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Psalm 16:8 and the Other Verses of Psalm 16

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“As Moses lifted up the serpent [the serpent made of bronze described in Numbers 21:8–9] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”

Above is the content of John 3:14–16 and the content of Ephesians 2:8–9, respectively.  Itʼs worthwhile to refrain from receiving the mark referenced in Revelation 13:11–18 and to instead receive eternal life for free by believing that Jesus is the Savior.  Before doing any Bible studying and before praying to God the Father, it is useful for a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior to try to think of any sins that one might have committed since one last confessed oneʼs known post-salvation sins to God the Father, and if one has indeed committed any, to then silently confess those sins to God the Father—confessing only one time for each sin—in accordance with what is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This webpage could be periodically updated.  If there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, and if the original author of this webpage is amongst those people disappearing en masse, then it is possible that this webpage will no longer be updated.  Also, if there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility that those people have exited from the earth on the occasion known as the Rapture instead of assuming that that mass disappearance involves extraterrestrials abducting those people or involves the annihilation of those people or involves anything else other than the Rapture.  

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Also, it is possible that it is worthwhile to print this content in case of time periods involving lack of Internet connectivity.  

When studying the Word of God, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Hebrews 4:12:  

“Indeed, the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  

It is also beneficial to keep in mind the content of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 when studying the Word of God:  

“All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, having been thoroughly furnished unto all good work.”

It is the responsibility of a pastor-teacher to endeavor to correctly understand the Word of God and then to accurately teach the Word of God, as per the content of 2 Timothy 2:15:  

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”

A pastor-teacher is a communicator rather than a crutch on which to be leaned.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping a pastor-teacher.  Likewise, a believer should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping anyone other than the Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], as per Joshua 24:15, the content of which references Joshua speaking to the Israelites:  

If it is disagreeable/bad/evil/wrong/wretchedness/displeasing in your sight to serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, choose for yourselves today whom you serve/worship:  whether the gods ['elohiym / false gods] which your fathers have served/worshiped which were beyond the river or the gods ['elohiym / false gods] of the Amorites in whose land you are living.  As for me and my house, we serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.

Note:  Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Joshua had been serving as the assistant of Moses while Moses was the leader of the Israelites, set the example for the Israelites.  Joshua chose to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship God the Father rather than Joshua choosing to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship the lesser of multiple evils amongst multiple choices of 'elohiym [el-oh-HEEM].  The word 'elohiym with a lowercase e can refer to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges.  The word 'Elohiym with a capital E refers to the Trinity.  The word 'elohiym can also be used to refer to might as in mightiness.  In that regard, the use of the word 'elohiym in reference to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges involves the connotation of mightiness in comparison to an average human.  When a person puts oneʼs trust in and thereby serves as a devoted follower of and thus worships an angel or human, that angel or human is that personʼs false god.  Regarding the foregoing, the content of Joshua 24:15 involves Joshua calling attention to the choices that the Israelites had, and that content involves Joshua permitting the Israelites to make their choices while Joshua led by example with his choice.  

The gift of pastor-teacher is for the purpose of each pastor-teacher functioning as a messenger who communicates the Word of God rather than functioning as a priest between the Trinity and mankind.  In that regard, the time period that can be referred to as the Church Age started fifty days after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and all Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are priests.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Church Age believers, and believers should be willing to acknowledge/confess/profess to people the believersʼ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Hebrews 4:14–15:  

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the acknowledgment/confession/profession.  Indeed, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek [mel-KIZ-uh-dek], who was the ruler of Salem when Abraham was still named Abram.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as per Genesis 14:18, which references Melchizedek greeting Abram:  

Then Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he is a priest of 'El [AYL] 'Elyown [el-YOHN] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power] Most High.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also both a king and a priest because the Lord is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, as per Hebrews 7:14–17:  

Indeed, it is evident that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.  Also, it is still much more evident:  that according to the similarity of Melchizedek, Another of a different type of priest arises, Who has become such not on the basis of a law of fleshly command / physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life.  Indeed, it is attested:  “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

Note:  The Lord Jesus Christ is from the tribe of Judah.  Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is qualified to be a priest because He was resurrected and therefore has an indestructible body.  The above content in all capital letters is a reference to Psalm 110:4.  

Because a king is royalty, a king who is a priest is a royal priest.  In that regard, Church Age believers are royalty because they are members of the Lord Jesus Christʼs family.  Therefore, all Church Age believers are royal priests, as per 1 Peter 2:9–10:  

However, you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ACQUISITION/PRESERVATION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are GODʼS PEOPLE.  You had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Note:  Before the Church Age, Gentiles were not Godʼs people.  In the Church Age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are Godʼs people.  The content of 1 Peter 2:10 references Hosea 2:23.  In that regard, Peter uses references involving Israel in the Old Testament to refer to Church Age believers.  

Itʼs the message rather than the messenger that should be the focus of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Put succinctly:  itʼs the message rather than the messenger.  In that regard, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Revelation 22:8–9, which was written by the apostle John, who, in addition to writing The Revelation to John, wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John:  

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, but he says* to me, “Do not do that.  I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God.”

*Note:  The word says is in the Greek historical present tense.  By means of the Greek historical present tense, past action or future action can be described from the perspective of someone seeing the action as it occurs.  

Regarding messages, believers should use the Word of God to examine what is being communicated.  That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did:  

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.

Note:  The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”  

Today, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds on the occasion of the Rapture is one day closer than it was yesterday.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  It is possible that the Rapture will occur during the time when the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh] would occur.  The Feast of Trumpets was one of the seven feasts that the Israelites were supposed to celebrate each year under the regulations of the Mosaic Law.  The term Mosaic Law refers to the laws communicated by Moses to the ancient Israelites.  Because Moses communicated those laws, they are known collectively as the Mosaic Law.  The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law by being judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  Now that the Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled the Mosaic Law, no believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are under the regulations of the Mosaic Law.  

While it is possible that the Rapture will occur during the time when the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh] would occur—which is referenced as a single day in Leviticus 23:24–25 and Numbers 29:1–6 and which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during the time period of September 10th, 2026, at 11:51 A.M. – September 14th, 2026, at 1:08 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone or the time period of October 10th, 2026, at 11:13 A.M. – October 14th, 2026, at 12:29 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone, it is worthwhile for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to get into the habit of being prepared every day for the return of the Lord, just in case the Rapture will occur during a time other than the time of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah.  Furthermore, it is worthwhile to be in the habit of being prepared for the Rapture so that if it does occur during the time of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah, one can be prepared for that time because of already being in the habit of being prepared.  Examples of being prepared for the Rapture include applying the content of 1 John 1:9 whenever one sins, being unselfish, and whenever circumstances are such that an opportunity arises, sharing the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life.  Regarding sharing the gospel, one could also have a written or printed message containing the gospel with that written or printed message located somewhere where it could be easily noticed so that if a person or people were to read or hear that written or printed message either before or after the Rapture occurs, that person or people would thereby read or hear the gospel by means of that written or printed message.  

Whether the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah in 2026 would occur during September or October depends on whether barley crop in Israel in 2026 was first in a status known as abib [ah-BEEB] (also known as aviv [ah-VEEV]) in March or April, respectively.  Also, if barley crop in Israel in 2026 was first in a status known as abib/aviv in February, then the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah would have occurred during the time period of August 12th, 2026, at 12:25 P.M. – August 16th, 2026, at 1:49 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone.  On which day and at what time in August, September, or October the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah would start depends on the time of the last sunset over Jerusalem before the first sliver of a crescent new moon after that sunset.  The crescent new moon is the illumination of a sliver of the waxing moon.  The moon is waxing when it is becoming more and more illuminated after what some people refer to as the astronomical new moon, the time when there is an absence of illumination of the moon—in other words, when there is an absence of reflection of light from the moon.  On which day and at what time in August, September, or October the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah would end depends on whether the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah lasts one day or two days and whether the time of day of the end of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah is at sunset, at the end of civil twilight, at the end of nautical twilight, or at the end of astronomical twilight.  

Regarding information about the Rapture, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52:  

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and we do indeed believe that Jesus died and rose again—so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  Indeed, this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive who remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

Behold, I tell you a mystery:  we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

After the Rapture will be the seven-year Tribulation.  The believers who will be alive on the earth when the Rapture occurs will escape the Tribulation.  1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 covers that topic.  In that regard, in the book 1 Thessalonians, the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is immediately followed by the content of 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.  

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  However, you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness; therefore, let us not sleep as others, but let us be alert and sober.  Indeed, those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  However, since we are of day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and benevolence/goodwill, and as a helmet, the hope / absolute confidence of deliverance, for God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.  Therefore, comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Note:  In this context, the day of the Lord is the time period that consists of the Rapture, the seven years of the Tribulation, and the Second Advent.  In that regard, deliverance from the Tribulation is the deliverance in this context.  Also, unspecified is who will be saying “Peace and safety!”  In this context, sleeping refers to a lack of alertness.  The alertness in this context involves being ready for the Rapture.  In order to be ready for the Rapture, a believer needs to be filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and to pay attention for historical trends such as people saying “Peace and safety!” and for historical trends that match the pattern of the world being on the brink of tremendous calamities like those that will occur during the Tribulation.  Regarding being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

The verse of the day for August 20th is Psalm 16:8.  Because it is useful to study verses that share the same context, below is content related to Psalm 16.  

Psalm 16:1

A Mikhtam [meekh-TAHM] of David.  

Preserve me, O 'El [AYL] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power], for I have taken refuge in You.

Note:  Unspecified is the meaning of the word Mikhtam.  

Psalm 16:2

You have said to Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, “You are my 'Adonay [ad-oh-NIGH] / Lord; I have no good besides You.”

Note:  Unspecified in this verse and the surrounding verses is to whom the pronoun You at the beginning of this verse refers.  In that regard, the context of the preceding verse involves David addressing God the Father, and the context of this verse involves David talking about God the Father; therefore, the use of the pronoun You at the beginning of this verse involves a switch from David talking to God the Father to David talking to someone else about God the Father.  Because absent from the rest of this psalm is any content involving David talking to anyone else, it is possible that the content of this verse involves David addressing himself.  

Psalm 16:3

As for the saints / holy ones / set-apart ones who are in the land, they are the excellent/gallant/noble ones in whom is all my delight.

Note:  At the moment of salvation, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ becomes a saint / holy one / set-apart one; therefore, all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are saints.  In other words, they are holy, which means that they are set apart.  In that regard, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have a relationship with the Trinity, while unbelievers lack a relationship with the Trinity.  

In this verse, the word land refers to the Land of Israel.  In that regard, the Hebrew noun that is translated as “land” in this verse is אָרֶץ [pronounced AH-rehts and can be transliterated as arets].  (Hebrew is written and read from right to left.)  That noun is an inflected form of the root word אֶרֶץ [pronounced EH-rehts and can be transliterated as 'erets].  Depending on the context, 'erets can also be translated as “earth.”  

In this verse, the Hebrew adjective that is translated as “excellent,” “gallant,” or “noble ones” is אַדִּירֵי [pronounced ad-dee-RAY and can be transliterated as addiyre].  That adjective is an inflected form of the root word אַדִּיר [pronounced ad-DEER and can be transliterated as 'addiyr].  The context of this verse is such that David is referencing frequently unselfish believers in the Land of Israel.  In that regard, the word excellent refers to excellent character.  Likewise, gallant refers to being nobly or selflessly resolute.  Similarly, noble is used in the sense of honorable.  David was pleased with such people.  

Psalm 16:4

The sorrows/pains/wounds of those who have hastened to another / a different one / a strange one are multiplied.  I do not pour out their drink offerings of blood/bloodshed/bloodguiltiness, nor do I lift up their names upon my lips.

Note:  What is described in verse 4 contrasts with what is described in verses 1–3.  In that regard, the phrase another / a different one / a strange one refers to a false god.  David indicated that some people were eager to worship a false god.  David also indicated that those such people suffer the consequences of worshiping a false god.  

Regarding the phrase drink offerings of blood/bloodshed/bloodguiltiness, unspecified in this verse and the surrounding verses is whether David is literally referring to blood, metaphorically referring to bloodshed, or metaphorically referring to bloodguiltiness.  In that regard, the word bloodshed refers to wounding or killing or both.  In the context of Psalm 16, drink offerings of bloodshed would refer to bloodshed involved in the worshiping of a false god.  The word bloodguiltiness refers to the guilt of a person or people who unjustly shed blood.  In the context of Psalm 16, the phrase drink offerings of bloodguiltiness would refer to the guiltiness of a person or people who shed blood while involved in the worshiping of a false god.  

Unspecified is to whom the two instances of the pronoun their refer in this verse.  In that regard, the first instance of their could refer to the people worshiping false gods or to the false gods that those people worship.  Regardless of whether that instance of their refers to the people worshiping false gods or to the false gods that those people worship, this verse indicates that people were involved in false-god worship.  

Regarding the phrase in which the second instance of their is located in this verse, the Hebrew verb that is translated as “lift up” is אֶשָּׂא [pronounced VEH-sah and can be transliterated as vesa].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word נָשָׂא [pronounced nah-SAH and can be transliterated as nasa'].  Regarding the usage of vesa in this verse, a person lifting up the name of a false god on the lips of that person refers to that person praising that false god.  Because the connotation of a person lifting up the name of a false god on the lips of that person involves the praising of a false god, it is logical to conclude that the second instance of their in this verse refers to false gods rather than to people involved in false-god worship.  In that regard, David indicated that he refrained from praising false gods.  

Psalm 16:5

Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One is the Portion of my inheritance and my cup.  You support my lot.

Note:  In this verse, David uses the metaphors of inheritance and a cup to indicate that God the Father provides for the needs of David.  Also, by means of the phrase You support my lot, David indicated that he recognized that God the Father has a plan for Davidʼs life.  

Psalm 16:6

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.  Indeed, my heritage has been beautiful to me.

Note:  In this verse, David uses another metaphor to indicate that God the Father provides for the needs of David.  Regarding that metaphor, the process of denoting the boundaries of land is referenced by means of the word lines in this verse.  In that regard, the word lines refers to cords or ropes that are used in measuring.  

Psalm 16:7

I bless Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One Who has counseled me.  Furthermore, my kidneys have corrected me in the nights.

Note:  In the context of this verse, the word bless refers to praising.  In that regard, David praised God the Father.  Absent from this psalm is anything indicating that God the Father met with or spoke to David while doing the counseling.  In that regard, it is possible that Davidʼs reference to counseling is a reference to David learning the Word of God.  

The kidneys can refer to the emotions and also to the conscience, which affects emotions.  In that regard, the phrase my kidneys have corrected me in the nights indicates that Davidʼs conscience involved norms and standards such that David had positive emotional responses to the Word of God and that those positive emotional responses to the Word of God resulted in David correcting himself with regard to whatever about which David was in error.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ needs to be mindful about how that believer lives his or life.  In order for a believer to be mindful about how that believer lives his or life, that believer needs to learn the Word of God and then be alert regarding obeying the Word of God.  

In order to learn the Word of God, a believer must be in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit while the believer is studying the Word of God.  Also, in order to obey the Word of God, a believer must be in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  In that regard, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again, in fellowship with the Trinity again, and ready to learn and obey the Word of God again.  

With regard to being alert, levels of alertness can be categorized in terms of a mindset color code that involves four colors.  The mindset color code describes states of awareness.  The mindset color code can be utilized for matters outside oneself; for example, the color code can be applied to both physical dangers and also to the dangers of stumbling blocks that can lead a Christian to sin.  Also, the color code can be utilized introspectively with regard to the temptations that can originate from oneʼs old sin nature (OSN).  Every human except the Lord Jesus Christ has acquired an old sin nature, and each humanʼs old sin nature is in the body of that human.  The old sin nature, which is referenced in Ephesians 4:22 with the term old man, can also be referred to as the sin nature.  It is also referenced using the word flesh in Ephesians 2:3 and Galatians 5:16.  The content of Romans 6:6 associates the sin nature with peopleʼs bodies, and the content of Romans 7:17–18 references the sin nature being in peopleʼs bodies.  Adam and Ishshah [ish-SHAW] (the name of Eve before Adam renamed her Eve) were created without old sin natures, and they acquired old sin natures when they sinned.  All other human beings have been conceived.  Only the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived without an old sin nature.  All the other humans that were conceived have been conceived with old sin natures.  Likewise, all humans in the future will be conceived, and the conceiving of each of them will involve each of them receiving an old sin nature at the moment that each of them will be conceived.  Below are the conditions of alertness of the mindset color code and descriptions of them.  

With regard to a believer being in error, sins can be categorized in various ways.  There are three broad categories of sins:  mental-attitude sins, verbal sins, and overt sins.  Verbal sins can also be referred to as sins of the tongue.  They can also be referred to as communicative sins because that category also encompasses non-verbal communication that involves sinning.  Communicative sins can also involve physical means of communication such as facial expressions, other forms of body language, tone of voice, and demeanor.  

With regard to the various ways that a believer could be sinning, a believer needs to be alert for hidden areas of arrogance in that believerʼs thinking.  A hidden area of arrogance can also be referred to as a hidden area of selfishness.  A hidden area of arrogance is human viewpoint that a person fails to notice in that personʼs thinking.  The term human viewpoint refers to any viewpoint that deviates from the Word of God.  In contrast, the term divine viewpoint refers to the viewpoint of the Trinity.  All three Members of the Trinity have the same viewpoint.  Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can learn divine viewpoint by learning the Word of God.  Therefore, the term divine viewpoint refers to the viewpoint that comes from a proper understanding of the Word of God.  With human-viewpoint thinking, a person has unrealistic expectations regarding life.  Such a person is divorced from reality.  

Regarding hidden areas of arrogance in a believerʼs thinking, at the moment of salvation, a believer still has garbage in his or her subconscious.  The garbage in the subconscious is the human viewpoint that has been metaphorically programmed into the thinking of a person.  After salvation, a believer can also accumulate garbage in the subconscious of that believer.  Because people express what they think, the saying “garbage in, garbage out” is applicable to an unbeliever, and it is also applicable to a believer to the extent that that believer has human viewpoint remaining in that believerʼs thinking.  That saying can also be abbreviated as GIGO [pronounced GIGH-goh or GEE-goh or GIH-goh].  

During time periods that involve information generated by computers, the expression “garbage in, garbage out” is applicable to information generated by those computers.  In that regard, the abbreviation AI, which is used to represent the term artificial intelligence, ironically refers to artificial idiocy when those computers output garbage.  The garbage output by computers referred to as AI can be referred to as AI slop.  The content of AI slop involves misrepresentations, including, for example, images that do not represent reality, video content that does not represent reality, audio content that does not represent reality, and wording that involves falsehoods.  The misrepresentations that are in AI slop can cause a personʼs thinking to be molded by human viewpoint that is in that AI slop.  

People can deliberately input false information into computer systems that some people categorize as AI, thereby manipulating those computer systems.  Such inputting of false information can be referred to as poisoning.  For example, one type of computer system that some people categorize as AI is known as a large language model (LLM), which is a computer program into which a large quantity of data is inputted and which can be interacted with by means of giving commands that involve human language and which outputs information in a form that mimics human language.  Because the data that goes into LLMs can come from content that is available on webpages, people can input false information into LLMs by putting false information on webpages that are used as data sources for those LLMs.  The putting of false information on webpages for the purpose of inputting false information into LLMs is known as LLM grooming.  The people who do LLM grooming can thereby try to mold peopleʼs thinking so as to influence them to think in terms of human viewpoint.  

In order for a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to discover hidden areas of arrogance in that believerʼs thinking, that believer needs to learn the Word of God.  In order to learn the Word of God, a believer must be in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit while the believer is studying the Word of God.  In that regard, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

A believer also needs to be alert regarding that believerʼs emotions such that that believer ensures that his or her emotions respond to the Word of God in the thinking of that believer instead of that believerʼs emotions controlling his or her thinking.  In that regard, a believer needs to govern that believerʼs emotions by focusing on the Word of God in that believerʼs thinking when that believerʼs emotions swing from one feeling to another.  If a believer refrains from governing that believerʼs emotions by focusing on the Word of God in that believerʼs thinking, that believer is at risk of succumbing to emotional revolt of the soul, which is a condition in which a person commits one or more sins when that personʼs emotions are swelling up.  Such a person is then controlled by his or her old sin nature.  

At some times during Davidʼs life, David succumbed to temptations to be self-indulgent.  In that regard, David became a womanizer, treating women as mere objects to be collected.  Regarding David collecting women, Davidʼs acquiring of a second wife and additional wives were acts of unfaithfulness to his first wife.  While the collecting of women might be emotionally stimulating for the person doing the collecting, such an activity is selfish.  People who are selfish are unhappy.  Also, when a believer is selfish, that believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  Every moment that a believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity, that believer is missing out on eternal rewards that that believer otherwise could have received had that believer been in fellowship with the Trinity during those time periods when that believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  Believers should be focused on living their lives unselfishly so as to receive eternal rewards in Heaven.  In that regard, Davidʼs collecting of women involved a hidden area of arrogance.  

The aforementioned usage of the word Heaven refers to where the throne room of God the Father is located.  Below is a summary of the different usages for the word heaven.  

• The first heaven (also known as [aka] first heavens):  the atmosphere of earth

• The second heaven (aka second heavens):  outer space

• The Third Heaven (aka Third Heavens or simply as Heaven):  the location of the throne room of God the Father

David lived during the Age of Israel.  With regard to the Age of Israel, below is a synopsis of human history as categorized into time periods known as dispensations.  In the below synopsis, there is the term hypostatic union [high-PUH-stat-ick YOON-yuhn].  This refers to the Lord Jesus Christ being 100% Deity and 100% humanity.  The English word hypostatic is derived from the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek word ὑπόστασις [pronounced hoo-PAH-stah-sees and transliterated as hypostasis].  After the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, His body was in the grave for three days and three nights.  He was then resurrected, and He was on the earth for forty days after He was resurrected.  He then ascended to Heaven, and ten days after that, the Day of Pentecost [PEN-tih-kahst] occurred.  The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age.  The word Pentecost is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντηκοστή [pronounced pen-tay-kah-STAY and transliterated as pentēkostē].  That word is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντήκοντα [pronounced pen-TAY-kahn-tah and transliterated as pentēkonta], which means “fifty.”  Therefore, the word Pentecost is derived from the fact that that day occurred fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  In that regard, the Church Age began fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  The Church Age will end with the Rapture.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  Absent from the Bible is anything specifically indicating the precise date and time when the Rapture will occur, although it is possible that the Rapture will occur during the time when the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh] would occur—which is referenced as a single day in Leviticus 23:24–25 and Numbers 29:1–6 and which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during the time period of September 10th, 2026, at 11:51 A.M. – September 14th, 2026, at 1:08 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone or the time period of October 10th, 2026, at 11:13 A.M. – October 14th, 2026, at 12:29 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone.  

Regarding the word judgment, the proper way to spell that word is without an e between the dg and the m.  In that regard, the e of the root word judge is dropped when the suffix ment is added to that root word.  The formation of the word judgment is shown below.  

judge −e +ment

= judg +ment

= judgment

Another way to categorize human history is by means of civilizations.  Civilizations begin only with believers.  Regarding the timing of civilizations and dispensations, the first civilization began with Adam and ended on the occasion of the Great Flood (also known as the Flood).  That civilization is known as the antediluvian civilization and the predulivian civilization.  In that regard, the prefixes ante and pre mean “before.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time before the Flood.  Those spellings include antediluvian, ante-diluvian, prediluvian, and pre-diluvian.  

After the Flood, there were only eight believers on the earth:  Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their sonsʼ wives.  With the removal of the unbelievers from the earth on the occasion of the Flood, a new civilization was started.  That civilization is known as the postdiluvian civilization (also known as the postdiluvial civilization).  Regarding the terminology, the prefix post means “after,” and the adjectives diluvian and diluvial mean “having to do with a flood.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time after the Flood.  Those spellings include postdiluvian, post-diluvian, postdiluvial, and post-diluvial.  The postdiluvian civilization will end on the occasion of the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  On the occasion of the Second Advent, the Lord will remove all unbelievers from the earth.  Their removal will be by means of physical death just as the removal of all unbelievers was by means of physical death on the occasion of the Flood.  This is called the Baptism of Fire, which is either a metaphorical description because fire can be used to represent judgment or a literal reference to the use of fire in the judgment of unbelievers on the occasion of the Second Advent.  The Baptism of Fire is referenced in Matthew 3:11–12; Luke 3:15–17; and 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9.  

Just as a new civilization started after the Flood, so also a new civilization will start after the Baptism of Fire.  That civilization is called the Millennium.  The Millennium is both a civilization and a dispensation.  The Eternal State is also both a civilization and a dispensation.  

Regarding being in fellowship with the Trinity, when a Church Age believer is in fellowship with the Trinity, that believer is filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  In the Church Age, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

In contrast to the filling with the power of God the Holy Spirit that is available to all Church Age believers, while some believers had empowerment from God the Holy Spirit before the Day of Pentecost, such empowerment was available only to a limited number of people and for specific purposes.  That empowerment before the Day of Pentecost is known as enduement.  Enduement was different from the filling of God the Holy Spirit, which occurs in the Church Age.  In that regard, when a believer who had enduement sinned, once that believer confessed that believerʼs sins to God the Father, that believer needed to pray to God the Father for the enduement to be restored.  

The content of Psalm 16:7 is repeated below for reference.  

Psalm 16:7

I bless Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One Who has counseled me.  Furthermore, my kidneys have corrected me in the nights.

Psalm 16:8

I have set Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One continually before me.  Because He is at my right hand, I am not shaken.

Note:  Davidʼs reference to setting God the Father before David is a metaphorical reference to David being focused on God the Father.  Also, the right-hand side is a place of honor.  In that regard, David metaphorically calls attention to the fact that David recognizes that God the Father honorably takes care of David.  That recognition gave David confidence.  In that regard, Davidʼs confidence came from being focused on God the Father rather than being focused on one of Satanʼs substitute systems of power such as trying to get mojo working.  

Psalm 16:9

Therefore, my heart has been glad, and my glory/tongue rejoices.  My flesh also dwells securely.

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  Davidʼs tongue is a manifestation of glory in the sense that being able to use a tongue for speaking sets mankind apart from animals and thereby draws attention to mankind.  Regarding drawing to mankind, angels watch mankind, and what people say can draw the attention of angels.  Regarding the foregoing, in addition to David being glad in his thinking, David verbally expressed his joyfulness.  Also, David was physically safe.  

Psalm 16:10

Certainly, You do not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor do You give Your faithful one / Holy One to see/experience corruption / destruction / the grave / the pit.

Note:  The word Sheol [SHEE-ohl] comes from Hebrew.  A synonym for the word Sheol is the word Hades [HAY-deez].  The word Hades comes from Greek.  Sheol/Hades is somewhere under the surface of the earth in a location that is inaccessible to those humans who have not yet experienced physical death.  Sheol/Hades is different from the Lake of Fire.  The Lake of Fire is the place of judgment for the fallen angels and those who have had the mental capacity to make a decision about whether or not to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior but never believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior.  For each person who at some time in that personʼs life has the mental capacity to make a decision about whether or not to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior, the age of that person when that person first had the mental capacity to make a decision about whether or not to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior can be referred to as the age of accountability of that person.  The age of accountability varies for each individual person.  

Content in 2 Samuel 12:23 indicates that a person who dies before that person has reached the age of accountability receives eternal life.  The content of that verse references King David recognizing that when David died, he would be with his son who had died as a baby.  Below is content related to 2 Samuel 12:22–23.  

Note:  In the below content of 2 Samuel 12:22, the pronoun he refers to David.  

2 Samuel 12:22

Then he says, “While the child was still alive, I have fasted, and I weep, for I have said, ‘Who knows?  Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One has been gracious to me, and the child has lived.’  

Note:  The uses of a present tense in the verb says and the verb weep reference what has occurred in the past.  Such uses of a present tense have a rhetorical effect.  In that regard, using a verb in a present tense to refer to the past can help a reader or hearer of the Word of God imagine past events as though the reader or hearer is watching those events as they occur.  

2 Samuel 12:23

“However, now he has died; why should I fast?  Am I able to bring him back again?  I am going to him, but he does not return to me.”  

Note:  David indicated that he recognized that he would later be with his son who had died as a baby.  In that regard, David indicated that he recognized that the means by which David would be with that deceased son involved David going to be with that deceased son when David would die rather than that deceased son coming back to be with David before David died.  David is eternally saved; therefore, the content of this verse indicates that Davidʼs son who had died as a baby is also eternally saved.  

Unspecified in the Bible is the location of the Lake of Fire.  Sheol/Hades can also be referred to as the netherworld.  Also, the phrase the netherworld can alternatively be spelled as the nether world.  The word nether means “located down or below.”  

Before the Lord Jesus Christʼs resurrection and ascension to Heaven, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ resided in a pleasant compartment of Hades called Paradise and also called Abrahamʼs Bosom.  After the Lord was resurrected and He ascended to Heaven, the believers who were in Abrahamʼs Bosom were transferred to Heaven.  Now that the Lord has been resurrected and has ascended to Heaven, deceased believers go to Heaven rather than going to Abrahamʼs Bosom.  Unspecified in the Bible are details about how believers were transferred to Abrahamʼs Bosom other than the content of Luke 16:22 mentioning angels carrying the poverty-stricken believer named Lazarus to Abrahamʼs Bosom.  Also, unspecified in the Bible are details about how believers were transferred from Abrahamʼs Bosom to Heaven or how believers are transferred to Heaven.  

Deceased unbelievers resided and still reside in a compartment of Hades called Torments.  They will reside there until the Great White Throne Judgment of unbelievers, which will occur after the Lordʼs 1,000-year Millennial reign on the earth.  The unbelievers will then be cast into the Lake of Fire.  Satan and the other fallen angels will also be cast into the Lake of Fire.  Another compartment of Hades is Tartarus, which is where those fallen angels who mated with human females—as mentioned in Genesis 6—are currently incarcerated.  

Paradise / Abrahamʼs Bosom is referenced in Luke 16:19–22.  The words of the Lord Jesus Christ are in red.  

Luke 16:19–22

“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.  Also, a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores and longing to be fed with the things which were falling from the rich manʼs table.  Nevertheless, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.  Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abrahamʼs bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried.”

Torments is referenced in Luke 16:23–26.  The words of the Lord Jesus Christ are in red.  

Luke 16:23–26

“In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and sees* Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue because I am in agony in this flame.’  Nevertheless, Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things and likewise Lazarus bad things.  Nevertheless, now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.  Also, in all these things, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and none may cross over from there to us.’”

*Note:  The word sees is in the Greek historical present tense.  

Tartarus and the context of the judgment of the angels who mated with human females are referenced in 2 Peter 2:4–5.  

2 Peter 2:4–5

Indeed, if God did not spare—and He indeed did not spare—angels when they sinned but cast them into Tartarus and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment, and did not spare the ancient world but preserved Noah, a preacher [or herald] of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 

Note:  In 2 Peter 2:4, the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek verb that is translated as “cast them into Tartarus” is ταρταρώσας [pronounced tar-tah-ROH-sahs and transliterated as tartarōsas].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word ταρταρόω [pronounced tar-tah-RAH-oh and transliterated as tartaroō].  The verb tartaroō is derived from the Greek noun Τάρταρος [pronounced TAHR-tah-rahs and transliterated as Tartaros], which can be translated as “Tartarus.”  The English noun Tartarus is also derived from the Greek noun Tartaros.  

Regarding terminology, when people use the word hell, they might be referring to Hades/Sheol, and they might be referring to the Lake of Fire.  Also, it is possible that some people are unaware that Hades and the Lake of Fire are different locations.  There are zero indications in the Bible that Satan has a headquarters located in Hades or in the Lake of Fire.  

In Psalm 16:10, the Hebrew noun that is translated as “faithful one” or “Holy One” is חֲסִידְ [pronounced khah-SEED and can be transliterated as chaciyd or Chaciyd].  That noun is an inflected form of the root word חָסִיד [pronounced khah-SEED and can be transliterated as chaciyd or Chaciyd].  Whether David knew it or not, what David communicated in this verse has a double meaning.  In that regard, the translation “faithful one” involves the transliteration chaciyd with a lowercase c.  That translation refers to a believer who is faithful in obeying the Word of God.  In other words, that believer obeys the Word of God regularly.  In this verse, David is the person referenced by means of chaciyd in the sense of “faithful one.”  In that regard, the content of Psalm 16:10 involves David indicating that the experiencing of physical death by David would not occur on the occasion of Davidʼs writing of this psalm.  The word corruption as used in this verse refers to the decaying of a body after physical death.  

The translation “Holy One” involves the transliteration Chaciyd with a capital C.  That translation refers to the Lord Jesus Christ.  In that regard, the content of Psalm 16:10 involves a prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ being resurrected before His body decayed.  In that regard, the content of Acts 2:25–33 covers the topic of the apostle Peter referencing Psalm 16.  Also, the content of Acts 13:35–37 covers the topic of the apostle Paul referencing Psalm 16.  

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life.  In Your presence is fullness of joy, pleasant/delightful/sweet things by Your right hand forever!

Note:  As noted in the notes for verse 8, the right-hand side is a place of honor.  Also, the reference to a right hand in verse 11 is an anthropomorphism [an-thruh-puh-MOR-fiz-uhm].  An anthropomorphism is a usage of terminology involving a physical characteristic to describe a characteristic of the essence of the Trinity.  The anthropomorphism involving a right hand in this verse is a metaphor that calls attention to the power of God the Father.  

As with the counseling done by God the Father that is referenced in the content of verse 7, absent from this psalm is anything indicating that God the Father met with or spoke to David while God the Father was making known to David how to live properly.  In that regard, it is possible that Davidʼs reference to making known is a reference to David learning the Word of God.  Also, David indicates in this verse that he recognized that he would go to Heaven and that a believer in Heaven is completely happy.  In addition, David indicates in this verse that he recognized that God the Father graciously provides wonderful eternal blessings in Heaven for believers.  

Sincerely,

John