The Thoughts of Wesley son of Cornelius

A Letter From Jesus

2011-08-31T12:26:00.003-04:00

"Dear Pastor of the Church in Ephesus:

I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Love,
He Who Holds the Seven Stars in His Right Hand
He Who Walks Among the Seven Golden Lampstands
The Son of Man"

(based on Revelation 2:1-7)

Living under the New Covenant (part I)

2011-05-21T10:54:00.003-04:00

The Holy Spirit has a key role in the New Covenant. It is he who makes us the new temple by dwelling in us; it is he who guides us with the law that is now written on our hearts; and it is he who matures us as a Son of God.

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:

'No eye has seen, no hear has heard,
no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'

"but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

However, just like the time of Paul writing to the Corinthians, today:

"Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as wordly--mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I follow Paul [modern: Calvin]," and another, "I follow Apollos [modern: Arminius]," are you not mere men?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity...." (Hebrews 5:11-6:1)

So how do we grow in our maturity? By the constant use of solid food from the Holy Spirit.

New Covenant Recap

2011-05-18T22:53:00.003-04:00

The other day I was thinking how the progression of my study on the New Covenant has followed orderly. After looking at the breakdown of the New Covenant and the changes that came with it, I now plan to look at living under the New Covenant and then the implications the New Covenant has on end times (eschatology).

I. Breakdown
A. I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
B. I will put my law within them
C. I will be their God, and they shall be my people
D. I will forgive their iniquity
E. I will remember their sin no more

II. Changes
A. New Maturity
B. New Land Focus
C. New Mission
D. New Temple
E. New High Priest
F. New Sacrifice
i. Passover Lamb
ii. Day of Atonement
iii. Regular Sacrifices
iv. Inaugural Sacrifice

III. Implications
A. Living under the New Covenant
B. Eschatology from the New Covenant

New Sacrifice under the New Covenant (IV. Inaugural Sacrifice)

2011-05-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

The old covenant started with blood:

"Then [Moses] sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 'We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.' Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words." (Exodus 24:5-8, see also Hebrews 9:19-22)

Likewise the new covenant started with blood:

"[Jesus] entered once for all into the holy places ... by means of his own blood. ... Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood." (Hebrews 9:12, 15-18)

Therefore, just with the old covenant, "God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank," (Exodus 24:11) it is with the new covenant: "after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11:25-26)

New Sacrifice under the New Covenant (III. Daily Sacrifices)

2011-05-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

"And every priest stands daily at his service ..." (Hebrews 10:11)

The priests never had time to sit down; they were always working. "... you shall offer to the LORD two male lambs a year old without blemish day by day as a regular offering. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight" (Numbers 28:3-4)

This daily sacrifice would be around 700 lambs a year*. Furthermore, "on the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year ... this is the burnt offering every Sabbath, besides the regular burnt offering." (Numbers 28:9-10)

The Sabbath sacrifices would add another 100 lambs. But it doesn't stop there: "at the beginning of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven males lambs a year old without blemish." (Numbers 28:11)

On top of these sacrifices a required two bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old, and a male goat were offered on the first day of Passover and on the day of the firstfruits. On the first day of the Feast of Trumpets and on the Day of Atonement one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old, and a male goat was also offered each year. Then during the Feast of Tabernacles a total of 71 bulls, 15 rams, 105 male lambs a year old, and 8 male goats were sacrificed. (Numbers 28:16-29:38)

But it doesn't stop there. It is almost uncountable the amount of sacrifices that individuals and their families brought for burnt offerings (Leviticus 1), peace offerings (Leviticus 3), sin offerings (Leviticus 4-5:13), and guilt offerings (Leviticus 5:14-7). Each family was also to sacrifice a lamb at Passover. At the time of David's Census, Israel had 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword. This number is probably a good estimate on the number of family units.

HOWEVER .....

"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a SINGLE sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.... For by a SINGLE offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14)

It was truly finished!

*: The Jewish calendar has historically been based on the moon. A twelve lunar month period is approximately 11 days different than one solar year. An extra lunar month is added every 2 to 3 years.

New Sacrifice under the New Covenant (II. Yom Kippur)

2011-05-03T20:56:00.006-04:00

Passover was one of three pilgrimage festivals. The priests would be extremely busy around the temple. However, no work would be done within the Most Holy Place. It would be another six months before the high priest would slip through the curtain into that inner sanctuary. I cannot imagine the thoughts of those priests who were in the temple when:

"Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." (Matthew 27:50-51)

"The LORD said to Moses: 'Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die.'" (Exodus 16:2)

On the traditional Day of Atonement, "Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household." (Leviticus 16:6)

On this day of Christ's Atonement, "he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:12)

Aaron would then choose a goat by lot: "The goat chosen by lot falls to the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat." (Leviticus 16:10)

"The next day [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" (John 1:29)

"[Aaron] is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover." (Leviticus 16:14)

"God put forward [Jesus Christ] as a propitiation [sacrifice of atonement, atonement cover] by his blood." (Romans 3:25)

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22)

New Sacrifice under the New Covenant (I. Passover)

2011-04-18T21:47:00.009-04:00

As the sun sets this evening April 18, 2011, we begin Passover. Interestingly, both the Western and Eastern sects of Christianity will celebrate Easter this coming Sunday and, therefore, have entered the Holy Week. Around 3,457 years ago the first Passover lambs were sacrificed in the city of Goshen in Egypt establishing the beginning of a new era, literally a new year, for the Israelites (Exodus 12). Exactly one year later the Israelites would celebrate the 2nd Passover in the Desert of Sinai now under the Sinaitic Covenant (Numbers 9).

Some 1,300 Passovers later (assuming the Passover lamb was not sacrificed in the Time of the Exile), we find Jesus in an upper room saying: "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many." (Mark 14:24)

Jesus Christ is the New and Last Passover Lamb establishing the beginning of the New Covenant.

"The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect." (Exodus 12:5)

"You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18, 19)

"On the first day remove the yeast from your house, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel." (Exodus 12:15)

"Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)

Listen: [link]

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you." (Exodus 12:13)

New High Priest under the New Covenant

2011-03-07T23:37:00.002-05:00

"You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:4)

The author of Hebrews gives an exposition of Psalm 110:4 from Chapter 4 verse 14 through the end of Chapter 7. He then takes this exposition and connects Melchizedek with the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 from Chapter 8 verse 1 through the end of Chapter 10.

This full exposition and connection should be read in its entirety.

The clear take away:

Jesus Christ is the New High Priest under the New Covenant!

New Temple under the New Covenant

2011-03-02T22:36:00.004-05:00

The Israelites were structured by God under the Old Covenant and the Law to be centripetal (center focused). "And let them make me a santuary, that I may dwell in their midst." (Exodus 25:8) God arranged their camps while in the wilderness to circle the tabernacle. "The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side." (Numbers 2:2)

At the same time, "three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD." (Exodus 23:17) Therefore, after Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the temple became the center of worship and the central focus.

Just as a child is kept near the home growing up, God's People were given a centralized land with a centralized place to worship. However, when a man reaches maturity, he is no longer under a paidagogos and will "leave his father and mother" (Genesis 2:24). Now with a new maturity, God's People have a new mission which is centrifugal (center fleeing).

So where has God's sanctuary gone that has been central to his People?

"Do you not know that you [plural] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you [plural] are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God." (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Just as God's Spirit entered the tabernacle,

["Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle." Exodus 40:34]

and later entered the temple,

["And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." 1 Kings 8:10-11]

God's Spirit rushed upon the new temple.

["When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ... And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:1-4]

But wait there is more!!

"Remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh ... remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise." (Ephesians 2:11-12)

Gentiles were forbidden in the temple precinct [space enclosed by walls]. Recall the accusation against Paul: "He has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place." (Acts 21:28)

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ... has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ... So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:13, 19-22)

The new temple even grew!

["While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles." Acts 10:44-45]

Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, for I am a Gentile who can now enter the temple! No, not enter the temple but BE the temple. Selah

New Mission under the New Covenant

2011-02-28T22:45:00.003-05:00

"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured." (Hebrews 13:12-13)

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" (Matthew 28:18-20)

The only way to reach all nations is to go outside the camp. Under the Old Covenant, God's People were centripetal (center seeking); however, under the New Covenant, God's People are centrifugal (center fleeing).

The New Covenant requires a new conquest, not the military conquest of a piece of territory, but the conquest of the whole world through the preaching of the gospel. Now the whole inhabited earth has become the ~~new land~~ battlefield that is to be conquered in God's name.

"Put on the whole armor of God ... For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ... Fasten on the belt of truth ... put on the breastplate of righteousness ... put on shoes for your feet with the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ... opening the mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel." (Ephesians 6:11-20 some liberties taken)

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus Going on before.

Christ the royal Master, Leads against the foe;

Forward into battle, See His banner go!

Onward, Christian soldier, Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus Going on before.

-Sabine Baring-Gould

New Land Focus under the New Covenant (cont.)

2011-02-28T22:32:00.003-05:00

"Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother." (Galatians 4:25-26)

"For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them [Mount Sinai, see Exodus 19]. ... But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly [ekklesia] of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant ..." (Hebrews 12:18, 19, 22-24)

New Land Focus under the New Covenant

2011-01-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

The role of Canaan or modern day Palestine for the Child of God is a challenging topic. Does the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites continue to play a role in the faith of a believer, or should the focus of this promised land be abandoned? I'm not sure I have the answer. I believe we have strong evidence in the New Testament that the view on the land should not be the same; however, at the same time, the angels told the Disciples that Jesus would return again to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11, see also Zechariah 14:4).

Jesus appeared to take the focus off of the land between the River and the Great Sea when he tells the Samaritan woman: "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." (John 4:21)

Before his ascension, Jesus told his Disciples that they would be his witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Jesus' focus was now larger than just the original Promised Land.

However, I believe Jesus' redefined the Promised Land when he said, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:2-4)

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'" (Revelation 21:1-3)

"By faith Abraham made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:9-10)

However, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob "did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Our land focus no longer has to be earthly. We have a new mission (see next post). "Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." (Hebrews 13:13-14)

Amen.

New Maturity under the New Covenant

2011-01-10T21:40:00.002-05:00

paidagogos: a tutor i.e. a guardian and guide of boys. Among the Greeks and the Romans the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them before arriving at the age of manhood.

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith woulb be revealed. So then, the law was our paidagogos until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under paidagogos, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." (Galatians 3:24-26)

"And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." (Gal. 3:29)

Before Christ, Abraham's offspring were under the law like boys under a guardian. When Christ came, Abraham's offspring became men.

"I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a bondservant, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world." (Gal. 4:1-3)

Therefore, as those who are no longer under the guidance of the law but are mature, we should act like adults. "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." (1 Corinthians 13:11)

New-ness of the New Covenant

2011-01-01T23:28:00.002-05:00

With the New Year I wish to continue with the New Covenant. Huge changes came with this New Covenant. A few of these changes are as follows:

1. New Priesthood
2. New Sacrifice
3. New Temple
4. New Land Focus
5. New Mission
6. New Maturity

I will cover each of these changes in more depth in the upcoming days.

The New Covenant (part 5)

2010-12-18T13:45:00.003-05:00

One of the most challenging points of the New Covenant is just this:

"I will remember their sin no more."

It is hard to grasp that the All-Knowing, Omnipresent, Eternal Lord can forget our sin. But not only does He put our sin 1. OUT OF HIS MIND (Jeremiah 31:34), He puts our sin ...

2. OUT OF HIS SIGHT
"You have put all my sins behind your back." (Isaiah 38:17)

3. OUT OF REACH
"You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19)

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

4. OUT OF EXISTENCE
"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25)

"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist." (Isaiah 44:22)

All that is needed to fall under this New Covenant is to "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus." (Acts 3:19-20)

"'Come now, let us reason together,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

To Whom Be Glory For Ever and Ever. AMEN.

The New Covenant (point 4)

2010-12-13T12:36:00.002-05:00

"I will forgive their iniquity." (Jeremiah 31:34)

"What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?" (Jeremiah 16:10)

The answer: "Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the LORD, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshipped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold,, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me." (16:11-12)

"Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged." (Isaiah 1:4)

Now what?

"If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules, if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes." (Psalm 89:30-32)

So the iniquity must be punished with the rod and stripes. So how can God forgive the iniquity under the New Covenant?

"But he [the Holy One, Christ, God's servant] was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:5-6)

"I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day." (Zechariah 3:10)

Therefore, "in those days and in that time, declares the LORD, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none. And sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant." (Jeremiah 50:20)

Why can sin not be found? "You, LORD, forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin." (Psalm 85:2)

Selah

All we need to do is repeat the words of David, "I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin." (Psalm 38:18)

We cannot cover our own sin. "I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my inquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." (Psalm 32:5)

Selah

"By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil." (Proverbs 16:6)

The Gospel we have to share: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins." (Isaiah 40:1-2)

The New Covenant (point 3)

2009-01-06T22:39:00.002-05:00

We must not miss the depths of this third point. This unconditional statement comes right out of the midst of the old covenant:

"I will make my dwelling [tabernacle] among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people." (Leviticus 12:11-12)

as well as

"I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God." (Exodus 29:45)

After Jeremiah, God inspired Ezekiel to write:

"I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. It will set them __ and multiply them, and will set my santuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore." (Ezekiel 37:26-28)

This phrase of man's submission to God and God's ownership of man is connected to this idea of God dwelling [tabernacle] with man. As we saw in point 2, it is the Holy Spirit that now dwells in the hearts of man forevermore under the new covenant.

"I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart." (Jeremiah 24:7)

"And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:27-28)

"And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me." (Jeremiah 32:38-40)

A special aside needs to be addressed concerning "the good of their children after them." While it is true throughout Scripture that blessings are bestowed on the children of the righteous, a key difference between the old and new is seen here with the children. For in the old, the old covenant passed on biologically. Those born into the nation of Israel were accepted into the old. However, in the new, the Spirit cannot be passed on biologically. The heart has to be changed. With this in mind, the statement following point 3 (and in my mind connected to this point) is a little more clear:

"And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 31:34)

All of those under the new covenant will know him, unlike in the old where foreigners and infants were brought into the old and were taught to know him. Hence, it makes little sense to allow the new covenant symbols--baptism and the LORD's supper--to have any meaning to the foreigner of God's people, as well as, to the infants.

Yet, I end with this: "I will have mercy on No-Mercy, and I will say to Not-My-People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'" (Hosea 2:23)

Note: In Hosea these words are applied to the Jew, in Romans 9:26 Paul applies it to the Gentiles, and in 1 Peter 2:10 Peter appears to be applying it to all "people belonging to God."

The New Covenant (point 2)

2009-01-03T18:28:00.002-05:00

"I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." (Jeremiah 31:33)

Or as Ezekiel writes:

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." (36:26-27)

Paul writes the following lengthy passage I will copy in whole:

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:1-11)

Under the old, David cries out, "Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 51:11) just as "the Spirit of the LORD departed Saul." (1 Samuel 16:14) Yet as with the new, "the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward." (1 Samuel 16:13)

"But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them." (Isaiah 63:10)

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30)

And Jesus said: "I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." (Matthew 12:31-32)

"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you." (Acts 7:51)

"But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter." (Romans 2:29)

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn." (Deut. 10:16)

The New Covenant (point 1)

2008-12-29T19:01:00.005-05:00

We should first note that the New Covenant is made with the Houses of Judah and Israel. Jeremiah 30-33:26 (with the proclaimed new covenant in the midst of these chapters) centers around the restoration of Judah and Israel. "Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel." (31:4) The New Covenant speaks of restoration.

And as James, Peter and Paul confirmed with the apostles and elders: "After this I [God] will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old." (Acts 15:16-17 quoting Amos 9:11-12)

"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)

"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely separate me from his people' ... For thus says the LORD: 'To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant--these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." (Isaiah 56:3-7)

"Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope." (Hebrews 3:5-6)

Must read: Eph 2:11-22

"You know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth." (1 Tim 3:15)

Therefore, the House of Israel will be restored, that is God's Assembly, his church, and it will now include the rejected eunuch and foreigner. This is not a theology of replacement but a theology of restoration or re-establishment!

(see posts back in June 2006 for a detailed analysis of the church)

New Covenant (Introduction)

2008-12-26T14:19:00.003-05:00

So far my thoughts have been scattered. However, the more I study the New Covenant the more I realize how important and crucial it is in understanding the full theology of the Bible. Therefore, I am starting over and laying out my ideas more clearly (for my sake more than anything).

The New Covenant is unconditional. This cannot be seen clearer than with the five "I wills" (not "I might" or "I could").

"I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah."
"I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts."
"I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
"I will forgive their iniquity."
"I will remember their sin no more."
(from Jeremiah 31)

We will take each point one at a time!

New Covenant Part B

2008-12-17T22:08:00.002-05:00

For the Levite, bearing the ark of acacia wood that contained the old covenant was burdensome. For the righteous Levite it was a glorious burden, but a burden nonetheless. The old covenant could only be transported by way of foot. The ark could not be touched and remained veiled for most of the time. In accordance to the words of the covenant, a heavy burden was placed on the Israelites.

However, now under the new covenant we do not carry around heavy tablets of stone. We carry around the Spirit of the living God, a tablet on human hearts. And while the ark resided within a physical temple, now the Holy Spirit resides with us, a "temple (Gk. naos not hieron) of the living God." For God said:

"I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almight." (2 Cor. 6:16-18 quoting Lev. 26:11-12; Jer. 32:38; Ezek. 37:27; Isaiah 52:11; Ezek. 20:34, 41; and 2 Sam. 7:8, 14)

New Covenant Part A

2008-10-26T22:28:00.002-04:00

The new covenant that became clear with Jesus was prophecied in Jeremiah 31. Here the LORD tells the people that this new covenant will "not be like the covenant I made with your forefathers."

"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." (31:33)

The new covenant will be internally written. God's laws will become inner principles that enable his people to delight in doing his will. The old covenant was written on tablets or scrolls.

"And he [the LORD] gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. " (Ex. 31:18)

And after they were written on stone, God asked the people to internalize it--"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart." (Deut. 6:6)

However, God will write the new covenant on our hearts from the start. For "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set [you] free from the law of sin and death. ... You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." (Romans 8:2, 9)

Something Much Bigger Happened

2008-10-16T22:48:00.003-04:00

In any good monster movie, the director has to take the audience on a 30 minute journey on how strong the good guys' weapons, cages, and technology are. The whole purpose of this buildup is to really stress how strong or powerful the monster truly is once the weapons no longer hurt him, the cages no longer contain him, and the technology cannot overcome him. Jurasic Park is a perfect example of this strategy.

To understand the power of Jesus Christ, we have to first understand the overwhelming strength and power of sin. This power was covered in the last post: Something Big Happened. This something is what C.S. Lewis titles one of his chapters in his famous book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time. But the MUCH BIGGER event is what he calls the Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time.

"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17 NIV)

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:23-26 ESV)

Something MUCH BIGGER happened when Jesus cried out, "It is finished." Things were finally changing. The new covenant was being revealed.

Something Big Happened

2008-10-10T18:50:00.001-04:00

“… she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” (Gen. 3:6-7 ESV)

If only Adam and Eve could have seen what large impact they would have on this world by doing something as small as eat a forbidden fruit. Something BIG truly did happen. Out of this one small event came the blame game, birth pains, division between husband and wife, endless turmoil, cursed soil, and second-rate food. Furthermore, the impact was not constrained by time, for Paul wrote: “… the trespass of one led to condemnation for all men.” (Rom. 5:18)

The largest impact of this event is death. “For as in Adam all die,” (1 Cor. 15:22) and, “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Rom. 5:12)

The strength of this one event was so strong that several thousand years later King David acknowledges the power of sin by writing: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5) Time cannot dilute that event that took place so long ago.

This event would throw disorder and confusion into an orderly and clear universe. And worse, the relationship between the created man with his Creator would separate so far that no created procedure or created being could mend the gap.

That moment was BIG!

(laughing) Down Memory Lane

2008-06-26T23:17:00.001-04:00

Obama Battle

2007-12-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

Wesley is Bilingual

2007-08-30T21:37:00.000-04:00

I am currently teaching a nuclear engineering course. The other day while I was glancing through my notes, I realized I was bilingual. My second language is not romantic or the primary language of any people group. However, my second language is beautiful, complex at times, universal, enlightening, often prophetic, and even has "grammar" rules. My second language is called Mathematics. Note the beauty of my second language:

To the casual observer, the above language looks like jibberish. But to me it makes logical sense. The student who is required to take a second language (and then forgets it during the summer) would read the above language in this simplistic way: "Inflow minus outflow plus generation is how much we have."

Yet, the beginner student would say the same of this "phrase" as well:

Both "phrases" have similar parts, yet different enought to carry slightly different meaning.

Many times the beauty of the language is that which is not said. For example, in the first phrase, the "three lazy s's" carry the idea of counting to infinity three times.

This second language that I am still trying to master must be a heavenly language--without fault, complete in every way.

The Supper at Emmaus

2007-07-07T23:07:00.000-04:00

Caravaggio2

The one word that best captures this painting by Caravaggio is recognition. In the Gospel according to Luke, we are told two men were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jesus has been killed and the Passover has ended. However, these men have heard stories of women seeing angels and an empty tomb. The two men have met a stranger on the road. They eventually invite him into their home for dinner. “When he was at the table with them, he took break, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30, 31)

Caravaggio paints the stranger in an unusual way. In most paintings, this famous individual has a beard, a quality that would have made him more recognizable. Yet the two men did not recognize him.

Note the realization in the painting. The man on the left has just recognized the stranger and is standing to his feet because of shock or joy or maybe both. The man on the right just throws his arms out wide. However, notice this man has not focused his eyes. He is in the stage of shock, and you can sense his brain swirling with thoughts.

Now shift your eyes to the basket of fruit on the table. Do you recognize something? The basket is on the edge of the table and is about to fall. Caravaggio has even translated the tension of the moment to the still-life on the table.

Unfortunately, not everyone recognizes the traveler. The man standing in the back has a blank expression. He acknowledges the stranger. However, to him, the stranger is just another stranger.

Caravaggio captures the moment of recognition. I am almost afraid to look away from the man in the center because in the next moment he would have disappeared.

The Saint Matthew's Vocation

2007-06-27T23:42:00.001-04:00

Caravaggio 1

Note how your eyes are drawn to the man sitting at the table and pointing to himself. This man is the Apostle Matthew. Jesus and Peter have entered the room from the right. Jesus and Peter are clothed in their real time period; however, Matthew and his companions are dressed in the attire of Caravaggio's contemporaries. Therefore, Caravaggio's viewers would have been drawn into this evangelical story.

Jesus is painted in the shadows. He is coming out of the darkness. The emphasis is not placed on the divine as was common in artwork during this time period. The emphasis is placed on the humanity, the sinful Matthew. Christ points with a hand that is reminiscent of Adam's hand in Michelangelo's fresco on the Sistine Chapel.

Surprisingly, the glowing light is not coming from the window; it appears to be coming from above Jesus. The light shines on the faces of ALL the men sitting at the table. However, only Matthew looks at Jesus. The two to the left of Matthew are studying Peter. The men to Matthew's right are oblivious to the visitors; they are more preoccupied with the money.

Look closely and you will realize that Matthew has one hand on his money. This snap shot captures the moment Matthew must make a decision. Which master will he choose: God or money?

From his strong Catholic beliefs, it is no coincidence that Caravaggio paints Peter standing between Christ and the people at the table. It is with Peter that Christ established his Church. The Catholics taught that the Church is the mediator between God and men. However, Matthew is looking straight at Jesus, where I believe we should all look.

Verse 4

2007-02-06T23:33:00.000-05:00

Romans 10:9: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9 NIV)

The following are the key words: confess, mouth, Lord, believe, heart, dead, and saved.

Confess: to tell or make known
Mouth: the natural opening through which one speaks
Lord: kyrios in Greek and is used in the Greek translation of the OT to translate Yahweh.
Believe: to accept as true, genuine, or real
Heart: the emotional or moral as distinguished from the intellectual nature
Dead: those who have experienced death (see previous post for death)
Saved: rescued or recovered

Romans 10:9: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9 NIV)

Verse 3

2007-01-30T00:45:00.000-05:00

Verse 3
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)

This verse is packed full of key words, such as, God, loved, world, gave, only, Son, whoever, believes, perish, and eternal life.

Love: the highest attraction or attachment that exists. To love like God is to be like God.
World: mankind, present, past, or future.
Gave: to put into the possession of another.
Only: Need I really define this term?
Son: seed, descendant, heir to the family possessions
Whoever: inclusive
Believes: to place confidence in, to trust
Perish juxtaposed to eternal: deterioration in quality versus enhancement in quality

Verse 3 (repeated)
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)

Verse 2

2007-01-25T23:44:00.000-05:00

Verse 2:
Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in [or through] Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NIV)

The key words in this verse are wages, sin, death, gift, God, and eternal life.

Wages: a payment for labor or services, what you owe.
Sin: see last post.
Death: Separation either of the soul and the body or man from God.
Gift: something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation, what someone else buys.
God: see last post.
Eternal life: Unification with God for an infinite duration.

Verse 2 (repeated):
Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in [or through] Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NIV)

Verse 1

2007-01-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

In the Bible there are many wonderful verses. However, some of the verses are a must know. In the posts that follow, I will list 5 to 10 verses that I feel are very important for the Christian to remember. I personally will try to memorize these verses along with their references.

Verse 1:
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 NIV)

The key words in this verse are all, sinned, short and God.

All: the whole amount or quantity of, the whole number or sum of. All means all.
Sinned: to transgress from the Law of God, to be in a vitiated state or estranged from God.
Short: not coming up to a measure or not meeting a standard, goal, or height.
God: the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe.

Verse 1 (repeated):
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 NIV)

Nations (Conclusion)

2007-01-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

“I am the LORD, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.” (Isaiah 45:19 NIV)

So much more can be written about early civilizations. Maybe one day I will revitalize this topic. I have yet to write on the complexities of the Mayan writings, the Minoans and Mycenaeans, the complexities of early Indian religions, the Russians, Japanese, Aborigines, or the various African nations. I have not even written about the late Babylonians, Persians, Vikings, or European Barbarians; all of which have had complex legal and social systems. I have come to the conclusion that the ancients were not inferior to us; they were the same as we are now.

The modern world view gives us two hypotheses on the spread of early man. One called the single-origin hypothesis, or Out-of-African model, and the second called the multiregional hypothesis. I applaud the Wikipedia writer who had integrity to write: “Because of the scarcity of fossils and the discovery of important new finds every few years, researchers disagree about the details and sometimes even basic elements of human evolutionary history.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_Africa_theory)

We, Christians, should be careful in taking world views and mixing them with Biblical views. An old earth hypothesis and the hypothesis of human evolution do not fit with the Biblical teachings. But I hope I have introduced you, the reader, to areas that do support Biblical Theory (or for Joe, Biblical Truth).

Even the famous Thomas Aquinas compromised his teachings by mixing Aristotle’s humanistic views with Biblical views. (see Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live?) Please, do not fall prey to world corruption, and please let me know if the thoughts of Wesley Son of Cornelius ever become corrupted. For further posts about the importance of God’s Word being true see my posts every Saturday as a guest writer on Joe’s blog: http://steeplemedia.com/blogs/son_of_liberty

Next time: something different!

Nations (Language-Chinese)

2007-01-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. … For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Psalm 19:1-3; Romans 1:20 NIV)

India and China appear to have developed outside of the influence of Mesopotamian and Mediterranean regions. Their connection to the Biblical worldview is very puzzling. A historian has to rummage through historian garbage to try and determine the first settlers in this region. I believe the devout belief in the Evolution Hypothesis has disabled us from understanding the early Asians. Could the early settlers in China have brought with them stories of old?

Dr. Ethel R. Nelson, a pathologist and resident of Thailand; Richard E. Broadberry, a medical laboratory specialist in Taipei, fluent in Chinese; C.H. Kang; Kui Shin Voo; Larry Hovee and many others believe to have found a connection with ancient Chinese characters and Creation, the Garden of Eden, and the Great Flood as told by Moses.

The earliest understood writing in China is found on Oracle bone scripts. Interestingly, this writing is during the time of the Shang Dynasty, as was the worship of ShangTi (see post on Religion-Chinese). As with cuneiform and hieroglyphics, the earliest characters are pictographic in nature. Some linguists believe some of the characters to be phonograms. However, it can clearly be seen at the following site that many were logograms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_character
As seen in the website above, Chinese still use a variation of ancient characters today. Sadly, in order to reduce the number of characters in their language, the Chinese are tending toward the Simplified Script. I hope they are not losing the ancient details with this transition.

But how does a language depict concepts and ideas in a pictographic nature? This topic is debated among historians. For the most part, they believe a lot of the concepts came from phonetic sounds of the words you could depict with pictures. Other historians believe they used pictures by association.

Dr. Nelson, et al, believes the ancient Chinese brought with them stories of the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, and the Great Flood. Therefore, ancient characters for various concepts depict some of these stories. For example, the character to covet is a woman between two trees. Nelson believes this represents Eve and the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Furthermore, the character for tempter is the character of devil, trees, and cover.

As with any discovery, a historian or archaeologist must be careful to come to any conclusion too quickly. I believe Nelson has given substantial evidence for her theory. However, sometimes I believe she forces many of the characters and associations. You can come to your own conclusion (see the references below).

I return back to the character for tempter and give a modern day Chinese perspective. One of my Chinese friends says that the Chinese did not have devils in their early mythologies. The character now used for devil is the same used for ghost. Chinese were and still are very superstitious. It was believed that the ghosts lived in the woods under the cover of darkness. He believes this is the understanding of this character. Maybe. But the idea is still thought provoking.

REF: Nelson, Ethel R., and Richard E. Broadberry. Genesis and the Mystery Confucius Couldn’t Solve. Shunichi Yamamoto: 1994.

http://www.wbschool.org/chinesecharacters.htm (MUST SEE)

http://www.creationism.org/genesis.htm

http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/pdf_notice.asp?pdf=/home/area/magazines/tj/docs/tjv13n1chinese_lamb.pdf

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i3/china.asp

http://www.answersingenesis.org/Docs/388.asp

Nations (Language-Mediterranean 2/2)

2007-01-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

“… they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. … and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. … Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. … So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, and Lot went with him. … Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.” (Genesis 12, 13 NIV)

As seen by the travels of Abram, the Middle Eastern community intermingled during antiquity. This interaction can also be seen in the written languages. As noted in an earlier post, hieroglyphics were used in Egypt. However, alongside hieroglyphics is hieratic. Various ideas exist on when hieratic developed; however, most scholars believe it developed alongside hieroglyphics. Hieratic is designed for quick writing on papyrus with ink. A comparison of the two writing styles can be seen here:
http://home.prcn.org/sfryer/Hieratic/

It is believed that this hieratic writing style influenced those living in Canaan. The Proto-Canaanite alphabet can be seen below. This alphabet would be improved and is now referred to as the Phoenician alphabet. Like Egyptian writing, there were no vowels in the alphabet. As people moved like Abram, various writing styles were borrowed, improved, or altered. Secular historians believe the Phoenician alphabet had a large influence on Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and Arabic. No doubt a strong resemblance can be seen in the diagram below.

The Phoenicians are known for their trade by sea. More of likely, they not only exported purple dye (where we might get the word Canaan) but also their alphabet. By trade and general interaction, we can see how the Greeks adopted this new style. Prior to this time, the predecessors to Greece, Minoan and Mycenaean, used a written language we call Linear A and B, respectively. This ancient language is still not completely deciphered.

Before leaving the language of this region, some interesting points need to be addressed. What language did Moses write in? Secular historians, with many Biblical historians, believe that Hebrew did not fully develop into a written language as we know it today until 1000 BC. This is more than 400 years after Moses. Could Moses have written in hieratic or some Proto-Canaanite language? Dr. Unger writes: "The original Scriptures of the Hebrews were inscribed in this same Canaanite-Phoenician alphabet, which had reached a fairly stable form before the Conquest, but which continued to undergo certain changes in style and writing in the course of the centuries. Eventually in the post-exilic period the Holy Scriptures were put into the antique Aramaic alphabet. When that alphabet assumed the square form, the Hebrew Bible found itself with the style of letter already characteristic of the second century BC Isaiah manuscript of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Palestine in 1947." [ref] I am still thinking on this one.

Until then, let’s move east to a country that appears to be excluded from the interaction of this cradle of civilization yet shows some interesting common traits.

REF: Unger, Merrill F. Archaeology and the Old Testament. Zondervan: Michigan; 1954.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenician_alphabet

Nations (Language-Mediterranean 1/2)

2007-01-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

“The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. … The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim. (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.” (Genesis 10:2, 4, 5 NIV)

Someone reading through his Bible might skip over this passage, or read it and not grasp what is mentioned. I have been surprised of the contents.

Many Biblical historians believe the following connections to the sons of Japheth.
1. Magog might possibly be the father of the Scythians.
2. Madia is probably the father of the Medes.
3. The Hebrews called the Greek the Javan. (see Daniel 8:21)
4. More of likely, the Kittim settled in Cyprus. (see Numbers 24:24)
5. Rodanim might be reflected in the Greek isle of Rhodes.

From this information, it appears Japheth’s descendants settled along the north of the Mediterranean Sea.

“The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. … Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.” (Genesis 10:6, 13-19)

As with the descendants of Japheth, we can get an idea of where the Hamites settled.

1. The Hebrews referred to the Egyptians as Mizraim. Interestingly, Mizraim is dual and could possibly represent a Lower and Upper Egypt.
2. Clearly, Canaan settled in what would be eventually called the Promised Land.
3. Canaan was the father of the famous Hittites and Amorites.
4. The name Sidon is still used today for the city of the same name in Lebanon. This area was the area of the Phoenicians.

From this information, the majority of Ham’s descendants settled along the east and south coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The Egyptians, Philistines, Phoenicians, and Greeks were all maritime people. Their early interactions might be evident in their written languages.

Nations (Language-Mesopotamian)

2007-01-02T14:35:00.000-05:00

“The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. … The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.” (Genesis 10:22, 30 NIV)

Based on their names and the people groups named after them, it is believed that the Shemites, now called Semites, lived in the Mesopotamian region. As the Hamites developed in Canaan and Egypt (see next post), the Shemites were developing in the region between the rivers. Egypt had its hieroglyphics; Mesopotamia had its cuneiform.

The secular history places a people group called the Ubaidians in the Mesopotamian region. The Semitic nomads inhabiting the Syrian Desert and the Arabian Peninsula would eventually infiltrate the Ubaidian settlements. The cross-fertilization of these people would develop into the Sumerians. The Sumerians would hold dominion of this region until the Elamites would migrate out of modern day Iran and destroy Ur around 2000 BC (interestingly, approx. 90 years after Abram and his family left Ur). During their reign, the Sumerians created a writing style called cuneiform.

The earliest examples of writing are marks on small tablets that were attached to shipping containers. Like hieroglyphics, cuneiform characters are pictographic. The first characters can be seen in the second column of the picture to the right. These characters were drawn using a sharp pointed stylus. Over time the characters would be turned sideways to write more quickly and legibly. However, the pointed stylus that was dragged through the clay would leave messy ridges; therefore, the pointed stylus was replaced by a triangular stylus. This stylus was pressed into the clay, giving wedge-shaped (Latin cuneus-iform) impressions.

Also like hieroglyphics, individual cuneiform characters could be a phonogram, logogram, or an ideogram. The Sumerians also used determinative symbols.

Following the Elamite invasion, other groups would make a presence in Mesopotamia. Eventually, the Babylonians and Assyrians would be the most influential. The Babylonians and Assyrians spoke Akkadian. The written Akkadian language borrowed its characters from Sumerian cuneiform. The Sumerian script was also adapted for the writing of the Elamites, Hittites, and Hurrians. The Old Persian and Ugaritic alphabets also borrowed from the Sumerian writings.

To learn about the complexity of the Hittite cuneiform visit http://www.premiumwanadoo.com/cuneiform.languages/index_en.php?page=accueil.

To learn about the details of the Akkadian cuneiform visit
http://www.sron.nl/~jheise/akkadian/.

REF: Kramer, Samuel Noah. Great Ages of Man: Cradle of Civilization. Time: New York, 1967.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform

Nations (Language-Egyptian)

2006-12-31T13:12:00.000-05:00

“At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in his father’s house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.” (Acts 7:20-22 NIV)

The schools of Egypt were for the elite. The court of Egypt provided educational facilities for royal heirs or tributary princes from city-states of the Syro-Palestinian territory subject to the Egyptian rulers. One important aspect of the education would be reading and writing, just as it is with today’s education.

Before proceeding with the details of Egyptian hieroglyphics, various English terminologies need to be defined.

Phonogram: a character or symbol used to represent a word or syllable. For example, a picture of a bee and a leaf to represent the syllables for the word belief are phonograms.

Logogram: a letter, symbol or sign used to represent an entire word. For example, a picture of a heart to mean love in “I love you!” is a logogram.

Ideogram: a picture or symbol used in a system of writing to represent a thing or an idea but not a particular word or phrase. An upside down triangle with red trim implies a driver should yield.

Most hieroglyphic signs are phonetic. These phonograms represent one consonant (uniliteral), two consonants (biliteral), or three consonants (triliteral). The uniliteral signs may be referred to the Egyptian alphabet (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_uniliteral_signs). The biliteral and triliteral signs can be seen at the following locations, respectively:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_biliteral_signs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_triliteral_signs

Hieroglyphics can be read left-to-right, right-to-left, or top-to-bottom. The reader determines the direction of reading by examining the direction the signs are facing. The Egyptians were very concerned with aesthetics; therefore, the hieroglyphics were usually written to give the best visual appearance.

Like English, ancient Egyptians had homonyms (words like wait and weight). To distinguish the different meanings, many times a scribe would add extra hieroglyphic signs called determinative symbols. These ideograms never carried phonetic importance. A good example can be seen in the picture to the right. The only phonetic signs are the h, n, and u. Because ancient Egyptians did not always insert every vowel (like ancient Hebrew) this word could either be pronounced henu, hinew, ohanow, or some other variant.

One of the most interesting hieroglyphics is found in the Temple at Soleb. On one of the men is written ta sasuw yehua[w] (see the picture of a replica below and see if you can duplicate the translation). The passage is translated “the land of the Shasu, (those of) Yhw.” Shasu refers to people living in Syria and Palestine. Makes one wonder what Yhw stands for (maybe YHWH)!

Other complexities of hieroglyphics are listed below:

1. Sometimes uniliteral symbols follow a triliteral symbol to emphasis the pronunciation.

2. Signs joined together, like an arm holding a scepter, are contractions.

3. Doubling a sign means the word is dual; tripling a sign means the word is plural.

4. The “correct” spelling of a word may not have existed. Sometimes the word would have redundancies, omissions, or alternate spellings.

5. Proper names of kings and queens were encircled with a cartouche.

Pretty complex for an ancient civilization.

REF: Casson, Lionel. Great Ages of Man: Ancient Egypt. Time: New York, 1965.
NIV Archaeological Study Bible. Zondervan: Michigan: 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_hieroglyphs
http://hieroglyphs.net/000501/html/000-002.html

Nations (Language)

2006-12-30T16:59:00.000-05:00

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered …’” (Exodus 17:14 NIV)

“When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the LORD has said we will do.’ Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said.” (Exodus 24:3)

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.’” (Exodus 34:27)

“At the LORD’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey.” (Numbers 33:2)

“After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, …” (Deuteronomy 31:24)

“If you believed Moses, you would believe me [Christ], for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (John 5:46)

I remember hearing the argument when I was younger that Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible because writing had not fully developed until after his time. This argument showed the ignorance of this person. Archeological evidence now shows that the Sumerians had writing around 3400 B.C. and the Egyptians had writing around 3100 B.C. Furthermore, the writing was already in an advanced form. Theories exist that simplified pictures and lists existed before these dates.

In the following posts I hope to shed some light on how advanced these writings actually were, what they have in common, and how they are different. I especially want to spend some time on the interesting Chinese characters that give some intriguing insight into the ancient world.

Nations (Religion-Chinese)

2006-12-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8 NIV)

As polytheism became the popular religious system, finding people groups who were monotheistic was harder and harder to find. One of the most ancient and most highly recognized monotheistic religions is Judaism. Oddly, the Hebrews kept their monotheistic beliefs (for the most part) in a region that was highly influenced by polytheistic beliefs: Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Hittites, Arabs, Persians, Greeks, and eventually Romans. But a more isolated group of people were discovered to be monotheistic.

Before the introduction of Confucianism and Taoism, followed by Buddhism from India, the early Chinese were monotheistic. They worshiped the god ShangTi, the Heavenly Ruler. Every year the reigning emperor of China would travel back west to the border of his country and sacrifice a young unblemished bullock on an outdoor altar. Eventually the Temple and Altar of Heaven was moved to Beijing, where it still stands today.

Many references to ShangTi can be found in The Five Classics, five ancient Chinese books that are believed to be compiled by Confucius. Confucious was perplexed by these sacrifices. In one of his writings he wrote: “He who understands the ceremonies of the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth … would find the government of a kingdom as easy as to look into his palm!” [ref].

Many of the prayers and songs that were sung to ShangTi at the Border Sacrifice can still be read today. One of the most profound is the following:

Of old in the beginning, there was the great chaos, without form and dark. The five elements had not begun to revolve, nor the sun and moon to shine. You, O Spiritual Sovereign first divided the grosser parts from the purer. You made heaven. You made earth. You made man. All things with their reproducing power got their being. … All the numerous tribes of animated beings are indebted to Thy favor for their beginnings. Men and things are all emparadised [sic] in Thy love, O Te [different name of same person]. All living things are indebted to Your goodness, but who knows from whom his blessings come to him? You alone, O Lord, are the true parent of all things. … He sets fast forever the high heaven, and establishes the solid earth. His government is everlasting. … Your sovereign goodness cannot be measured. As a potter, You have made all living things.

These songs and traditions outdate Moses’ writings by more than 700 years. Could the Chinese have taken memories from after the flood as they dispersed to the east? I believe what may be more telling is the language they developed and still maintain in a simplified form today! That is for another post.

REF: Nelson, Ethel R. and Richard E. Broadberry. Mystery Confucius Couldn’t Solve. Ethel R. Nelson: 1994.

(See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangdi)

Nations (Religion)

2006-12-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods.’” (Joshua 24:2)

“Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot …, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.” (Genesis 11:31)

Nanna, the moon god in Mesopotamian mythology, was exalted in the City of Ur. Interestingly, Nanna was also worshipped in Haran. As the Mesopotamian area developed under the Babylonians and Assyrians, Nanna was added to the pantheon of gods, his name was changed to Sin, and he was elevated to the title of chief god.

Common among ancient societies is the large pantheon of gods and goddesses. The development of religion is still highly debated. There are many theories on why man “created” religion. Nevertheless, unknown to historians a god or a few gods would develop in various cities. As the cities were unified under a single power, the more popular gods would survive, and the pantheon of gods would increase. Therefore, polytheism was very common among ancient civilizations.

Note the Hall of Fame of mythological gods in ancient societies:

Egyptian
Amun, creator deitynubis, God of Embalming, Friend of the Dead, originally god of the dead
Apep, Serpent of the Underworld, enemy of Ra
Atum, a creator deity, and the setting sun
Bast, Goddess of Cats
Bes, God-Demon of Protection, Childbirth and Entertainment
Geb, God of the Earth
Hapy, God of the Nile and Fertility
Hathor, Goddess of Love and Music
Heget, Goddess of Childbirth
Horus, the falcon-headed god, God of Pharaohs and Upper Egypt
Imhotep, God of wisdom, medicine and magic
Isis, Goddess of Magic, sister of Nephthys
Khepry, the scarab beetle, the embodiment of the dawn
Khnum, a creator deity, god of the innundation
Maahes, god of war
Ma'at, Concept of Truth, Balance and Order, sometimes depicted as a goddess, God of Justice
Menhit, Goddess of war
Mont, god of war
Naunet, the primal waters
Neith, goddess of war, then great mother goddess
Nephthys, mother of Anubis
Nut, goddess of heaven and the sky
Osiris, god of the underworld, fertility and agricultural, possible father of Anubis
Ptah, a creator deity, also god of crafts, possibly Men-Nefer (Memphis)
Ra, the sun, possible father of Anubis, also a creator deity
Sekhmet, goddess of war and battles
Sobek, Crocodile God
Set, God of Storms, possible father of Anubis, later became god of evil, desert, also Lower Egypt
Shu, God of wind.
Taweret, Goddess of pregnant women and protecter at childbirth
Tefnut, goddess of rain and weather
Thoth, god of the moon, drawing, writing, geometry, wisdom, medicine, music, astronomy, and magic

Greek
Aphrodite - goddess of love and beauty, one of the twelve Olympians
Apollo - god of poetry, music, the sun, and prophecy, and an Olympian
Ares - god of violent war, an Olympian
Artemis - goddess of the hunt, virginity, and childbirth, twin sister of Apollo, and an Olympian, often associated with the moon
Athena - goddess of wisdom, defensive and strategic war, guardian-goddess of Athens, an Olympian
Chaos - non-gendered primordial entity from which Gaia was created
Cronus - leader of first generation of Titans, also a harvest deity
Demeter - goddess of the harvest and of grain, mother of Persephone, an Olympian
Dionysus - god of wine and sensual pleasures, took Hestia's place as an Olympian
Eos - goddess of the dawn
Eris - goddess of discord
Eros - god of love
Gaia - primordial goddess of earth, mother and grandmother of the first generation of Titans
Hades - god of the underworld and material riches, brother of Zeus
Hebe - wife of Heracles and goddess of youth
Hekate - goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and the harvest moon
Hephaestus - god of smiths, an Olympian
Hera - Queen of the Gods and Heaven, goddess of marriage, an Olympian
Heracles - porter of Olympus, patron god of gymnasia and wrestling rings, god of strength
Hermes - messenger of the gods and transporter of souls to the Underworld, an Olympian
Hestia - goddess of the hearth, gave up seat at Olympus to Dionysus
Hypnos - god of sleep
Pan - god of shepherds and forests
Persephone - daughter of Demeter, queen of the dead, also a grain-goddess
Poseidon - god of the sea and earthquakes, an Olympian
Selene - goddess of the moon
Thanatos - god of death
Ouranos - sky god and ancestor of many of the other gods
Zeus - King of the Gods and god of the sky, air, and storms

Incan
Apo- mountain god
Apocatquil- god of lightning
Chasca- goddess of dawn, twilight, and Venus
Coniraya- moon god
Ekkeko- god of hearth and wealth
Illapa- weather god
Inti/Punchau- sun god
Kon- god of rain and wind from the south
Mama Allpa- multi-breasted fertility goddess
Mama Cocha- goddess of sea and fish
Mama Pacha- dragoness fertility goddess
Mama Quilla-moon goddess
Mama Zara- goddess of grain
Pacha Kamaq- creator god
Pariacaca- water god
Supay- god of death
Urcaguary- god of metal and jewels

Mayan
Ahaw Kin - Sun God
Bacabs - Gods of the 4 directions
Balac - War God
Balam - Protector God
Bolon tza cab - Ruling God of All
Chaac - Rain God
Hunah Ku - Creator God
Itzamna - Reptile Creator God
Ix Chel - Moon Goddess
Kukulcan - Feathered Serpent God
Xbalanque - God of the Jaguar
Xi Balba - God of the Death
Yum Kaax - Corn God

Mesopotamian
Anshar - father of heaven
Anu - the god of the highest heaven
Apsu - the ruler of gods and underworld oceans
Ashur - national god of the Assyrians, thought by the Assyrians to be king of the gods
Damkina - Earth mother goddess
Ea - god of wisdom
Enlil - god of weather and storms
Ereshkigal - Goddes of Darkness, Death, and Gloom
Hadad - weather god
Ishtar - goddess of love and one of the highest-ranking deities in Mesopotamian myth
Kingu - husband of Tiamat
Kishar - father of the earth
Marduk - national god of the Babylonians, later thought to be king of the gods
Mummu - god of mists
Nabu - god of the scribal arts
Nintu - mother of all gods
Ninurta - god of war
Nergal - god of war, disease, death and destruction; ruler of the underworld
Shamash - god of the sun and of justice (Shapash in Ugaritic, Shamsa in Sumerian)
Sin - moon god
Tiamat - dragon goddess slain by Marduk

Etc.

(This partial list was brought to you by Wikipedia. For a overwhelming list go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gods.)

Nations (Literature/Mythology)

2006-12-23T15:36:00.000-05:00

“I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But …” (Genesis 6:17)

Sumerian
The god Enki warns Ziusudra, king of Shuruppak, of the gods’ decision to destroy mankind in a flood. Enki tells Ziusudra to build a large boat. After 7 days of flooding, Ziusudra makes a sacrifice to An the sky-god and Enlil the chief god. Due to his prostrations, Ziusudra is given eternal life.

Babylonian
The hero Gilgamesh, seeking immortality, searches out for Utnapishtim (translation of Ziusudra into Akkadian) in the earthly paradise Dilmun. Utnapishtim tells how Ea warned him of the gods’ plan to destroy all life with a flood. Utnapishtim was instructed to build a large boat so he could save his family, friends, wealth, and cattle.

Akkadian
The world has become overpopulated. The god Enlil cannot sleep due to the noise. At the divine assembly the gods decide to destroy the world with a plague, then a drought, then a famine, and then bad soil. Each time the population is reduced only to grow again. The assembly decides to destroy the world with a flood. The god Enki, opposing this solution, tells the mortal Atrahasis to build a boat.

Greek
The men of the earth grew wicked; therefore, Zeus decided to destroy them all with a great flood. The god Prometheus who was partial to humans told his mortal son Deucalion to build a chest. Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha float in their chest for nine days and nights and finally land on a mountain top. As the flood receded Deucalion and his wife walked down from the mountain. As they descended they threw stones over their shoulders, and the stones became human.

Mayan
The wind and storm god Huracan destroys the first humans because they do not worship the gods. After the flood, four men and four women repopulate the world. The descendants gather together in one location and speak the same language. However, their speech is changed and the people disperse throughout the world.

Chinese
Emperor Yao is faced with a problem of flood waters reaching to the heavens. Da Yu succeeds in controlling the flood and goes on to form the first Chinese dynasty. Other versions have a female named Nuwa who repairs the heavens after a great flood.

Indian
Satyavata, later known as Manu, saved a fish in a river. The fish tells him that a great flood would destroy all life. Manu builds a boat, and the fish tows the boat to a mountaintop where Manu spreads some seeds of life.

“… But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” (Genesis 6:18)

Nations (Architecture)

2006-12-22T00:07:00.000-05:00

“While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.” (Genesis 11:28 NIV)

Archeologists excavated Ur between 1922 and 1934. One key aspect of the city was the large ziggurat near the center of Ur. This pyramidal tower can be found in almost every ancient Mesopotamian city. Currently, 32 known ziggurats have been discovered in Iraq and Iran. The ziggurat was not a place for public worship. The ancients believed the gods actually dwelled in the top of these towers.

While the ziggurats in Mesopotamia were being built, the Egyptians were building slightly different buildings. The Egyptians are the ones who have made pyramids popular. Where ziggurats were the houses of gods, Egyptian pyramids were the tombs of pharaohs. The early pharaohs were believed to be gods or descendants of the gods. Many archeologists believe the pyramids represent the rising and setting of the sun—that is Ra, the sun god.

Egypt is not the only ancient civilization who built pyramids. There are more than 16 pyramids spread over Greece. The oldest one, Pyramid of Hellinikon, probably is older than the oldest Egyptian pyramid. Several of these pyramids are still being investigated today. As of recent, there is no clear evidence on how these pyramids were used.

In modern day Sudan near the mouth of the Nile valley, the Nubian pyramids can be found. These pyramids shared many common traits with the Egyptian pyramids. They too were tombs for kings and queens.

Pyramids have also been discovered in China. The interesting tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, is a mound in the shape of a pyramid. Qin Shi Huang is famous for unifying ancient China, constructing the terracotta army, connecting various walls to establish the precursor version of the Great Wall, and building a tomb that has not been opened to this day because of the high mercury levels detected inside. The emperors were not necessarily gods. However, they were connected to the dragons, which were immortal. Likewise, the Chinese emperors were the middle men for the gods and man.

Pyramids have also been discovered in South America and Mexico. The Mayans and Aztecs are famous for there stepped temples. Like with the Egyptians, the Aztecs put a lot of focus on the sun and heaven.

A recent site in Bosnia has been excavated. In the town of Visoko a controversial pyramid has been discovered. Could this pyramid also be an ancient man-made tower to the gods?

Did the ancients build these religious towers because of their memories of the Tower of Babel? Maybe.

Nations (The new beginning)

2006-12-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar [Babylonia] and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ … The LORD said, ‘Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’ So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.” (Genesis 11:1-4, 7, 8 NIV)

First of all, it is interesting that Moses wrote that they used brick instead of stone. “The building-material was largely brick, for stone was lacking in Babylonia, and to be found only in certain regions of Assyria.” (ref.) This knowledge from a man connected to Egypt and Canaan, where stone was the common building material, either adds to his credibility or increases the insight of God’s Word.

I picture the events occurring this way. As man came out of the mountains, they started to spread farther and farther apart. A few men—possibly tribal leaders—decided to try and unify the several family tribes who had migrated to the Mesopotamia area. They built a capital with a glorious tower in the center. As we will see in a later post, this tower was probably built to honor a god. The real God came down and put a stop to the development of this early empire. He then scattered them over the whole earth.

The different people groups would separate with different languages. However, they would part with common memories. And these memories might motivate later generations in literature, religion, architecture, and language.

REF: Moscati, Sabatino. Ancient Semitic Civilizations. Elek Books Limitied: New York, 1957. (p. 92)

Nations (Post-flood)

2006-12-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

“… and on the seventh day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. … So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.” (Genesis 8:4, 18 NIV)

Based on the Biblical record, mankind starts anew with Noah, a man of the soil (Gen. 9:20) and his family. But does the Biblical account have secular historical support? I believe it does. In the several posts to follow, I hope to touch on several aspects that I have discovered. My hope is to change our current perspective of early man and the nations he started to one that is more Biblical. As a good historian, I hope to pull evidence from external Biblical sources and see if they coincide with the Biblical theory.

As seen in the map, Mt. Ararat is believed to be in the northern Zagros Mountains. While the waters receded, man would slowly migrate out of the mountains. Interestingly, the mountain ranges lead east into modern day Pakistan and India, north into Russia, west into Turkey, southwest into Palestine, and south into the “Land Between the Rivers” (Mesopotamia).

The Time Life book on the Cradle of Civilization states an interesting theory of the early cities in this area. Robert J. Braidwood of the University of Chicago believed “the first agricultural hamlets and villages must have arisen in the north, on the hilly flanks of the Zagros ranges, in the region now commonly known as Kurdistan.” (ref.) However, every village Braidwood excavated showed signs of a relatively advanced stage of agriculture. These old communities showed no signs of a transition from food-collecting to food-producing.

“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.” (Genesis 9:20-21)

REF: Kramer, Samuel Noah. Great Ages of Man: Cradle of Civilization. New York: Time, 1967.

Nations (Pre-flood)

2006-12-14T22:49:00.000-05:00

The majority of your history books will start this way:

Early man started his life hunting wild game. In family groups the tribes would move from area to area chasing their prey while foraging for edible plants. Eventually the climate would improve and man would throw off his nomadic ways and settle down. Small towns would develop as agriculture became more advanced. Then man would domesticate wild animals.

All of these ideas come from a handful of fragmented bones and a few broken pots. However, I lay before you a theory: an unsatisfying theory to most historians. My theory is that the first civilizations will always remain hidden. We only have one source of mankind in the pre-world-flood world: chapters 1 to 8 of Genesis.

These chapters paint a different picture of the first humans. First, the first humans were fully dressed.

“The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

Secondly, civilization appears to be quiet developed as early as the second generation of mankind. Simultaneously, Abel was herding a flock while Cain worked the soil. And someone who works the field is less likely to be nomadic. Furthermore, after killing Abel, Cain picks up and moves to the land of Nod and starts building a city.

“Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.” (Genesis 4:17)

However, not everyone in Cain’s family desired to settle down. One of his descendants, Jabal, was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. Furthermore, Jabal’s brother Jubal was the father of those who play the harp and flute. What is more shocking is what their cousin Tubal-Cain did for a living. Tubal-Cain forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron (Gen. 4:22).

And if that is far from the common theories, how about this one: a man inspired by God created a ship that was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

Nations (update)

2006-12-11T11:09:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the large time gaps between posts. I am currently in the reading-mode and research mode. My plan is to start a series on ancient civilizations and a few of the interesting things I have discovered. Until then, go to Joe Napalm's blog and begin the Jamestown 400 treasure hunt! The hunt is quite fun so far.

Nations (Intro)

2006-12-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

"These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood." (Genesis 10:32 NIV)

"The devil led him [Jesus] up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, 'I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want.'" (Luke 4:5-6)

Razzle Dazzle 'em

2006-12-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

“The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is man’s fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.” (Isaiah 44:13-15 NIV)

The other day I was at an electronics store with my dad looking for a new projector screen for church. We kindly asked a sales representative where they keep such an item. And like the ring master of a circus, he led us into the most dazzling section of the store. The floor was like waxed hardwood. Black leather recliners spotted the dimly light room. A mysterious glow flickered above our heads. “Welcome,” he said, “to our home entertainment.” The projector screens lowered all around us. Immediately, high definition pro football was in visual stereo. My initial urge was to lie prostrate on the floor. The gods had descended.

Today, after playing an awesome game of flag football, the guys all sat down to rest. One gentleman mentioned that he was hopeful that his wife would allow him to buy a new HD flat screen. Before long, several guys were spitting out dimensions, pixel numbers, and other visually enhanced features.

Just as wood is used for warmth, the television can be used for good. However, I believe most of the time the TV is destructive. My grandparents commonly ate very fattening foods: cornbread, lard, and potatoes. However, they maintained an active life which kept the weight off. The TV says to sit back and relax. The TV also indorses a vital sex life. It defines great sex. The TV even defines who can partake in the gift of sex. Where has homosexuality been recognized the most? The TV. Reading and socializing were once the food of the wise. Now the television has made us all fools.

Fathers have been ruined by televisions, mothers have been distracted by televisions, and children have been destroyed by televisions. Minds have been turned to mush and muscles have been turned to fat.

“They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think …” (Isaiah 44:18)

Tell us your riddle

2006-11-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

"Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet." (Judges 14:14)

Kings and Kingdoms

2006-11-25T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today was a much needed lazy day. I sat in front of the TV and watched a History Channel Marathon called Engineering an Empire. Every hour a new empire was examined. The focus of every show was engineering marvels during the height of the empire being examined. Each show began with the birth of the empire. However, every show ended with the empire’s final demise. The all day marathon can be summarized as follows:

“You [Nebuchadnezzar] are that head of gold. After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to peaces, so it will crush and break all the others. … In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” (Daniel 2:38-40, 44 NIV)

“The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.’” (Daniel 2:47)

So what can be said:

Let all heaven and earth proclaim: Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s just something about God’s name.

Winter Sky IV

2006-11-21T23:08:00.000-05:00

“He is the Maker of the [Bear] and Kesil, Kemah and the constellations of the south.” (Job 9:9)

“Can you bind the beautiful* Kemah? Can you loose the cords of Kesil? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs.” (Job 38:30-31)

*: Or the twinkling Kemah or the chains of the Kemah.

“…he who made the Kemah and Kesil, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land—the LORD is his name …” (Amos 5:8)

Due to the difficulty in associating proper names of stars and constellations in various cultures, no one knows for sure what Kesil and Kemah stand for. However, Kesil is closely related to the word for fool. With this meaning and the mention of cords makes most theologians and historians believe Kesil is referring to Orion. Ancient societies commonly referred to Orion as a giant, and in many cases a fool.

Kemah is associated with the Arabic word to accumulate or the Assyrian word to bind. Therefore, Job 38:30 might read “can you bind the chains of the bound?” Here the bound probably refer to the star cluster we now call the Pleiades. Therefore, God might be asking Job, can you separate this star cluster. If you have ever seen the Pleiades, this question would make sense.

The picture below shows a close up of this star cluster. In the previous post picture, the blue spot to the upper right of Aldebaran (star labeled 6) is the Pleiades. On a clear winter night, you can see the Pleiades with your naked eyes. However, they usually appear clearer if you gaze slightly to the right or left of the cluster. Because of the Earth’s rotation, they lead Aldebaran across the night sky. For this reason, star 6 is called Aldebaran which means to follow.

Winter Sky III

2006-11-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

“God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.” (Genesis 1:16)

The picture below shows a detailed picture of the winter heavens from the Northern Hemisphere and looking east. Due to our atmosphere, city lights, and pollution you will never see this view with your own eyes. However, on a clear winter night, you will be able to see some of the detail.

I ended the last post with the star Rigel. In the above picture, I have labeled Rigel as number 1. (Can you make out Orion? It is not easy!) I will now rotate around the winter sky clockwise.

The star numbered 2 is called Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the nighttime sky. The name of the star comes from Greek, meaning glowing or scorching. Sirius is not just one star but two stars rotating around each other. Sirius is the head of the Big Dog (Canis Major) constellation.

Continuing clockwise, the star numbered 3 is called Procyon, meaning before the dog. Due to Earth’s rotation, Procyon, apart of Canis Minor, appears to be leading the Big Dog constellation. Like Sirius, Procyon is also a binary star.

In Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux were two mischievous twins. They are represented in the constellation Gemini (Latin for twin) as the heads. In the above picture I have labeled Pollux 4a and Castor 4b. Pollux is believed to be a single star that is 30 times more luminous than our Sun. However, current studies have shown that Castor is a sextuple (that is 6 star) system.

The top star, numbered 5, is named Capella. Capella means little she goat. In Roman mythology Capella was the goat that suckled Jupiter (that is Zeus in Greek myth). Jupiter accidentally broke off her horn and created the Cornucopia, Horn of Plenty. The star is actually a quadruple star system.

The last star, numbered 6, is named Aldebaran. The name comes from the Arabic to follow. I will explain the meaning on a later post. The unmanned Pioneer 10 spacecraft was released in 1972 to be the first spacecraft to go through the asteroid belt. It is currently heading in the direction of Aldebaran. It should reach this lone star in about 2 million years.

Finally, we return back to Rigel. We have just traveled the Winter Hexagon.

Winter Sky II

2006-11-17T22:09:00.000-05:00

“[The LORD] determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” (Psalm 147:4)

We probably do not call the stars by the same name as God, however, over time various stars have been given specific names.

Looking back at the picture on the previous post, we can become familiar with the stars of Orion.

The three bright blue stars make up Orion’s belt. The farthest left star has become known as Alnitak. Alnitak means belt in Arabic. Alnitak is actually a triple star system; that means, three stars rotate in some pattern around each other. They appear as one star to us here on Earth. The largest of the three stars is about 15 times the diameter of the Sun.

The middle star in Orion’s belt is named Alnilam, meaning string of pearls in Arabic. Current measurements predict that Alnilam is about 30 times the diameter of the Sun.

The last star in Orion’s belt is named Mintaka, also meaning belt in Arabic. Mintaka could actually be a four star system. It appears that two of the stars in the set are rotating around each other very closely.

The star that commonly represents Orion’s raised left hand is named Bellatrix, Latin for Amazon. Its diameter is only 6 times the size of the Sun. Bellatrix appears to be the same size as Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. However, it is much closer than the stars of the belt.

The right foot of Orion is named Saiph. Saiph probably has a diameter 11 times the diameter of the Sun.

The red star around Orion’s head is named Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse is a massive star. Jupiter’s orbit would be within this large star.

Finally, the star at Orion’s left foot is named Rigel, which is a contraction of the Arabic for left foot of the Central One. Like Mintaka, it is believed that Rigel is a four star system.

Winter Sky

2006-11-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1 NIV)

In my opinion, the winter stars are the most magnificent. In the following posts, I hope to introduce you to the eastern sky from the Northern Hemisphere. As a starting point, look for the following famous constellation: Orion. This will be our reference point.

REF: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

My prayer

2006-11-08T23:19:00.000-05:00

God use me!

T.C.M.T Conclusion

2006-11-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

The three previous posts have been about the different committed types of Christians. The three groups mirrored Gideon’s army. However, if you look at the passage as a whole (Judges 7:1-25), the primary focus is not Gideon’s army. The central theme is the LORD.

“The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, … anyone who trembles with fear may turn back.’” (Judges 7:2-3)

“The LORD said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.’” (Judges 7:7)

“God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into [Gideon’s] hands.” (Judges 7:14b & 15b)

“When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the [Midianites] throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.” (Judges 7:22)

The size of Gideon’s army did not matter, the strength of Gideon’s army did not matter, and the talent of Gideon’s army did not matter. Trust and faith in the LORD was all that mattered.

Three Church Member Types

2006-10-28T01:07:00.000-04:00

Type 3: Faithful Few

“So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.” (Judges 7:8 NIV)

I struggled with coming up with a title for this last group. Of Gideon’s original army, less than 1% would go out to fight the Midianites. Therefore, I will call this group The Faithful Few. One must be careful in interpreting numbers in the Bible. I do not believe, and hope that I am right, that the faithful in our churches today is less than 1%. However, I do believe the number is small.

Several characteristics of the 300 soldiers care over to my church analogy pretty well.

1. As seen in the above verse, the 300 “took over the provisions … of the others.” Often, the truly faithful Christians are the ones who do most of the work at church and commonly hold several positions. They understand, respect, and honor the idea of fellowship and worship; therefore, they work hard to keep these functions successful.

2. “The LORD said to Gideon, ‘… If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp … and listen to what the Midianites are saying.’ So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.” (Judges 7:10, 11)

One common misconception is that the Faithful Few are never afraid. We commonly refer to them as warriors or fighters. But the faithful do fear.

3. “They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.” (Judges 7:19)

A second misconception is that the faithful are all gifted and talented. But all these 300 soldiers did was blow, yell, and break jars. I believe we all could do that. The faithful do not need degrees or years of experience.

4. “Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.” (Judges 8:4)

Doing the work of the LORD may be exhausting. And you may get little support. Gideon and his men requested food from the officials of Succoth and later Peniel. Neither town was willing to give up their resources.

Next Post: Conclusion

Three Church Member Types

2006-10-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Type 2: The Half-Hearted

“And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” shall not go.’ So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘Everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.’ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the LORD said, ‘With the 300 men who lapped I will give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.’” (Gideon 7:4-7 ESV)

The second group who are removed I call The Half-Hearted. They made up a little less than 30% of Gideon’s original army.

The Half-Hearted go to church more often then most. They believe it is important to go to church and try to go as often as they can. More than likely, most of this group was raised in church; their parents went to church, and, therefore, they must go to church. In Gideon’s original army, 10,000 stayed. But how many stayed just because they knew they had no other choice? By parental or peer pressure, they had to stay.

Many commentators suggest that God selected the men who lapped over those who knelt because those who lapped showed alertness and readiness. I personally cannot think of a better reason. Connecting with my analogy, the Half-Hearted rarely take leadership positions or avid following positions. They study their Bible off and on, and their prayer life is a once a day event. Therefore, they are not alert of the various corruptions in the world and not ready to stand up for Christ, the truth. This group might be what John in Revelation refers to as the lukewarm.

Three Church Member Types

2006-10-23T23:23:00.000-04:00

Type 1: The Uncommitted

“Early in the morning, [Gideon] and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce to the people, “Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.”’ So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.” (Judges 7:1-3 NIV)

I believe the modern church can be compared to Gideon’s army. I classify the members of the modern congregations into three categories. The first type I call The Uncommitted. Sadly, this group is by far the largest in our churches today. Nearly 70% of Gideon’s army was uncommitted.

The Uncommitted go to church on most Sunday mornings and occasionally/rarely on Sunday nights. They often mean well but find themselves too busy or too tired to completely participate. Just as most young men in Gideon’s time were expected to join the military service, most church members feel they are expected to attend the worship service. However, those who see attendance as the most important aspect are better off going home.

? ? ? ?

2006-10-18T23:39:00.000-04:00

“When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them …” (Exodus 12:26)

The above verse might appear to be an odd verse to quote. The context is God telling the Israelites how they were to perform the Passover celebration. One key aspect of the celebration was for the children to ask questions. This ritual carries over to the present. Today, devout Jews perform the Passover Seder. The ritual still has a focus on children. Questions and answers are a central device in the Seder ritual. By encouraging children to ask questions, they will be more open to hearing the answer.

About 1000 years after the first Passover meal, the great philosopher Socrates popularizes the Socratic Method. In this method, a series of questions are posed to help a person to determine his underlying beliefs and the extent of his knowledge.

I believe we have forgotten how to ask questions.

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
--Rudyard Kipling

By the way, the answers yes and no can never answer these questions.

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Election Time

2006-10-17T22:51:00.000-04:00

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. … For he is God’s servant to do you good. … He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. … for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.” (Romans 13:1, 4, 6 NIV)

The book of Romans was written around 57 A.D. Who was the authority at this time? None other than the famous Emperor Nero. In 57, Nero would have only been 20 years old. The political atmosphere was filled with sexual immorality, murder, thievery, and lasciviousness. Nero would be later connected with the burning of Rome and the killing of several Jews and Christians. Nero was God’s servant?

“Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: ‘Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,’ declares the LORD …” (Jeremiah 24:8, 9)

“Now I [the LORD] will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 27:6)

(see also Jeremiah 43:10)

Nebuchadnezzar was the king who destroyed Jerusalem. He also erected a ninety foot golden statue and forced the people to fall down and worship it. Nebuchadnezzar was God’s servant?

In the United States we are allowed to vote for our authorities. However, we should not forget it is God in the end who actually establishes our authorities. Our politicians, Democrat or Republican, are God’s servants. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are God’s servants?

Esther's Response

2006-10-14T23:41:00.000-04:00

"Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 'Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.'" (Esther 4:15-16 NIV)

Reminder to Esther

2006-10-12T11:45:00.000-04:00

“When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: ‘Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?’” (Esther 4:12-14 NIV)

Beautiful! Just beautiful!

Esther's Task

2006-10-11T00:41:00.000-04:00

“[Mordecai] told [the middle man] to urge [Esther] to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. [The middle man] went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, ‘All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life.’” (Esther 4:8-11 NIV)

“‘But,’ the LORD said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’” (Exodus 33:20)

Do you have the courage to approach the living God and plead for those who are lost? Or more convicting to me, do I even care enough about the lost to plead for them before the LORD?

Pass Me Not

2006-10-10T21:44:00.000-04:00

Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.

Let me at the throne of mercy Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition, Help my unbelief.

Trusting only in Thy merit, Would I seek Thy face.
Heal my wounded, broken spirit; Save me by Thy grace.

Thou, the Spring of all my comforts, More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee? Whom in heav'n but Thee?

Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.

Fanny J. Crosby

5 Random Proverbs

2006-10-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him. Proverbs 26:27
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11
Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers. Proverbs 22:28
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. Proverbs 21:30
As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. Proverbs 27:19

Noble* Peace Price

2006-10-04T23:22:00.000-04:00

"Peace I [Jesus] leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27 NIV)

"The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

*: diliberate spelling

One Word

2006-10-03T00:38:00.000-04:00

"A lone gunman walked into a one-room schoolhouse in a largely Amish community in southeastern Pennsylvania Monday and shot as many as 10 girls, killing three immediately before turning the gun on himself and dying at the scene, according to the state police." [NEW YORK TIMES]

One word:

EVIL

The Way of Man*

2006-09-30T22:45:00.000-04:00

Beyond Good and Evil – Friedrich Nietzsche
The Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx
Mein Kampf – Adolf Hitler
Quotations from Chairman Mao – Mao Zedong
Totem and Taboo – Sigmund Freud
Qur’an -- Muhammad
Walden – Henry David Thoreau
The Transcendentalists – Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Stranger – Albert Camus
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life – Charles Darwin
First Principles – Herbert Spencer
Etc.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." (Proverbs 16:25 ESV)

*: This post was not an original thought. I overheard this conversation during lunch last week.

The Dragon

2006-09-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? … His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.” (Job 41:1, 18-20 ESV)

Recently, I have been talking with my Chinese friends about dragons. In Chinese culture the dragon is a sign of good luck. Many times the dragon is considered divine; therefore, early Chinese empires claimed to be dragons or related to a dragon. However, European dragons are considered malevolent. They are signs of treachery and destruction.

We came to realize that dragons or serpent-like creatures are found almost in every ancient culture. As seen above the Hebrews had the Leviathan; Canaanites had Lawtan (who Baal overcame); the Hittites had Illuyankas; the Sumerians and Babylonians had Tiamat; the Greeks had Ladon, Hydra, Python, Pythia, and Typhon; the Indians (from India) had Vyalee; the Siberians had Yilbegan; the Koreans had Yong, yo, and kyo; the Japanese had Ryu; and the Chinese had Lung.

I told my friends that it appears that ancient man had a common ancestry where the idea of the dragon originated. China and Canaan are rarely if ever connected in ancient times. But how could these two ancient civilizations created very similar concepts of the dragon if they did not have some early interaction?

Where did the idea of a dragon come from? I have two hypotheses: (1) the idea of the dragon is a mythological form of a dinosaur or (2) Adam and Eve told their descendants about the serpent in the Garden of Eden. You choose or come up with your own!

For further thought, think about the Phoenix appearing in both Chinese and Egyptian mythology.

To Life

2006-09-24T20:58:00.000-04:00

“Go to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my [David’s] name. Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!’” (1 Samuel 25:5, 6)

To Life

The Hebrew word le chayya (above) means to life. Those familiar with musicals might remember the song in Fiddler on the Roof called To Life. In this song they say le chayyaim, which is a toast to life. As an aside, we pronounce Adam’s wife as Eve. This comes from the Greek Eva. Eva comes from the Hebrew Chavvah. Chavvah comes from chayya (life).

“Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.” (Genesis 3:20)

Eve

“In him [the Word] was life, and that life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)

“I [Jesus] give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)

Eve would give birth to the Life.

“And I [God] will put enmity between you [serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

To Life!

Dust of the Earth

2006-09-22T23:09:00.000-04:00

“Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.” (John 8:6)

“O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.” (Jeremiah 17:13)

However,

“He who overcomes … I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

The Sword of the Lord

2006-09-16T13:32:00.000-04:00

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’” (Joshua 5:13-14 NIV)

Throughout history, the sword has played a significant role. The knight of the Middle Ages commonly named his sword. The samurai’s katana and wakizashi never left his side. Bushido actually taught that the samurai’s soul was his katana. The sword often is connected to the symbolism of violence, justice, or revenge. This symbolism can be found in the Bible as well. However, it appears that God has a physical sword.

“After he [God] drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)

“David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. … Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.” (1 Chronicles 21:16, 27)

“In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. … The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” (Revelation 1:16, 19:13, 14)

Sword Quiz
Several swords were made famous in Legends and Mythology. Can you name the owner of the following swords?

A. Excalibur
B. Crocea Mors
C. Hrunting
D. Joyeuse
E. Arondight
F. Zulfiqar
G. Narsil
H. Master Sword

I wonder if God has named his sword!
---
A. King Arthur, B. Julius Caesar, C. Beowulf, D. Charlemagne, E. Lancelot, F. Muhammad, G. Aragorn, H. Link

300th POST

2006-09-14T00:04:00.000-04:00

I have finally hit 300 posts. Plus, I have just begun my second year in blogging. I thought I would take this time to look back at the various series I posted over the last year.

I. Resurrection/Redeemer/The Return
II. The Face of God
III. What is Love?
IV. The Temple
V. God’s Family
VI. The Anointed One
VII. The Seven Woes
VIII. Biblical Holy Days
IX. The House of Atreus/Took/Francis/David
X. Pistis, Elpis, and Agape
XI. I AM
XII. The Law
XIII. The Mountain of the Lord
XIV. Supper with Jesus
XV. God’s Chosen (Messed-up) People
XVI. Apostle John
XVII. The House
XVIII. Timothy
XIX. The Assembly of God
XX. Fundamentals
XXI. The Jewish people
XXII. God’s People

I look forward to what God will reveal to me this year!

Image of God takes Created Image with Us

2006-09-09T23:39:00.000-04:00

“Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8 NIV)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)

“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.” (Romans 8:3)

“What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels … Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.” (Hebrews 2:6, 7, 9)

*: The last few posts were not planned to fit together. But not by my doing, they do fit together quite nicely!

Created Image

2006-09-08T23:54:00.000-04:00

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 NIV)

“For by him [Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

“… his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:2)

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness …’” (Genesis 1:26)

Image of the Invisible God

2006-09-06T11:56:00.000-04:00

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV)

“By faith he [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:27)

So how do you see something invisible? You make it visible.

“He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

“… Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

“When my glory passes by, I [God] will put you [Moses] in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen. … Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD.” (Exodus 33:22-23, 34:5)

With Us

2006-09-05T23:39:00.000-04:00

"'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel'--which means, 'God with us.'" (Matthew 1:23 NIV)

"And surely I [Jesus] am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

"And when I [John] turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man.' ... and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." (Revelation 1:12, 20)

Spirit of Power

2006-09-02T23:54:00.000-04:00

“You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’” (Isaiah 40:9 NIV)

Last weekend I went with part of my family on a hike (see here ). Before lunch we came to a great water hole. After standing around for awhile, I decided to jump in. I finally got my courage up to swim across to what I initially thought was a big rock. For those who know me, I am not much of a risk taker. I actually avoid risks. I prefer being a spectator. No entrepreneur blood in this body. After several minutes a group of young boys arrived at the water hole. Following behind what appeared to be the braver boy, the group of boys scurried up huge rocks on the opposite side of the water hole. From there they jumped from a very high rock into the center of the pool. Why were the boys not afraid? Why is it some people will take risks while others like me stand around and watch? I think the answer is personality. I will always be cautious.

However, as a Christian I am commanded to step out and take risks when it comes to witnessing and to spreading God’s Word. The above passage in Isaiah says I should stand on the high mountain and shout. The Great Commission says I should “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Paul tells Timothy:

“God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord.” (2 Timothy 1:7-8)

I might have a personality that is cautious and timid, but I have a Spirit that is powerful.

By the way, the picture to the left is me jumping off that very high rock.

God's People (part vi)

2006-09-01T00:56:00.000-04:00

And what more can be said than in Isaiah?

“Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, ‘The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.’ … For this is what the LORD says … ‘foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.’ The Sovereign LORD declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: ‘I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.’” (Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8 NIV)

Or what can we add to the words of Peter?

“Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:7-9 NIV)

The Jews are God’s earthly people; Israel is an earthly country; and Jerusalem is an earthly city. But the ultimate promise is the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1, 2)

“These [Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Sarah] all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16 ESV)

The unification of the assembly at the end of days is not pictured any better than in Ezekiel. The following passage connects all the Old Testament prophesies about the promise of land, the Holy Land.

“’So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You shall divide it by lot for an inheritance among yourselves and among the aliens who stay in your midst, who bring forth sons in your midst. And they shall be to you as the native-born among the sons of Israel; they shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And in the tribes with which the alien stays, there you shall give him his inheritance,’ declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 47:21-23 NASB)

Who are God’s People? Those saved by grace through faith alone are God’s People!
In conclusion, we see that the assembly is pictured as a bride or as a body. The assembly is more than just the local church. The assembly, ekklesia, is God’s People, the people of the promise, the family of God, the called-out ones, the priesthood of believers. It was through God’s people, the Israelites, that God would establish his People. With Christ, David’s tent is rebuilt. Through Abraham, all nations have been blessed. Not necessarily blessed by the nation of Israel, or the assembly, but the nations have been blessed because God sent his only Son to die for the sins of the world. And only this faith in God’s Son is what truly matters!

God's People (part v)

2006-08-30T22:15:00.000-04:00

There is something unique about the Jews. As stated earlier, Paul asked the question: “What advantage is there in being a Jew?” (Romans 3:1) Paul answers that the Jews are the people who were given the Law, the prophets, the covenants, and eventually Christ. The Jews were the physical descendants of Abraham. But the Bible has always been clear that being an Israelite (nationally) never guaranteed you salvation. Only by faith is one saved. This concept has been true since the beginning. For the following could be considered full Israelites but I doubt could claim citizenship in God’s family: Korah, Manasseh King of Judah, High Priest Annas, or High Priest Caiaphas. Many others could be added to this list. My conclusion is that Israel is God’s people. However, they are a picture or symbol of God’s People. The temple and temple sacrifices were pictures of something higher. Likewise, baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection we share with Christ. However, sacrificing at the temple or being baptized is not needed for salvation. So the question arises:

“Did God reject his people?” (Romans 11:1 NIV)

Paul answers: “By no means!”

Here Paul is referring to the Jews, God’s people. Paul goes on to create a beautiful analogy of olive branches being broken off of the root and wild branches being grafted in. But he ends with a very powerful statement.

“… how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved …” (Romans 11:24-26a NASB)

This final restoration is taught throughout most of the Old Testament prophets. It is far beyond the scope of this discussion to cover the ideas taught in those passages. I believe God will fulfill his promises of restoration to his people. But the fulfillment will be a picture of the higher: the restoration of his People.

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its [P]eople a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my [P]eople; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” (Isaiah 65:17-19 NIV my capitalization)

God's People (part iv)

2006-08-26T21:38:00.000-04:00

Who are God’s People? Paul says it beautifully in his letter to Titus:

“… Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:14 NIV)

God’s People are the saved, the redeemed, the purified, the elect. His family, his assembly, is His People. The concept of who was a part of God’s People and what are God’s People required to do were very important questions to the early assembly. The apostles and elders met in Jerusalem to discuss these questions. Here was the answer given by James, the half-brother of Jesus:

“After they [Barnabas and Paul] stopped speaking, James answered, saying, ‘Brethren, listen to me. Simeon [Peter] has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, “After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.’” (Acts 15:13-18 NASB)

James, a Jew, agreed that God took the Gentiles to be a part of his People.

God's People (part iii)

2006-08-25T20:32:00.000-04:00

Throughout the Bible, God’s People have been pictured as a family—one body. As seen in the earlier passages, one key aspect of the family of God is the promise. The promise was first clearly stated to Abraham.

“The LORD said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV)

Peter would quote part of this promise to his Jewish listeners at the temple.

“And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your father. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:25-26 NIV)

However, Paul would also apply the promise to the Gentiles.

“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:8-9 NIV)

Paul continues in his letter to the Galatians by saying:

“He [Christ] redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” (Galatians 3:14 NIV)

And could Paul be any clearer that the family of God, the assembly of God, is the People of God in the following passage?

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29 NASB)

With this said we can now return back to a previously quoted passage and understand it more completely.

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: ‘through Isaac your descendants will be named.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” (Romans 9:6-8 NASB)

God People (part ii)

2006-08-24T23:00:00.000-04:00

If you are not convinced yet that the assembly and God's People are related, look at the following passage in Isaiah.

“And they will call them, ‘The holy people, the redeemed of the LORD’; and you will be called, ‘Sought out, a city not forsaken.’” (Isaiah 62:12 NASB)

At first glance, this passage does not seem to directly support the connection between God’s People and the assembly. However, I have already quoted from this passage earlier. Chapter 62 of Isaiah is talking about the Day of the Lord and the marriage. I applied verses four and five of this chapter to the assembly when I asked who the bride of Christ was.

Let’s return back to 1 Peter. Peter continues:

“… for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” (1 Peter 2:10 NASB)

Peter is referencing a passage in Hosea 1:10. The passage in Hosea can be directly applied to the Israelites of that time. But Paul quotes this passage in Romans to refer to how the Gentiles are also apart of God’s People. Interestingly, following Paul’s quotation of Hosea, he quotes the passage in Isaiah about how a rock will be a stumbling block for the Jews. Peter uses the same quote in Isaiah prior to quoting Hosea. However, Peter seems to apply the stumbling block to all non-believers. Even though they are approaching the topic slightly different, they are developing the same idea: the description of God’s family. A people who were not a people are now God’s People.

This idea of exclusion from God’s People and now being a part of God’s People was seen earlier in Ephesians.

“… at that time … strangers to the covenants of promise … But now … you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” (Ephesians 2:12, 13, 19 NASB)

To the assembly in Ephesus, Paul continues the idea of Gentiles now being included with God’s People:

“By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:4-6 NASB)

Because of the clear statements, the assembly of God must be God’s People.

God's People (part i)

2006-08-23T21:46:00.000-04:00

The Greek word ekklesia has been shown to be best translated assembly. We have seen how the assembly was rebuilt with the inclusion of Gentiles. Furthermore, just as a man and woman become one on their wedding day, Christ becomes one with the assembly on the Day of the Lord. Likewise, the members of the assembly are to become unified as the human body is unified. But is the assembly the family of God or the People of God? In this dialogue I hope to develop the idea of God’s People in comparison with God’s people. The capitalization of the word people will become more evident later. To investigate this idea, let us examine the first letter of Peter.

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” (1 Peter 1:1-2 NASB)

“… To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia …” (1 Peter 1:1 NIV)

“… To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia …” (1 Peter 1:1 ESV)

Peter says to these elect,

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has call you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NASB)

Peter prescribes his recipients with four titles: chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and an owned people. The last three titles would remind the Jews of what Moses wrote.

“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6 NASB)

One might be quick then to assume Peter is only writing to the Jews. However, one needs to be careful not to come to that conclusion too quickly. The idea of a royal priesthood is found in Revelation and is applied to the assembly.

“John, to the seven [assemblies] in the province of Asia … To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:4, 5b-6 NIV)

Jesus then tells John to write to the assembly in Thyatira:

“And to the angel of the [assembly] in Thyatira … The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” (Revelation 2:18, 26 ESV)

If the assembly at Thyatira perseveres, they will be given authority over the nations. The four living creatures and the 24 elders will later sing:

“… and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10 ESV)

Near the end of Revelation, John writes:

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6 ESV)

The assembly seems to correspond to the priesthood. If that is so, it appears that Peter is calling the recipients of his letter God’s People. Who are the recipients? The recipients are the assemblies throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.

Almost got it ...

2006-08-22T09:48:00.000-04:00

Still thinking (but unlike this guy, I wear clothes when I think)!

I have been working on the second half of my discussion on the assembly. This time I am looking at the assembly as the People of God. I just need it to be proofread by the resident English teacher (to make sure I use the same verb tense) and the resident Theologian.

The Jewish people (Part VI)

2006-08-16T23:38:00.000-04:00

Prior to WWII Jewish immigration to Palestine increased. This increase was due to the rebirth of anti-Semitism in Europe, primarily Germany, and the Zionist movement. The increase in Jewish population in the region created much Arab resentment. In 1936-1939 the Great Uprising (or Arab Revolt) took place. Both sides would take part in violent acts such as marketplace bombings. The revolt died down with the beginning of WWII. The Arabs’ mistrust of the Germans prevented any close alliances. However, the Holocaust created an even larger immigration of Jews into the British Mandate of Palestine. The British eventually forbade entry into the region from fleeing Jews. WWII in Europe came to an end in May 1945. A few months later, two nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan, ending the war. As an aside, these nuclear bombs were envisioned and developed through the science of many Jewish scientists: the most notable being Einstein, Bohr, and Oppenheimer.

In 1947 the United Nations passed a resolution to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The Greater Jerusalem area would be under international control. The British government and the United Nations failed to implement this plan. This failure was mainly due to the rejection of the Palestinian Arabs. Shortly after the resolution, Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq attacked the Israel State. The Jewish forces proved to be militarily stronger than the Arabs expected. The British terminated the British Mandate of Palestine on May 15, 1948. On May 14 the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel was publicly read before the official expiration on the next day. The United States recognized the independence moments after the reading. The Arab-Israeli War lasted until 1949 when the badly beaten Arabs called for a truce. Due to the war, Israel claimed 50% more land than originally given and several Palestinian refugees were left with no where to go.

Since the creation of Israel, the state has not seen any rest. From the War of Attrition to the Lebanese Civil War to the Gulf War and now the Israel-Lebanon conflict, a once uncommon anti-Semitism in the Arab world has become their trademark.

We have now covered 2000 years of Jewish history and ended up in the present with you sitting in front of a computer screen reading this blog. Now I ask the hard question: are the Jews God’s people?

The Jewish people (Part V)

2006-08-11T23:56:00.000-04:00

We now jump through time quickly. Large nations have broken into smaller ones, communication with areas like China and Russia have been open, now the once called East is now the Middle East, and the United States has spread from sea to shining sea. We now stop around 1914. The world is tense. Alliances of unusual kind have been made. Many thoughts and plans are hidden. In June of that year one man assassinates the heir to the Austrian throne. Quickly the world is ushered into The Great War (now called World War I). Strangely, the country that reflected the Old West—Germany—allies with the country that reflected the Old East—the Ottoman Empire. In 1918 the war would come to an end, and Germany would be beaten, tired, and in disarray and the Ottoman Empire would be no more. The Ottoman Empire would be divided five ways: Turkey would claim its independence, Lebanon and Syria would be under the mandate of France, and Iraq and Palestine would be under the mandate of Great Britain.

France would establish Lebanon and Syria, and Britain would establish Iraq. Palestine was a different story. The British had guaranteed the establishment of a national Jewish home and the safeguard of current Palestinian inhabitants. Due to the Zionist movement, (the Jewish belief that the Jews need a homeland) many Jews moved to the British Mandate of Palestine. The immigration increased rapidly with the increase of anti-Semitism in the desolate country of Germany.

Germany was in chaos. The Great Depression starting in 1929 was another blow to the region. What would fill the void? One man and his ideology: Adolf Hitler and Nazism. Hitler would spark the nationalism that was lacking by teaching the superiority of the Aryan race. The other people groups would be spotted out. The Jews would be the largest group not tolerated and eventually persecuted. I note five reasons the Jews were persecuted the most of any minority by the Nazis.

1) The Jews were strong nationalists, not necessarily German nationalists, however. The Nazis accused the Jews of stabbing the country in the back during World War I. Ironically, many Jews joined the Germany army during WWI.

2) While Germany plunged into economic disaster, the Jews remained financially secure due to the fact most of the Jews were bankers (see possibly why in earlier post). The Nazis accused the Jews of keeping the interest rates on loans high.

3) The Jews were not apart of the Aryan race. The teachings of social Darwinism were well rooted in the philosophy of that time.

4) The Europeans had a history of anti-Semitism. This belief was spread initially by the corrupt Church. The belief that the Jews killed Christ was a thought that never completely went away with the passing of time.

5) The largest population of Jews in Europe was in Poland (see previous post as well). Poland would be invaded by Germany in 1939 …

the beginning of World War II.

Jewish History Intermission

2006-08-08T21:41:00.000-04:00

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.’ So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.’” (Numbers 20:7-12 NIV)

Today Mom came home from school. She was shocked, frustrated, and saddened by decisions made by her administrators. They were clearly making poor decisions. Being the knowledgeable engineer I am*, I had a solution. However, by analogy of the above passage, my solution was strike the rock, Mom. Strike it hard. Go to the administrators and say, “Listen, you rebels!”

“A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.” (Proverbs 12:23)

I was wrong. I gave bad advice. But God says,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

*-Please pray for my VBM (verbal bowel movement)

The Jewish people (Part IV)

2006-08-08T00:43:00.000-04:00

The division of the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD appears to establish the idea of the West and the East. The eastern half of the Roman Empire had its capital in Byzantium (renamed Constantinople) and would later become known as the Byzantine Empire. The West would have the Roman Catholic Church, and the East would have the Greek Orthodox Church. Where the West was facing the change due to Germanic kings, the East was still fighting the Roman Empire’s ancient foes—the Persians. But a powerful beast was maturing in the shadows. The Arab kingdom of the Lakhmids in southern Iraq allied with the Persians. The Arab kingdom of the Ghassanids in southern Syria allied with the Eastern Romans. In addition, the Arab kingdom of the Kindites in central Arabia (modern day Saudi Arabia) allied with the Himyarite Empire of South Arabia. The Arab kingdoms were polytheistic and overshadowed by the world powers. Nevertheless, in 630 a man by the name of Muhammad conquered his home city of Mecca in Arabia. He ushered in the new religion of Islam. His ambition was that all of Arabia would be unified and ruled by the laws of Islam. Under Muhammad and his successor and father-in-law, the Arab kingdoms would become a single state. Islam was successful because it established five tasks a man must accomplish in his lifetime to reach paradise. Furthermore, war under the title of jihad (holy war) brought wealth and prestige to a once ignored region. The Persian and Byzantine Empires were tired; therefore, the Arabs won quickly and often. By 720 AD the Arabs and their religion would stretch from Central Asia through North Africa and to Spain.

Middle Ages: Middle Eastern Jews

Oddly, this conquest was an improvement for Jews under Muslim rule. The Muslims saw Jews and Christians as fellow People of the Book. A few Jews even converted to Islam. But most Muslims did not want Jewish converts, primarily because non-Muslims paid a higher tax which enabled the finances of the many battles. Along with the Muslims, Jews saw great advancement in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and chemistry. Not to be mistaken, the Jews were not considered equals. They were prohibited from several social and legal rights and sometimes required to wear clothes that distinquished them from Muslims.

Political conflicts developed in the Islam world. Who should be the rightful successor? The group later to be known as the Shiites thought Muhammad’s grandson should rule. The Sunnites wanted someone else. The Jews would experience different changes in authority. The biggest change in authority is when the Mongolians under Genghis Khan in the beginning of the 13th century terrorized the regions around Iran. The Mongolians did not care if you were Muslim, Jew or nothing at all. You were just best dead. But as Attila the Hun in the 5th century came and went, so did the Khan family. The last Mongol conquerors would convert to Islam and take the religion with them as they retreated back home.

Therefore, three Islamic States would develop: the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and the Balkans, the Safavid Empire in Persia, and the Mughal Empire in India. Jews would prosper in the Ottoman Empire, and an influx of Jews would enter the Empire due to the persecution of the West.

The Jewish people (Part III)

2006-08-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

As set up in the last post, two Jewish communities developed: European Jews and Middle Eastern Jews. In this post I wish to follow the history of the European Jews during the Middle Ages. In 330 AD Roman Emperor Constantine transfers the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople. In 395 Roman Emperor Theodosius divides the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western administrative units. The Roman Empire is never the same again. The two divisions separate further and further because of Germanic Barbarian invasions from the North, economic strain, and political struggle. Around the time of Constantine, Christianity is declared the national religion. The Roman Church is the only institution to fill the new void in the west. The unequipped Germanic kings slowly find common ground with the new powerful Church. At this point I take a quick aside. The Church mentioned from this point forward is not the church/assembly I defined in earlier posts. Likewise, I am hesitant to refer to the west as Christian. I am not implying that genuine Christians were not misled or did not carry out heinous crimes; however, I believe the majority of the Church leaders were not true Christians, and many of the citizens were not allowed to think for themselves (and may not have had the ability too). The West was now ruled by the Church and the State.

Middle Ages: European Jews

The Catholic Church was quick to establish regulations—which the State was expected to enforce. Relationships with Jews were almost entirely forbidden; therefore, a chasm was created between the two religions. Other laws prevented Jews from participating in most economic activity and land ownership. Ironically, the Church prohibited usury, that is charging interest, in the Christian community. Therefore, most citizens of Christendom avoided money lending because of the inability to make a profit. Due to the need and the limitation of other trades, the Jews became very influential in loan issuing and interest.

Throughout the early Middle Ages isolated events of anti-Semitism were common. This hatred would be elevated once again in 1096: the First Crusade. Oddly, the Crusades were between the two largest religions. The battle was the West vs. the East, Christianity vs. Islam, the Cross vs. the Crescent, or the battle of the infidels. Unfortunately, the Jews were dragged in. Sadly, it was the West who did most of the persecution. In 1290 Jews were banished from England. Propaganda went wild. “The Jews killed Christ.” “The Jews was responsible for the problems of the world.”

In 1347 the devastating Black Plague would attack Europe. Many Jews would fall victim of the plague. However, due to Jewish health regulations, the Jew usually had a cleaner lifestyle. Plus, many Jewish communities were isolated due to earlier persecution. So the logic, or illogic, was that the Jews poisoned the drinking wells or God was punishing Europe because of the Jews. Many Jewish communities were exterminated. Several fled east.

Throughout the remainder of the Middle Ages the Jews would be banished from France in 1394; Germany, Italy, and the Balkan peninsula between 1350 and 1450; and after the Spanish Inquisition of 1478, the Jews would be finally banished from Spain in 1492. Where did many of the Jews end up? Poland. Overtime Poland had become sympathetic of the Jews. They were not free of persecution; however, the harassment was limited.

The Jewish people (Part II)

2006-08-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

As noted in Acts, Jewish Christians spread throughout the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Persecution and the spread of Christianity were the two drivers of the Jewish dispersion. However, most of the Jewish community (who had not accepted Christianity) was dispersed by Roman force. Many Jews were taken to Rome as slaves; there they would be sold cheaply. In areas as far away as Gaul and Spain, Jews would earn their freedom. The freed Jews would start small communities and several might become Roman citizens. The Jewish community experienced little resistance early on. They enjoyed the benefits of citizenship and a quiet life. However, this peace would slowly fade in many areas as Christianity was adopted as the national religion.

As Western Europe was heading one way, Eastern Europe and the Middle East were heading a different way. After the destruction of Jerusalem, many Jews fled to Babylonia—modern day Iraq. This region was not under the rule of Rome but under the rule of the Parthians (Persians). These Jews and Persians had one thing in common: they both hated the Roman Empire. The Jewish refuges remained under the Parthian protection for several centuries. During these years, two Jewish academies were started. Here in Babylon, the Jews were allowed to prosper and compile many expositions on the Law. At first, the Jews felt little change when the old Persian Empire was over-run by the new Sassanian Empire in 226 AD. Ironically, persecution increased by the 600s and the Jews gladly welcomed the conquest of Arab Muslims in 632.

REF: see last post

The Jewish people (Part I)

2006-07-31T22:49:00.000-04:00

At the end of June, I wrote a series on the Assembly [church] of God. Now I wish to juxtapose that series with a series on the People of God. But before I begin that series, I would like to explore the history of Israel after 70 AD to the present.

We actually begin our flight through history in 39 AD [probably nine years after Pentecost], when Roman Emperor Caligula declares himself a god and orders his statue to be erected in every temple in the Roman Empire. Of course, the Jewish people, who have been known to be an unruly group under any large empire, refuse and prepare for an armed revolt. The conflict subsides after Caligula’s death in 41. However, this incident and the stealing of a large amount of money from the Temple treasury by a Roman procurator increased the popularity of the Zealot movement. The Zealots where a Jewish group who strongly believed that any means necessary were justified to attain freedom from Rome. After the desecration of a local synagogue, a revolt in 66 broke out. At first the revolting Jews soundly defeated the Roman forces. But the Zealots executed anyone advocating surrender; therefore, by 68 the entire leadership of the southern revolt was dead. By 70 the Roman army had entered and burned most of Jerusalem, even destroying the Temple. In 73 the last Jewish stronghold at Masada had been overcome. The death toll ranges from 600,000 to 1,300,000 Jews, with almost 100,000 Jews taken to Rome as slaves.

Fifty-seven years later (130), Emperor Hadrian pays a visit to the ruins of Jerusalem. He is saddened and sympathetic towards the Jews. Therefore, he decides to rebuild the city. One catch, he wants to build the city as a Roman metropolis with a new pagan temple dedicated to Jupiter where the Temple once stood. After the first revolt ended, an entire legion was stationed in Judea. An additional legion was stationed to help maintain order. The new city, Aelia Capitolina, was offensive to many Jews. (It did not help that Hadrian also abolished circumcision around the same time.) The Jewish leaders carefully planned the second revolt to avoid the errors of the first revolt. In 132 the Roman military in Jerusalem were taken by surprise. A Jewish state was restored for two and a half years. Nevertheless, Hadrian called one of his generals from Britain and hit the Jewish rebels with an overwhelming force. It is reported that 580,000 Jews were killed. To prevent future rebellions, Hadrian prohibited the Torah law and the Jewish calendar. He executed Judaic scholars and burned the sacred scroll on the Temple Mount. Hadrian also erased the name Judea off of the map and replaced it with the name Syria Palaestina, as an insulting reminder of the Jews’ ancient enemies the Philistines. Jerusalem was rebuilt and all Jews were forbidden from entering it. Now begins the Jewish diaspora (dispersion)!

REF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Fundamentals (Conclusion)

2006-07-30T23:09:00.000-04:00

Due to being under the weather, my transitions and flow of this series are probably lacking. Therefore, I conclude with this summary:

Everyone has sinned. Death is the wage of sin. Hence, all must die. God is just. Hence, He must punish sin. However, God is love. Therefore He sent Himself to take the punishment of sin. On the third day He arose, because if He cannot arise, no one can. All that remains is this,

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Saved from death? No, all must die because of sin. You will be saved from the second death, that is eternal punishment (Revelation 2:11 & 21:8). Those who confess will arise as Christ arose! Hallelujah

Fundamentals (Point 6)

2006-07-28T21:46:00.000-04:00

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5, 6 NIV)

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. … But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:17, 20-22)

“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

Fundamentals (Point 5)

2006-07-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son ..." (John 3:16 KJV)

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him striken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. ... For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:4-8, 12)

Fundamentals (Point 4)

2006-07-23T23:00:00.000-04:00

"The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, 'The LORD is just.'" (2 Chronicles 12:6 NIV)

Because God is just. The sinner must be punished. But more seriously, God cannot be in the presence of sin.

"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2)

Therefore,

"Depart from me [God], you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ... Then they will go away to eternal punishment ..." (Matthew 25:41, 46)

So now what? Are we all doomed to eternal punishment? No, because:

"For God so loved the world that he ..." (John 3:16a)

You'll see.

Fundamentals (Point 3)

2006-07-20T23:30:00.000-04:00

"Surely you [God] will reward each person according to what he has done." (Psalm 62:12 NIV)

"Will he [God] not repay each person according to what he has done?" (Proverbs 24:12)

"... man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment ..." (Hebrews 9:27)

"But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God 'will give to each person according to what he has done.'" (Romans 2:5-6)

That day of God is mentioned in almost every book of prophesy. In my concordance alone I found reference to that day in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi and Revelation. One day!