READER QUESTION: Beloved what is your undertsanding of the following? (all-caps added) Jude 1:3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you ABOUT THE SALVATION WE SHARE, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith THAT WAS ONCE for all entrusted to the saints. Jude 1:4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Yeshua the Messiah our only Sovereign and Lord. VW ANSWER: First of all, you need to get a copy of God's Word. I'm not sure which perversion this comes from....but it is not God's Word. If you compare this side-by-side with God's Word, you will see wrong words all over the place, that change the whole scope, meaning and emphasis of what is being said. I'm not sure what your questions are, that you are wanting comments from me about.....but it could be that, when you read it from God's Word, your questions will vanish....?? The person then re-quoted the passage, this time from the VW-edition, with the same areas highlighted, with the same un-focused question. I replied, including something on the order of: "do not the words mean what they say?" I was not trying to be "smart-mouthed" in answering as I did. But as I let this subject stew around in my mind and heart a few days, it became clear that we need to address this little passage, tackling it from two fronts: 1) the Translation issue, and 2) What the passage Says. Here it is, for comparison... "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning the common salvation, it was necessary for me to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were set forth to this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God, even our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ju3-4) In the Library is a past study of the entire epistle, from the aspect: "10 characteristics of apostasy prior to God's Wrath" But these two verses, but more especially vs3, is the very -key- to many things: Rightful 'understanding' of God's Word to the Church, and some of the parameters involved in 'guarding' God's Word from corruption. Let us first observe a few things that are wrong with the rendition as originally quoted. I have no idea 'which', of the many versions that proliferate today, that it is from. Let's address it -as- given in the correspondence, not worrying about its label, but seeing the text for what it presumes to say; comparing next to God's Word (VW, KJV and others say essentially the same thing as each other) "I was very eager to write" vs "I was very diligent to write" Do these two not say the same thing? No they don't. The word "eager" carries with it the notion of the writer's own personal desire and will; as though this was something that Judas was mulling around in his mind one day and "really wanted" to write... just: because. But how was God's Word written? "...holy men of God spoke as they were propelled along by the Holy Spirit". (2Pet1:21b) The Scriptures did not come about by various ones coming to God, panting, "Can I can I can I... p'leeeease write Your Words??? Pretty please???" No! When God sets about to have His servant write, it often comes to one who doesn't want to, like Jeremiah: "I will not make mention of Him, nor speak in His name any more. But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with holding it in, and I could not." (Jer20:9) God gave the message to Judas to pass along, and he is writing it with -DILIGENCE-. Using the UTMOST CARE to say -exactly- what God intends. "I felt I had to write" vs "it was necessary for me to write" Again, a variation of the preceding point. Where does the epistle originate? With Judas? or from the Holy Spirit? Is God's Word based on 'feelings'? or (often) out of "need" (KJV says "needful")? What is the 'need'? There are certain ungodly men who "have crept in unnoticed" (vs4) They are condemned. They "turn the grace of our God into licentiousness" through the dialectic of "gray areas" and "consensus" mentality. And they "deny" Jesus Christ. And one of the most clever ways in which this "creeping" has happened "unnoticed", is in things like these clever little word changes in the translations. It's the same thing that is happening all over. Recently I mentioned how Multnomah Bible College has changed its Statement of Faith. In Europe (EU) they are changing the definition of "terrorism", and such things, regarding Islam, to not have Muslims be "terrorists", but they are coming

Renowned historian and research scholar of Pakistan Dr. Nabi Bux Baloch passed away on Wednesday at his sister's home. He was 94 and is survived by five sons and three daughters. Dr Baloch was a scholar of Sindhi, Persian, Arabic and Urdu languages. He was author of a number of books on Sindh history, and about 42 volumes on Sindhi Folklore. He also compiled and published Sindhi dictionary in five volumes. Moreover, he compiled Sindhi-to-Urdu, Urdu-to-Sindhi dictionaries co-authored with Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Khan. He compiled works of classical Sindhi poets including Shah Inayat, Qadi Qadan, Khalifo Nabibakhsh, Hamal Faqir and compiled works of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in ten volumes. Dr Baloch was born on December 16, 1917, in Jaffer Khan Laghari village, Taluka Sinjhoro, Sanghar District. He started his education from Nowshera Feroz High School. He obtained his B.A. from Jhuna Garh College from Bombay University and got his M.A. Arabic First Class First and LL.B from Aligarh Muslim University. In 1946 he went to Columbia University where he did his Master's in Education and got his Doctoral Degree in the same field. His thesis was on Teacher Education in Pakistan. After completing the Education, he returned to Pakistan. For a short period he worked in Information and Broadcasting Division as Officer on Special Duty and was to join Damascus in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when Allama I. I. Kazi, the founder of Sindh University, invited him to join the newly established University as Professor of Education to establish first Department of Education in Pakistan. Later, he rose to the positions of the first Dean of Education Department and Vice-Chancellor of University of Sindh. In 1976, he was called upon to join as Secretary Ministry of Education in Islamabad where he established first Islamic University Islamabad, initiated the scheme of Great Books of Islamic Civilization under Pakistan National Hijra Council. He also worked as first Chairman of Sindhi Language Authority and Chairman of Allama I.I. Kazi Chair. He was Professor Emeritus of the Chair. His correspondence in Sindhi Language has been published by Sindh Moti Manik Tanzeem Hyderabad and Institute of Sindhology, University of Sindh. His latest work covering his correspondence with world scholars from 1946 to 2006 has been published under the title 'World of Work: A Scholar's Dilemma' an introduction covering biographical landmarks of his life, published by Institute of Sindhology, University of Sindh in March 2007.