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The purpose for doing
this research is to show that belief in The Christian Hebrew Bible and Astrology Below, I have excerpted some scripture
which shows that Astrology is well recognized in the Bible and compatible with and related to belief in traditional Christian
teachings. Didn't God have Paul tells us to look at the stars to see how the "wrath of God" is revealed in the heavens.
You are encouraged to look up these passages and read the Bible stories in their full context.
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In Daniel there are several mentions of "Astrologers", but all are
in connection with the same issue, the interpretation of a dream of the King. Yet we know that Astrology does not claim to
be about the interpretation of dreams, it's the interpretation of the Stars God created. The "wise men" consulted
by the King would also be expected to interpret his dreams, but this would not have been done by using Astrology, this was
not the gift God had given to thee Astrologers . Was the king confused? or was it a lack of knowledge? understanding
Dream interpretation is something practiced by modern psychiatrists (who also happen to be licensed medical doctors). When
I see these passages being used to condemn Astrology, I wonder why the person is not also condemning dream interpretation
and Psychiatry.
The Bible is the
key to understanding life and its many mysteries. This verse sums it
up: "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen
are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2nd Corinthians 4:18.In this stunning passage, the Gospel
of Saint Luke refers directly to the Astrological powers of the heavenly bodies. Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. The New Testament is full of clues
and insights that point to Jesus' respect and reverence for Astrology. The most obvious quote is Luke 21:25 when he says,
"At the end of this Age there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars…the heavenly bodies will be shaken."
(Literally, the heavenly forces will be agitated.) It's in the red print. Jesus said it. He tells his twelve disciples that
the age to come will be foreshadowed by signs in the heavens. That is what God said they were supposed to be used for. Signs
give directions and guidance to help us navigate life. Psalms 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.
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The Hebrew word for one is Echad and "stresses
unity while recognizing diversity with that oneness." This same word is used in Genesis 2:24, "Therefore shall
a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one (Echad) flesh." Therefore
God says that two individuals, Adam and Eve, were one flesh. In Exodus 24:3, states " . . . All the people answered with
one (Echad) voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do." Note that all the people, which were
a great multitude replied with one voice. There are many other instances where the word is used to show the oneness of many
individuals. In other words the Hebrew word Echad allows for plurality within oneness, allowing that God, who is emphatically
described as one God, to be three Persons who are One God. There is another Hebrew word that means "one"
which is "Yahad." This word is always singular and can only mean one and its use allows no plurality. God could
have used this word in Deuteronomy 6:4, but chose Echad instead which allows the concept of God being One God who is in essence
is three individual Persons. Thiessen says, "A unity is, however, not inconsistent with the conception of the trinity;
for a unity is not the same as a unit.”This concept can be further seen in the descriptions of the Person of God in
the Old Testament:
The Person of God we can see. "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he
sat in the tent door in the heat of the day" (Genesis 18:1, See 2-33). (This is a preincarnate appearance of the Lord
Jesus Christ) The Person of God that cannot be seen. "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). (The Holy Spirit is in essence
a spirit and cannot be seen by physical beings) Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face
of the waters ."The Old Testament begins by teaching that God is One in three Persons. In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew name
for God is "Elohim" which is used more than two thousand times in the plural form in the Bible.[7] Further the
name "Elohim" occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic language. [8] This is a plural noun, but the verb is
singular. This is not a normal use of grammar. Normally a plural noun would have a plural verb. But if you wanted to teach
that God is one and also a plurality, using the unique grammatical construction of using of a plural noun with a singular
verb would be used. Therefore this passage teaches that there is one God who exists in a plurality.
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness "Again in Genesis 1:26,
God is spoken of as plural. "And God said, Let us make man in our image . . . " The same word for “one”
is used in Genesis 2:24, speaking of the oneness of a husband and wife. God sees a husband and wives.The Person of God no
one is allowed to see. "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live" (Ex. 33: spiritually
as being one. This another verse that helps to establish that two or more can spiritually be one. Genesis 11:7-8 "Go
to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered
them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city."Genesis 11:7-8 says the
LORD scattered the antediluvians abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
God is spoken of in the plural (let "us" go down) and in the singular (Jehovah = " the existing One")
at the same time. This passage summarizes the Bible's teaching about God that He is one, but exists in a plurality of three
Persons.
"Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou
lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
fellows."According to Hebrews 1:8-9, God the Father is speaking in Psalm 45, and He is referring to the Son as God. "But
unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness
above thy fellows "(Heb. 1:8-9). The question is if the Son Himself was God, why did He address the Father as God? The answer is that
the Son addressed the Father as God for the same reason that the Father addressed the Son as God, because they are both God!
"Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was,
there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;
I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go."God the Father
in this verse states He is the "Lord GOD; I am the Lord thy God." He then unmistakably further says He is thy "Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 44:24 proclaims the Redeemer made Israel and the heavens, "Thus saith the LORD,
thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens
alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself." Both these verses refer to the promised Messiah who is Jesus and God
is saying Him Jesus is the Redeemer. The LORD(Jehovah) states that He is the Creator. Therefore the Bible is saying that it
is Jehovah God, who is the Father, who is the Creator and at the same time that the Bible is stating that Jesus Christ is
the Creator. (See John 1:3-4, Eph. 3:9, Col. 1: 16)
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." The verse identifies the person speaking as being "the Lord" (Jehovah) and Jehovah is talking
about another person who will in the future come to earth who is David's descendent, a King who will reign, prosper and will
judge the earth. Jehovah then gives His name as "JEHVOAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." This is a reference to the promised
Messiah will be a man and a descendant of David. God the Father identifies Himself in the Old Testament at "Jehovah"
and here He says the Messiah's name is also called "Jehovah" which is the sacred name of God. It would be blasphemy
to call any man "Jehovah" yet, this is plainly the name by which the Messiah would be called. There can be no mistake
that God the Father is saying the Messiah Jesus is God.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace."This is another prophecy foretelling the birth of the Messiah. Note that the Messiah is
called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father." There can be no doubt that this passage is saying a human child
would be born who is identified as God and the Father. Why would God the Father state that the Messiah, a man, is God and
the Father if He was not? Proverbs 30:4-5 states God's word are pure, "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?
who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the
earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them
that put their trust in him." God is saying His words are pure and that He is the Creator and He has a Son. Clearly this
passage is saying that Jesus Christ (Christ = Messiah) is God incarnate in man.
NEW
TESTAMENT PASSAGES THAT TEACH THE TRINITY The New Testament clearly says the Trinity that Jesus is God (John 1:1,14); it says the Father
is God (Phil. 1:2); and it says the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). Since the Son speaks to the Father, they are separate
persons (John 17). Since the Holy Spirit speaks also (Acts 13:2), He too is a separate person. There can be no question that
the New Testament proclaims there is only One God and that He exists in three distinct persons.
"In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things
were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. . . .And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness
of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before
me."The verse plainly says that the "Word" (Logos) was God. John 1:14-15 unmistakably proclaims that
the "Word" was made flesh that it establishes the incarnation of God. God can to earth as a man. The passage unquestionably
identifies Jesus Christ as the Word, who was God and stating the John the Baptist bare witness of Him. John 1:3 says that
it was Jesus Christ, the Word (Logos) who created all things. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made" (John 1:3) However, Genesis 1:1 states that "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the
heavens and the earth." This passage without a doubt establishes the deity of Jesus Christ that He is God and that He
created all things. Speaking of Christ Colossians 1:16 states, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things
were created by him, and for him." Further Colossians 1:17 adds "And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist." (See Heb. 1:3,10)
God plainly states in Exodus 34:14 that man is not to worship any other God. "For thou shalt
worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Colossians 1:18 states that Jesus is to
have the preeminence in all things. "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18). Further Jesus was worshiped many times
while on earth. (See Matt. 2:11; 18:26,29; Mark 3:11; 5:33; Luke 5:8; 8:23,28,41; 17:16; John 11:32; Rev. 5:8,14; 19:4; 22:8.)
Jesus accepted the worship of men because He is God. Obviously, there is a pattern presented by these Scriptures
that God the Father is emphatically said to have created the heavens and the earth and at the same time Jesus is proclaimed
to be the Creator. In Genesis 1:2, the Holy Spirit is shown as "moving upon the face of the waters." (Also see
Psalms 104:30) The only way these statements can be true is that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are one
God. "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." John 8:58 ended
Jesus' confrontational discourse with the religious Jews and proclaimed that He was "I am" which is a name that
only applies to God the Father. The Jews then rioted and took up stones to kill Jesus, but He eluded them and passed through
the midst of them unharmed. What caused them to riot was that Jesus said plainly that He was Jehovah God, the "Self-Existent
One." (Exodus 3:14) Using the name "I am" He identified Himself as the One who sent Moses to the Children of
Israel when they were in captivity in Egypt. The Jews fully understood what He had said and were so angry with Him making
the statement that they rushed to kill Him. There can be no mistake that Jesus stated He was Jehovah God which certainly confirms
the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
"I and my Father are one." In John 10:30, Jesus said that "I and my Father are
one." The word “One” is in the neuter gender. This statement rules out the meaning that they are only one
in purpose as some misinterpret this verse to say. It affirms that Jesus and God are separate persons, but one God, with the
Holy Spirit. The verse says they are in perfect unity in their natures and actions. Jesus emphatically stated on this occasion
that He was God. The Jews who heard Him saw a man standing before them and they fully understood what He had just stated.
They were so offended at His statement that they took up stones to put Him to death, "because that thou, being a man,
makest thyself God" (John 10:32). These Jews fully understood that God presents Himself in the Old Testament as monotheistic
which in their minds precluded that Jesus could be God also. Here again the Bible unmistakably is telling us from Christ's
own words that God the Father and Jesus Christ are One "Behold,
a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
is, God with us." The angel announced to Joseph that Mary was with child and the Son she would give birth to would
be called "Emmanuel" meaning God with us. Matthew clearly claimed not only that Christ was born of a virgin, but
that this was anticipated by the prophecy of Isaiah as being the method by which God would become a man.
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." This passage
begins with "without controversy" as if anticipating those who would deny the Trinity. It then soundly affirms the
doctrine. The phrase "without controversy" means simply "obviously" or "beyond all question."
The next statement "The mystery of Godliness is great" denotes the importance and magnitude of this now revealed
mystery or truth that was not revealed in the Old Testament. A mystery in the Bible is simply a previously unrevealed truth.
In other words in the Old Testament this truth was not stated. The mystery is that "God is manifest in the flesh!"
This is as straightforward a statement as can be made on the matter. This verse says that God is manifested in the flesh or
God is incarnate in flesh. The Greek word is "phneroo" meaning, "to make visible." (See John 1:1-14,
14:7, Col. 1:15, 1 Tim. 1:17) Jesus was "justified in the Spirit" proclaiming that it was not the flesh that justified,
but the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was thus vindicated in the Spirit at His resurrection. Some believe this means Jesus was
"seen of angels" but the word is "angelos" which means a messenger. Contextually it is referring to the
Apostles who saw the Lord in the flesh and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles. Jesus was "preached among the Gentiles"
refers to the scope of His ministry that He came to save all nations, not just the Jews. He was more than the Jewish Messiah,
but the Savior of the world. Jesus was "believed on in the world" being proven to be the Redeemer and is believed
on and accepted as Savior by those who seek after God. He was when His ministry and work "received up into glory."
Today Christ is at the right hand of God, making intercession for those who by faith are trusting in Him. There can be
no mistake that this verse reveals that Jesus Christ is God and attests to the fact that Jesus and God are One.
The verses presented and many others clearly teach that God is One God. These passages state
that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are also God. Thus the Bible affirms one of the most important doctrines in Scripture
that God one God existing in a unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The full importance of understanding and accepting
this truth is found in the Epistle of 1 John: "Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit
of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is it in the world." (1 John 4:1-3). It must be noted that the phrase "Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh" is a direct reference to His deity and that GOD came to the earth in flesh. All men are "born in the
flesh" therefore this verse has no significance unless it is referring to God coming in the flesh. John says those that
deny this revealed truth of the Trinity are not of God and the denial of this doctrine comes from the spirit of the antichrist
who is directed by Satan.
The biblical doctrine of the Trinity was not invented by man or any church. Its origin is in the
plain and unmistaken statements made in the Bible that is God's word. It is revealed truth and salvation, and seek God must
accept who He is and what is His revealed nature. How Can We Understand that God is One God Existing in Three Distinct
Persons? How can we understand that God can be One God, yet be three distinct persons? The answer is really quite simple and
easy to understand if we accept that the Bible is the very word of God and what we are reading is God's revelation to man
about Himself. Thiessen states, "His (God) being is simple; man's is compound, having both a material and an immaterial
part. But God is spirit and is not susceptible of such division." Is it
reasonable for us to demand that we understand perfectly everything about our Magnificent and Almighty God? Do we understand
fully everything we believe and know to be true? We do fully understand our own selves or most things in the world in which
we live? How can we expect fully to understand the eternal, wholly spiritual, Almighty God?
The answer is “No.” Man knows very little about the world in which is exists. 2 Timothy 2:23 rightly warns
us to avoid foolish and unlearned questions.[12] A foolish question is one that is used to attempt to overthrow a plain Bible
teaching, such as questions about the Trinity, or the resurrection, or the incarnation of Christ, or the condition of man
after death.The
false teacher asks foolish questions which causes people to doubt the Word of God. The true teacher encourages people to believe
the Word of God despite whether its teachings seem perfectly reasonable to human understanding or not.[13] The problem is
not with what the Bible reveals, but with man's unwillingness to accept and understand what God has stated as fact. The following illustration
is not a perfect example, but helps illustrate a point. We all believe in gravity but we cannot explain it. Our inability
to explain or even understand what gravity is does not mean there is no gravity. It exists and we can see what it does.
We cannot see it or touch it or in any way explain what it is. (See John 3:8) Gravity is the most important force in the universe
and affects everything in it. The physicist tells us even the smallest particle of subatomic matter are held in place by the
force of gravity, yet no one knows what gravity is or what makes it work.
Wouldn’t
it be reasonable and logical to accept that although we do not understand with human reasoning how it is possible that God
is three Persons and One God? If we deny the possibility of the Trinity then we must also declare that we are omniscient
which means our knowledge is infinite and absolute. Do we know everything there is to know about everything? Do we even
under everything about our physical world. How then can we honestly proclaim we know everything in the realm of the spiritual
world that God exists. When we consider, as this paper shows, that the Bible that is God’s own word on the matter,
plainly establishes Trinity, how can we set ourselves up as judges of God’s word and declare that God is not a Trinity? Do we deny the
existence of gravity, atoms, electrons, protons, and the atomic particles of the Universe because we do not know how they
exist or can explain them? We accept it by faith because scientists, who we trust, tell us they exist and we accept their
statements. They reveal to us the existence of atomic and subatomic particles that we cannot see. Do we call the scientists,
who have knowledge of these things, liars because we cannot understand or see what they reveal to us? In a similar way we
accept the truth of the Trinity, although not being able to fully understand it or explain it, because God, who certainly
knows who He is, has revealed it to us in His written word.
Why then is it so hard for some men to accept the biblical
truth of the Trinity? The key to this misunderstanding lays in man’s microfying our infinite Creator. In other words,
making Him finite like ourselves. This act demeans and debases our omnipotent and glorious God and brings Him down to the
level of man. God is not man and the immensity of His being is so far beyond our finite understand we cannot even begin
comprehend who He is truly. However, He has revealed to us through His word the Bible, all we need to know about Him and
thereby to fully believe and trust in Him. John 3:19 says, "And this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." The verse says that "light"
referring to God's revealed truth of Jesus Christ the Savior, has been given to us by God, but because of their sin man refuses
to accept it.
We must understand that man lives in a material universe and is subject to physical limitations of
this world and to time and space. However, God exists in a spiritual world outside our universe that is not material nor
subject to time and space. God says He is Spirit (John 4:24), which is simply revealed truth from God about Himself. God does
not explain what a Spirit is because we cannot understand it. There is nothing in our material world to compare with the spiritual
realm of God. But we do know that it is different from the material universe that we live in, and that God's essence as spirit
is difference than us. In our physical world we can only describe something by using words, terms or things that are familiar
to us. If I try to tell someone what a house is I have the advantage of that person having seen other houses. Therefore
they understand what the word "house" is generally referring too. Yet, when we try to describe God as a Spirit or
the Trinity we have no such advantage. There is nothing in our material world with which we can compare a Spirit or the spiritual
realm that God exists in. God exists outside the universe and in a spiritual dimension beyond our human ability to perceive.
The physical laws of our universe do not apply. Our world is material not spiritual and therefore the concept is foreign
to us. This is why God does not attempt to explain the Trinity to us in His word. We cannot understand it because we are material
beings and only know material things. Yet, the doctrine is true because God has revealed it to us as fact in His word. The
Bible teaches that God is one God existing in three distinct persons, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those
who believe and trust God, believe this doctrine because it is revealed truth from God who cannot lie.
The Bible also
reveals that God is eternal, yet some of the same people who deny the Trinity, will accept that God is eternal and infinite.
Yet, the idea that God is an eternal God is just as foreign to our understanding as the Trinity. In our world nothing is
eternal and everything had a beginning and will have an end, but not so with God who is not subject to time and exists in
a realm in which there is no time. Psalm 90:2, states, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst
formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." The term "everlasting to everlasting"
means that God is infinite in time having no beginning or end. This is another revealed truth that we cannot comprehend.
Man is as a material being is limited by time and space. Being limited by time, we cannot conceive of an infinite God that
exists outside time. This universe, and that means you and I had a physical beginning and we will have a physical end. Yet,
says He is eternal having not beginning or ending. God reveals Himself in His word saying "I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Rev. 22:13).
Many who deny the doctrine of the Trinity also deny other
clear teachings of the Bible such as the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace apart from works, the miracles, the prophecies,
and a host of other cardinal doctrines God has revealed to us. These truths are the supernatural works of God. Man is not
able mentally to perceive of God's unity, spirituality, independence, immutability, eternity, and immensity. Drawing from
man's limited material existence and prejudice, those that deny these carnal doctrines conclude that these things are impossible
in a material world and therefore illogically proclaim they do not exist. Humanly speaking the supernatural acts of God are
impossible for mortals in a material universe to understand. What so many fail to understand is that God is a supernatural
Being. He is not limited to the restrictions of a material universe. God is Spirit and thus a supernatural Being that exists
outside the universe. He, from the realm of His spiritual dimension called Heaven, drawing from His infinite power, created
our material universe "exhilo" which means out of nothing. Being supernatural, which means being beyond material
limitations, God simply spoke the universe into being. That too is a reality we cannot comprehend. In our material world
it is impossible to create something out of absolute nothing. Yet, with God all things are possible.
No one can mistake that the Bible is a supernatural Book which reveals the supernatural works of God in creating
and working with man through the ages. The Bible presents mankind with God's ultimate and supernatural plan, that man by simple
faith in Jesus Christ the Savior, can have forgiveness for sins and eternal life and receive the spiritual nature of God.
Those who believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior become a part of Heaven with is a spiritual place and the children
of God.True Christians should not be frustrated because the world does not understand the clear teachings of the Bible. It
is the ministry of God, the Holy Spirit, to reveal truth, but one cannot understand spiritual things until they are spiritually
reborn. The beginning of wisdom says God is a fear of God. (See Prov. 9:10) That means accepting that He is and who He is
and humbling oneself to Him as one's maker.The unbeliever by his unbelief rejects God does not submit himself to God. He cannot
understand the things of God because he does not have the capacity to do so. He has not truly accepted God and he is bound
to his earthy and carnal understanding because he has not received the new nature of God and thereby become a "new man"
in Christ Jesus. (See Eph. 4:24, Col. 3:10) God explains this in 1 Corinthians 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."
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