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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 To everything a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens: |
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| 2 A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted. |
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| 3 A time to slay, And a time to heal, A time to break down, And a time to build up. |
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| 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh. A time to mourn, And a time to skip. |
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| 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing. |
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| 6 A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away. |
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| 7 A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak. |
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| 8 A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace. |
Hate – Despise that which is contrary to the principles of justice and righteousness. "I hate thee with a perfect hatred." (Psa. 139:22) Q783:T
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| 9 What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at |
What profit – Solomon sees man laboring hard to amass wealth, and wisely inquires thus. R1532:3
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| 10 I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it. |
To be exercised – By experience. R1533:5
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| 11 The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end. |
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| 12 I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life, |
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| 13 yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it [is] a gift of God. |
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| 14 I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him. |
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| 15 What is that which hath been already it is, and that which [is] to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued. |
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| 16 And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment there [is] the wicked; and the place of righteousness there [is] the wicked. |
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| 17 I said in my heart, 'The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.' |
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| 18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves [are] beasts. |
Sons of men – None of Adam's children are called "Sons of God" until Jesus gave himself a ransom. R1005:2
Beasts – Those who, by wilful sin, forfeit and lose the likeness of God are to be treated as "natural brute beasts made to be destroyed." (2 Pet. 2:12) R1005:2
The distinction is not in the kind of breath of life, but in that man has a higher organism than other animals. R1880:4
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| 19 For an event [is to] the sons of man, and an event [is to] the beasts, even one event [is] to them; as the death of this, so [is] the death of that; and one spirit [is] to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole [is] vanity. |
For that which – Death. E315
Even one thing – Even the same thing. E315
The destruction of the tissues goes on, so everything that had life in the body perishes--a process common to both man and beast. R5166:1
So dieth the other – Your senses can discern no difference between them. R4792:5
Death is not sleep; it is destruction. R5166:1
Such as die the Second Death are not sons; they will be treated as brute beasts, destroyed. R1006:6
But though there is no hope for the future life for the brute, God's Word stands pledged for a future life for humanity. HG646:2
Have all one breath – Life is not a created element at all, but a principle or force transmuted into different organisms. R822:1*
One kind of ruach, spirit of life; an invisible power or influence. E174, E389; R1880:4
All life is the same whether in fish, fowl, beast, man or angel. R822:2*
But with different bodies and organic quality. E327
No preeminence – Mankind is not possessed of any power of life beyond that of a beast, except by God's provision; nevertheless, our Creator has made provision for everlasting life for man. R4792:5
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| 20 The whole are going unto one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back unto the dust. |
Unto one place – But for God's mercy the infidel view would be true--no beyond, no future for man after death. SM29:1
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| 21 Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth |
Who knoweth – Who can prove the popular theory? E315
The wise man challenges any proof, any knowledge to such effect. R1880:4
Spirit of man that – That the ruach, spirit of life, of man. E315
Goeth upward – Controverting the heathen theory that man had some inherent quality which would prevent his death, even when he seemed to die. R1880:4; HG331:2
Spirit of the beast that – That the ruach, spirit of life, of the beast. E315
Goeth downward – The distinction between man and beast is not in the kind of breath or life, but in man's likeness to God and the provision for his resurrection. R1880:5
Such as die the Second Death will be treated as "brute beasts," destroyed. (2 Pet. 2:12) R1006:6
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| 22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it [is] his portion; for who doth bring him in to look on that which is after him |
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