of man, the words of animals, and the words of plants. In fact, King Solomon was able to converse with a plant.

Others might say, “That is not true! How can a plant talk?” Recently, it was discovered in Japan, through modern technology, that a plant has the capacity to listen and to feel. Scientists placed a connecting rod and sensor to the plant, and they played a jubilant music. As a result, the plant became happy. But when they played a melancholic music, the plant also became sad. The leaves began to wither. That is why, if you are growing flowering plants, you must talk to them. You should also talk to animals. There are also things that make pigs happy. Try playing fast music in the pigpen, and see how the pigs relish their food. But try playing a solemn and somber music, and probably the pigs will no longer eat with gusto. What the Japanese discovered about plants and animals must be true. Just try observing your pet dog at home. If a stranger comes to your house, it will surely bark. But once you try stopping him, the dog will obey. In the Bible, King Solomon understood the language of the plants and animals. St. Paul, on the other hand, understood the language of the angels. This is the reason why we are saying that the Bible is a compilation of every truth regarding life here on earth and in the heavens. In other words, there are many speakers in the Bible, but not all utterances came from God. For that reason, we cannot claim that there are no flaws in the Bible, because there are pronouncements here which came from the non-believers. Like what we can read in Job 22:15—

“Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?”

When this part was read by those who lacked understanding of the Bible, they readily remarked, “Those who are in Eli Soriano’s Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) are wicked!” Simply because they read that, “the old way was trodden by wicked men,” they already made a sweeping conclusion. Obviously, the ones who said that verse were not using their heads. If that pronouncement really came from God, then, by all means, we will not be against it. But, it did not! Now, if God will be asked, what did He say about the “old path”? In Jeremiah 6:16, it says—

“Thus said the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”

God said that, the old path is the good way. Let us study some claims that the old way was trodden by wicked men? Did that statement come from God, or from somebody else?

In studying the Bible, we have to find the speaker. Then, with whom the speaker is talking with, and the time the conversation happened. You have to establish all these details to see and understand the truth. For example, did God really say, “Be fruitful and multiply?” Yes, He did! But the question is: to whom did He say it? Was it to the drunkard? If that is the case, then, the earth will be filled with drunkards! There might be a shortage of liquor, when it happens. Was God, then, talking to the drug addict? In the Bible, let us read to confirm with whom was God talking to (Genesis 6:13-14,17)—

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without pitch. … And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.”

Was humanity wiped out, or not? How many were left? Eight: Noah and his household. All the wicked were eliminated. And after the universal deluge, God spoke to Noah. Genesis 9:1 says—

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

Who was God talking to? God was addressing the upright men. Otherwise, if he was also addressing the wicked why then did He have to eliminate the rest of mankind? The ones who were commanded to “be fruitful and multiply” were the 8 upright souls – Noah and his family.

The problem is, even those who lack sense of responsibility, even the jobless who have nothing to feed their children, thought that they were also being commanded to multiply! This world will become a miserable and a despicable place if it will be filled with irresponsible people. The commandment, “Be fruitful and multiply,” concerned only a particular group of people at a particular period of time. Do not interpret the Bible by yourself because your interpretation may be wrong! What do we mean to say?

If you are going to study the Bible, you must bear in mind that the Bible contains the words of God. And, although it is a revelation of the Almighty, although it is a compilation of old truths about men and God, it also contains pronouncements which did not come from God. It also contains words that contradict God’s words. But we are not concerned about those. Our main concern is the words of God written in the Bible. And how are we to know whether a pronouncement came from God? Proverbs 8:8-9 says—

“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.”