Deborah: Prophet, Judge, and Military Commander
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
1M ago
After Moses guided God’s people out of Egypt, and after his successor, Joshua, led them in the conquest of Canaan, the Israelites seemed to exist comfortably from their victories. But, this peace was short lived as the Israelite people — once again — began to abandon God’s commandments and partook of pagan practices. The more they undertook apostasy, the more God withdrew his protection. It was during these early settlement years of apostasy that is the subject of the Book of Judges. This was the time in which judges were chosen by Yahweh (God) to interpret legislative and cultural issues; the ..read more
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Elohim: God or gods?
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
1M ago
“Do you believe aliens are among us?” For a Christian minister, that question arises more often than you might imagine. We are not considering foreign nationals illegally breaching our country’s borders; we are discussing intelligent beings other than human, originating outside of the earth’s boundaries. Or, maybe, they are coming from another dimension or realm — through some portal or gateway,1 so to speak. Earlier in my spiritual journey, I would always tread lightly on such a touchy subject, but now I feel it is important to address this question within the Christian community. My change o ..read more
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Jews, Hebrews, Israel, & Zion: What is the difference – why the war?
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
2M ago
Ever since the Israel-Hamas war recently broke out in the middle east, there have been inquiries about the situation and questions about what will God do to save Israel. I admit it is hard to wrap our minds around what is going on, but these questions are coming from Christians who are really concerned about God’s favored people. And I admire their interest, for they are a sincere group who cares, rather than the greater majority who don’t even have a passing interest is what is going on in the world. But it is hard to get to the truth behind current events, when what we are able to learn only ..read more
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What does it mean when the Bible says God ‘translated’ someone?
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
3M ago
According to widespread Christian preaching, God took two people to heaven without them first dying. Why and how this was done is not answered in scripture, just that they were here one moment and not the next. There is, however, a Greek term for this event; it is said that God ‘translated’ them to his abode. This idea or doctrine goes back in history to the King James Version of the Bible, where English words such as ‘taken’ or ‘transferred’, were sometimes written as translated. https://outlawbiblestudent.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Translation-Audio-FILE.mp3 Listen to this article: Click ..read more
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Thanksgiving: a few reflections after the fact
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
4M ago
As usual, around holiday events I get questions concerning its celebration. So, I was not surprised when a few inquiries arose around our last Thanksgiving Day. The first question asked was “Is Thanksgiving Day a religious holiday?” The second question was “Do other countries celebrate Thanksgiving Day?” The third was “What does Black Friday mean?” Here in the United States of America, Thanksgiving Day is always on the fourth Thursday in November, and the day after — Black Friday — begins the Christmas shopping season. Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, but not an official h ..read more
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Views of Jezebel through the Millennia
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
4M ago
The story about Jezebel is recorded in 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament, but for those who do not know much about this character, here is an overview. According to Hebrew scripture, Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Tyre in Phoenicia during the 9th-century BC. Phoenicia was a coastal area corresponding to present-day Lebanon.1 At that time, the Jewish commonwealth was divided and the southern portion was called Judah. The northern portion was called Israel, which was near the border where the city of Tyre was located. Although a wealthy and influential city, its politics ..read more
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What is Spiritual Israel? Must we support Israel at war?
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
5M ago
While I write this, there are wars (Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas) and rumors of wars (Israel-Iran, NATO-Russia, U.S.-China, China-Taiwan, and more). Regional wars change fast, so who knows what will be happening in just a few weeks. Jesus said that this would happen before the end of this age, so these events are just the beginning of events that will steadily increase, although there may also be some periods of low activity. He warned us that the coming crises will be similar to a woman giving birth; these times of extreme difficulty will be but the start of the birth pains of the coming n ..read more
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Changing Times and Future Hope
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
6M ago
When I was twenty years old, back in 1963, an American singer-songwriter named Bob Dylan1 wrote a song in an “attempt to create an anthem of change for the time.” The song is titled ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’.2 That happened sixty years ago and the times did change. But the point I’m making today is that — once again — times are a-changing and there will be bigger changes then have ever happened before and such that will never happen again. What we will soon face is troubling and not just a simple change in our environment, or society, or politics, or technology, but in everything. And thi ..read more
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Who Really Killed Jesus?
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
7M ago
“So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’ And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’” (Matthew 27:24-25, ESV).1 This scripture, of course, describes the situation after Jewish leaders had Jesus arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Jewish officials wanted to put Jesus to death because he was a threat to their own leadership and power. https://outlawbiblestudent.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Who-Kill ..read more
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More About the Rainbow Flag
The Outlaw Bible Student | Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
by Ray Hermann, D.Min.
7M ago
I recently read a very good article about the LGBTQ rainbow flag, in Wisconsin Christian News. The author was Rob Pue, an ordained minister and the founder of the newspaper. He was writing about a recent community bike ride in his city called the Annual Naked Bike Ride. This social crusade, which began in Spain in 2001,1 has evolved into a worldwide movement. My small city has joined this cause and a similar event is probably also celebrated either in your town or in one near you. And, for the last decade or so, this action group has been co-opted by LGBTQ to advance their own sinful agenda. h ..read more
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