tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10020512936190800522024-03-02T09:30:17.245-08:00To The Ends Of The Earth BlogInsights from Israel into the Bible, Jesus the Messiah,
and the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith.Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-11105926018373882992023-09-13T03:06:00.012-07:002023-10-16T22:47:55.346-07:00The Sons of God in Genesis 6:2-4<p><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<b><br /></b><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the most puzzling passages in the Bible is Genesis 6:2-4. This mentions the “sons of God” (the </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">sons of Elohim</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">) who took wives from the “daughters of man.” This happened just before the Flood of Noah. Many sensational videos have been made recently to explain this strange event and the mysterious Nephilim mentioned in these same verses. But what do we actually known about these </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“sons of Elohim”? And what can we learn about them from other passages in the Bible? We’ll also say a little about the book of Enoch, often mentioned in these videos.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Let’s start by looking at the verses in question:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Genesis 6:2,4:</b> And <b>sons of God (<i>b’nei ha Elohim</i>)</b> saw that daughters of the man were desirable; and they took wives for themselves from all that they chose.... The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterwards, when <b>sons of God (<i>b’nei ha Elohim</i>)</b> went in to daughters of the man, and they bore <i>children </i>for them. They were the mighty ones that <i>were </i>of old, men of renown.</span></div></blockquote>
<div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Different views about these “sons of God” have been circulating since the 2nd century AD. This is when the idea first appeared that they were actually the “good” descendants of Seth as opposed to the bad descendants of Cain—a teaching still popular in many places today. But before that time, <i>all </i>the ancient authorities agreed that these “sons of God” were angelic messengers. So for example, Josephus the Jewish historian, who lived in the time of the apostles, wrote: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For many <b>messengers (<i>angeloi</i>) of God</b>, coming together with women, bore children <i>that were</i> violent men and disdainful of all <i>that is</i> good because of the confidence t<i>hey had</i> in <i>their own</i> strength, <i>whose </i>daring resembles that of the giants spoken of by the Greeks; and these are the great deeds handed down [by tradition]. (<i>The Antiquities of the Jews </i>1.3.1 §73)</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Here Josephus clearly identifies the “sons of God” of Genesis 6 as “messengers of God,” in other words, angels.* The Nephilim he identifies as the children of the messengers and the women. And he connects the Biblical account with the similar stories of giants among the Greeks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* The Greek word <i>angelos </i>(<i>angeloi </i>in the plural), just like the Hebrew word <i>malak</i>, simply means “messenger.” Whether this is a human messenger, an angelic messenger, or the Word of God acting as a messenger can only be determined from the context. Since these messengers are here called “messengers of God,” this identifies them as angels.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">But Josephus wasn’t the only one to make these identifications. This was common knowledge at the time. This can be seen in many of the writings that come to us both from before and during (or slightly after) the time of the New Testament.*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* These include the Enoch writings, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Jubilees, the Testament of Reuben, and 2 Baruch. But we can trace the expression “sons of God” back even further to discoveries in the Ugaritic language from the time of Moses and Joshua. Ugaritic is a Semitic language related to Hebrew. In Ugaritic, the expression “sons of gods” (<i>bn ilm</i>) refers to divine beings, beings that were the focus of pagan worship and which are identified in the Bible as fallen angels.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">But there’s no need to look outside the Bible to identify the “sons of Elohim.” The Bible itself is quite clear about who they are:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Job 1:6: </b>And the day came when the <b>sons of God (<i>b’nei ha Elohim</i>) </b>came to stand before the LORD, and the Adversary [the Satan in Hebrew] also came among them.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This is a description of the Divine Council of God that is mentioned several times in the Bible. The idea is that from time to time God called a meeting of those he had put in authority in heaven; much like an earthly king would call a meeting of the nation’s leaders. That this meeting took place in heaven is clear from the fact that it took place in the presence of the LORD (Job 1:6), and that Satan left the earth in order to attend (he came “from roaming around on the earth,” Job 1:7). Since Satan, who is himself an angel, was attending, this implies that the other “sons of God” at the meeting were also angels.*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* Satan is described as an archangel (an <i>archon</i>) in the Greek of Matt. 9:34 and Eph. 2:2. This is the same Greek word that appears in Eph. 6:12 to describe the “rulers” of the spiritual forces in the heavenlies.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This is also how the Septuagint (the LXX), the ancient Greek translation of the Bible, understands this event:*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* The Septuagint, also known as the LXX, is a Greek translation of the Old Testament made for the Jewish community in Egypt. This was before the time of the New Testament. It also served as the Old Testament for early Gentile Christians and is still used in many Eastern churches. Translators often refer to the Septuagint to check their translation or to determine the meaning of difficult Hebrew words and phrases. Many of the slight differences between the Septuagint and the Hebrew Bible are today understood to originate in earlier Hebrew versions of the Bible.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Job 1:6 (LXX):</b> And it came to pass on this day that look, the <b>messengers (<i>angeloi</i>) of God</b> came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The Septuagint translates the Hebrew “sons of Elohim” as “messengers of God.” In other words, it understands that this was an angelic council. A similar passage appears in chapter 2 when the council meets again:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Job 2:1:</b> And it was the day when the <b>sons of God (<i>b’nei ha Elohim</i>)</b> came to stand before the LORD. And the Adversary (the <i>Satan</i>) also came among them to stand before the LORD.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Here again, Satan is among the “sons of Elohim” as one of them. And again the Septuagint understands this to be an angelic council:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Job 2:1 (LXX):</b> And it came to pass on a certain day that the <b>messengers (<i>angeloi</i>) of God</b> came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came among them to stand before the Lord.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In another place, Job mentions the “sons of Elohim” in a description of the Creation:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Job 38:7:</b> [Where were you] at the crying out of the morning stars together, and when all the <b>sons of God (b<i>’nei ha Elohim</i>)</b> shouted for joy?</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This passage is about acts of Creation that took place before the creation of man (“when I laid the foundations of the earth,” etc., in Job 38:1-6). That means that these “sons of Elohim” cannot be human beings—in fact, that’s the whole point of the passage: that at the time human beings were nowhere to be found. Rather these “sons of Elohim” are the angelic sons of God. Once again, the Septuagint understands this verse the same way:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Job 38:7 (LXX): </b>When the stars were made, all <b>my messengers (<i>angeloi mou</i>) </b>praised me with a loud voice.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There is only one other appearance of the “sons of Elohim” in the Bible. But it’s not in the versions most people are familiar with today. Instead, it’s a variant reading found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which many scholars believe to be the original text:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Deuteronomy 32:8 (DSS):</b> When the Most High gave the nations an inheritance, when he separated the sons of man, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the <b>sons of God (<i>b’nei ha Elohim</i>)</b>.*</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* Most modern translations follow the Hebrew Masoretic Text instead, which reads: “according to the number of the sons of Israel.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This passage describes how God placed the nations under spiritual authority, with Israel under the direct spiritual authority of God himself: “For the portion of the LORD is his people, Jacob is the allotment of his possession” (Deut. 32:9). This is also how the Septuagint understands it: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Deuteronomy 32:8 (LXX): </b>When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the <b>messengers (<i>angelon</i>) of God</b>.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This agrees with the idea found in the book of Daniel that God put each of the nations under the authority of an angel (Dan. 10:13,20; 12:1).*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* In the Hebrew of the book of Daniel, these high-ranking angelic authorities are called princes (<i>sarim</i>). The Septuagint (and/or the later Theodotion Greek translation of Daniel) uses the Greek word archangel (<i>archon</i>).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">But verses that mention the “sons of Elohim” are not the only way to find out who these beings were. There are other, similar expressions that also refer to them, though modern translations sometimes obscure the original meaning. Let’s consider the Hebrew of Psalm 82:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Psalm 82:1,6-7: </b>God (<i>Elohim</i>) is standing in the congregation of God (<i>El</i>), in the midst of gods (<i>elohim</i>) he judges.... “I myself said you are gods (<i>elohim</i>), and all of you <b>sons of the Most High (<i>b’nei Elyon</i>)</b>. But surely as a man you will die, and as one of the princes you will fall.” *</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* This passage is a good demonstration of the fact that the plural Hebrew word <i>Elohim </i>can be used both to refer to God and to the gods. Which of the two it is must be determined from the context, since the word can have both meanings. In verse 1, the first <i>Elohim </i>refers to God, since it takes a singular verb form (<i>nitzav</i>). The second <i>elohim </i>refers to “the gods,” since God stands “in the midst” of them (or “among” them). In verse 6, <i>elohim </i>also refers to “the gods,” since God addresses them with a plural form of “you” (<i>atem</i>): “you are gods.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This is another reference to the Council of God. But instead of the expression “sons of Elohim,” we see “sons of Elyon.” This is the same Elyon found in the expression <i>El Elyon</i> (“God Most High,” Gen. 14:18, etc.). Since this is the same Council of God that we saw earlier in Job, it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">s clear that </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“sons of Elyon” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">has the same meaning as “sons of Elohim.” That this is not referring to human beings can be seen in verse 7, where the punishment given to these “sons of the Most High” will be to die “as a man.” That is, they will lose their current immortality and experience death as human beings do. But why then are these beings also called “gods”?* By this point in history, these angelic beings had allowed themselves to be identified as gods: the pagan gods of the nations. And because of this, as God warns them here, they were headed toward eternal punishment. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* Some modern translators are uncomfortable with the plain meaning of the words, and so change “gods” in verse 1 to “judges” (JPS) or “rulers” (NAS).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus refers to this passage in John 10:34-36:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>John 10:34-36: </b>Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said you are gods’ [Psa. 82:6]? If these to whom the word of God came he called gods—and Scripture cannot be abolished, do you say of the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said I am a son of God?”</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus’ point here is that if God called these angels “gods” “to whom the word of God came” (vs. 35)—which means that they are not the originators of the word of God and so are not true gods at all—how can it be wrong for “the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world”—that is, Jesus himself—who is the Word of God and therefore higher than the angels, to be called “a son of God” (vs. 36)?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The heavenly Council of God makes another appearance in Psalm 89:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Psalm 89:5-7:</b> The heavens praise your wonder, LORD; yes, your faithfulness in an assembly of the holy ones. For who in the cloud [of stars, i.e. in the heavens] compares to the LORD? Who resembles the LORD among the <b>sons of gods (<i>b’nei elim</i>)</b>? God (<i>El</i>) causes great trembling in the council of the holy ones and causes all surrounding him to fear.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The language used here makes it clear that these “sons of gods” dwell in the heavens, or at least go there to participate in God’s council.* Why are they called “sons of gods” instead of the “sons of Elohim”? Because as we’ve already seen, they had allowed themselves to be identified as the gods of the pagans, and this is how the pagan gods were known among the nations, as the supposed sons of other, earlier gods.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* Here, too, many modern translators are uncomfortable with the plain meaning, and so change the “sons of gods” in verse 6 to “sons of the mighty.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Another appearance of the Council of God, or at least of its members, appears in Psalm 29: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Psalm 29:1:</b> Ascribe to the LORD, <b>sons of the gods (<i>b’nei elim</i>)</b>, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Here the Psalmist is calling on the gods of the nations, that is, on fallen angels masquerading as gods, to bow down to the God of Israel. (<a href="https://totheends.com/ps29.html">For more on this topic, see our teaching on Psalm 29.</a>)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">One final reference to the “sons of Elohim” can be found in a section of the book of Daniel written in Aramaic, a sister language to Hebrew. Here, the Aramaic <i>bar elahin</i> is a direct translation of the Hebrew <i>ben elohim</i> (“son of gods,” with “elohim” here used to refer to the gods):</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Daniel 3:25,28:</b> He [King Nebuchadnezzar] answered and said, ‘Look! I see four men loosed <i>and </i>walking <i>about </i>in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a <b>son of gods (<i>bar elahin</i>)</b>!’.... Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego: he has sent his <b>messenger (<i>malak</i>)</b> to rescue his servants...</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">According to King Nebuchadnezzar, the fourth man in the fiery furnace looked different than the others. He looked like “a son of gods,” in other words, he had a divine rather than a human appearance. But he also refers to this fourth man as a messenger (<i>malak </i>in Aramaic, just as it is in Hebrew). In other words, he understood that this “son of gods” was an angelic messenger. So here, the book of Daniel directly identifies the expression “son of Elohim/elohim” with an angelic “messenger.” </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>What happened to the sons of God after they sinned with the women?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">These verses all clearly identify the “sons of Elohim” as angelic messengers of God. But they don’t tell us the rest of the story. They say nothing about what happened to the angels after they sinned with the women. To get that information, we have to turn to the New Testament. Here, Peter tells us:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2 Peter 2:4: </b>For if God didn’t spare <b>messengers (<i>angelon</i>)</b> who had sinned, but having thrown them into Tartarus [the deepest part of Hades], he delivered them to chains of darkness where they are being kept for judgment...</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Here we find the punishment given to these angels after they sinned. How do we know these are the same angels? Peter mentions them in a list of judgments starting with (1) these angels, and then going on to (2) the Flood of Noah (in verse 5), and then to (3) Sodom and Gomorrah (in verses 6-8). These events are in chronological order. So what event preceded the Flood for which God would have judged angels? The sin of the “sons of Elohim” in Genesis 6:2-4. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Jude has a shorter list, but he mentions these same angels followed by the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah (in verse 7):</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Jude 1:6: </b> <b>Messengers (<i>angelous</i>)</b> that did not keep watch over their own domain, but rather left their proper dwelling place, he has kept under watch in darkness for eternal bonds on the judgment of the great day.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">So where did the apostles get this additional information about these angels? A likely source is the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch). Enoch was never accepted into the Bible, but there are parts of it that line up well with the Bible’s teaching. In fact, Jude quotes directly from 1 Enoch 1:9 in describing God’s judgment: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Jude 1:14-15: </b> But Enoch, <i>in </i>the seventh <i>generation </i>from Adam, also prophesied to these, saying, “Look, the Lord will come with tens of thousands of his holy ones to bring about judgment against all and to convict every soul about all their godless deeds <i>in </i>which they were ungodly, and about all the harsh talk that ungodly sinners spoke against him.”</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Enoch’s description of the punishment of the angels is similar to 2 Peter and Jude:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 Enoch 10:12-13: </b> Bind them [the angels who sinned with the women] for seventy generations under the hills of the earth until the day of their judgment and of their consummation, until the judgment which is for all eternity is accomplished. And in those days, they will lead them to the abyss of fire; in torment and in prison they will be shut up for all eternity.*</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* H.F.D. Sparks, The Apocryphal Old Testament, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987), 196.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Does this mean, then, that the book of Enoch is at the same level of inspiration as the Bible? There’s no question that Enoch had an important influence on people</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">s ideas about prophecy in the time of the New Testament. But it was never accepted as part of the Bible.* So while the parts of Enoch quoted in the New Testament </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">are </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">God’s inspired word, the rest is not and shouldn’t be used to construct any Christian doctrines.** </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* Except in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">** One of the problems with the book of Enoch (1 Enoch) is that it’s actually a set of five books of uncertain origin and date. While the similar passages mentioned by the apostles may come from the book of Enoch, it’s also possible that they come from a different source or from a version of Enoch that is different than the one we know today.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Did Jesus say that angels can’t marry?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In the New Testament, the phrase “sons of God” refers almost exclusively to followers of Jesus—to human beings. But even here there is an association with angels:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Luke 20:35-36: </b> But those considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead* neither marry nor are given in marriage. For neither are they still able to die, for they are <b>like messengers (<i>isangeloi</i>) </b>and are <b>sons of God</b>, being sons of the resurrection.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* The “resurrection from the dead” is the first resurrection, also known as the resurrection of the righteous (Rev. 20:5-6 and Luke 14:14). This will be a resurrection of <i>some </i>of the dead (the righteous) out “from” the other dead (the unrighteous), who will remain dead until the general resurrection. Then, in this second or general resurrection, all the remaining dead will be raised for the final judgment (Rev. 20:11-13).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Here Jesus teaches that a resurrected son of God will no longer die, just as angels don’t die (in verse 36). He also teaches that they will no longer marry, just as the angels in heaven don’t marry (in verse 35, as also in Matt. 22:30). But wait a minute! If angels don’t marry, wouldn’t it be impossible for the angels to marry women in Genesis 6:2-4? But note carefully that Jesus didn’t say that angels <i>can’t </i>marry. He just said that they <i>don’t</i>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">So why would God not want angels to marry—or resurrected believers for that matter? The answer to the second question is that the mystery of salvation can only take place in the present fallen world. Only in the present time is it possible for belief in God to be by faith. After Jesus returns, the knowledge of God will be by sight, and so salvation by faith will no longer be possible. This means that any children born after that time would not be able to be saved. As a result, there will be no more marriage and no new babies in the resurrection. In a similar way, angels, since they were created as eternal beings, were created in their full number right from the start, and so have no need for marriage and the bearing of children. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Another explanation comes from the impurity laws of the Old Testament. These teach that reproduction and giving birth are ritually unclean. This doesn’t mean that giving birth is bad or sinful, or even that it should be avoided. Just the opposite, the Bible commands husbands and wives to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:22, etc.). But the process of giving birth led to times of separation from the worship of the community. A woman who gave birth to a baby boy, for example, wasn’t allowed to enter the sanctuary of God (the Temple or Tabernacle) for more than a month: “And thirty-three days she will sit in the blood of her cleansing, she will not touch any holy things, and she will not go to the sanctuary until the fullness of the days of her cleansing” (Lev. 12:4). This wasn’t a punishment. Most women would have seen it as a blessing, since they were freed from many responsibilities and given time to recover and heal. A similar ritual uncleanness applied to a woman’s time of the month. This led to a separation of a week (Lev. 15:19-24). Many of these laws are connected with the shedding of blood, and so by implication with death. This is why so many of the steps in reproduction and giving birth are considered unclean in the Bible, even the emission and therefore the death of unused sperm and eggs (Lev. 15:16,19). Only after a time of separation and cleansing were you able to join in the worship of the community again. (See our teaching on <a href="https://totheends.com/clean.html">Clean and Unclean</a>.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">But in the resurrection, there will be no more death at all: “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55). In the resurrection, there will be <i>nothing </i>that removes us from God’s presence. There will be <i>no </i>obstacle to communion with God—ever. So as a result, there will be no more marriage and no more giving birth. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This helps to explain why the fall of the angels in Genesis 6 was such a tragedy: They abandoned their calling of continual service to God to engage in ritually unclean acts, acts that removed them from the presence of God and led to sin. And since there is no plan of salvation for angels (1 Peter 1:12), they lost their privileged position in heaven for eternity.*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Why is there no plan of salvation for angels? Because they, unlike us, know God by sight, not by faith: “See that you don't despise one of these little ones: for I say to you that their messengers in <i>the </i>heavens always see the face of my Father in the heavens” (Matt. 18:10). This is why the topic of salvation for human beings is a topic “into which angels long to look” (1 Pet. 1:12): they have nothing similar of their own.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-30293243714207932832023-08-20T06:17:00.005-07:002023-08-20T06:53:31.307-07:00What Will be our Language in Heaven? (Q&A)<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span><span><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"> </span></span>Someone in our small group asked this question when we were
going through Revelation, “What will be our language in heaven?” referencing Revelation 7:9-10:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no
one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with
palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation
belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (ESV)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Will it be that we will be worshiping and singing to the
Lord in our own language? And will we be communicating with our own languages
yet understanding each other and never needing any translation? (I’m thinking
of 1 Corinthians 13:12 on this.)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Could you enlighten me please? I want to know your thoughts. —Jean R.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">A: </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"> </span>I can’t think of any verse in the Bible that addresses
directly the question of what language we will use after we die and go to
Paradise to be with the Lord (as in Rev. 7:9-10), or then again in the
Millennium after the resurrection, or then again after the Final Judgment in
the New Heavens and New Earth (see our teaching:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://totheendsblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/hell-hades-and-gehenna-list-of-verses.html">https://totheendsblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/hell-hades-and-gehenna-list-of-verses.html</a>
also <a href="https://newchurchsermons.blogspot.com/2014/06/what-is-eternal-destiny-of-human-soul.html">https://newchurchsermons.blogspot.com/2014/06/what-is-eternal-destiny-of-human-soul.html</a>).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I did have a Hebrew professor one time who assured us that we
would all be speaking Hebrew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m
not sure he was entirely serious about that, and he certainly didn’t offer any
proof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As far as indirect evidence goes, the best I can think of comes
from Peter’s statement that at Jesus’ return from heaven there will be a “restoration
of all things” (Acts 3:21).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
time that Jesus called the “regeneration” (in Matt. 19:28), which can also be
translated “renewal” or “rebirth” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">palingenesia
</i>in Greek).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If “all things” are going
to be restored, I would assume that this includes the ability people had before
the time of the Tower of Babel to all speak with “one language” (Gen.
11:1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which language that was or will
be, I have no clue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it does mean we
will all be able to understand one another, and that the divisions that so
often create conflicts in our world today will be gone, including linguistic
divisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I believe this is an important part of the symbolic meaning
of the Day of Pentecost, when Jewish pilgrims from many different nations and
language groups were supernaturally hearing the disciples speaking in their own
language (Acts 2:4-6).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether that’s
because the disciples were actually speaking other languages (a miracle of
speaking) or because God enabled them to hear in their own languages (a miracle
of hearing) or both, I can’t say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this,
I believe, was pointing towards God’s intention to reverse the judgment that
took place at the Tower of Babel and restore unity among the nations in his son
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether this restoration of a
single language will be done through supernatural means, as on the Day of
Pentecost, or through everyone actually speaking one language in the way we
commonly speak languages today, I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But this is only speaking about the time of the resurrection, which
includes both the Millennium and the New Heavens and New Earth.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When it comes to our time in Paradise before the
resurrection, which is what I believe Revelation is talking about in Rev.
7:9-10, this will be a different situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because Paradise is not a
physical but rather a spiritual place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s where the souls of the righteous await the resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will have no physical bodies during this
time, and so we will not have the ability to speak mechanically as we do now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our bodies will still be in the grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this means that some other means of
communication will be necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would
assume it would be much like when we speak to God in private prayer, or he speaks
something into our hearts, as many believers have experienced at different
times in their lives, not to mention the prophets of old (John 16:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose we can call that spiritual
communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And since it appears to operate
independent of any mechanical means, these thoughts clearly have the ability to
penetrate directly into our souls independent of ordinary language production, even
though in the Bible they are always understood as being spoken in a real human
language (again, whether it’s a miracle of speaking or of hearing or both is
unclear).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it seem quite likely, as Revelation indicates, that we
will be able to communicate with each other this way at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Otherwise, better brush up on your Hebrew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">(For more on this topic, see our book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Revelation-Jesus-Christ-John-Interpret/dp/B0C1J9CYZF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UF36WDG2T4VJ&keywords=the+revelation+of+jesus+christ+to+john&qid=1683982444&sprefix=%252Caps%252C244&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=totheendsoftheea&linkCode=ur2&linkId=b9effe27c4a8889d97e88c445a038980&camp=1789&creative=9325" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John</i></a></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">.</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">)</span></span></p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html#Q&A"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcECbk4-iDYkHVNxNvthWOzzXJ9Kbec-gdYE7XSRDprXyb_FLdgOhJFmAgRlTYMRrHYGpGh31ESoiYHtF_OGtaxhsEEiD9W50lumy0sP3GBVXB9v2bCVAta9VxyH8Ne1MxWCcqmhGFfQs/s1600/scroll.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html#Q&A">More Q&A</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><b><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">More To The Ends Of The Earth Teachings</span></a></b><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><center><hr width="90%" /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/index.html">Home</a> </span></b><b><span font-size:="" small="">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page2.html">Seminars</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html">Teachings</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/media.html">Media</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page7.html">About Us</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page14.html">Support</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/search.htm">Search</a></span></b></span></center></div><hr width="90%" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Copyright </span><span style="background-color: white;">©</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>2023 by To The Ends Of The Earth Ministries</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.totheends.com/"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">www.totheends.com</span></a></b></div></div>Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-54308264588114253492023-07-06T09:56:00.004-07:002023-08-20T06:41:50.224-07:00Understanding Alfred Edersheim’s “The Law in Messianic Times”<p> What will happen to the Law of Moses in the time of the
Messiah? This was an open question in
Jesus’ day. And it still generates
strong opinions today. Does the Law of
Moses have any legitimate place in the Christian Church? What about for Messianic believers in
Jesus? And what about in the Messianic
age to come? You may think your church
or Christian organization is exempt from such controversies. But if your church teaches that Jesus did
away with the Law of Moses, how does it explain continued obedience to the Ten
Commandments? This “moral law” as some
call it is still nevertheless a part of the Law of Moses. So is the Law of Moses in force today or not?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The famous Messianic scholar Alfred Edersheim laid out some important
insights into these questions in the 14th appendix of his classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, his style of writing and the
difficulty of tracking down his references cause many skip over this little
gem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So to make it more accessible, I’ve
written a brief summary with explanatory comments, complete with internet links
to his rabbinical references in English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His original writing is also linked below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(A few of the links require you to sign-in to
archive.org and to “borrow” the book in order to read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The references that I can’t find at the indicated
location are marked with a “?”.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Edersheim may not answer all our questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he helps us understand the background to
this discussion among the Jewish people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hopefully, this short summary will make it easier to grasp his main
points and to find many of his references.<span></span><span></span></p><a name='more'></a> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">-----------------------------------------------</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">SUMMARY OF “THE LAW IN MESSIANIC TIMES”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In ancient Israel, there were many different views about
what would happen to the Law of Moses in the time of the Messiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were also different ideas about how or
if this Law would be imposed on the Gentiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many were expecting a new law that would either replace or revise the
Law of Moses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This idea is mentioned in
the gospel of John, where a delegation of religious leaders from Jerusalem
asked John the Baptist if he was “the Prophet” (John 1:21). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a reference to the Prophet like Moses
mentioned in Deut. 18:15,18:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .3in; margin-right: .3in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.3in 10pt;">The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me
[like Moses] from among you, from your brothers; you will listen to him....<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span>I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers like you [like
you, Moses], and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them
all that I command him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This prophet “like Moses” was expected to have the ability
to make changes and/or make additions to the Mosaic Law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This idea was connected with the “new covenant” mentioned in
Jeremiah 31:31 and following:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .3in; margin-right: .3in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.3in 10pt;">Look, days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make with
the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant—not like the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I laid hold of their
hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some changes of this kind were also associated with Elijah,
the forerunner of the Messiah (Malachi 3:22, <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Eduyot.8.7?lang=en">Eduyot 8:7</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though here again, there were many different
opinions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Echoes of the many different views held in Jesus’ day can be
found among the rabbis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The strictest of
these denied any possibility of future changes in the Law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They held that even the destruction of the Jewish
Temple by the Romans (in AD 70), which made animal sacrifices impossible, was only
a temporary gap in their observance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
the Temple was rebuilt, all the laws would be observed again without
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way, any exile of
the Jewish people from Israel only freed them from laws directly attached to
the land itself and only for the duration of their exile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All other commandments stayed in force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, while the Temple remains in ruins, the
offering of sacrifices has been replaced, according to the rabbis, by reading
about them in the Law of Moses, together with prayer and study of the details
of the Law (<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Megillah.31b.5?lang=en">Megillah
31b</a>, <a href="https://archive.org/details/midrashrabbah0001unse/page/368/mode/2up">Bereishit
(Genesis) Rabbah 44</a> [?], <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.2a?lang=en">Berakhot 2b</a>, <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.110a.6?lang=en">Menachot 110a</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this is only temporary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for the most sacred day of the year, the
Day of Atonement, it’s now explained that the day itself rather than its
sacrifices is what brings reconciliation with God (<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Sifra%2C_Acharei_Mot%2C_Chapter_8.1?ven=Sifra_by_Rabbi_Shraga_Silverstein&lang=en">Sifra,
Acharei Mot, 8.1</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This strict view held that not only Biblical but also rabbinical
rulings, even those that had been intended for a limited time and purpose, were
to be kept forever (<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Beitzah.5b?lang=en">Beitzah
5b</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its adherents even went so far
as to claim in <a href="https://archive.org/details/midrashrabbah0002unse/page/956/mode/2up">Bereishit
(Genesis) Rabbah 98:9</a>:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .3in; margin-right: .3in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.3in 10pt;">Israel will not need the teaching of King Messiah in the
future, for it says, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The nations will seek
him”</i> [Isa. 11:10]. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“nations” </i>will
seek Messiah, that is, but not Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If so, for what purpose will King Messiah come, and what will he
do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will come only to assemble the
dispersed of Israel and to give the Gentiles thirty commandments [that is, the
laws of Noah].</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, as mentioned in this same passage, even strict defenders
of the Law understood that the Gentiles would be given laws in the Messianic
era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some held that this meant the
Gentiles would be brought under the same laws as Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others held that only the thirty
commandments, that is, the laws of Noah, supposedly listed in Leviticus 19,
would be required (<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Chullin.92a.21?lang=en">Chullin
92a</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[These thirty commandments are
an amplification of the original seven laws of Noah taught by the rabbis and
others.]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others held that only three
commands would be binding on the Gentiles:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>two connected with the Feast of Tabernacles and a third with the
phylacteries (<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Midrash_Tehillim.31.1?lang=en">Midrash
on Psalm 31.1</a> [?]).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the strict view was a minority opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, the prevailing understanding among
the rabbis was that a new law would be given by the Messiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This new law is mentioned in a passage in <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Yalkut_Shimoni_on_Nach.429.1?lang=en">Yalkut
Shimoni on Isaiah, Remez 429</a> [English not available] which mentions “a new
law that God will give by the Messiah” in the age to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also appears in the <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Shir_HaShirim_Rabbah.2.13.4?lang=en&with=About&lang2=en">Midrash
on Song of Songs (Shir Ha-Shirim) 2:13</a> [?] which, applying Jeremiah 31:31,
says that the Messiah will give a new law to Israel. Similarly, the <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Isaiah.12?lang=en">Targum on
Isaiah 12:3</a> speaks of a “new instruction”: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .3in; margin-right: .3in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.3in 10pt;">Behold, in the Word of God is my salvation; I am trusting,
and will not be moved, because my strength and my praise is the fear of the
Lord:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has spoken by his Word, and he
is become my Savior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you will
receive a new instruction with joy from the chosen of the righteous. (Targum
Jonathan on Isa. 12:2-3)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A new “Law” in the “world to come” is also mentioned in <a href="https://archive.org/details/midrashrabbah0000unse/page/166/mode/2up?view=theater">Yayikra
(Leviticus) Rabbah 13.3</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the Talmud goes even further, stating that in the “age
to come,” the whole ceremonial Law and all the feasts will cease (<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Midrash_Tehillim.146.3?lang=en">Midrash on Psalm
146.3</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that had formerly been
“bound” or forbidden will be “loosed” or allowed, including the distinction
between clean and unclean animals. Only the thank offering and the Day of
Atonement, or perhaps the Feast of Esther, will continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This variety of rabbinic views helps us understand the
attempt by the Pharisees at the Council of Jerusalem to force Gentile believers
to observe the entire Law of Moses (Acts 15:5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also helps us understand Paul’s distinctly different point of view
and its similarity to Peter’s views, as well as the way Peter handled the new
converts at the house of Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts 10-11, 15:6-11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also explains the overall proceedings of
the Council of Jerusalem itself (in Acts 15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paul, in his opposition to the Pharisaic party among the believers, was
actually maintaining a fully orthodox Jewish position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when he asserted not only a “new law of
liberty” [a phrase from James 1:25 and 2:12 referring to the Law of the
Messiah] but also the typical and preparatory nature of the Law of Moses and
its fulfillment in Jesus, he went beyond the Jewish standpoint (Gal. 3:19-29,
Rom. 10:4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The views surveyed above also show that the scholarly theory
that Paul and Peter had opposing views on this topic has no basis in the Jewish
opinions circulating at the time, unless it’s supposed that Peter held the
strict view, which doesn’t match with what we know about his life.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They also help us understand how Peter’s vision of the
unclean animals descending from heaven may have been based on contemporary Jewish
expectations (Acts 10:9-16).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They also explain why the Council of Jerusalem settled the
question of the Gentiles by turning to the laws of Noah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[These included the three requirements that
the Council <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> require of Gentiles:
no idolatry, no immorality, and nothing strangled, i.e. with blood in it (Acts
15:20,29).]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally, they cast light on the authorship of John’s
gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uniquely among the gospels, his
mention of “the Prophet,” which implies that changes to the Law would be made
by the Messiah, shows close familiarity with Jewish ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would have been impossible if this gospel
had been composed in the second century, as claimed by the “Ephesian Gospel”
theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">---------------------------------------</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So to review what Edersheim says here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea that the Messiah would bring changes
to the Law of Moses had deep roots in Israel, going back even to Moses himself
and the prophets of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some thought
these changes would be minimal, affecting primarily the Gentiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But others were anticipating a whole new law and even the complete replacement of the Law of Moses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helps us understand the diversity of
views mentioned in the New Testament and especially at the Council of Jerusalem
in Acts 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But what about Jesus himself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did he understand the effect of his earthly
ministry on the Law of Moses?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .3in; margin-right: .3in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.3in 10pt;">Do not suppose that I came to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but rather to fulfill them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For ‘amen’ I say to you, until the heaven and
the earth pass away, a single letter or a single stroke [of a letter] will
certainly not pass away from the Law until all comes to pass (Matt. 5:17-18).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not even the smallest section of the Law can be done away
with until the coming of the New Heavens and the New Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that didn’t stop Jesus from making
authoritative rulings on disputed points of law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor did it stop him from adding new commands
of his own to be followed by his disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These new commands are what the apostles called the Law of the Messiah
(Rom. 8:2, 1 Cor. 9:21, Gal. 6:2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
unlike the old Law, they would apply both to his Jewish and his Gentile
followers (Matt. 28:19-20).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.ccel.org/ccel/edersheim/lifetimes.xi.xiii.html">Read Edersheim’s
original Appendix here</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(For more on this topic, see our book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Roots-Christianity-Uprooted-Pointing-ebook/dp/B07BP16N7R/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=QajTr&content-id=amzn1.sym.ed85217c-14c9-4aa0-b248-e47393e2ce12&pf_rd_p=ed85217c-14c9-4aa0-b248-e47393e2ce12&pf_rd_r=141-5897157-6220303&pd_rd_wg=wmWgF&pd_rd_r=26bf9453-ac8e-414c-a30c-b8990bd09fd3&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk&_encoding=UTF8&tag=totheendsoftheea&linkCode=ur2&linkId=99d4d0cf17efbaf4ad01f89805ba9b43&camp=1789&creative=9325">The Jewish Roots of Christianity</a></i> and our new book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3EuLqej">Jesus of Nazareth</a>.</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">)<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
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<b><a href="http://www.totheends.com/"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">www.totheends.com</span></a></b></div></div>Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-33187304899210451822022-11-15T01:32:00.007-08:002023-03-25T20:34:23.338-07:00Can We Command God (Isa. 45:11)? (Q&A)<p><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span><span><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"> </span></span>A classmate sent me an online poster titled “You Will Command
Me” (<i>Tetzavuni</i>) and said we can
command Jesus to do healing, not ask! The
poster has different translations of Isa. 45:11, including the original
Hebrew. Is this true? How to explain the Hebrew here? –Ruth C.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Segoe UI", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">NOTE: The poster includes an English translation
from the Darby Bible: <i>“Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel,
and his Maker: Ask me of the things to come; concerning my sons, and concerning
the work of my hands, command ye me”</i> (Isa. 45:11)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">A: </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"> </span>It’s certainly true that many translate the end of
this verse as <i>“you command me concerning
the works of my hands.” </i>But meaning is derived from context, and so we need
to look at the context to figure out what this means. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The passage appears in the middle of a prophecy about Cyrus, the
Persian ruler who defeated the Babylonians (in 539 BC). God says that he will <i>“subdue nations”</i>
before Cyrus, even though Cyrus doesn’t know the God of Israel: <i>“though you have not known me</i><i>”</i> (Isa. 45:1,4). And why will God support Cyrus in this way? In order to prove that <i>“besides me there is no God”</i> (Isa.
45:5-6). Not only does the prophecy
mention Cyrus by name, it also mentions that he will rebuild Jerusalem and let
the Jewish exiles go free (Isa. 45:13). These are tremendous miracles that actually happened more than a hundred years after Isaiah’s prophecy was given.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal">But right in the middle of this prophecy, God rebukes those who quarrel
with their maker: <i>“Woe to the one who
contends with his maker – an earthen vessel among the vessels of earth”</i> (Isa.
45:9-10). He then goes on to assert his supreme authority: <i>“I made the earth and created man on it”</i> (Isa. 45:12). Since God is the one in authority, he can exercise that authority any way he
wants.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is where God identifies
himself as the mighty one of Israel: <i>“This is what the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span> says, the holy one of
Israel and the one who has formed him, </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">‘</span><i>I</i><i>nquire
of me about the things to come concerning my sons</i>’<i>”</i> (Isa. 45:11). This is a challenge to his people Israel to turn
to God if they want to find out about the future – the very future he’s proclaiming in his prophecy about Cyrus. This contrasts with his rebuke of idols and those who worship them in verses 16 and 20. No one else, no other god, has this kind of information about the future.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The verse then ends with the statement in question, <i>“And you will command me concerning the work
of my hands.”</i> The implication is
that if Israel will turn to (<i>“inquire of”</i>) the God of Israel rather than the false gods, they’ll be able to command him concerning his creation. In other words, God will favor them even more than Cyrus, since unlike Cyrus, they will know God and be his children. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The claim that people will be able to command God at first seems
entirely impossible. As a result, many
translations try to soften the meaning.
One solution is to turn it into a question: “Will you instruct me about the work of my
hands?” (Isa. 45:11 in the JPS Tanakh 1985). Another is to change the meaning of the verb altogether: “And you will commit to me the work of my hands” (NASB). But it’s difficult to justify either of these in Hebrew. So how can we understand this promise, which seems too good to be true? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s an important parallel in the New Testament. Jesus taught, <i>“whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give to you”</i>
(John 15:16, also John 14:13-14, 16:23-26).
Here, too, we have an incredible promise in which asking God is followed
by his granting the request. The main
difference is that in John this is called asking God, while in Isaiah it’s
called commanding God. But there’s
another passage in the New Testament that involves a command:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus taught, <i>“Have
faith from God.* Amen I say to you that
he who says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and be thrown into the sea,’ and
doesn’t doubt in his heart, but rather trusts that what he says comes to be,
it will be for him”</i> (Mark 11:22-23).
It’s true that the command here is given to the mountain and not to God. But God is still the one who makes it
happen: <i>“Because of this I say to you, all things that you pray and ask, trust
that you have received them, and they will be for you”</i> (Mark 11:24). This tells us that the command to the mountain is a form of
prayer to God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Though this is often translated, “have faith in God,” the Greek
uses a subjective genitive to indicate that the source of the faith is
God: it’s a faith that comes from God
rather than being a faith that we have mustered up on our own. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All of these verses, however, face the obstacle that many have
experienced personally: I asked
something from God (or perhaps commanded something), and it didn’t happen. How then should we understand these
promises? Obviously they don’t mean that
everything we ask under any circumstance will automatically be done by
God. Even a command, as we saw in Mark,
is a type of request, and that means it can only take place by the will of God. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many point to a lack of faith when prayers aren’t answered. And we can certainly all join with the
apostles in asking Jesus to “increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). We need to replace our faith with the faith
of God in order to see our requests answered. There’s also the question of timing: that our request has not yet been answered
doesn’t mean it never will be. Some
things take time. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But one thing all of the verses listed above have in common: they challenge us to draw closer to God and to believe that faith will produce miracles. God isn’t
calling us to be slaves, but to be his sons and daughters (Gal. 3:26, 4:5-7) and eventually to rule and reign with him (2 Tim. 2:12, Rev. 20:4). He wants to do even greater things for us than he did for Cyrus. We may have had prayer failures along the way, but this only shows that there’s a learning curve to all of this. As we draw closer to God, our will will align more closely with his, and that means that more of what we ask will be granted.</p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this and related topics, see our <a href="https://totheends.com/sem4.html">Great Discoveries of the Bible Seminar</a>.)</i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html#Q&A"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcECbk4-iDYkHVNxNvthWOzzXJ9Kbec-gdYE7XSRDprXyb_FLdgOhJFmAgRlTYMRrHYGpGh31ESoiYHtF_OGtaxhsEEiD9W50lumy0sP3GBVXB9v2bCVAta9VxyH8Ne1MxWCcqmhGFfQs/s1600/scroll.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html#Q&A">More Q&A</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><b><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">More To The Ends Of The Earth Teachings</span></a></b><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><center><hr width="90%" /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/index.html">Home</a> </span></b><b><span font-size:="" small="">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page2.html">Seminars</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html">Teachings</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/media.html">Media</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page7.html">About Us</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page14.html">Support</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/search.htm">Search</a></span></b></span></center></div><hr width="90%" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Copyright </span><span style="background-color: white;">©</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>2022 by To The Ends Of The Earth Ministries</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.totheends.com/"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">www.totheends.com</span></a></b></div>Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-81254349105577547422022-11-14T02:53:00.005-08:002023-03-25T21:04:02.153-07:00Why did God want to kill Moses (Exo. 4:24-25)? (Q&A)<p><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span><span><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">bout
Exodus 4:24-25: Why did God want to kill
Moses? And why did Zipporah cut off her son’s foreskin and cast it at Moses’
feet? Why did she say Moses is truly a “bridegroom of blood”? –Ruth C.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">A: </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"> </span>Zipporah called Moses a
“bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision of their son (Exo. 4:26). This refers to the small amount of blood
produced in a circumcision. But we know
little else about this incident. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s especially puzzling that the Lord wanted to put Moses
to death, since he was in the process of going to Egypt to do exactly what the
Lord had asked him to do (Exo. 4:24).
But something similar happened to the prophet Balaam when he went to
prophesy over Israel. He, too, was on
his way in obedience to the command of God (Num. 22:20). But even though he was obeying God, God was
angry with him (Num. 22:22). In the
Balaam story, it’s clear that God wanted to put fear in Balaam’s heart to
make sure that he only spoke the words that God wanted him to speak (“and the
word that I speak to you, only that will you speak,” Num. 22:35). So perhaps this is also what God was doing
with Moses. We know that people often go
through a big spiritual struggle when God is calling them to do some great
thing, and this seems to be what Moses was going through. </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal">But there’s also the possibility that the Lord wasn’t seeking to
kill Moses but rather his son: the Bible only uses the pronoun “him.” This assumes a connection with the
immediately preceding verse in which God told Moses to threaten pharaoh’s
first-born son with death if he didn’t let Israel go (“I will kill your son,
your first-born,” Exo. 4:23). In the
same way, God’s covenant with Abraham threatened death for all his male
descendants who weren’t circumcised (“that soul will be cut off from his
people,” Gen. 17:14). This was
understood to mean death at the hand of God. Perhaps God was coming to kill Moses’
son because he wasn’t circumcised, and relented once the circumcision was
performed.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This raises the question of why Moses’ son hadn’t been
circumcised previously. God’s covenant
with Abraham required circumcision on the eighth day after birth (Gen.
17:12). But Moses hadn’t done
this. Many assume this is why God
attacked Moses, and that Zipporah saved the day by circumcising her son.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But it’s also possible that Moses had wanted his son to be
circumcised, but up until now Zipporah had refused. Only when she saw Moses’ spiritual struggle did
she finally relent and circumcise him herself.
But there’s not enough information to decide between these possibilities.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The same is true of her calling Moses a “bridegroom of
blood.” While many assume that this is
because she was upset about the circumcision, the verse doesn't actually say
that she “threw” her son’s foreskin at Moses’ feet (as often translated),
implying anger on her part. Rather it
says she “made it touch his feet” (<i>v’taga
l’ragelav</i>, Exo. 4:25). This can be understood as laying it at his feet. This would make it rather an act of
submission or even of reverence. Since
blood was often used in making covenants, she may even have seen this as
establishing a deeper covenantal bond between herself and Moses, rather than as
something negative. But here again, there is
not enough information to decide between the different possibilities.</p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this and related topics, see our <a href="https://totheends.com/sem4.html">Great Discoveries of the Bible Seminar</a>.)</i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html#Q&A"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcECbk4-iDYkHVNxNvthWOzzXJ9Kbec-gdYE7XSRDprXyb_FLdgOhJFmAgRlTYMRrHYGpGh31ESoiYHtF_OGtaxhsEEiD9W50lumy0sP3GBVXB9v2bCVAta9VxyH8Ne1MxWCcqmhGFfQs/s1600/scroll.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html#Q&A">More Q&A</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><b><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">More To The Ends Of The Earth Teachings</span></a></b><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><center><hr width="90%" /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/index.html">Home</a> </span></b><b><span font-size:="" small="">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page2.html">Seminars</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page12.html">Teachings</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">|</span></b><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.totheends.com/media.html">Media</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page7.html">About Us</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page14.html">Support</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> | <a href="http://www.totheends.com/search.htm">Search</a></span></b></span></center></div><hr width="90%" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Copyright </span><span style="background-color: white;">©</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>2022 by To The Ends Of The Earth Ministries</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.totheends.com/"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">www.totheends.com</span></a></b></div>Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-81329752498877988302022-11-07T00:33:00.005-08:002023-03-25T21:33:11.639-07:00The Lament of the Land (Micah 7)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFcbTUlukbY4tDZvMW-TPUn5n_MwSG_HVPsbk8gS8vmq0IywJYCeQY4kBRuOR6OXbFVstaA2BaNka2GbRo2TnhmmlRKUdR_GRVKn3RgnfWbK-F_X8joK8mdllnz4T6GYxLG8h0bnuEMuKpHkryRdexx8Ey3QSexwk7nq90YhXucmsfdOUMjFskc26/s550/MOOD-P&A-Hand-&-thorn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFcbTUlukbY4tDZvMW-TPUn5n_MwSG_HVPsbk8gS8vmq0IywJYCeQY4kBRuOR6OXbFVstaA2BaNka2GbRo2TnhmmlRKUdR_GRVKn3RgnfWbK-F_X8joK8mdllnz4T6GYxLG8h0bnuEMuKpHkryRdexx8Ey3QSexwk7nq90YhXucmsfdOUMjFskc26/s16000/MOOD-P&A-Hand-&-thorn.jpg" /></a></div><br />The judgment of Israel for sin is a common theme in the Bible. But only rarely is the land itself given a voice to cry out concerning the iniquities committed on it. This is the unique perspective of Micah 7: in this chapter, the land itself laments the tragedies that it has and will have to suffer. <div><br /></div><div>This unusual prophecy caught the imagination of Jesus. He quoted a portion of it in his own prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 10:34-36, Luke 12:51-53). It’s outcry of the land contains an important message for us today when people and nations are once again risking spoiling their land through sin and the judgment that follows.</div><div><div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Micah spoke shortly before the
devastating Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel. This was the breakaway Israelite kingdom that ruled
over the northern ten tribes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> His message came at </span>a
time of political turmoil:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The northern
kingdom had been ruled by five rulers in the space of twenty years. Two of these had ruled for less than a year, and three of them had gained the throne by
murdering its former occupant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>False
prophets filled the land with false hope (Micah 3:5-7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this spiritual and moral corruption was
spreading south to Judah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But despite the judgment and destruction that Micah warns is coming, in the end God will restore his people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lament of the Land is the climax and final chapter of Micah’s prophecy (Micah 7):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #990000;">1</span><span style="color: red;"> </span> Woe to me!<br /><br />
<o:p> </o:p> For I have become like the
gatherings of summer fruit;<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Like the
gleanings of a grape harvest.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>There is not a
cluster of grapes to eat;<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
first-ripe fig my soul desires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The idea of the land crying out in mourning appears
frequently in the prophets (Isa. 33:9; Jer. 12:4, 23:10; Hos. 4:3, Joel 1:10; Zech. 12:12).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But only here is the land given
voice directly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The “gatherings of summer fruit” refer to the harvest of
fruit that takes place in August and September in Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is ordinarily considered a time of great
abundance and joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But from the point of
view of the land itself, the once heavily laden trees and vines have all been
laid bare; their bounty of fruit stripped away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fields and orchards appear desolate and forlorn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No cluster of grapes remains hanging on the
vines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first-ripe figs of springtime, considered the tastiest of all, are nowhere to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">2 </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The godly one has perished from
the land,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the upright among man is not.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>All of them lie
in ambush for blood;<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>They hunt, each
man his brother, with a net.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We now learn that the missing clusters of grapes and first-ripe figs are a poetic image pointing to the lack of decent human
beings in the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The godly man, too,
is out of season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All now act as criminals,
seeking to trap and kill their fellows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is an allusion to the lawless conditions and political turmoil in
the land.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">3</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With regard to evil, both palms do
well:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>The prince asks,
even the judge, for a bribe,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>And the great
speaks out the desire of his soul,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>And
they weave it together. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the two “palms” of the hand are the prince (the king),
who in those days also acted as a judge—here a corrupt judge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other is the “great” (or wealthy,
influential) man, who has the power to get whatever he wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two work together like a pair of
malicious hands doing evil.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">4a</span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The good one among them is like a
briar;<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The upright like a thorn bush.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even the best of the people are like dangerous thorn bushes,
which are the natural groundcover in much of Israel. Their thorns and barbs stick in your pants, socks, and shoes when you walk across the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some will even sting you.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">4b</span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The day of your watchmen [Israel],<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Your visitation, has come!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now
will their dismay be!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Because of the debased state of the nation, the day is upon
Israel (“your” is masculine singular) when their watchmen will shout out the
alarm, warning of an invading army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
this is not a random attack: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s a
visitation of God himself against a lawless nation.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">5</span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Don't trust in a companion.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Don't confide in a friend.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>From the one
lying on your bosom<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Guard the openings of your
mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The times are so dangerous that you can’t trust a friend or
even a lover, but must watch carefully everything you say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">6</span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For son despises father,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Daughter has
risen up against her mother;<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A man’s enemies are the men of
his own household.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The situation is so bad that even within families, there
are divisions and dangers. This verse is directly quoted by Jesus to deny that
he came to bring peace on the earth (Matt. 10:34-36, Luke 12:51-53).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, he came to
bring division like that in the time of Micah, as some accept and some reject his offer of mercy from God.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">7</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yet I, in YHWH I will watch<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I will wait for the God of my salvation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>My God will hear
me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yet in spite of all this, the land itself is faithfully looking to God
to deliver it from the terrible judgment released against it because of the sins of those
living on it. </p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">8</span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Do not rejoice over me, my enemy,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Though I have fallen, I have
endured.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Though I sit in
darkness, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>YHWH
is a light to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Though the land has fallen in defeat before its enemy, it is
able to endure this time of spiritual darkness because of the illumination of
the light of the LORD.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">9a </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The rage of YHWH I will bear,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For I have sinned against him,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Until he pleads
my case<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>And executes my
judgment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This raises the question of what sin the land has
committed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or is her sin rather by
association with the sinners living upon her (compare Gen. 6:11-12)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, the land has taken upon itself the
sins of others, an example of the innocent suffering for the wicked, the same idea that underlies the sacrificial system of Israel as well as the sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The land is willing to endure the
punishment of the LORD because of the sins of its residents, waiting for God to
bring deliverance.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">9b </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He will lead me out to the light.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I will behold his righteousness.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">10a </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
my enemy<sup> </sup>will see it<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
shame will cover her—<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the end, God will surely deliver the land by his
righteousness, just as he delivered Jesus from death, and the enemy will see it and be ashamed.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">10b </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The one saying to me, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Where is YHWH your God?”—<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
eyes will look [in victory] at her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The enemy mocked the land’s hope in God. But in the end, the land will prevail over its enemy.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">10c</span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then she will be a place of trampling<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like mud in the streets.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">11 </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
day to build your walls,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>That day your
border will be distant.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In that final victory, the enemy land will be trampled on in
victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> She</span> will have to return home to defend
herself, and as a result, her threatening border will once again be moved far away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">12 </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That day will be, yet to you [Israel] he [God]
is coming <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>From Assyria and
the cities of Matzor [Egypt]<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
from Matzor and to the River [Euphrates]<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>And from sea to
sea, and mountain to the mountain [Jerusalem].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yes, the enemy will one day be defeated. But first “you” (Israel,
masculine singular) are going to receive God’s judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will come at the hand of the Assyrians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And this is exactly what happened: </span>the Assyrians
advanced first south to Egypt (poetically here called Matzor) and then back
again, leaving desolation in their wake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Sea to sea” is from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea; “mountain
to the mountain” is from the mountains of Assyria in the north to the holy
mountain of Jerusalem, which the Assyrians besieged in the lifetime of Micah, during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All this is a description of the actual extent of the Assyrian expansion.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">13 </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And the land will be a desolation<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Because of those
dwelling upon her<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>From the fruit
of their deeds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The land will be made desolate, in punishment for the sins
of those living upon her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">14 </span> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Shepherd your people [Lord] with your
rod,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">The flock of your possession,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
one dwelling alone in a wood<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>In the midst of Carmel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The rod is a symbol of judgment, but also of the care of the
shepherd who protects his flock from danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This sometimes involves swatting them to get their attention:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a punishment to keep them from far greater
danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This protective care is compared
to taking a flock of sheep and goats to the forest on top of Mt. Carmel. This was a place where people could retreat for safety in times of danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also a picture of the remnant that would survive the Assyrian onslaught.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">14b </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let them graze Bashan and Gilead <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As in days long past.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">15 </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>As in the days of
your coming out of the land of Egypt,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>I [God] will
show him extraordinary things.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here the prophet appeals to God to let his people expand once
again as far as Bashan (the Golan Heights) and Gilead, both up on the heights
above the east bank of the Jordan River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are areas that Israel had conquered in the time of Moses, when great
miracles had taken place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In response, </span>God speaks through the prophet, revealing that he will do great miracles again.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">16</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nations will see and will be ashamed <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of all their might.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>They will put their
hand upon their mouth;<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Their
ears will be deaf.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The nations, despite their military power, will once again see
God’s care of Israel, and be in awe.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">17</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="color: #990000;"> </span> </span>They will lick up dust as the snake<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As the crawling things of the
land.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They
will come trembling from their fortresses<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>To YHWH our God.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>They
will be in dread and they will be afraid of you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nations will be
in fear of Israel and turn to the LORD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">18a</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Who is a God like you,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Who
forgives a transgression and<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Who
overlooks a sin<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>For
the remnant of his possession?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who is like God, who forgives the sins of his people?</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">18b</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He has not kept his anger forever<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For he delights in kindness.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">19a</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: #990000;"> </span> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He will repent; he will have compassion
on us.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>He will overcome
our transgressions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God will eventually have compassion on Israel, and forgive
them for their sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">19b</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And you will cast into the depths of
the sea<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All their sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He will remove their sins completely from them.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #990000;">20</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="color: #990000;"> </span> </span>You will give truth to Jacob,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kindness to Abraham,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Which you swore
to our fathers<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>From the days of
old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God will extend truth and kindness to Israel as he promised
to the patriarchs of old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></p>
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</div></div>Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-53487969075416088272021-06-07T08:32:00.013-07:002023-03-25T21:50:02.122-07:00Why was Joseph buried in Shechem? (Q&A)<p> <span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"> </span>I<span style="font-family: inherit;"> was rather
astonished to realize, in reading Joshua 24, that they buried the bones of
Joseph in Shechem instead of in the cave of Machpelah, where Sarah, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob were buried... Do a word-search on Shechem and you'll find that it is a
rather nefarious place. Why did they bury him there? I was also a little distressed to realize that Stephen, in
the book of Acts, says that Abraham bought the land</span> in Shechem, but Moses wrote
that it was Jacob that bought land there. –Sarah P.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">A: </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Welcome to the tension between the north and the south in Israel. This tension goes all the way back to the division
of Saul’s kingdom in the time of David, a division that reemerged when the
kingdom was divided again after the death of Solomon. It then reappears in the time of the New
Testament in the tension between the Samaritans in the north and the Judeans in
the south. Among these tensions were some different and conflicting traditions.</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">What
does this have to do with Shechem? Let’s
begin with the burial place of the twelve patriarchs, the sons of
Jacob, one of whom was Joseph. Acts 7:16 implies that they were all buried in Shechem: <i>“And
they </i>[the antecedent of “they” is “our fathers” in vs. 15]<i> were removed to Shechem and laid in the
tomb that Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in
Shechem.”*</i> That the brothers were buried in Shechem certainly makes
sense, as the children of Israel under Joshua came into possession of this area
before they did of Hebron. And it seems logical that they would bury the others
where Joseph was buried: <i>“And they buried
the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at
Shechem”</i> (Joshua 24:32). However, the
Bible only mentions the bones of Joseph being brought along in the Exodus: <i>“And Moses took the bones of Joseph with
him”</i> (Exo. 13:19). Nothing is said, except in the book of Acts, about
the burial of his brothers.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">*
That this doesn</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">t i</span></span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small;">nclude Jacob himself is evident from the account of his
burial at Hebron: </span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small;">“For </i><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small;">[Jacob’s]</span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small;"> sons carried him to the land of Canaan and
buried him in the cave…opposite Mamre </i><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small;">[by Hebron]</span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small;">”</i><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small;"> (Gen. 50:13).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">That
the brothers were buried at Shechem with Joseph was a long-standing
tradition. In the time of Jerome, the famous church father (4th-5th
century AD), the tombs of the twelve patriarchs were still shown in Shechem and not at Hebron. However, this claim was disputed by those in the
south. Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that Joseph’s brothers (though
not Joseph himself) were buried at Hebron, and implies that this was done
before the Exodus (as Acts 7 could also be understood to imply, though with
regard to Shechem rather than Hebron):</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">At length [Joseph’s] brethren died, after they
had lived happily in Egypt. Now the posterity and sons of these men,
after some time, carried their bodies, and buried them at Hebron; but as to the
bones of Joseph, they carried them into the land of Canaan afterward, when the
Hebrews went out of Egypt, for so had Joseph made them promise him. (<i>Antiquities
2.199-200)</i></span></span></blockquote><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><i></i><i></i></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">This Hebron burial is also mentioned in the
intertestamental books of <i>Jubilees</i> and the <i>Testaments of
the Twelve Patriarchs</i>. But no evidence is offered to support this claim, nor
is there any evidence that their tombs were ever shown to anyone there. So these
are clearly conflicting traditions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">But
why would <i>any</i> of the brothers, including
Joseph himself, be buried at Shechem? You’re quite right that some
disturbing things took place there. The
story of the rape of Dinah and the subsequent murder of the men of Shechem are
deeply disturbing events (Gen. 34:2, 25-27).
But that’s not the whole story. Jacob had bought land there
before he built an altar on it (Gen. 33:19-20). And despite all the bad
things that happened, the people of Shechem had made a covenant with the
Israelites, a covenant to become <i>“one
people”</i> (Gen. 34:22)—a covenant that was never revoked. This promise
of unity became a reality when the sons of Jacob took the wives and children of
those who were slain at Shechem, and these people then joined them in their
travels: <i>“and they captured and plundered
all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives…” </i>(Gen. 34:29). This
soon made them genetically one people. And
despite the tragic events that had taken place, it seems that the covenantal
origins of this relationship were never forgotten. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">This
ancestral relationship appeared in a much more positive light in the time of
Joshua, when the people of Shechem were bravely resisting the demands of the
Egyptian pharaoh and needed the help of the recently arrived Israelites.
We actually have records of the plight of the people of Shechem in the Amarna
Letters, written in the time of Joshua. These letters tell us that the
ruler of Shechem was cooperating with the invaders that we know to be the
Israelites. In fact, he “gave the land
of Shechem” to them (EA 298). This explains why, when Joshua divided the
land, the <i>“sons of Shechem”</i> were
included in the tribal allotment: they had joined Israel (Josh.
17:2). Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine why the Israelites had no
opposition in Shechem and didn’t have to fight to take that area, unlike their
experience in the rest of Canaan.* <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*
The Gibeonites were another local group that joined Israel, but because they
made a covenant under false pretenses (they lied about their true identity and
location), they suffered the penalty of being made second-class citizens
(Joshua 9).</span><o:p style="font-size: 9.5pt;"></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">But
why then does Acts 7 say that Abraham bought a tomb at Shechem? No
such thing is mentioned in Genesis. But the idea does help explain a
couple of things in the Bible. (1) As we have just seen, Jacob bought land at
Shechem before building his altar there (Gen. 33:19-20). Wouldn’t it
be likely for Abraham to have done the same thing? (2) There is also
the strange inheritance that Jacob gave to Joseph: <i>“And I give you one portion</i> [literally “one shoulder” (or “Shechem”)
of land] <i>more than your brothers, which I
took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow”</i> (Gen.
48:22). This military action doesn’t match the massacre connected
with Dinah very well, since the land Jacob was living on there at the time had
been purchased, not taken. But it</span></span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">s
just possible that at some point he had to defend a piece of land that the
family already owned there, tracing back to Abraham, that he joined to the
additional land that he bought himself. This tradition would be more
likely to be remembered in the north, and be remembered with great pride as it tied the northern tribes that
much more closely to Abraham.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">There
are also other attempts to answer this question. But the most likely
explanation is that Abraham did in fact buy land in Shechem, though Genesis
doesn’t mention it. Here the twelve
brothers were buried, as people in the north continued to maintain. Only later, because of tensions between the Judeans and the Samaritans--Shechem being the most important Samaritan city--did those in the south begin to claim that eleven of the brothers were
buried at Hebron rather than at Shechem. But the older tradition was never forgotten, and wasn</span></span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">t contradicted when
Stephen mentioned it to the Sanhedrin Council.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<div style="background: white; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">It’s difficult to imagine that Stephen could make an error about
such well-known events, events that could so easily be “fact checked,”
especially when speaking before the Sanhedrin Council. Clearly, <i>we</i>
are the ones who are missing something here, not him. Many times,
the smallest additional piece of evidence is enough to resolve enigmas like
this. Perhaps in the future something will be discovered that
will help us resolve this one, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this topic, see our <a href="https://totheends.com/sem4.html">Great Discoveries of the Bible Seminar</a>.)</i></span><br />
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-91284563253019548972021-06-07T06:16:00.005-07:002022-11-03T07:23:35.882-07:00If the Philistines were Greeks, why did they worship Dagon? (Q&A)<p> <span style="color: #20124d; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In my devotions the other day I was reading about when the Philistines
captured the ark, and how God showed the Philistines that he was greater than
Dagon…</span> <span style="line-height: 115%;">If the Philistines were Greeks, why don’t we see
them worshipping any of the Greek gods – only Dagon?</span> --Sarah P.</span></p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span> </span>You’re right that the Philistines
have now been identified as Greeks of some kind—or at least that they developed
from an original core of Greeks that settled in what is today Israel and intermarried
with the local population. This is the
result of both DNA analysis, pottery analysis, and the similarity of cultural
practices that point to a connection with Greece and/or other areas of Greek
influence (such as Cyprus, Crete, and western Turkey). These include the bronze greaves worn by Goliath,
the Philistine hero that was defeated by David (1 Sam. 17:6), and even Goliath’s call to
one-on-one combat (representative warfare), otherwise unknown in the area. However, the connection with the Philistines is at a very early time in Greek history known as the Mycenaean Age (15th-11th
cent. BC). This was long before the
Classical Age of Greece (5th-4th cent. BC) with its well-known Greek gods (the
Olympian gods). It was even before the
Archaic Period (8th-6th cent. BC) in which the Greek alphabet first appears. (See
diagram)<div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PMAE0beV1v2TzE_AboqmZXFV3U0P13u9Tzt4ZpVJJ6yIYr_lcySUjzonMD8wZkvBPG-_1cTCkghYrB8c9myZtzSD7iasSPEDhBzUlcL2eiY4LWwvfKWD883UFhrYN5rb9WFjkkfMcBg/s2048/Greek+History.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PMAE0beV1v2TzE_AboqmZXFV3U0P13u9Tzt4ZpVJJ6yIYr_lcySUjzonMD8wZkvBPG-_1cTCkghYrB8c9myZtzSD7iasSPEDhBzUlcL2eiY4LWwvfKWD883UFhrYN5rb9WFjkkfMcBg/w400-h225/Greek+History.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />But this was not only a matter of the passage of time:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Archaic Period was separated from the
earlier Mycenaean Age by the Greek Dark Ages (11th-8th cent. BC), during which
literacy was completely lost and even the Mycenaean script (Linear B) was forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great Mycenaean palaces and cities were destroyed
or abandoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a huge decrease
in population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was clearly a time
of great trauma for the Mycenaean civilization, great enough to bring that
civilization to a close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What exactly
happened is debated, since as a “Dark Age” we don’t have much information
about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it famine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Invasion?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Earthquakes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But whatever
happened seems to have affected the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>all the way from the Hittites in the north to
the Egyptians in the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it involved,
either as a cause or as a result of all these changes, a mysterious group known as
the “Sea Peoples.”<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Sea Peoples were loosely-organized groups of invaders from the general area of
Greece and even further afield (including Sardinia) that came to the Eastern
Mediterranean and overthrew cities and even kingdoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They even tried to overthrow Egypt, but narrowly
failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Philistines were one of
these groups, also known as the Peleset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When they failed to settle in Egypt, they chose instead the southern
coast of what is today Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the key historical events that took place near the
close of the Mycenaean Age, and which may have contributed to the Sea Peoples
invasions, was the Trojan War (13th-12th cent. BC). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t only Odysseus that went wandering around
after the close of the war (as recounted in the Odyssey).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others, too, scattered around the
Mediterranean, as recounted in the Nostoi legends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of these wanderers settled in the
Eastern Mediterranean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are most
likely to be identified with the Philistines and other similar groups that
settled along the Eastern Mediterranean coast at this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s true that when we read the Iliad and the Odyssey, which
tell of the Trojan War and its aftermath, the classical Greek gods are an important part of the
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And we do know through the decipherment of Mycenean inscriptions that several of these same gods were in fact known and worshiped in Mycenean times. But we know very little about these earlier beliefs. H</span>omer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey in the 8th
cent. BC, was writing hundreds of years after the events portrayed, long
after the collapse of Mycenaean civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Greek historian Herodotus (5th cent. BC) says that Homer was one of
the first to name the Greek gods and describe their characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that the gods as they appear in his
account tell us
more about the beliefs of the groups that came together to form Classical Greek
civilization and less about the beliefs of the Philistines at the time of their migration.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whatever those beliefs may have been, the Philistines seem to have abandoned them rather quickly. In the same way that the core Greek group of Philistines
intermarried with local Canaanites, they also adopted the local religious beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these was the worship of the god
Dagon, which is documented in the area back to as much as a thousand years
before the arrival of the Philistines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
seems to have been a common belief in ancient times that different gods ruled
over different regions, and that people should adapt to whatever region they happened
to live in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good example of this in
the Bible is the Samaritans, who began to worship the God of Israel because
they had come into his territory (2 Kings 17:25-28).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The Philistines seem to have done much the same thing when they arrived in the Middle East.</span></p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this topic, see our <a href="https://totheends.com/sem4.html">Great Discoveries of the Bible Seminar</a>.)</i></span><br />
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<span><!--more--></span></div></div>Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-55338616934601919942020-07-19T22:55:00.000-07:002020-07-20T00:53:11.854-07:00The Pater Noster Church, Jerusalem<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXMCyU7khC1eMN30AB-lJvuK3c5j-R1jN03fHJ0-HeXrC0_TSCux0rLX3_nylMYmCs712gytBwwxUgxuL6tmjkdleIhyphenhyphen3dZkES3FtdFt-ULTCL-8XdE9PZsox22Fw9ICREVKqm9jsRHU/s1600/Church_of_the_Pater_Noster_Mount_of_Olives%252C_Jerusalem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXMCyU7khC1eMN30AB-lJvuK3c5j-R1jN03fHJ0-HeXrC0_TSCux0rLX3_nylMYmCs712gytBwwxUgxuL6tmjkdleIhyphenhyphen3dZkES3FtdFt-ULTCL-8XdE9PZsox22Fw9ICREVKqm9jsRHU/s1600/Church_of_the_Pater_Noster_Mount_of_Olives%252C_Jerusalem.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Unfinished Reconstruction of the Eleona Church (foreground) <br />
in front of the Pater Noster Church (facade at back partially hidden by a palm tree);<br />
the cave is under the platform in the foreground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Traditional Location of Jesus’ Endtimes
Teaching on the Mt. of Olives </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (the “Olivet Discourse,” Matt. 24-25, Mark 13,
Luke 21)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: Pater;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Site of the Byzantine Eleona Church (the “Olive
Grove” Church, also known </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: Pater;"> as the Church of the Disciples)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: Pater;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Site of a Crusader-era chapel associated with
Jesus’ teaching of the Lord’s Prayer</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: Pater;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Currently the location of the Pater Noster
Church commemorating Jesus’ teaching </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: Pater;"> of the Lord’s Prayer as well as the partly
rebuilt Eleona Church.</span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: Pater;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Biblical events
remembered here:</b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
(1) Jesus’ Endtimes Teaching (the “Olivet Discourse,” Matt.
24-25), </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
(2) Jesus’ Teaching of the Lord’s Prayer</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<a name='more'></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Location: </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of the Mt. of Olives, east of Jerusalem,
beside the old road from Jerusalem to Bethany.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Authenticity:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>The church is in the right general area
for Jesus’ endtimes teaching, which took place on the Mt. of Olives directly
opposite the Jewish Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the
cave on the property, said to be the exact location of this teaching, contains
a first-century AD tomb (a kochim-style tomb of a type popular in the time of
Jesus).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The presence of this tomb makes
it highly unlikely that Jesus and his disciples would have come here, or that
the early Jewish Christians would have revered the site (see our teaching on
<a href="https://totheends.com/clean.html">Clean and Unclean</a>), though it is possible that the tomb was introduced at a later time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor does the Bible
say anything about a cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the
actual location of Jesus’ teaching could not have been very far away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
The association with Jesus’ teaching of the Lord’s Prayer has no Biblical basis, given the fact that the gospels say this took place in
Galilee (Matt. 4:23-5:1,9-13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This tradition
emerged for the first time in the Middle Ages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPwEIDghWtSREakXmCwIk0AQ5oUlDEekfNOHLnByjOKM8x3XW0VHzwsBV_-2ITsqGSpHFZsZhee0YtjmWGswXKbPnskuDMdZ11o_iyBTcU3DqKuZETJLOoKbE4KOr76_eP29RgAMX748/s1600/Chapel+of+the+Ascension+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPwEIDghWtSREakXmCwIk0AQ5oUlDEekfNOHLnByjOKM8x3XW0VHzwsBV_-2ITsqGSpHFZsZhee0YtjmWGswXKbPnskuDMdZ11o_iyBTcU3DqKuZETJLOoKbE4KOr76_eP29RgAMX748/s1600/Chapel+of+the+Ascension+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View down on the top of the Mt. of Olives. The Bethany-Jerusalem road goes from bottom right <br />
to upper left in the photo. (Google satellite view)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Jesus’ Endtimes
Teaching: </b>Matthew says that Jesus
and his disciples left the Temple and were sitting on the Mt. of Olives (Matt.
24:1,3). Mark adds that they were sitting
<i>“opposite the Temple,”</i> that is,
directly across the Kidron Valley from the Temple, which certainly matches this
spot (Mark 13:3). It’s hard to imagine
for such a dramatic teaching that they didn’t go to the top of the hill with
its magnificent view over Jerusalem. They
certainly wouldn’t have sat at the bottom of the hill, which today is a
cemetery just as it was in Jesus’ day. Touching
any of the tombs there would have made them ritually unclean, and would prevent
entry into the Temple that day. Instead,
they would have crossed the Kidron on the bridge (or “causeway”) that extended
part-way up the Mt. of Olives to avoid contact with the cemetery. This, too, points to a location higher up the
hill. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Jesus’ endtimes teaching here was in response to a
question by his disciples: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"And as he was sitting on the Mount of
Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these
things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the
age?" </i>(Matt. 24:3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First Jesus
warned them of the things that would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i>
be signs of his coming:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>false Messiahs,
wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes: these things, he said, are
not yet the end (Matt. 24:4-7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are
only the “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">beginning of birth pangs,”</i> the
beginning of the difficult period that would precede his return (Matt. 24:8).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This difficult time was known to the Jewish
people as the approaching footsteps, or literally the “heels,” of the Messiah (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">iqvot haMeshiach; </i>Psa. 89:51).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During these birth pangs, Jesus said, his
followers would be persecuted, and hated, even killed (Matt. 24:9).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some would fall away, others would betray one
another and hate one another, and there would be much false teaching (Matt.
24:10-11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people's love would grow
cold (Matt. 24:12).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even so, the
gospel will be preached throughout the whole world before the end comes (Matt.
24:14).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the one who endures to the
end will be saved (Matt. 24:13).</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then he warned of the horrible tragedy that was about to
come on Jerusalem: its destruction by the Roman armies, which would usher in a
long period of tribulation (Matt. 24:15-28, Luke 21:20-24).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then, finally, would come the signs of
his return:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the sun and moon will be
darkened, stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken
(Matt. 24:29).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the sign of the Son
of Man will appear in the sky (Matt. 24:30), and the Jewish people will mourn as
they see him coming in power and glory (Matt. 24:30 as in Zech. 12:10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he will send his angels out with the
sound of a great trumpet to gather in those who believe in him from all over
the world (Matt. 24:31,40-41).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
the catching up of believers mentioned by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17,
when the dead in Messiah will also be raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then will follow the destruction of the wicked (Matt. 24:39), and the descent
of the believers with Messiah to earth to reign with him in his Messianic
kingdom (Matt. 25:34).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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As Zechariah put it:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"For I will gather all the
nations against Jerusalem to battle.... Then the LORD will go forth and fight
against those nations, as when he fights on a day of battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in that day his feet will stand on the
Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of
Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley....
Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with him!" </i>(Zech.
14:2-5).</div>
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<br /></div>
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And what happens after that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wedding feast of the Lamb (Matt. 25:10)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many imagine that the wedding feast will be somewhere
in heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Isaiah says:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“On
this mountain,”</i> speaking of Mt. Zion (Isa. 24:23), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the Lord will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples... And on this
mountain he will swallow up the covering that is over all the peoples... he
will swallow up death for all time”</i> (Isa. 25:6-8). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah 4:5 adds that at that time there will
be over Jerusalem <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“a cloud by day, and
smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory
will be a canopy (a chuppah).”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
canopy is this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bridal canopy (a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chuppah</i>), like those used in Jewish
weddings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why a bridal canopy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the wedding feast of the Lamb!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“many will come from east and west, and recline at the table [to eat] with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob” </i>(Matt. 8:11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a day of rejoicing that will be!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Then Jesus gave them many warnings in parables of the
need to keep alert and not to stumble in the long time of waiting until his
return (Matt. 24:40-25:46).</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Cave:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cave under the later Byzantine-period
church is not mentioned in the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
a cave on the Mt. of Olives was associated from an early date with the endtimes
teaching of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s first mentioned
in the apocryphal Acts of John (2nd-3rd cent. AD)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Byzantine
Eleona Church</b>: After the legalization of Christianity, the Emperor
Constantine and his mother Helena built three large basilica-style churches in
the Holy Land (4th cent. AD).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
all associated with the new Nicene Creed:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>1) the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ("born of the Virgin
Mary"), 2) the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem ("was crucified, died, and
was buried; on the third day he rose again from the dead"), and 3) the
Eleona Church on the Mt. of Olives ("and ascended into heaven”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eusebius the Church historian says directly that
Helena built the Eleona Church “in memory of [Jesus’] ascent to heaven.” But
the location chosen for the church was above a cave which he says was
remembered as the “very cave [in which] the Savior imparted his secret
revelations to his disciples” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life of
Constantine</i> 3.43).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This seems to be
why Helena named the church the Church of the Disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it soon came to be known as the Eleona
(the “Olive Grove”) Church, completed by 333 AD.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-kK5xqO0bMi2-F5RJJvVryaCrpAEI40q6vgdJUtYepD9DvXnNQLxUiVHGKiI0d2l2ChXd0p0ibSNCJvS6HL4nGeKVG3IaWfKkpEtO7DVt6kzSexCpsMTjUUzEjVNJ0x5uHWNEHFnuC4/s1600/eleona.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-kK5xqO0bMi2-F5RJJvVryaCrpAEI40q6vgdJUtYepD9DvXnNQLxUiVHGKiI0d2l2ChXd0p0ibSNCJvS6HL4nGeKVG3IaWfKkpEtO7DVt6kzSexCpsMTjUUzEjVNJ0x5uHWNEHFnuC4/s1600/eleona.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagram of the Byzantine-period Eleona Church based on the excavations in the early 20th century.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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The actual site of Jesus’ ascension, however, was thought to be on “an
open hillock nearby” (the pilgrimage diary of Egeria, mid 4th cent.), where
another church was built by 378, <a href="https://totheendsblog.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-chapel-of-ascension-jerusalem.html">currently the site of the Chapel of the Ascension</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Eleona Church had a terrace in front of its main entrance
on the west side with a beautiful view over the city of Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steps led up to the church from the Kidron Valley
below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This marble stairway is
reminiscent of the bridge (or “causeway”) that went across the Kidron Valley and
part way up the Mt. of Olives in the time of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Eleona was destroyed by the Persians in
614.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Middle Ages: </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Middle Ages, a chapel built here was
associated with the teaching of the Lord's Prayer (1106).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was made into a church in 1152. There was
also another chapel where the apostles were said to have formulated the
Apostle’s Creed, though the creed dates in its earliest form to the 3rd or 4th century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
medieval structures were heavily damaged in the Muslim reconquest of the city in
1187 and abandoned by 1345.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Modern Church
and Cloister: </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1868, the site was
purchased by Princesse Aurelia Bossi de la Tour d’Auvergne, whose tomb can still be
seen on the site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She built a church
dedicated to the Lord’s Prayer and a convent for French Carmelite nuns that
continues today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Archeological work in
1910 discovered the ruins of the Byzantine-period church and the cave over
which it was built.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But an attempt to
rebuild the Eleona Church failed for lack of funds (1915-1927), which accounts for the incomplete state of the structure seen today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The modern church and cloister continue the
Crusader commemoration of the Lord’s Prayer, today shown in more than 60
languages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrY6SrrWJrBpQezzydtAEBWxJwDmM5SW15Hry4fj-YX89STwZEcOSqdIo3Fowa3B9yDjftXFoPYon-cljWFQK0yZ1i3_k5Hfx0kBNDRowWnL0DzZROebIqnDBOvXAD-azs-k3lkbQiVM/s1600/Lords+Prayer+at+Pater+Noster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrY6SrrWJrBpQezzydtAEBWxJwDmM5SW15Hry4fj-YX89STwZEcOSqdIo3Fowa3B9yDjftXFoPYon-cljWFQK0yZ1i3_k5Hfx0kBNDRowWnL0DzZROebIqnDBOvXAD-azs-k3lkbQiVM/s1600/Lords+Prayer+at+Pater+Noster.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three of the dozens of plaques of the Lord's Prayer in different languages <br />
These are in Latin, Arabic, and Armenian.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inside the Cave:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the Byzantine church above there were originally
two entrances to the cave below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The</span> raised
platform above the cave was located at the eastern end of the sanctuary (see the diagram above).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cave was originally larger than it
appears today; it partly collapsed in 1910.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
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Photo of the <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_the_Pater_Noster_Mount_of_Olives,_Jerusalem_43.jpg">Partly
Reconstructed Eleona Church in front of the Pater Noster Church</a> courtesy of
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Hoshvilim">Hoshvilim </a>under
a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">CC BY-SA 4.0
license</a>.<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Photo of <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jerusalem_Pater_Noster_-_Carmelite_sisters_-_Mount_of_Olives_(6035885377).jpg">Lord’s
Prayer plaques at Pater Noster Church</a> courtesy of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brionv/6035885377/">Pater Noster –
Carmelite sisters – Mount of Olives</a> under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC BY-SA 2.0
license</a>.</div>
</div>
</div>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-77814789895208470862020-05-31T22:54:00.017-07:002020-07-20T00:53:36.690-07:00The Chapel of the Ascension, Jerusalem<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvcg79i9blX05tQCkvtYBgNJQJ9G0t8De943SVq_sR3-oTPvFL0ekUuk-Hr-xhSP3pTbO-9vEefe7VCRMKeyeP8lloyz6xDolXLRqcx9wd3JtEDZVDf0mMo2p_51cNICr2SPwJZ7Gqok/s1600/JER+Mt+of+Olives--Chapel+of+the+Ascension+%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvcg79i9blX05tQCkvtYBgNJQJ9G0t8De943SVq_sR3-oTPvFL0ekUuk-Hr-xhSP3pTbO-9vEefe7VCRMKeyeP8lloyz6xDolXLRqcx9wd3JtEDZVDf0mMo2p_51cNICr2SPwJZ7Gqok/s1600/JER+Mt+of+Olives--Chapel+of+the+Ascension+%25283%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chapel of the Ascension and Surrounding Courtyard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><b>The Traditional Site of Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven</b></li>
<li><b>Site of the Byzantine Imbomon Church (Church “On the Hill”)</b></li>
<li><b>Current location of the Crusader-period Chapel of
the Ascension</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Biblical events
remembered here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><br />
(1) The ascension
of Jesus into heaven forty days after his crucifixion and resurrection;<br />
(2) The return of Jesus with his people at his second coming.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Possible
historical site of:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
(1) The Jewish
fire signal used to announce the sighting of the new moon,<br />
(2) The burning of the
red heifer to produce the ashes used for cleansing from the impurity of contact
with the dead,<br />
(3) The burning of the sin offerings offered up on the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Location:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of the Mt. of Olives, east of
Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Authenticity:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chapel is in the right general location for
Jesus’ ascension, though the actual site is probably a bit further east on the
old road to Bethany.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This road runs from
west to east just a few steps south of the entrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So at the very least, Jesus and the disciples
passed right by this spot shortly before Jesus' ascension.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xBWM9AfGyVf8xRhbeM5WgNHBeSVRXXGiPXhaacJv87PXW3KqYHyg7LWd_CUd9v0HUmTxtAXGFBqr6IGwbl7VnNzPCd77Vyx4fgOihR4XHaVOB1Id5G6kaDeT3s9h-a0a2xU-RLO6xzs/s1600/Ascension+2020xx1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xBWM9AfGyVf8xRhbeM5WgNHBeSVRXXGiPXhaacJv87PXW3KqYHyg7LWd_CUd9v0HUmTxtAXGFBqr6IGwbl7VnNzPCd77Vyx4fgOihR4XHaVOB1Id5G6kaDeT3s9h-a0a2xU-RLO6xzs/s1600/Ascension+2020xx1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View down on the top of the Mt. of Olives. The Bethany-Jerusalem road goes from bottom right to upper left in the photo. (Google satellite view)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Ascension of
Jesus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Jesus’ ascension is reported
in three places in the New Testament (Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:6-12)
and mentioned in many more (John 3:13, 6:62, 20:17; Acts 2:32-36; Eph. 4:8-10;
Rev. 12:5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most detailed account is
in the book of Acts:</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Then, having come
together, they were questioning him, saying, ‘Lord, at this time are you restoring
the kingdom to Israel?' <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he said to
them, ‘It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has set by his
own authority, but rather you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And after he said these things, he was lifted up while they were
watching, and a cloud took him up out of their sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while they were gazing into the sky as he
was going, look, two men had come up beside them in white clothing, who also said,
‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing looking into the sky?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Jesus, who has been taken up from you
into heaven, will come in just the same way that you saw him go into
heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they returned to Jerusalem
from the mountain called ‘Of the Olive Grove’ (Elaionos; the Greek name for the
Mt. of Olives)...." (Acts 1:6-12)</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
This clearly identifies the site of Jesus’ ascension as being
on the Mt. of Olives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gospel of Luke
further specifies that it was a spot near Bethany (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He led them out [of Jerusalem] until [they were] near Bethany,”</i> Luke
24:50).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the main route to Bethany
from Jerusalem ran right over the Mt. of Olives, these two descriptions match up
perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bethany (known today as al-Azariya
in memory of Lazarus whom Jesus raised there from the dead) is on the east side of the Mt. of Olives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
just a little less than a mile away from the Chapel of the Ascension. The old
road from Jerusalem to Bethany, today a narrow paved road, passes by just south
of the Chapel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the same road
that Jesus had taken a few weeks earlier on Palm Sunday, riding a donkey in the
other direction, toward Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
ascension could have been anywhere between here and the edge of Bethany. </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Scapegoat on
the Day of Atonement:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road from
Jerusalem to Bethany goes out in the same direction, and was likely the same
road, that the scapegoat was led along on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) as
it was taken out into the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
was one part of a unique sacrifice offered on that day of two identical goats,
one offered up on the altar in the Temple, the other taken out and released in
the desert (Lev. 16:5-10, 15-28).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This second goat had all the sins of Israel laid
on it by the high priest, which it then took away from the city:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>removing those sins from the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way, Jesus took the sins of
mankind out this same road and removed them from us as he ascended into heaven (Psa.
103:10-12).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Sin Offerings
on the Day of Atonement:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first
goat of the special sacrifice of two goats on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
was offered up in the Temple (Lev. 16:15-19) together with a bull (Lev.
16:11-14).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two animals were then
taken <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“outside the camp”</i> to be burned
with fire (Lev. 16:27).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some believe
that the site of this burning (the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“place
of ashes”</i> of Lev. 4:12) was where the Chapel of the Ascension is now
located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This burning of the bodies of
the sacrifices on Yom Kippur is referred to in Heb. 13:11-12 as a type of the Messiah, who also suffered outside the city: (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For of those animals whose blood is brought [as an offering] for sin
in the holy places [of the Temple] by the high priest, their bodies are burned
up outside the camp. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of this,
Jesus, too, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered
outside the gate [of the city.]”</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Burning of the
Red Heifer:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A more certain
identification of this site is as the place of the burning of the red heifer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the heifer whose ashes were used to
purify from contact with the dead (Num. 19:1-10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason for this greater certainty is that
the rabbis specifically mention that this took place on the Mt. of Olives (which
they call the Mount of Anointing) at a point directly east of the doors of the
inner Sanctuary (Num. 19:4, Midd. 1:3, 2:4; Par. 3:6-7,11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This matches the site of the Chapel
of the Ascension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The site was accessed
by a bridge (or “causeway”) built across the Kidron Valley and part way up the
slope of the Mt. of Olives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was to
prevent contact with the graves of the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus and his disciples would have taken this same bridge on
their way out of the city on the day of his ascension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This red
heifer is also a type of the Messiah (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For
if...the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean makes them holy with regard
to the cleanness of the flesh, how much more will the blood of
Messiah...cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”</i>
Heb. 9:13-14; also Heb. 10:22).</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fire Signals
Announcing the New Moon:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since this
is the highest spot on this section of the Mt. of Olives, it was also likely
the site of the Jewish fire signal sent up every month to announce the new moon
(R. Sha. 2:4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was at a time when
the new moon had to be sighted visually (the first sliver of the waxing moon), and
confirmed by the Sanhedrin Council in the Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This signal was then relayed from mountain to
mountain until much of the Jewish world in the eastern Mediterranean got the
message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This had been discontinued, though, by the
time of Jesus because of enemy signals intended to confuse the Jewish people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In its place, the Great Sanhedrin sent out emissaries
(apostles) to personally take out the message, much as Jesus sent out his
apostles with the good news of salvation, a mission that Jesus spoke to them
about that day just before his ascension (the Great Commission, Acts 1:7-8).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Return of Jesus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>The coming return of Jesus to the exact
spot from which he ascended was not only foretold by the angels who were there
that day (Acts 1:10-11, see above).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was also prophesied by the prophet Zechariah long before:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“And his feet will
stand on that day on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the
east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west, a
very large valley... And the LORD my God will come, all the holy ones will be
with you [Jerusalem]” (Zechariah 14:4-5).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
The holy ones with Jesus at his return will be all those
who have loved him and believed in him from all the ages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many talk about the rapture or catching away
of the believers when Jesus returns, but that’s only the beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that, they will come back down with
Jesus to rule and reign on the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
will be the beginning of the Messianic Age, when the lion will lie down with
the lamb, and there will be no more war (Isa. 11:6-9).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The earth will be renewed, or as Jesus put
it, it will be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">palingenesia,</i> a new
Genesis, a new start for the world (Matt. 19:28).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Many parts of the Church have neglected or even rejected
this teaching of the Messianic age to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But Jesus and the disciples firmly believed and taught it, when wrongs
will be righted and the earth will be renewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The apostle Paul said that all of creation groans in anticipation of
this revelation of the children of God (Rom. 8:22).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Byzantine
Period Church:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>The first church associated with the Ascension of Jesus was the <a href="https://totheendsblog.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-pater-noster-church-jerusalem.html">nearby Eleona Church</a> built by the Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena in 333 AD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The ruins of this church can still be seen beside <a href="https://totheendsblog.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-pater-noster-church-jerusalem.html">the Pater Noster Church</a>, just a few meters away</span>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
But the actual site of Jesus’ ascension was thought to be on “an open hillock nearby” (the pilgrimage
diary of Egeria, mid 4th cent.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This small rise on top of the Mt. of Olives is where the Chapel of the Ascension is currently located. At the time, this </span>was an open area, and the annual celebration of Jesus' ascension took place
outdoors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But s</span>oon afterwards, a church was
built on this higher location by a wealthy Roman lady, a member of the
imperial family (Poimenia, in 378).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
This newer church was known as the Inbomon Church, which
means “on a height.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an
octagonal church with a circular colonnade that held up a dome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Octagonal churches were used to mark the spot
where a Biblical event had taken place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
top of the church was a cross that could be seen from a long distance away. This
church was destroyed by the Persians (in 614).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it was soon rebuilt as a circular structure, in which the inner
enclosure, a little larger than the current enclosure, was open to the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant that you could stand in the church
and look up into the sky, much as the disciples had done when Jesus ascended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Current
Chapel:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>The much smaller octagonal
chapel we see here today (the “edicule”) was built by the Crusaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time, the arches in the sides of the chapel were open
and the roof was open to the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
was then converted into a mosque by the Muslim sultan Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and given to a
couple of his followers (in 1198).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
still in Muslim possession today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Islam
also believes that Jesus ascended into heaven:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the Koran says that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"God
raised him up to himself"</i> (Sura 4.158).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
The Muslim owners permit Christian services here once a
year on the Feast of the Ascension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you look carefully, you can see hooks in the walls of the courtyard that are
used to secure awnings used by the different Christian communities celebrating the
feast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
The tiny burial crypt next to the chapel is revered by
all three local religions: Jews believe it contains the 7th-century BC
prophetess Huldah (2 Kings 22:14); Christians believe it to be the tomb of the
5th-century saint Pelagia, a repentant harlot from Antioch who became a hermit
on the Mt. of Olives; while Muslims maintain that the 8th-century ascetic and Sufi
mystic, Rabi'a al-Adawiyya, known for her devotion to the unconditional love of
God, is buried there. The Christian tradition of Saint Pelagia is the oldest of
the three.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO26QMfgS88AMKh0MW1gX-RZ7qTk4Jcr4t4Ks530e2yt_XOFJArdZJNP-nctmWnTKxJCKAOgJOklS87cbON24ZzqUI9-1oTyQiDQoHJJBV-t2c1Wjikff-8VaFrFjBN2U_4t2XgDt5FLg/s1600/JER+Mt+of+Olives--Ascension+chapel+%25288%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO26QMfgS88AMKh0MW1gX-RZ7qTk4Jcr4t4Ks530e2yt_XOFJArdZJNP-nctmWnTKxJCKAOgJOklS87cbON24ZzqUI9-1oTyQiDQoHJJBV-t2c1Wjikff-8VaFrFjBN2U_4t2XgDt5FLg/s400/JER+Mt+of+Olives--Ascension+chapel+%25288%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of the Chapel of the Ascension with the "footprint" of Jesus in the marble box.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inside the Chapel:
</b>The footprints of Jesus on a stone here were first mentioned at the time of
the construction of the Imbomon church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
of these was later removed to the el-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, where it is
associated with Mohammed’s nighttime journey to heaven (the Mi’raj).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The remaining "footprint" can still
be seen (in the marble square by the candles in the photo above).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-14944978694314849052020-05-03T07:11:00.005-07:002023-10-16T21:24:12.419-07:00The Angel of the Lord: A List of Verses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5ffsr1dVPtXcqnW9nxJqvvAJJ2G3hHUdAbU0ys75JrYIdq_X2DPK4p4nGunxdDjfWqbdhn14KsSrky6hyphenhyphen6hCy2_h9fN968FbPKq8foo0D2ZtDVCpvulQN3nLCKfQJ81bZNQ-svEx5Qs/s1600/angelofthelord.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5ffsr1dVPtXcqnW9nxJqvvAJJ2G3hHUdAbU0ys75JrYIdq_X2DPK4p4nGunxdDjfWqbdhn14KsSrky6hyphenhyphen6hCy2_h9fN968FbPKq8foo0D2ZtDVCpvulQN3nLCKfQJ81bZNQ-svEx5Qs/s1600/angelofthelord.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One
of the most important contributions of the early Jewish-Christian community to
our understanding of Jesus is the connection they made between Jesus and the
Angel (or Messenger) of the Lord.* This
mysterious being appears in several places in the Hebrew Bible. He has the appearance of a man, yet speaks
and acts like God. This identification
was an important early step in the development of the idea of the Trinity: that the Angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate
Word of God, is God himself, yet is distinct from the Father. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span>*
The Bible’s words for “angel” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">malach</i>
in Hebrew and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">angelos</i> in Greek) mean
simply messenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether this refers to
a human messenger, a spirit-being messenger (an angel), or God himself acting
as a messenger must be determined from the context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One
of the most well-known appearances of this Messenger of the Lord is as one of
the three men who appeared to Abraham at Mamre (Gen. 18:13,17,20).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the passage, one of these visitors is identified
as the LORD God himself: “and the LORD said to Abraham” (Gen. 18:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, this same LORD rained fire and
brimstone on Sodom “from the LORD out of heaven” (Gen. 19:24).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a clear reference to two distinct
entities—the Father in heaven and the Son on earth—that share the divine name
(LORD, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">YHWH</i> in Hebrew) and are
together one God.*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span>*
Evidence for this understanding among the early Jewish-Christians can be seen
in their controversies with the rabbis in which they used passages like these to
argue for the divinity of Jesus (Sanh. 38b). </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here’s
a list of the other appearances of the Messenger of the Lord where he is
specifically referred to as God or the LORD: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">1)
The </span><i style="font-size: 11pt;">“messenger of the LORD”</i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> that
spoke as God to Hagar (Gen. 16:7,9-11):</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><i style="font-size: 11pt;">“And she called the name of the LORD who was
speaking to her, ‘You are the God who sees...’”</i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> (Gen. 16:13).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText">
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2)
One of the <i>“three men,”</i> two of whom
are later identified as <i>“messengers”</i>
(Gen. 19:1), that appeared to Abraham (mentioned above): <i>“And
the LORD appeared to him”</i> (Gen. 18:1), <i>“And
the LORD said to Abraham”</i> (Gen. 18:13), <i>“while
Abraham was still standing before the LORD” </i>(Gen. 18:22).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">3)
The <i>“messenger of the LORD”</i> that
spoke as God to Abraham at his offering of Isaac (Gen. 22:11,15): <i>“You have not withheld your son, your only
son, from me”</i> (Gen. 22:12).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">4)
The <i>“messenger of God”</i> that
identified himself as <i>“God”</i> to Jacob
at Bethel (Gen. 31:11): <i>“I am the God of Bethel”</i> (Gen. 31:13).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">5)
The <i>“man”</i> identified as <i>“God”</i> that wrestled with Jacob at Peniel
(Gen. 32:24): <i>“I have seen God face to face”</i> (Gen. 32:30). </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">6)
The <i>“messenger”</i> identified with God
in Jacob’s three-fold blessing over Joseph’s sons (Gen. 48:16): <i>“The
God before whom my fathers...walked, the God who has been my shepherd..., the
messenger who has redeemed me from all evil”</i> (Gen. 48:15-16). </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">7)
The <i>“messenger of the LORD”</i> identified
as <i>“God”</i> that spoke to Moses from the
burning bush (Exo. 3:2): <i>“God called to him from the middle of the
bush”</i> (Exo. 3:4). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">8)
The <i>“messenger”</i> with God’s name in
him that went before the children of Israel in the desert (Exo. 23:20): <i>“My
name is in him”</i> (Exo. 23:21).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">9)
The appearance of <i>“the God of Israel”</i>
before Moses and the seventy elders on Mt. Sinai, traditionally identified as
an angelic messenger: <i>“And they saw the God of Israel”</i> (Exo.
24:10).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">10)
The <i>“LORD”</i> (#1) who descended and
stood by Moses as the <i>“LORD”</i> (#2) passed
by in front of him (Exo. 34:5-6): <i>“And the LORD descended in the cloud and
stationed himself with him there.... Then the LORD passed by over his face...”</i>
(Exo. 34:5). </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">11)
The <i>“captain of the Lord’s army,”</i>
identified as <i>“the LORD,”</i> that spoke
to Joshua (Joshua 5:14-15): <i>“And the LORD said to Joshua”</i> (Josh.
6:2).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">12)
The <i>“messenger of the LORD”</i> that spoke
as God at Bochim (Judges 2:1,4): <i>“I brought you up out of Egypt”</i> (Judges
2:1).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">13)
The <i>“messenger of the LORD”</i> identified
as <i>“the LORD”</i> that spoke to Gideon
(Judges 6:11): <i>“And the LORD turned toward him”</i> (Judges 6:14).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">14)
The <i>“messenger of the LORD,”</i>
identified as <i>“a man of God”</i> with <i>“the appearance of a messenger of God,”</i> who
appeared to the parents of Samson (Judges 13:3,6,8): <i>“We
have seen God”</i> (Judges 13:22).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">15)
The <i>“messenger of great counsel”</i> in
the old Greek (Septuagint or LXX) version of Isa. 9:6, who in the Hebrew is
called <i>“mighty God, eternal Father.”</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">16)
The <i>“messenger of his [God’s] presence”</i>
in Isa. 63:9, referring to Exo. 23:20-21 (see #8 above).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">17)
The <i>“likeness with the appearance of a
man” </i>that glowed like metal in Ezekiel’s vision of the storm cloud, who is identified
as <i>“the appearance of the likeness of the
glory of the LORD”</i> and who speaks as God (Eze. 1:26-28): <i>“I am
sending you to the sons of Israel...who have rebelled against me....and you
will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says’”</i> (Eze. 2:3-4). </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">18)
The <i>“messenger of the LORD”</i> who
speaks as God before Joshua the high priest (Zech. 3:1, 3, 5-6): <i>“And
the LORD said to Satan”</i> (Zech. 3:2), <i>“I
am going to bring in my servant”</i> (Zech. 3:8).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Later,
under the influence of Greek philosophy, the idea of Jesus as the angelic
messenger of the Lord was misused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
began to teach that Jesus was “just” an angel, that is, that he was a type of created
spiritual being, and was therefore not God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This view became very popular in the Arian heresy of the 4th century, and lives on today in the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In response, the Church
cooled to the idea of Jesus as the Angel (Messenger) of the Lord, and the
teaching was actually denied by Augustine of Hippo (5th century).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it remains an important Biblical teaching
when understood in the original sense that Jesus, the messenger of God, is in
fact God revealed to us, yet at the same time is distinct from the Father
God.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this topic, see our teaching </i></span><i><a href="http://totheendsblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/does-god-have-parts.html" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Does God Have Parts</a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">? or </span></i><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify;">the index category the <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Angel">Angel of the Lord</a>.)</i></div>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-1089196289467191902019-06-02T06:20:00.000-07:002020-04-05T19:19:17.286-07:00What did Paul mean in his rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2:11-14? (Q&A)<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span> I’m almost finished reading your
Jewish Roots of Christianity book. I’ve appreciated learning so much history
that I never knew, but it makes me sad to think that people who have called
themselves by the name of Christ have acted so horrendously… It helps me to
understand a little better the anti-Semitism that we saw (and were SHOCKED by)
in Ukraine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m meditating on the thought that you bring forth in the book that Messianic
Jews still need to follow the law… What do you do then with Paul’s remarks in
Galatians 2:11-14, where Paul calls Peter on the carpet for reverting back to
following the laws when the circumcision party shows up in Antioch? Paul
certainly talks here, and in other places, like he is not following the dietary
laws at least…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am trying to wrap my brain around both ideas (them required to follow the
law, or not follow the law) and am having a hard time going with one or the
other… Does the 2<sup>nd</sup> covenant annul the 1<sup>st</sup> one…? If they
have to do some of the laws, then why wouldn’t they have to follow ALL of the
laws, but like I said, Paul seems to make the case for not having to follow the
law…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I would like to know your thoughts on Galatians at least… --Sarah P.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span> This was also a very difficult
concept for me when I first arrived in Israel and was challenged by some of the
beliefs and practices of the Messianic Jews there. But Christianity’s thinking, beliefs, and
even Bible translations have been influenced by the thousand plus years of
anti-Semitism that you have read about in the book. It takes some doing to get beyond this, but
that’s what finally happened to me as I studied the relevant passages in the original
languages from the point of view of the culture of the time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s important to remember that when Peter had his vision of the sheet
descending in Joppa (before the events in Antioch, but also quite some time
after Jesus’ resurrection), he said, “ I have never eaten anything unholy and
unclean” (Acts 10:14). Never in his
life. This clearly tells us that he had
never stopped obeying the Law, and specifically the dietary laws, either during
his time with Jesus or in the time since Jesus’ ascension. So whatever happened in Antioch did not
involve him suddenly returning to the Law after having abandoned it
previously. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
We also need to consider Paul’s visit to Jerusalem, which led to his
imprisonment. This is after the events
at Antioch. He had come up specifically
to celebrate one of the Jewish feasts in Jerusalem (Pentecost): a requirement of the Law of Moses (Acts
20:16). When he arrived, he was
introduced to the “tens of thousands...among the Jews of those who have
believed [in Jesus], and they are all zealots for the Law” (Acts 21:20). This attachment to the Law is not
condemned. It is mentioned as a way to
warn Paul about the false report that had gone out about him, “that you are
teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles [i.e. outside of Israel] to
forsake Moses [i.e. the Law], telling them not to circumcise their children nor
to walk according to the customs” (Acts. 21:21). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />So what was the advice to Paul of the brothers [believers in Jesus]
there? “We have four men who are under a
vow [Messianic believers under a Nazirite vow, also a part of the Law, Num. 6,
which Paul had also observed as a believer in Jesus, Acts 18:18], take them and
purify yourself along with them [this is Jewish ritual purification, also
according to the Law], and pay their expenses in order that they may shave
their heads [as part of the Nazirite rite:
paying the expenses of Nazirites was considered a meritorious deed in
Judaism], and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have
been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law”
(Acts 21:23-24). In other words, they
told him to do these things in obedience to the Law so that everyone could see
that the stories about him teaching against the Law were completely false. Did Paul follow this advice? Yes he did, the very next day (Acts 21:26).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />This same false charge of disobeying the Law had earlier been leveled
against Stephen, if you remember, in Acts 6:
“And they put forward false witnesses who said, ‘This man does not stop
saying things against the Holy Place [the Temple] and the Law; for we have
heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and will alter
the customs which Moses handed down to us” (Acts 6:13-14). Notice that it was the <i>false</i> witnesses who said that Stephen and Jesus before him were
opposed to the Law of Moses.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />And of course there can be no better witness than Jesus himself who clearly
said, “Do not suppose that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I did not
come to abolish, but to fill [or fulfill] them” (Matt. 5:17). To make his meaning as clear as possible, he
added that not even the smallest stroke of the Law will pass away until it is
all accomplished (Matt. 5:18), and that anyone who annuls even one of the least
of these commandments of the Law will be the least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever keeps and teaches them will be great in the kingdom of heaven
(Matt. 5:19). Since the Law includes
many prophecies about the endtimes that have not yet been fulfilled, clearly
from Jesus’ point of view, the Law of Moses is still in place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />But the big mistake that many Gentile believers make when they read and
finally understand passages like these is to assume that the Law must then
apply to all believers in Jesus. This is
a false assumption and was the whole reason for the council in Acts 15, where
it was decided that Gentiles could become believers in Jesus without coming
under the Law of Moses as Jews. This
distinction of callings is what Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. 7: that if you are called as a believer in Jesus
as a Gentile (uncircumcised), you should remain a Gentile (uncircumcised). If you are called as a Jew (circumcised and
in obedience to the Law of Moses, which is what circumcision symbolized), you
should remain a Jew (1 Cor. 7:18-19).
“Each in the calling in which he was called, let him remain in this
calling” (1 Cor. 7:20). For Jewish
believers, this means following the whole Law of Moses, as the Messianic
believers in Israel do. For Gentile
believers, this means following the Law of Messiah (the New Testament), which
the Jewish believers must also follow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />So what is going on in Gal. 2:11-14?
For most of us, it’s difficult to tell the difference between the Law of
Moses, which Jesus strongly upheld, and the Oral Law of the Pharisees, which
Jesus had some deep and serious problems with.
Remember when he told his disciples to “beware...of the teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt. 16:12)?
Or when he argued in favor of his disciples eating the grain in the
field on a Sabbath (Matt. 12:1-8)? There
is no place in the Law of Moses where it says that you cannot pick heads of
grain for a snack on the Sabbath. So why
did the Pharisees say that the disciples were doing something unlawful (Matt.
12:2)? Because it was against the Oral
Law of the Pharisees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The same thing is going on in Gal. 2.
If you notice carefully, it was not <i>what</i>
they were eating that was the problem.
It was that they were eating together with the Gentiles (Gal. 2:12), in
other words, sitting side by side with them.
This was not against the Law of Moses.
This was only against the Oral Law of the Pharisees. And this is why Paul got upset. For God had revealed to him that Jewish and
Gentile believers in Jesus are together the one body of Messiah, even though we
still have individual and distinct callings (Eph. 2:11-22). To eat separately would break this
fellowship, and that he could not stand for.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />So what happened at Antioch in its origins had nothing to do with obedience
to the Law of Moses. It had only to do
with the Pharisees’ oral additions to the Law, which Jesus often did not
support. Nevertheless, it raised the
whole issue of the role of Gentiles in the body of Messiah which was then
resolved at the council in Acts 15. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I hope this is helpful to you. If not, I would recommend reading back
through the first part of the book again, which might come across differently
now that you’ve heard the larger story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><br /></i>
<i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this topic, see the index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Paul">Paul</a>.)</i></span><br />
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-60117177348216818032019-02-20T22:52:00.001-08:002020-05-03T04:37:41.020-07:00Infant Baptism? (Q&A)<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span> </span>[In
response to our teaching, “<a href="http://www.totheends.com/water.html">The Washing of Water with the Word</a>”:] I'm going to get into trouble here, but here
goes anyway....please notice that the verse you mention says that the <b>Messiah</b>
<b>does</b> the cleansing by the washing of water with the word. <b>We</b>
don't do it. Therefore it is a gift, just like our name from our
parents. So there is no need for someone to wait until they are
"ready" for baptism. It is a gift that we cannot by our own
power or will do anything to be "ready" to receive. Moral of my
story is --get your kids baptized and don't wait another day. –Stephanie
K.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span> Thanks for your enthusiasm in defending
infant baptism--a long-held and widely practiced tradition of the Church.
But this tradition ignores a key component of the original idea of baptism:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that receiving the word of God—being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“cleansed...by his word”</i> (Eph. 5:26)—requires
being able to understand that word. Traditional churches themselves
admit to the inadequacy of infant baptism by their practice of confirmation, a
rite mentioned nowhere in the Bible. Having teenagers confirm
or accept their baptisms is a recognition that infant
baptism is incomplete without the conscious and believing
participation of the one being baptized. And that's exactly the
point. Baptism is the outward, public response to an inner faith:
the sign of a conscious repentance of sin and a decision to follow Jesus.
This decision brings an inner cleansing (Acts 15:9), while baptism completes
the process with an outer washing:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“the
outward sign of an inward grace,” as Augustine of Hippo put it. There
is just no other way to make sense of the Biblical description of this rite as
a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," unless there
is an actual repentance on the part of the person being baptized (<st1:personname w:st="on">Mark</st1:personname> 1:4, Luke 3:3, Acts 13:24, 19:4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This requires a conscious appeal to God (1
Pet. <st1:time hour="15" minute="21" w:st="on">3:21</st1:time>) by faith (Col.
2:12). Infants are completely incapable of doing these things.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ancient Judaism and the earliest Church, like those who practice
believers' baptism today, took a different approach to infants, in a
ceremony known as dedication. This is what Jesus himself
experienced as an infant: he was taken to the Temple, not to be
baptized, but to be dedicated to the Lord (Luke 2:21-24). To be dedicated
simply means to be set aside for the purposes of the Lord (sometimes translated
"to be made holy" or "sanctified"). This is the
language Paul uses when discussing the children of a believer married
to a non-believer (1 Cor. </span><st1:time hour="19" minute="14" w:st="on">7:14</st1:time>).
He does not say that the children have been baptized and are therefore saved,
but rather that they have been sanctified, in other words, set aside for the
Lord (dedicated), exactly the same language he uses about the unbelieving
spouse in that same verse. The children of believers are dedicated, that
is, set aside for God by the believing parents until they come to maturity
and are able to make their own decision about following Jesus.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Look, for example, at how Jesus himself treated children. The
Bible never says he baptized them. Rather, he blessed them while laying
hands on them (Matt. <st1:time hour="19" minute="13" w:st="on">19:13</st1:time>,
<st1:personname w:st="on">Mark</st1:personname> <st1:time hour="10" minute="16" w:st="on">10:16</st1:time>, Luke <st1:time hour="18" minute="16" w:st="on">18:16</st1:time>).
This refers to the Jewish and Biblical custom of blessing someone in the name
of God, a kind of prayer that God would do something good in their lives:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“May God bless you...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But the “cleansing” of God’s Word required for baptism requires a
conscious acceptance and understanding of that Word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the apostle Paul puts it:
"How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how will
they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. <st1:time hour="10" minute="14" w:st="on">10:14</st1:time>). These are not things an infant would
understand. As Paul also says in that same place: "For whoever
will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call
on him in whom they have not believed?" (Eph. 10:13,14). Appealing to
God on the basis of conscious belief is essential to salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You are right that the cleansing by Messiah in preparation for
baptism is a gift. But it is a gift that must be consciously
received, whether it be through teenage confirmation or believer's baptism
or in some other way. But before that conscious participation
is possible, the Bible instructs us to dedicate our children to the Lord (Luke
2:22, 1 Cor. 7:14).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is, in fact, all
that traditional infant baptism can offer until it’s confirmed by a
conscious decision later in life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>(For more on this topic, see the index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Baptism">Baptism</a>.)</i></span></div>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-48058804903175186192019-02-13T01:23:00.000-08:002020-05-03T04:46:14.858-07:00The Meaning of Psalm 23<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>“A psalm of David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord is
my shepherd, I lack nothing”</i> (Psa. 23:1).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The original historical context
of Psalm 23 is the ancient Kingdom of Israel, in which sheep were a major part
of the economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re talking about huge
flocks of sheep running into the thousands in some cases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>King David, probably the most famous king of
Israel, worked as a shepherd when he was a boy, just as many other boys did at
the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Psalm, which is
associated with his name, likely reflects his own experience as a shepherd as he
reflects on God as the shepherd of his own life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The sheep-grazing areas
in Israel are mostly dry, rocky, semi-desert areas, where the sheep are often taken
far away from the agricultural land near town, especially in the spring and
summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an area of steep and
dangerous cliffs and canyons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even a
sure-footed sheep or goat is in real danger of falling to its death. In fact, I’ve
seen a couple of them nearly fall myself out in this area. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is nothing like the
situation in America or Australia, where sheep are kept in huge, fenced
pastures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is instead dry and rocky
ground where there is just a little grass here and there for the sheep to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means the sheep have to be moved constantly
from one spot to another throughout the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the little grass they find to eat is often dry and brown, dried out
by the desert sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The sheep also need to
be watered at least once a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
difficult since there are so few water sources in most parts of this
region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that the shepherd
needs to walk the sheep to and from the water source each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he must choose a different route each
time, so the grass will not be overgrazed and the pasture destroyed.<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;">“</span>In pastures of fresh grass, he makes me lie down, beside the
waters of places of rest he leads me”</i> (Psalm 23:2). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The idea of finding a
pasture filled with lots of fresh, green grass and a bubbling stream beside it is
almost a vision of heaven out in this area (Psa. 23:2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is also the implication of the shepherd
making or causing the sheep to lie down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It implies that there is so much to eat, the sheep are full and can stop
eating, something that rarely happens in the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“My soul he restores; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for the
sake of his name”</i> (Psalm 23:3).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The paths (or literally “trails”)
taken by the sheep can be seen all over these parts of Israel still today (Psa.
23:3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are thousands of them
everywhere, and of no help in directing the sheep, unless they have the
guidance of a shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way,
the Psalmist says, God leads us in the right way, the way of “righteousness.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Even if I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear
evil, for you are with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your rod and
your staff, they comfort me”</i> (Psa. 23:4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The “valley of the
shadow of death” is an allusion to the dangerous and steep cliffs and canyons
in the desert (Psa. 23:4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even here,
the sheep can relax, because the shepherd is always carefully watching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way, God is always with us
through the difficult times in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The rod and staff of the
shepherd are used to direct the sheep in the way they should go (Psa. 23:4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rod is used to thwack the sheep hard
enough to get its attention, which is not always an easy thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The staff, which functions as a shepherd’s
crook, pushes or pulls the sheep in the right direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why are these irritating forms of correction
a comfort?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because the sheep know that
ultimately the shepherd is helping them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s the same when God helps us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>ultimately, it’s for our good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You prepare before me a table in front of my enemies; you have
anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows”</i> (Psa. 23:5).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A “table in front of my
enemies” means that God provides the needs of his people even when they are
facing enemies (Psa. 23:5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an
allusion to the wolves and other predators that threaten the sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though they are lurking nearby, the
sheep can keep on eating peacefully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because the shepherd is
there to protect them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">That God has “anointed
my head with oil” refers to the anointing of sheep with oil mixed with things like
sulfur and tar to repel biting insects (Psa. 23:5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People also applied oil to their skin to
protect it from the ravages of the dry, desert air (Psa. 104:15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the more direct allusion here is to the
anointing of kings and prophets with oil as a sign of their selection by God,
just as was done with King David himself, when he was anointed king of Israel
(1 Sam. 16:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians see here an
allusion to Messiah Jesus, and to our anointing by the Holy Spirit in him (Acts
10:38, 2 Cor. 1:21).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“Messiah” means “anointed
one.”)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Surely goodness and kindness will pursue me all the days of my life, and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”</i> (Psa. 23:6).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The blessing of this kind
of life with God is reflected in the phrases, “my cup overflows,” in other
words, I have more than enough, and “goodness and kindness will pursue me all
the days of my life” (Psa. 23:6). This is the opposite of pursuing the good
life, rather a good life will pursue me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The focus of religious
worship in David’s day was the Tabernacle that had been built in the time of
Moses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was soon replaced in the
time of Solomon, his son, with the Temple in Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in either case, this structure was
regarded as the “house” of the Lord, where the presence of the Lord was
believed to dwell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By saying that he
wants to “dwell in the house of the LORD forever,” the psalmist is saying that
he wants to live in God’s direct presence forever (Psa. 23:6).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><br /></i>
<i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this topic, see the index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Psalms">Psalms</a>.)</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-4250426830494496832018-10-18T02:50:00.000-07:002020-05-03T04:43:11.681-07:00The Non-Trinitarian Views of Eric Chang (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Q</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">:</span> </span>I have just finished studying your book '<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1979828393/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=totheendsoftheea&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1979828393&linkId=c35f71fa4303f9272a61a590f8b0f20e" target="_blank">The Jewish Roots of Christianity</a>', which I found very readable, and being a Bible student of some
40+ years I found some of the content (surprisingly) most enlightening--things
I have wondered about for a long time regarding Paul's writing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I was reading your book I did wonder if you have ever
come across and read the books of Eric Chang, 'The One True God' and 'The Only
Perfect Man.' If you haven't I think you will find them extremely interesting,
they are freely available as downloadable pdf's at this link:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://thetruthinallboldness.info/books/%C2%A0" target="_blank">http://thetruthinallboldness.info/books/ </a></span>or </div>
<a href="http://www.christiandiscipleschurch.org/content/only-true-god" target="_blank">http://www.christiandiscipleschurch.org/content/only-true-god</a>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a serious student of the truth I would very much appreciate
your views of the content covered in this material, considering your extensive
and knowledgeable background and area of expertise. If you have a little time
to examine it, you may find it interesting yourself. (They are also available
on Amazon books if you prefer physical books, as I do. I have nothing to do with
their church by the way).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hope you have time to respond, looking forward to hearing
from you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With kind regards --Phil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">:</span></span> </span> </span>Thanks for the positive feedback about our Jewish Roots of
Christianity book. I’ve glanced briefly
through Eric Chang’s <i>The Only True God</i> at your request. It’s nice to see him struggling honestly with the
challenges of Christian monotheism in a way that the original sources
invite. However, to strengthen his
credibility, he needs to wrestle more with early Christian sources from the pre-Augustinian era. The views of Trinitarians have not always
been monolithic, and many of these early voices have important insights to add
to the conversation. To put it another
way: not everyone who claims to be a
Trinitarian agrees about what that means. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I completely agree with his criticism of the Trinitarian
views that turn Jesus into a second God, and suppress the Father behind the
glory of his ascendant Son. This is not
what Jesus himself had in mind at all.
There is only one God, and whatever was going on in Jesus was a
manifestation of that one true God.</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But the issue for me comes down to the center of
consciousness of Jesus. Was he just a
“perfect man” who had some kind of special awareness of God’s power and
presence in his life? Or does he speak
as God, fully conscious of his divinity?
Is he a human in-filled by God, or is he God wrapped in humanity? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I read the gospels, and read them with attention to
their Jewish cultural setting, I see Jesus constantly declaring that he is
self-consciously God: not a man filled
with God, but God who had taken flesh upon himself, God become man. But this then raises the question as to how
that can be, for it is impossible to imagine that all there is to God was
somehow limited and restrained within the physical, human form of Jesus (as
Chang also recognizes). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The solution provided by the Bible is that the Word of God,
that is, some fully divine subset of the totality of God, sent out by God, is
what became flesh in Jesus. This sent
Word of God, being divine, was able to appear to the patriarchs, speak to the prophets, and speak back to God himself, as Jesus did in prayer. This certainly gives him the appearance of an
independent personhood, as the traditional creeds and formulas rightly
recognize. Yet God in his divinity is
beyond all the earthly limits of personhood that we experience as humans and
has the ability to manifest himself in as many persons as he likes without at
all lessening the unity of his identity as the one true God. I like to compare this to the neurons in our
hearts and stomachs communicating with the neurons in our brains. This communication takes places between
different physical locations—messages are sent back and forth—but they are all
still part of a single individual. In
the case of God the communication between Father, Son, and Spirit does not in
any way lessen their identity together as the one and only one true God. The Trinity, that is to say, rightly
understood is a revelation of the inner workings within the one true God
himself, and reveals him to be an actual being with meaningful inner complexity
rather than a mere intellectual concept.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chang refers often to the rabbinical concept of
the Memra, but he does not seem to have wrestled with its meaning among
the rabbis, as has Itzhak Shapira in his book <i>The Kosher Pig</i>. Even the
rabbis recognized the individuality or individual identity of what Christians
often call the pre-incarnate appearances of the Son of God, and that this was
more complex than simply saying that Yahweh himself was appearing on earth (as
Chang does). There was a distinct
identity being revealed here, that the rabbis recognized and tried to explain
in various ways, while at the same time defending themselves from Christian
claims about Jesus. There is, in fact, a
genuine distinction to be made between God and his Word, the Father and the
Son. But this is not a distinction
between separate beings: rather it is a
revelation of the inner workings of the one and only true and living God. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><i>(For more on this topic, see our teaching <a href="http://www.totheends.com/didjesus.html">Did Jesus Claim to be God? </a> and the index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Trinity">Trinity</a>.)</i></span>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-82894422194564450752018-06-15T04:51:00.001-07:002020-05-03T04:44:40.807-07:00A Hebrew Matthew and Jerome (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q:</span> [In response to our <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questions4.htm#Dutillet">Q&A on the Du Tillet
manuscript</a>:] ...I believe, based on the
statements of various "early church fathers," that the Gospel of
Matthew WAS written in Aramaic. I do not agree with those who try to
"prove" that the other Gospels or even the entire New Testament were
written in Hebrew or Aramaic!!!!!!!!!! If you would like I can e-mail you
a website that I know about that shows many of the textual variants of the
New Testament. Yet the issue of who the manuscripts of the New Testament come
from bothers me. What do you think of the fact that it is said that Jerome
got manuscripts for his gospel of Matthew from Jewish believers in
Yeshua?...--Jeremy J.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span> You are right that there is quite a bit
of evidence among the early church fathers for a non-Greek original to the
gospel of Matthew. This evidence comes from places as diverse as <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> (in the
early Christian community there), <st1:place w:st="on">Arabia</st1:place>, and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
itself. In all of these reports, this original Matthew is reported as
being in Hebrew. </span>There is no similar historical evidence for a Hebrew original of any other book in the New Testament. </div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
That Matthew was originally written in Hebrew is sometimes contested by scholars who cling to the outdated notion that Jesus taught
in Aramaic. But the evidence for Hebrew literacy in Israel in the Second Temple period is clear, both from archeology and textual sources. Today there is no legitimate reason to deny that
these church fathers knew what they were talking about when they said that
Matthew wrote in Hebrew.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also agree with you that there are difficulties
with attempts to reconstruct Hebrew or Aramaic originals behind other New
Testament books. Even if this might have possibly been true in certain cases (and this is
by no means certain), any reconstruction lacking an original manuscript is just
a guess, whereas the Greek we have is certain. <o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The issue of textual variants is minor compared to
this. Most textual variants can be resolved as simple copying errors. None affects
any major doctrine, and only a tiny minority affect the meaning of any sentence
in the Bible in any significant way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The claim that Jerome obtained a copy of the Hebrew
version of Matthew from Jewish believers in Jesus (Nazarenes) is one that he
makes himself (in his "Concerning Illustrious Men" section on
Matthew). He claims not only to have seen it, but to have made a
copy of it. Unfortunately that is now lost to us, aside from a few comments
he made about its contents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the other hand, Jerome's Latin translation
of Matthew's gospel, or rather his "correction" of the Latin as
he puts it, was made from the Greek (as he says in his preface to the
Gospels), which it closely matches. Why he didn't make more direct use of
the Hebrew is not explained. However, I can't imagine that he was not
influenced in some way by the Hebrew original he had copied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jerome, by the way, also had access to some
scrolls from the <st1:place w:st="on">Dead Sea</st1:place> area--the first
reported <st1:place w:st="on">Dead Sea</st1:place> scrolls--that he used in his
translation of the Old Testament!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(For
more on this topic, see the index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Matthew">Matthew</a>.)</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-35317240483046450782018-06-15T04:19:00.000-07:002020-05-03T04:48:14.019-07:00Sabbath for Non-Jews? (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span> Very good comment on Isa 56 about Jesus as Salvation [see our <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questions3.htm#Isaiah">Q&A on Isaiah 56</a>]. But what about the context: <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> has to offer also Sabbath-keeping as a sign of the new covenant that is brought about by the Messiah (verse 8 "to HIM" will be gathered all). Do you agree that the Sabbath is also the sign of the new covenant for non-Jews, for all Christians? –Jens S.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span> Thank you for bringing up the issue of Sabbath with regard to Isa. 56. As you correctly point out, this is a key element in the chapter. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by Sabbath-keeping being a “sign of the new covenant” for Israel, since Sabbath-keeping is usually considered a sign of the old covenant as it specifically says in Exo. 31:13; Eze. 20:12. But if you simply mean that it continues as part of the practice of Jewish believers in Jesus, this is certainly true. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With regard to Isa. 56:8 ("The Lord GOD, who gathers the banished ones of Israel, declares, 'Yet others I will gather to him, to those already gathered.'"), the phrase "yet others will I gather to him" is a reference back to Israel in the same verse, and as a result, is often translated for clarity “to them.” This is how Jesus understood it when he alluded to this verse in John 10:16, speaking of the "other sheep" that were to be added to the Jewish people who had already believed in him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The foreigners (or literally the “sons of a foreigner”) of Isa. 56:6 are some of these “other sheep” that are to be gathered (in vs. 8). But notice carefully the language used for these foreigners with regard to the Sabbath. The Jewish eunuchs in vs. 4 are instructed to “keep my sabbaths.” But for the Gentile foreigners in vs. 6, they are instructed to “keep from dishonoring the Sabbath.” What’s the difference? <o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plural “sabbaths” in vs. 4 instructs Jewish eunuchs not only to observe the weekly Sabbaths, but also to observe all the other festival sabbaths of Israel as well. In other words, Jewish eunuchs are instructed to observe the Law of Moses completely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But nothing about these other sabbaths is mentioned in the instructions given to Gentile foreigners, nor are they told to observe the weekly Sabbath as the Jewish people do, but rather they are only told to avoid dishonoring the Sabbath, which is quite different. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This difference is key in dealing with your question about the Sabbath for non-Jewish believers in Jesus. The Council of Acts 15 decided that Gentile believers should not become proselytes (converts) to Judaism, and as a result, Sabbath-keeping was not required of them. Instead, the requirements outlined in Acts 15 are similar to the rabbinic idea of the Seven Laws of Noah. Neither system of requirements for Gentiles included keeping the weekly Sabbath in the Jewish manner. This is why there is little evidence of Sabbath-keeping in the Gentile portions of the early church. There is, however, evidence of respect for the Sabbath, especially in the Eastern Church. Just as Isaiah instructed, they kept from dishonoring the Sabbath, even though they did not observe it in the Jewish way.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(For more on this topic, see our teaching on <a href="http://www.totheends.com/noah.html">The Laws of Noah</a>, and our <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1979828393/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=totheendsoftheea&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1979828393&linkId=c35f71fa4303f9272a61a590f8b0f20e">Jewish Roots of Christianity book</a> or <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page11.html">free audio on-line seminar</a>.)</span></i></div>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-11146503895685301602018-06-09T06:44:00.000-07:002020-05-03T04:57:00.846-07:00Was Early Christianity a Mystery Religion? (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span> I heard that early
Christianity was a mystery religion in <st1:city w:st="on">Rome</st1:city>. Is this true and does anyone know any of the
characteristics of mystery religions? (I know that they were a secret but has
anything come out about them?) Was it a
popular one, like were there many Romans who joined it? Also did mystery religions have supernatural
events that happened, as I read that in some mystery religions, people would
enter the spirit world or supernatural realm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Anyway, I hope that made sense, and thanks for any help.</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">
A: </span>The main focus of the most important
rituals of the ancient mystery religions, as far as we know, was the revelation of some secret act or
ritual object with deep symbolic meaning for those trained in the belief system
of the religion. This took place toward
the end of a lengthy and elaborate ritual.
This revelation was often intended to produce a specific spiritual or
emotional effect on the initiates that were experiencing it for the first
time. They were then sworn to keep this ritual
a secret, and in most cases they did, as we are still ignorant of most of the
core mysteries today.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When scholars speak of Christianity as a mystery religion, this refers primarily
to the striking similarity between the Eucharist or Communion as it developed
in the Roman world and what we know of the mystery religions. In fact, the
closest thing today to the celebration of the ancient mysteries, or even to the
liturgies of the pagan Roman state religion, is a traditional Roman Catholic or
Eastern Orthodox mass with its processions and candles and incense. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
All of this was quite different than the earliest Christian worship services,
which took place in an initially Jewish setting. What later became the Eucharist
or Communion began as a simple set of blessings said at a communal evening meal,
together with the sharing of bread and a cup in memory of Jesus' death and
resurrection. <br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Among the Gentile Christians in Rome and elsewhere, though, this was soon
changed. The blessings along with the bread and cup were removed from an actual
meal and placed in a morning worship service that had more in common with pagan
Roman rites than with the Jewish original. As in the mystery religions, the cup
and bread became special ritual objects that were revealed at the end of a long
ritual, but only to those properly initiated. Later it came to be believed that something
mysterious and magical happened at the exact moment when the priest said certain
words over these elements: that the wine and bread actually became, physically,
the body and blood of Christ.<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Needless to say, this was not the original idea, even in Rome, but the result
of a development over centuries. This
development took into account local ideas about religion, including that of the
mystery religions. The original Jewish commemoration was more an act of
corporate memory, as in the Passover meal with which it was first associated. It was intended to bring past events into
living memory. But in the context of Roman society, this communal family-style
meal was transformed into more of a magical ritual performed by a priest, of
which the congregation were merely spectators. This was the result, in part, of
the influence of the mystery religions.</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was against these later developments that the Protestant Reformation was launched in the 16th century, in the attempt to return Christianity to a more Biblical form of worship.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As far as its popularity goes, Christianity started quite
small, but quickly gained adherents. By
AD 64, when Nero persecuted the Christians living in the city of Rome, they had
become an “immense multitude” (Tacitus, <i>Annals</i>
15.44.5). This was only 34 years after
Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. By
AD 112, in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), the number of Christians had become so
many in some places that the pagan temples were in danger of becoming deserted
(Pliny, <i>Epp.</i> 10.96.10). By the time of Constantine, at the beginning
of the 4<sup>th</sup> cent. AD, though Christians were still a minority of the
population, they soon became a majority after Christianity was made a legal
religion in the Roman Empire. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<i>(For more on this topic, see our <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1979828393/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=totheendsoftheea&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1979828393&linkId=c35f71fa4303f9272a61a590f8b0f20e">Jewish
Roots of Christianity Book</a> and <a href="http://www.totheends.com/page11.html">Seminar</a>.)</i></div>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-91405476298636281912018-06-07T20:35:00.001-07:002020-05-03T04:58:23.987-07:00When was Jesus' Last Supper? (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span> In your review of <a href="http://www.totheends.com/martin.htm">"The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot" by Ernest Martin</a>, the article was interesting. I came on this page of
the web looking for what the word meaning of the “common hall” was in the
Bible [Matt. 27:27 KJV]. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I disagree that the Last Supper was
the night before the crucifixion. In John 19:14, it states, <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">"And it was the preparation of the Passover,
and about the sixth hour: and he [Pilate] saith unto the Jews, Behold your
King."</span></strong> With Jesus on the cross the third hour, then this
has to be the day before the crucifixion, at least. If you look at John
4:6, the passage with the woman at the well, it's also the sixth hour. Any
commentary I've read states that this was <st1:time hour="12" minute="0" w:st="on">noon</st1:time>
. If it's <st1:time hour="12" minute="0" w:st="on">noon</st1:time> here, then
in John <st1:time hour="19" minute="14" w:st="on">19:14</st1:time> it is also <st1:time hour="12" minute="0" w:st="on">noon</st1:time>. In John 13:1 it states, <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">"Now before the feast of the Passover,
when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world
unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them
unto the end."</span></strong> This is just before the Last
Supper. In Josephus it states that the 14th, "The Lords
Passover" had become a feast day during the time of Jesus. This is twice that
the Bible states that the Last Supper was not the evening before the
crucifixion. Before the feast means before the feast. The 14th was a
feast day, but not a holy day. I have been working on this question off
and on for about four years. Take a look at another possibility.
Please read <a href="http://www.holyweekrevisited.com/">www.holyweekrevisited.com</a>
--Joseph L.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span>Many Gentile
Christians are misled by the phrase, "the preparation of the
Passover" in John 19:14. It appears to them to indicate a day of
preparation before the beginning of the Passover holiday itself. But as
with so many other details of Jewish observance, what may seem logical to us as
Gentiles is no guarantee of a correct understanding of the culture of that
day. The only way to correctly understand it is according to the
original Jewish understanding. Among the Jewish people,
the "Preparation" was their name for the day preceding the
Sabbath (i.e. Thursday evening and Friday until sunset). This, by the
way, is still the name for Friday in Greece today (<i>Paraskeue</i>, which means “Preparation”).
The "preparation" day in John 19:14 therefore refers not to a day
preceding the Passover celebration, but to the Preparation day (the Friday) that
fell in the Passover week. This Preparation day was especially important,
because the Sabbath that fell during the Passover week was considered a
"high" Sabbath (as explained in John 19:31). What this
means is that the Preparation day of the Passover always falls <i>within</i>
the Passover week, and never before it. As a result, these events could only have happened <i>after</i>
the evening Passover Seder meal (Jesus’ Last Supper) held on the first evening
of Passover, and not before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This same verse, therefore, also specifies the day of the week on which
Jesus was crucified (Preparation = Friday), which agrees with Luke 23:54, which
specifically says that he was crucified on the preparation day just before the
Sabbath. This confirms that Jesus was crucified
on a Friday, and that the preparation they were both referring to was the day
of preparation that immediately preceded the Sabbath. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The time of day mentioned in John 19:14, “the sixth hour,” is 6 am Roman
time, the time system used by John, who at the time of writing was living in
the diaspora, in Ephesus, and was writing mostly to Gentile believers who had
never been to Israel, and so were not familiar with the Jewish timekeeping
system. The Romans started counting the
hours at midnight just as we do today, and then started over again at
noon. This means that the “sixth hour”
in John 4:6, in the story of the woman at the well, was 6 pm, after a long day
of traveling by Jesus and the disciples.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But Mark, along with the other synoptic gospel writers (Matthew and
Luke), used the Jewish system of counting the hours, which starts at 6 am. The “third hour” in this system is 9 am,
which is when Jesus was hung on the cross (Mark 15:25). Applying these two different systems of
counting the hours to the gospels makes the sequence of events work out perfectly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With regard to John 13:1, many have been led by this verse to suppose
that the meal described here was not a Passover Meal, but took place before the
Passover. But despite the fact that John's account has a different focus
than that of the other gospel writers, all are referring to the same meal. This can easily be seen by looking at
what follows in John 18, where Jesus ends up in the Garden of Gethsemane
that same night and is betrayed by Judas, just as in the other gospels.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A translation that more accurately reflects the original Greek verb
tenses solves the problem: "But Jesus, knowing before the
feast of Passover that his hour had come in which he would depart from this
world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, showed
them love to the end" (John 13:1). The idea expressed here is not
that the events that follow took place before the Passover, but rather that Jesus
already knew before the Passover that the time of his death had come, yet
he continued showing love to his disciples right up until the end. In other words, the knowledge that his death
was near did not change his behavior, as it would for most other people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You mention Josephus’ reference to a celebration on the 14<sup>th</sup>
of Nisan. Let’s take a look at that in
detail: “And they offered the sacrifice
which was called the Passover on the fourteenth day of the same month [Nisan],
and feasted seven days...” (Antiquities 11.4.8 [110]). Here he states that the sacrifice of the
Passover lambs took place on the 14<sup>th</sup> of Nisan, which is exactly
what was commanded in the Bible (Exodus 12:6).
Then that evening, which becomes the 15<sup>th</sup> of Nisan after the
sun sets, they ate the Passover meal (the <i>Seder</i>),
again exactly according to the Bible (Exo. 12:8, Lev. 23:6, Num. 28:17). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Taking this evidence into account, it is clear that Jesus’ last Passover
with his disciples took place on a Thursday evening, and he was crucified the
next morning (Friday morning).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<i>(For
more on this topic, see the Index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Passover">Passover</a>.)</i>
<br />
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-49519604628231078852018-05-26T20:45:00.000-07:002020-05-03T04:59:29.573-07:00What Kind of Water is in the Jewish Ritual Bath (Mikveh)? (Q&A)<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Q:</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">I just read your article on Ephesians 5:26 [</span><a href="http://www.totheends.com/water.html" style="background-color: white;">The Washing of Water with the Word</a><span style="background-color: white;">].
A great look at a deeply profound message. I've also been studying Jewish
tradition as it relates to baptism and ritual washing. I thought that the <i>mikveh
</i>was actually to be made up of running (i.e. living) waters rather than standing
or pooled waters. Then to think about this in relationship to what Jesus said
to the woman at the well in John 4:10:</span><span style="background-color: white;">
</span><span style="background-color: white;">“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is
that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you
living water.’”</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Very cool stuff indeed.
Thanks for your insight. --Eli</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A:</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span> There are several different grades of water for
ritual bathing. Six of these are
mentioned in the Mishnah in the section on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mikvaoth</i>
(“Ritual baths,” 1:1-8). The highest
grade is freely flowing water (“living water”), like that in the Jordan River
where John was baptizing. Fourth on the
list, but quite common in everyday use, is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mikveh</i> bath. This contains
40 seahs of water, which is about 80 gallons.
These baths must be filled naturally with rainwater channeled from the
roof or with water flowing in from a spring or river nearby. Though this is standing water after it
enters the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mikveh</i>, it is considered
acceptable because of its source.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A
constantly flowing spring of living water as described by Jesus in John 4:10
and 4:14 would be the highest grade of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here it is, of course, a symbol of the purifying presence of the Holy
Spirit (John 7:38-39).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<i>(For more on this topic, see the Index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Baptism">Baptism</a>.)</i></div>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-27273106976797323532018-05-18T08:18:00.001-07:002020-05-03T05:01:03.883-07:00Is Baptism Essential to Salvation? (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span> Jeff, I chanced upon the website while surfing the internet.
For the past few months, I have been trying to understand whether a person
needs to be baptized to be saved. I would like to consult you on the relation between
baptism and salvation, as understood by the early church (made up of mainly
Jews). I have read what was written in your Q&A question “<a href="http://www.totheends.com/questions2.htm#Baptism">The Jewish Roots of
Baptism</a>,” and it seems like baptism is (and was) seen as a cleansing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Did the early
church (or maybe present day Jewish Christians) believe/teach that baptism is
necessary for salvation? --BK<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span>Christian baptism is a rite of initiation adopted
from immersion in the Jewish <i>mikveh</i>
bath. The <i>mikveh</i> bath was used for ritual cleansing from many different kinds
of uncleanness, most of them found in Lev. 15.
But the use that most strongly influenced Christian baptism was the conversion
of a Gentile to Judaism, for which ritual immersion was required. In Christianity, this became an important part
of the overall cleansing—both inner and outer—that marked coming to faith in
Jesus (<i>Yeshua</i>) as the Messiah and Son of God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the early
church, and already in the New Testament, baptism was considered an
indispensable part of the process of salvation.
It was an outward, public declaration of the inner decision and
conviction of the heart to follow Jesus as Messiah and Lord. Both the inner conviction and the outer act
of baptism were considered necessary for salvation (Mark 16:16). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHmN2phAfRKv7MQvNAcmfTiPiHy0Yl8T3WQUggBo3sJRnIkutbGO0uvqhRKevHE9WlN-cgLMb1_bqGWB2KHJb_g08IjE5ZFjqWo7Lm1zeTZ3lYHWSsscj_hR1VHY0TKDo5Ew8uqGyB7M/s1600/mikveh.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHmN2phAfRKv7MQvNAcmfTiPiHy0Yl8T3WQUggBo3sJRnIkutbGO0uvqhRKevHE9WlN-cgLMb1_bqGWB2KHJb_g08IjE5ZFjqWo7Lm1zeTZ3lYHWSsscj_hR1VHY0TKDo5Ew8uqGyB7M/s1600/mikveh.gif" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Jewish <i>Mikveh</i> Bath</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In an early church
manual from Syria (the Didache), it was considered so important that if
insufficient water for immersion was available, then pouring or sprinkling water
would suffice. In other words, it was
more important to do it right away, even if under less than perfect conditions, than to
wait. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">There were also
times, though, when baptism was not possible, as when someone became a believer
shortly before being martyred for his faith.
In this case, the advice of the early church leaders was not to fear,
but that their shed blood would accomplish their baptism for them. So although baptism was considered necessary
to salvation, there was leeway for exceptional circumstances.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Among modern Jewish believers in Israel (as with converts from Islam),
baptism is an especially significant dividing line in expressing commitment to
Yeshua (Jesus).</span> This is because it is
seen, both by Christians and non-Christians, as expressing a definitive break
with one's former religious beliefs.
This is the point at which severe persecution has often begun at the
hands of relatives and neighbors who reject the Christian message. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please pray for brothers and sisters in
Messiah in the </span><st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place> who are suffering
right now for their decision to believe in Jesus and be baptized.</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-22308028484106029802018-05-18T07:42:00.000-07:002020-05-03T05:02:55.394-07:00The Tav Mark (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span>I have read your message, <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questions4.htm#Tav">"When did the 'Tav' mark start to look like a cross"</a>? I`d be very thankful, if you can answer some questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How do you know that the mark mentioned in Ezekiel 9:4 is the letter
tav? In the Bible it reads only "...and set a mark upon the forehead of the men." Where is it mentioned in the Hebrew Bible that the mark was the letter "tav"?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You say that the Essenes marked Messianic prophecies in their Bible
scrolls with a cross mark. Can you give me some example of that, how they
use the cross? Is there no doubt that the crosses were placed there with
some definitive purpose and not only to mark the messianic passages out of the
others?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I`ve read some article about ossuaries with crosses, found on the Mount
of Olives. Yet many modern scholars say, that these crosses are only mason
marks or marks, showing how to close the lid and the cross did not come into use as a Christian
symbol until the early part of the 4th century. Also Amos Klosner says that. I`m
very confused about that. I don`t know, but I think that only ossuaries with
inner ledges on the sides and sliding lids need a mark, showing how to position the lid
and that there should then also be a mark on the lid on the same side
opposite the crossmark and inscription. Is there any evidence that the
crossmarks could be only such marks or masons’ marks? Can you also tell me how
I can get the exact description of the ossuaries with crosses found by Charles
Clermont-Ganneau, Bagatti, and Sukenik?<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1980 there was a family tomb discovered in East Talpiot in Jerusalem
with 9 ossuaries. Six of them were inscribed with the names Joseph, Mary, Jesus
son of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Joseph</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Judah</st1:country-region></st1:place> son of Jesus, Matthew, and
Mary. There was also a cross mark on the ossuary with Jesus son of Joseph.
What could this cross mark mean?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can you take some time to answer my questions? Thanks in advance. --Maritta</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A: </span> In Ezekiel 9:4, the word often
translated "mark" is <i>tav</i> in the original Hebrew
language. The word <i>tav</i> is also the name of the final letter
of the Hebrew alphabet, which at the time was made in the shape of a cross, or
sometimes tilted over like an "x." (This is different than the way <i>tavs</i> are made today.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In certain Essene Biblical scrolls, a <i>tav</i> mark appears in the
margin beside verses that apply to the Messiah (see cross #1 below). The
purpose seems to have been to indicate which verses concern the Messiah, just
as some modern translations have stars or other symbols or colored marks beside
Messianic verses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I, too, am not convinced
by the usual scholarly interpretation of the cross marks found on
ossuaries on the </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Mt.</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Olives</st1:placename></st1:place> and elsewhere
in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:place></st1:city>
from the 1st cent. AD (see crosses #2-4).* Some are quite large,
much larger than would be necessary for a mason's mark. I believe
that most of these are either Jewish Christian symbols indicating
Messianic beliefs, or perhaps Jewish symbols pointing to the end-times, just
like the crosses on the Essene scrolls. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4O78wpsxW_mdL2m4d5g2ZM_o1sA__twhBwOvc_up0MyP3Bs0qVEbJhMJNG0g5gA8yWhY2pYDX3U-NV5nntuj1u5obFi_o_R9AA731RV2oaT5UEIpClFi4PdYaOEAPFDhgzncYt4arSY/s1600/Crosses.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4O78wpsxW_mdL2m4d5g2ZM_o1sA__twhBwOvc_up0MyP3Bs0qVEbJhMJNG0g5gA8yWhY2pYDX3U-NV5nntuj1u5obFi_o_R9AA731RV2oaT5UEIpClFi4PdYaOEAPFDhgzncYt4arSY/s1600/Crosses.tif" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The use of the <i>tav</i> symbol by the Essenes to refer to the Messiah
means that this symbol was being used within Jewish society at the time of
Jesus with a meaning very close to that which it later had in
Christianity. That this symbol was picked up early by Christians is
indicated by the great diversity of cross-shaped symbols
in Jewish-Christian contexts that have been found in the archeological
excavations at Nazareth, Capernaum, and elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">* Crosses 2 and 4 are from early Jewish Christian burials near Jerusalem
(Talpioth) and on the Mt. of Olives (Silwan) dating from the 1st or early 2nd
centuries AD. The Hebrew name over a
cross (#3) is from a group of Jewish Christian burials on the Mt. of Olives
(Dominus Flevit). The name, Shlomzion,
means “peace of Zion.” Cross #5 is Byzantine
from Capernaum. The symbolic “fruit”
hanging from its crossbeam shows it to be the “tree of life,” a common early Jewish
Christian teaching.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
One of the few accessible books that contains a description and
photos of these ossuaries is Jack Finegan's <i>The
Archeology of the New Testament</i>. He also has an excellent discussion
of the evidence for the cross as a Christian symbol.<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<i>(For more on this topic, see the Index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Cross">Cross, sign of the</a>.)</i><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-2452170939242890932018-05-16T06:36:00.000-07:002020-05-03T05:04:00.528-07:00Is Jesus God? (Q&A)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This set of questions provides insight into Muslim thinking about Jesus as the Son of God. Parts of the original e-mail have been edited for clarity. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q1: </span>[The first e-mail began with
many Bible verses indicating that Jesus is different than the Father, or
stating that he is a servant of the Father or less than the Father, such as:] <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">John - Chapter 14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">28: …for my Father is greater than
I.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">John - Chapter 13<br />
16: Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord;
neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 20: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth
him that sent me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">John - Chapter 17<br />
3: And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">John - Chapter 12<br />
44: Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on
him that sent me. 45: And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">[Others include John 7:28,29; Luke 21:41-43; Luke 6:12; John 17:23; John
15:1-5; John 14:1-7. The writer then
continues:]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If the "Son" [was] created by the "Father" then he would
not be "God," because he is created (or limited).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
If the "Son" has not [been] created, then he is not a son, but the
"Father" or the same as the Father. <Or say both "are" one person!
></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
If the "Son" is separated ("begotten") from the "Father,"
then it means the "Father" is divided in two and "changed"
(neither of them would be unlimited anymore ... ).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Surely you cannot both believe in the first to the third commandments of the
Ten Commandments and believe that Christ is God simultaneously (else, you
deceive yourself!)…<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
[Other verses follow under the topic,] "Christ," "Word of
God" [including Psa. 33:6, Luke 24:19, 1 Pet. 1:23, John 17:17, John 1:14,
etc. This is then followed by quotes
from the Quran, the Muslim holy book:]<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Sura 4 : 171 <br />
O people of the book! do not transgress the limits of your religion and do not
say about God except the truth. The Messiah Jesus the son of Mary was a
messenger of God and His word that He had sent to Mary and a spirit from Him.
Therefore you shall believe in God and His messengers. You shall not say
Trinity. You shall refrain from this for your own good. God is the only god. Be
He glorified; He is much too glorious to have a son. To Him belongs everything
in the heavens and everything on earth. God suffices as Lord and Master.<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Sura <st1:time hour="15" minute="45" w:st="on">3 : 45</st1:time><br />
The angels said O Mary God gives you good news: a Word from Him whose name is
The Messiah Jesus the son of Mary. He will be prominent in this life and in the
Hereafter and one of those closest to Me.<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Sura <st1:time hour="17" minute="17" w:st="on">5 : 17</st1:time><br />
Certainly disbelievers indeed are those who say that God is the Messiah the
son of Mary. Say Who then could control anything as against God if He will to
destroy the Messiah son of Mary and his mother and everyone on earth? To
God belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and everything between
them. He creates whatever He will. God has power over all things.<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
--Mohammad I.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A1: </span>Thank you for your e-mail. It seems that you have done a lot of research
into the teachings of the Bible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">From the
verses you quote, it is easy to see why the Christian teaching about Jesus
being God can seem confusing if not false.
How can Jesus be God, yet be different from the Father, since there is
only one God? How can Jesus be God when
he says that he is a servant or messenger of God and is less than the Father? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The answer
to this mystery requires us first to establish one point. How can we know anything about God? Is God what man imagines him to be, or is he
what he is inside of himself? And if God
is what he is inside of himself, how can any man know what this is? The answer is surely that man cannot know
what God is inside of himself unless God reveals that to us, because as the
Bible says, no man has seen God (John 1:18).
Man can know nothing about God except what God reveals to us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">For
example, when we say that God is one, how do we know this? We know this because God has revealed himself
to Abraham and many others in the Bible as one God, and has revealed that the
many gods of the pagans are false. But
what do we mean when we say that God is one?
We mean that he is not many. Does
this mean that we now know what God is inside of himself? No, we only know what God has revealed to us,
that he is one. I believe that every
Muslim can agree with me on this point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So has God
ever revealed what he is inside of himself?
The prophets sometimes use curious language to tell us about God. For example, the prophet Isaiah often speaks
about the "arm" of the Lord:
"Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, with his <u>arm</u>
ruling for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him"
(Isa. 40:10). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What is
this arm of God, and how can it rule for him?
Surely God does not have a physical arm, since God is Spirit, and is not
physical (John 4:24). So some imagine
that the "arm" of God is simply a way to talk about God's strength or
power. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But then,
what is the meaning of these verses:
"Who has believed our message? And to whom has the <u>arm</u> of
the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, And like
a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should
look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face,
he was despised, and we did not esteem him" (Isa. 53:1-3).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If the
"arm" of God simply refers to God's strength or power, how can it
grow up before him? How can it have an
appearance that we can see? How can it
be referred to as a man?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Or what
about this verse? "The LORD has
bared his holy <u>arm</u> In the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of
the earth may see the salvation of our God" (Isa. 52:10). How has God revealed his "holy arm"
in such a way that all nations have seen it?
And how does this show us his salvation?
What is the salvation of God that is revealed by his "holy
arm"? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The
Christian belief is that through many prophecies of this kind, God is revealing
to us who he is inside of himself, and how he communicates with us. It seems that he, who cannot be seen
directly, communicates with us through a spiritual extension of himself that is
sometimes called the “arm” of the Lord, and sometimes the “word” of God, as
well as by many other mysterious names in the Bible. Through this "arm" of the Lord, the
God who is beyond space and time is able to reach into space and time in a way we can see and hear to
communicate with us and do his will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some deny
that God could have a spiritual extension of himself in this way. But should man tell God how he may or may not
be? Is not God the all powerful, the
almighty, who is able to do whatever he wants according to his own will? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some object
that this extension of God (sometimes called the "word" or
"speaking ability" of God [the Greek word <i>logos</i> in the New
Testament means both “word” and “speaking ability”]) is separate from God himself. But is the word or speaking ability of an
ordinary person separate from that person?
Is my word or speaking ability separate from me? But if God has a word/speaking ability, it is
obvious that this is part of who God is.
Just as in the image of Isaiah, the arm of God is obviously a part of
God. But if, on the other hand, the
word/speaking ability of God is outside of God, then God has no word or
speaking ability and has become a mere object like a stone or piece of wood
that cannot think or speak. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many have
misunderstood the Christian teaching about the Word of God. For example, they imagine that Mohammed is
speaking against our belief when he says that God has no son. But actually, Christians <u>agree</u> that
Jesus is <u>not</u> the carnal offspring (<i>walad</i> in Arabic) of the
Father. When we say that Jesus is God's
Son, we are referring to the spiritual extension of the Father (the “arm” of
God), who was joined to human flesh in Jesus.
The flesh of Jesus is created by God and is a son of God in very much
the same way that all men are sons of God.
So in this sense, Jesus is a servant and a creature of God. Yet because this flesh was joined to the
"arm" or "word" of God, Jesus is a Son of God in a very
special way: he is a unity of God (the "arm" of God; his divine
nature) and man (his human nature). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To many
people, this joining of God and man in one person seems like a strange
idea. It may even seem to violate the
created order of God. Yet Jesus taught
that God's will is for <i>all</i> who
believe in him to be joined together with God in a similar way: "That they may all be one, even as you,
Father, are one with me, and I am one with you, that they also may be one with
us; that the world may believe that you did send me" (John 17:21). In other words, Jesus came to reveal this
incredible plan of God to the world:
that God created us so that we could be one with him in much the same way
that Jesus himself is one with the Father.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We fail in
this created purpose when we sin, and cut off our relationship with the
Father. But through Jesus we can be restored
to our true calling to be sons of God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q2: </span>[A second, follow-up e-mail was entitled,
“Why is the blood of Christ clean?”]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Christ"
= "Messiah" = "Massih" in Arabic. The origin of "Massih" is "Ma
sa ha" = "anoint" (clean). "Massih" means "one who
is anoint[ed]." Sometimes it is
translated as "anointed," but this is wrong! "Massih" had no sin from the
beginning that needs to be "anointed" from it! But how!?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A2: </span> In your second e-mail, you mentioned the word
"Messiah," which is related to the word "to anoint."
Anointing in the Bible was not used for sin.
Oil was poured out to prepare for ministry, as when priests were
anointed for ministry (Ex. 28:41). It is
a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The
anointing of Jesus took place at his baptism, when the Holy Spirit was poured
out on him (Luke <st1:time hour="15" minute="22" w:st="on">3:22</st1:time>). This publicly prepared him for ministry. Jesus did not do any miracles or healings
until after he was anointed in this way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Q3: </span>[A third e-mail was entitled:] Birth of
"Christ" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
Although Christ became human, he is a "Word of God" and a "Spirit"
from him, too (Quran sura 4:171). When was
he born, really!? What does "Word
of God" mean!? First there should
be somebody in order to say something (a word). In John 1:1 [it says:] "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
I think something here was misunderstood and mistranslated in the past. I think
it was [that the] "Word was (from) God." It said "in the
beginning" (at first - talking about TIME) which refers to the beginning
of the "creation" (through God's Word), because God has no beginning
for he has "always been"!)...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
God is both "creator" and "not created" (--> God is
unlimited --> "One"). <br />
So, making any "image" or "idol" (= flesh) of God is not
correct. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As
in [sura 5:11], Christ is the creator but he is also created. (A word is
created by the one who is speaking.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
If I want to be honest about what the "Word of God" means exactly, then
I should say: "I CANNOT understand"!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">---------
About Jesus’ first coming: [Here follow
Luke 24:19, Quran sura 3:59, and Luke 21:41]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
-------- About the "blood":<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
[sura 4:157]<br />
And for claiming that they killed the Messiah Jesus son of Mary the
messenger of God. In fact they never killed him they never crucified
him-they were made to think that they did. All factions who are disputing in
this matter are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge;
they only conjecture. For certain they never killed him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
[Here follow Quran sura 3:55, 19:29,33; and Luke 24:7]<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although
[Jesus] died and resurrected, if he was not crucified, then what does the
"blood" refer to (in the scripture, especially in prophecy)? When did
it happen? I think it refers to his
"blood" (on his last night) mentioned in the Bible itself, which
dropped on the "stone" [in the Garden of Gethsemane].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
There is no mention about the event and what happened in the Qura'n. Maybe it was somebody else who was crucified,
as when God provided a substitute to Abraham for his son - perhaps an angel in
human flesh (?) (I am astonished why the
Vatican is so loyal to the story of the crucifixion and its symbolism!!!)<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">[Here
follow Luke 22:42-45, Quran sura 5:110, and Mark 14:34-42, and John 7:33-34.]<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A3: </span>In John 1:1, "the beginning" can
refer both to the beginning of the creation and to the time before
creation. As I mentioned above, the
"Word" mentioned here in the original Greek is <i>logos</i>, which
means word and speaking ability. In the
beginning, the word/speaking ability of God was both with God and was God. This word/speaking ability is therefore not created. But later, the word/speaking ability of God was
projected or extended out or sent from the Father to communicate with man, both
in the prophets (1 Pet. 1:11), and later to be joined to flesh in Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You are
correct that making any image or idol of God is wrong. Unfortunately, some Christian groups have
allowed themselves to be misled into doing this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is not
clear whether Mohammed himself believed that Jesus was crucified. It's important to remember that in the time
of Mohammed, there was a debate in the Christian world, in which many had begun
to accuse the Jews of killing Jesus, and to persecute them, even though the New
Testament clearly teaches that it was the Romans who killed Jesus. So there was a debate between different
Christian and Jewish groups as to whether the Jews killed Jesus. These are the "factions" in the
sura you mention (sura 4:157). In the original context, Mohammed is clearly
referring to the claim that the Jews killed Jesus. But since, as I said, it is actually the
Romans that killed Jesus, and not the Jews, Mohammed is correct to say,
"For certain they [the Jews] never killed him." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If we say
that Mohammed means that Jesus was never crucified at all, who were the
"factions who are disputing in this matter" and "full of doubt
concerning this issue?" In the time
of Mohammed, the entire world, which was largely a Christian world, was in
agreement that Jesus had been crucified.
There were no large factions debating this topic. So this interpretation, which is very common
in the Muslim world today, does not match the time in which Mohammed was
living. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The death
of Jesus on the cross is extremely important to the Christian faith, because
Jesus died as an atonement (a sacrifice) for sin. This is how we receive forgiveness for our
sins. If Jesus did not die, then there
is no forgiveness for sins. But because
of his death for us, we can be forgiven.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Even in this horrible experience of crucifixion, Jesus
was protected by God, because he was raised from the dead. In the same way we, even if we suffer for
him, will be raised from the dead. Jesus
said that not even a hair of our heads will perish (Luke <st1:time hour="21" minute="18" w:st="on">21:18</st1:time>). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<i>(For more on this topic, see the Index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Jesus">Jesus</a>.)</i><br />
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Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-75243858859075692202018-05-15T07:21:00.001-07:002020-05-03T05:05:10.582-07:00Is Right Standing with God the Result of Perfect Obedience? (Q&A)<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Q: </span> My
name is Troy T. I am a
Black American (non-Jewish) believer in Yeshua of Nazareth as the Holy One
anointed by G-D to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven. While I lived in Washington, D.C.,
I attended a Messianic Jewish Congregation because G-D, in a dream, told me
to. Before the dream, I did not even
realize that, except for a few exceptions, that Jews existed who believed in
Yeshua as the Anointed One. However, now
I come across them all the time. Well, I
loved the congregation but I have also come across many Messianic Jewish groups
who teach salvation by faith and observance to the Law given to Moses. However, I love your website because it is
fair, balanced, and Scriptural.<br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I teach, according to the Scriptures, that
right standing before and with G-D is only the result of perfect obedience to
the Law of G-D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the beginning, G-D
gave all humans a conscience that contains the Law of G-D, which is composed of
His eternal law (love Him will all your being and love your fellow human) and
natural law (do not murder, steal, commit adultery, commit sodomy, rape, lie,
etc.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, due to the transgression of
the one man (Adam), all humans acquired a predisposition to do that which G-D
said do not do and to not do that which G-D said do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though until the giving of the written
Law of G-D, disobeyed G-D like Adam by breaking a direct command of G-D but
only by violating the dictates of the conscience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This predisposition is only inherited through
the father (not the mother) since the sins of the father are transferred and
Adam is the father of us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
predisposition adversely affected our conscience and, thus, all humans have a
faulty conscience and some humans even have a seared conscience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of this, no human can fully obey the
Law of G-D in his conscience and, thus, cannot acquire right standing before
and with G-D by perfect obedience to the Law of G-D contained in our
conscience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of growing
disobedience in the world, G-D eventually chose a remnant people (the
descendants of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>)
to serve as a positive example to the world of G-D’s fidelity, love, mercy,
blessings, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, He gave to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
descendants His written Law via the intermediary Moses that reflect His Eternal
Law and Natural Law (though the written law contained also special provisions
relating to the situation of the Jews).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This created a people subject to faulty consciences (Gentiles) and a
people subject to the perfect written Law of G-D (Jews).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, Jews cannot fully obey the written Law
of G-D because they, like all humans, have a predisposition to disobey G-D and,
thus, right standing before and with G-D cannot be acquired by perfect
obedience to the written Law of G-D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, no human can perfectly keep the Law of G-D whether it is
contained in the conscience or written and, thus, right standing cannot be
acquired by perfectly obeying either because we would just fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a result, all humans, Gentile or Jew, are
guilty before G-D as lawbreakers and are the children of His wrath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In His mercy, G-D promised One who would
deliver all of us from the wrath of G-D and through whom He would fulfill all
His promises to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
(restore land, blessings, spiritual relationship, etc.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeshua of Nazareth is this Promised One
Anointed to establish and order the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Kingdom</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Heaven</st1:placename></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, in order to satisfy G-D’s requirement of
perfect obedience that leads to righteousness, the Promised One had to be a son
of mankind as a representative of mankind but He also had to be a son of Deity
because no man can perfectly obey the Law of G-D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, the Word of G-D took on
flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yeshua of Nazareth inherited His
humanity from a mortal human woman but maintained His Deity because He did not
have a mortal human father and, thus, could not inherit a predisposition of
disobedience but His Father was Elohim and, thus, had a predisposition of
obedience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, Yeshua of Nazareth
obeyed all the written Law of G-D and fulfilled the Law and Prophets who
foretold of Him and what He would do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, the purpose of the Law of G-D (whether in the conscience or
written) was, theoretically, to bring righteousness but, ultimately, to bring
us to the revelation that we are breakers of the Law of G-D, need salvation
from the wrath of G-D due us, that salvation would not come as a result of our
obedience to the Law of G-D since we cannot, and that we need another way to
salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Additionally, the Jews had an
advantage in this revelation in that (1) they had the written Law of G-D which
is not subject to defilement like the conscience since it is external to the
person and thus knew the perfect will of G-D and (2) the written Law of G-D
pointed to the other way to salvation via prophecies of the Anointed One
whereas the conscience does not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
of us who follow the other Way are subject to the Eternal Law of G-D, Natural
Law, and the Law of Messiah (which reflects these anyway).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Law of Messiah is a new covenant separate
from the Law given to Moses though they both may contain some same provisions
but they also contain similar provisions and different provisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, because the Law of G-D given to Moses
does reflect His Eternal Law and Natural Law and contains special provisions
relating to the Jewish situation, Jewish followers of the Way may still choose
to observe the Law of G-D given to Moses but this Law does not save nor binds
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly, the Law of Messiah does
not save but it does bind all followers of the Way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the followers of the Way who are the true
Jews and the true children of Abraham.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What do you think?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="layout-grid-mode: line; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span>Thanks for sharing your
thoughts. It sounds like we are in agreement about quite a lot of what you have mentioned. Thanks, too, for your encouraging feedback on our website. May God
bless you as you seek him and share his word.<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have the following initial thoughts to share about your teaching, and
only wish that I had more time to go into more depth: <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1) Natural Law. It's interesting that you chose the term
Natural Law to describe the requirements that I usually refer to on my website
as the Laws of Noah. Gentile Christians in the early years of
Christianity often used this same name ("Natural Law") for the same
set of laws that you do. It's true that Paul does mention our conscience in mediating the law written on our hearts (Rom. 2:15), but Biblically this inner awareness is ultimately based on the commandments of God in the early chapters of Genesis. That's why I have chosen to refer to them as
the Laws of Noah to emphasize their connection with the Old Testament as well as with the Jewish people. But Natural Law is another valid name for them. This Natural Law, which preceded the time of Moses, is also included in the Law of Moses and in the Law of the Messiah (the New Testament). <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">2) Predisposition to sin inherited from the father.
Theologically, I have a problem with this position, since both men and women are equally
prone to sin, not to mention that this belief (of inheriting a
predisposition to sin from the father) is taught nowhere in the Bible.
The idea that sin is inherited from the father has been used to try to
explain how Jesus could be without sin. But the simple fact is that Jesus
was without sin because he was (and is) God the Son. The way in which
divinity and ordinary humanity were joined in him is a model and a picture of
God's will for all of us: to be joined together with God in an intimate unity. But this union cannot be achieved by our own perfect obedience, since we are not able to perfectly fulfill the greater demands of the Law ot the Messiah. This unity can only be established through the ministry of Jesus himself and his crucifixion and resurrection. But in that unity, we are growing into greater and greater obedience to God's will through the presence of God in our lives. <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">3) No human can fully obey the Law of Moses. This common
Christian idea is directly contradicted by the New Testament itself.
See for example Luke 1:6, which says that Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents
of John the Baptist, were "both righteous in the sight of God, walking
blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord."
The apostle Paul, in Phil. 3:6, also claims that he was "as to the
righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless." The common
Christian teaching that perfect obedience to the Law of Moses is impossible is therefore false. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, perfect obedience to the
Law of Moses cannot and never could bring salvation (Gal. 3:11,21; Heb.
10:1,4). Nor could it bring about perfect obedience to the fullness of God's
will (as revealed in the New Covenant), but only a partial or limited obedience. Man still continued to
have a disposition to sin and continued to sin in ways not covered in the Law
of Moses. Rather, spiritual salvation is available only through faith in Messiah Jesus. This was true both
in Old and New Testament times: 1 Peter <st1:time hour="13" minute="11" w:st="on">1:11</st1:time> mentions the "Spirit of Messiah" operating within the Old Testament prophets.
Right standing with God has only therefore <i>ever </i>been possible by faith, and by
faith in the Messiah. One who is in a faith relationship with God
will sin less and less because of the power and presence of God's Spirit in their
lives, bringing us into obedience to the Law of Messiah (1 John 3:9, the "Law of the Spirit" in Rom. 8:2, the Law
written in the heart by the Holy Spirit in Heb. 10:15,16). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So why was the Law of Moses given?
The Law was originally given to Israel to limit sin in Israel in preparation for the coming of the Messiah (Gal. <st1:time hour="15" minute="19" w:st="on">3:19</st1:time>,24;
Heb. 10:3). And it still continues to function today as a signpost pointing to Messiah for those who do not yet know him. But the Law was never a means of spiritual salvation. God's desire from
the very beginning was for man to be in an intimate faith relationship with
him. Messiah is both the model and means for that faith
relationship to come about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<i>(For more on this topic, see the Index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Lnoah">Laws of Noah</a>.)</i></div>
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</span>Jeff Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186054487096637637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1002051293619080052.post-31379978062445797192017-02-24T00:02:00.001-08:002023-03-25T18:02:49.859-07:00Bethlehem in the Time of Jesus (Video)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here's a video of another part of our Jesus of Nazareth Seminar (3c). Continue below (or click "read more") to see the video.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">To see the notes for this lecture, go to </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://totheends.com/mediaj3.html#3c">https://totheends.com/mediaj3.html#3c</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> (will open in a separate window).</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;">This is the third video in part 3 our Jesus of Nazareth Seminar.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;">The entire seminar is available in an audio version with notes. Go to </span><a href="http://www.totheends.com/page10.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.totheends.com/page10.html</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333;">For lots more, check out our website at </span><a href="http://www.totheends.com/"><span style="color: blue;">To The Ends Of The Earth Ministries</span></a></span><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;">To view this video directly on YouTube, go to </span><a href="https://youtu.be/UAI5D_kZV78"><span style="color: blue;">https://youtu.be/UAI5D_kZV78</span></a></span></span><br />
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<i style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: justify;">(For more on this topic, see the index category <a href="http://www.totheends.com/questionsi.htm#Jesus"><span style="color: blue;">Jesus</span></a>.)</i></i>
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