One area of supposed Bible discrepancies pertains to numbers. We will investigate one today.

Look at these two scriptures pertaining to the same event.

2 Samuel 8:4: "And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots" (KJV).

1 Chronicles 18:4: "And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them an hundred chariots" (KJV).

Both of these scriptures pertain to David defeating Hadarezer and then taking booty from him.

One of the great debates among Christians, philosophers, agnostics, atheists, and other believers in religion is the validity of the Bible. Many Christians would argue that the Bible is the inspired word of God. But even among Christians, there is disagreement. This is a deep subject, but I don't have time to fully develop it here. I just want to provide a little information to support the Church of God International's contention that the Bible is the inspired word of God.

In December 2023, two major Christian church groups began officially blessing same-sex couples.

The Church of England began their practice on December 17, 2023. In February the Church voted to allow clergy to bless the unions of same-sex couples who have had civil weddings or partnerships. The words used for the blessings, known as prayers of love and faith, were approved by the church's House of Bishops on December 12, 2023.

Not to be outdone, the Vatican announced on December 18, 2023, that Catholic priests may bless same-sex couples. The announcement states that the blessings in question must not be tied to any specific Catholic celebration or religious service and should not be done at the same time as a civil union ceremony.

Throughout my years in the Church of God, I have heard different ideas about the following scripture (Matthew 28:19):

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (KJV)

“Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: (ASV)

“having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them -- to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, (YLT)

The Greek word used here for “in,” “into,” and “to” is eis.  The word is a primary preposition and indicates the point reached or entered of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose.

As we enter another election cycle next year in the United States (US) European nations are taking note. There is some concern in Europe over a possible new Trump presidency. This is due to the fact unlike previous presidents, Trump has made statements about pulling out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“It would be extremely stressful if America pivoted away from Europe, and that’s the worry with Trump,” a top European diplomat stated. “Every foreign ministry is thinking about this.”

You have probably heard the famous refrain from the story The Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” This phrase fits perfectly into the use of technology in our world today. Technology has done great good for society. One obvious example is more ways to communicate with people. Facebook is one example where people can keep track of their friends’ and relatives’ lives in a greater degree. But we could also argue that the time used to put up and read content on Facebook could be better utilized.

One of our primary concerns for having issues with worldly holidays like Halloween is the belief that these days are used to obfuscate and hide the true holy days of God. Halloween is a great example of this with its timing right after the time of the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day.

Many argue about what is the harm in letting kids go out and gather candy from neighbors. On its face this does not seem like a problem since we are not worshipping God on this day and obviously most of those who celebrate are not worshipping any false gods consciously. But by putting so much money and energy into days like Halloween our culture makes it easy for people to miss God’s plan and holy days.

On the Last Great Day Palestinian Hamas forces struck Israel with a devastating terrorist attack. Over 1,300 Israelis lost their lives during this surprise attack. Indications are a wider war will now ensue between Israel and Hamas. Israel has pounded sites in Gaza over the past week killing even more Palestinians. As with any war, what this will lead to is anyone’s guess. But let us take a closer look at what we can learn from the latest significant flare up in the Middle East.

Was it God's idea to spy out the land of Canaan or the people's? This alleged discrepancy relates to the two scriptures provided below:

Numbers 13:1-2: And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them (KJV).

Deuteronomy 1:21-23: Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe (KJV).

Did the Edomites refuse supplies to Israel when they passed through their land, or did they furnish them? This apparent discrepancy revolves around two scriptures provided below:

Numbers 20:19-20: "And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand" (KJV).

Deuteronomy 2:28-29: "You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, only let me pass through on foot, just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land which the Lord our God is giving to us" (KJV).

How many wives did Esau have? This is yet another seeming discrepancy in the Bible. A closer look and research will reveal the Bible is not creating a discrepancy.

First, let's look at the scriptures that address the various wives of Esau.

Genesis 26:34: And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (KJV).

Genesis 28:9: Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife (KJV).

A recent news item caught my eye, and I want to bring it to your attention. It relates to a shoplifter who was beaten by two 7-11 clerks in Stockton, California, on July 29, 2023. The shoplifter has now been arrested and charged with other crimes. Apparently, he has done this before.

If you watch the video of this incident, you see the shoplifter going behind the counter of the store and dumping cigarettes into a lined trash container. It appears he is trying to fill up the trash container with cigarettes and then make his way out the door. Another customer is getting video of things as they happen.