Biblical Plagues, part 2

In the part 1 we looked at the first three plagues (Blood in the Nile, Frogs, Gnats). The next three plagues get a little more severe. We have three destructive plagues. The land was ruined by flies. Then the livestock all died. Then men and animals alike were struck with festering boils. Yuck. The Egyptian gods that the Lord was opposing in this way were Uatchit, represented by a fly, Apis and Hathor, the bull god and the goddess with the head of a cow, and Sekhmet, goddess over disease and Sunu, god of pestilence.

Plagues seven, eight and nine were dreadful and alarming. God showed his superiority over Nut, the sky goddess, Osiris, god of crops and fertility and Set, god of storms, by sending a plague of hail. Hail fell and lightning flashed and it was the worst storm ever. Take that. And if that wasn't enough for them it was followed with the plague of locusts which totally invaded the country, covering the ground until it was black. The ninth plague was a plague of darkness which challenged the Egyptian sun god, Re, as well as the sky goddess, Nut.

The final plague was the most horrible, but its result was that Moses and his people could finally leave Egypt. The plague on the firstborn meant that the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt – from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the prisoner – and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Can you imagine the crying, the grief, the horror? The Israelites, however, were saved from this plague by a Passover lamb. By putting some of the blood of the lamb on their doorframes the Lord would “pass over” their houses and not permit the destroyer to enter and strike them down. This whole sacrificial idea is a foreshadowing of Christ, the Lamb of God, as our ultimate stand-in. The Lord will “pass over” us on Judgment Day because Jesus has already paid our debt – His blood saves us.

(Taken from CROSSING THE SCRIPTURES)

You're Invited to the Facebook Launch Party for A SOUL'S KISS

Please join the Facebook Launch Party for my latest novel A SOUL'S KISS.

Tuesday, March 25, from 6 - 9 Eastern Standard time 

There will be gift cards and books as prizes.

My publishers have put together a Grand Prize, too.

Of course the whole point is to sell more books so you'll have a better chance in some of the contests if you've read A SOUL'S KISS. Available in Paperback, Kindle, Nook or other digital formats.

Biblical Plagues, part 1

The Old Testament book of Exodus teaches that redemption is essential to a relationship with the most Holy God. Even a redeemed people cannot have fellowship with Him unless they are constantly cleansed and purified from corruption, defilement, and transgressions (sin).

Let’s look specifically at The Plagues. (Read Exodus chapters 7 through 11.) There are nine plagues before the horrible 10th plague that culminated in the Passover. The plagues were 1) Blood in the Nile, 2) Frogs, 3) Gnats, 4) Flies, 5) Death of Livestock, 6) Boils, 7) Hail, 8) Locusts and 9) Darkness. Let’s take them in groups of three since they seem to cluster nicely that way.

Book Launch Today! A SOUL'S KISS

It's so exciting to have a book I've worked on for a year and a half finally make it to the bookstores, especially that big one called Amazon.

Get your copy today! 
My other young adult books are sliding over to make room for A SOUL'S KISS in Paperback or Kindle or Nook or other ereader.

Colossians, part 2

Colossians, part 2

In the third and fourth chapters of Colossians Paul reminded Christians how they should live. They should think about the things in heaven because they belong with Christ. They should not do evil deeds. Instead, they should love other people. And they should serve God.

Paul gives us “rules” for holy living. Here they are:

1.   Set your hearts and minds on things above.

2.   Deny your earthly nature of sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed.

3.   Rid yourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.

4.   Do not lie to each other.

5.   Be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient.

6.   Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you may have.

7.   Put on love and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

8.   Be thankful.

9.   Let the word of Christ dwell in you.

10. Do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Goodreads Giveaway - Enter Soon

Seventeen-year-old Jessica thinks high school would be perfect if she could catch the eye of super jock Michael Hoffman instead of shy Tyler. Michael, a sociopath in the making, pulls a prank that results in a horrible accident.  Jessica’s physical body falls into a coma while her spirit splits off to invade the thoughts and dreams of friends and . . . not friends. She roams her school, harvesting slivers of others’ souls and unknowingly spreading everyone’s secret memories. 

When she indwells Tyler she experiences not only his feelings for her, but a dream kiss that makes her question her faulty self-image. Maybe she could be the type of girl Tyler envisions – if she ever wakes up from this coma.

Just one week until A SOUL'S KISS will be available.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

A Soul's Kiss

by Debra Chapoton

Giveaway ends March 14, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Colossians, part 1

Colossians, part 1

Colossians was written by St. Paul to the Christians at Colosse. Paul had not visited Colosse, but he often prayed for the Christians there. In fact he says early on in his letter (1:9) that he had not stopped praying for them. This is a short book and you can easily read it straight through.

Paul reminded the Christians about the importance of Jesus. Jesus is God, and He created everything.  Jesus became a man so that He could die for us and because Jesus paid our “death debt”, God will accept us. He forgives us our sins and accepts us. If we invite Jesus into our lives, we will become friends of God (Colossians 1:15-23).

Then, Paul warned the Christians about some people (Colossians 2). These people wanted the Christians to obey the ancient rules of the Hebrew nation. And these people said that real Christians must obey all such rules. Paul did not agree.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Christians ought to obey Christ, instead of tradition. Traditions might seem wise, but they cannot help us to live good lives .

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Animals in the Bible - Cankerworms and Locusts

Chapter 9 –Cankerworms and Locusts

Cankerworms are mentioned in the Old Testament books of Nahum and Joel.  In Joel chapter 1 we read a strange prediction:

 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

There was an actual plague of locusts in the land that historians can verify. All of chapter 1 of Joel deals with an actual ancient event. The palmerworm, locust, cankerworm and caterpillar are all developmental stages of the desert locust which as recently as 1915 devastated Palestine.

Early Science Fails, part 3

Here are three more amazing scientific discoveries that were made first by those who studied the Bible.

Light moves. Yes, that’s right. It’s not in a fixed place. Job 38: 19-20 says “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?”

Early astronomers thought that all stars were identical. Now they’ve “discovered” that each one is unique. Hmm, should have read 1st Corinthians: “The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor”.

Speaking of stars, Ptolemy catalogued around 1100 stars and for centuries men believed that there couldn’t be any more than that. Naturally the Bible refers to stars as being “countless” or innumerable. Science now agrees with that.

Animals in the Bible - Camels

Chapter 8 – Camels

For some reason camels come off as pretty likable animals even though they’re ornery, spit a lot, and are not known for being pleasurably aromatic.

Bible facts about the camel:

1.   The camel is unclean because it chews its cud and has a divided hoof and therefore cannot be eaten (Leviticus 11:4).

2.   There is no mention of camels being with the wise men though every manger scene includes them.

3.   Camels were considered “booty”, a great prize to steal from the enemy (Jeremiah 40:32).

4.   There was a plague associated with them (Zechariah 14:15).

5.   There were so many camels belonging to the Midianites and the Amalekites that they couldn’t count them (Judges 7:12).

6.   John the Baptist had a coat made of camel hair (Matthew 3:4).

Early Science Fails, part 2

Last week I posted some fascinating facts from the Bible that were written thousands of years before the scientific community presented their opposite views and then revised them (maybe unknowingly) to be aligned with the Bible.

Here are three more:

Long ago scientists believed that oceans were fed only by rivers and rain. It wasn't until the 1970’s that it was discovered there are springs in the ocean floor. The Bible gives testimony of ocean springs in Job (the springs of the sea) and Proverbs (the fountains of the deep) and Genesis (the fountains of the great deep).

Additionally scientists used to believe that the ocean floor was flat.

Cover Reveal - A SOUL'S KISS

Coming March 15, 2014 from Creative Prose Publishing, the newest novel from international author Debra Chapoton:

When a tragic accident leaves Jessica comatose, her spirit  escapes her body. Navigating a supernatural realm is tough, but being half dead has its advantages.

      

Like getting into people’s thoughts.

Like taking over someone’s body.

Like experiencing romance on a whole new plane - literally.

Jessica learns an amazing truth as she struggles to return to her body before the doctors pull the plug, only she can’t do it alone. Now the only two people willing to help Jessica’s splintered soul are the two she’s hurt the most. They must find a way to guide her soul back to her body ... before it’s too late.

Sign up for the new release newsletter to be informed of the release of Debra's book at Creative Prose Publishing. You can find CPP at their blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

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Animals in the Bible - Bulls, Bullocks, and Calves

Chapter 7 – Bulls, Bullocks, and Calves

Bulls. bullocks (young castrated bulls), and calves are mentioned in 17 of the 39 books of the Old Testament, but in only 4 New Testament books. Calves are referred to as meat for feasts, as images of idol worship, and as sacrifices. But in nearly every verse that names bulls and bullocks they are used as sin offerings, meat offerings, burnt offerings – a sacrifice. Their innocent blood was used continually to cover the sins of the people of Israel. Here’s an example from the Torah:

Exodus 29:12, 14: And you shall take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

But when the Messiah arrived, he became the high priest and bypassed the old tabernacle and the altar and went straight into heaven’s true Holy Place, once and for all. He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of the blood of bulls, bullocks, and calves, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free from our sins. If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in covering the sins of the Israelites, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out. Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, far, far superior to bulls, bullocks, and calves.