#Worldwide English New Testament Bible | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

biblenewsprophecy · 3 months

Text

Imam Mahdi, Women, and Prophecy

What are some reasons many Muslims are devout? Does Islam consider Jesus and Muhammad prophets? Many Muslims believe that a leader called the Imam Mahdi will arise and cause poverty to cease in Islamic lands. Shiites and some Sunnis believe he is also prophesied in the Hebrew scriptures as well as being called the Son of Man in the New Testament. Is Iran using Artificial Intelligence to ensure women wear the Hijab? What is the Western view of Islam and women? Who were the four '"perfect women" according to Muhammad? What is the Islamic view of Western women and their dress? Did the old Worldwide Church of God suggest that the coming 'King of the South' of Daniel 11 may bear the title 'Mahdi'? What about the Dajjal? What about the Beast and the Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies about the 'Great Monarch'? Dr. Thiel address these issues and more.

A free online book of related interest is available titled 'Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century'

Part 1: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes

Part 2: Imam Mahdi, Women, and Prophecy

youtube

Sermon Youtube video link: Imam Mahdi, Women, and Prophecy

Related Items:

Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge. Here are links to related sermons: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes. and Imam Mahdi, women, and prophecy.

Audio and video Sermon series::

Part 1: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes

Part 2: Imam Mahdi, Women, and Prophecy

Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes This article has information from the book, Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century, as well as from the old WCG and other sources. Here is a link to a related sermon: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes.

Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs.

Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Will Philadelphian Christians instruct many in the end times? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work. Here is a link to another: Preparing to Instruct Many.

Who Gave the World the Bible? The Canon: Why do we have the books we now do in the Bible? Is the Bible complete? Are there lost gospels? What about the Apocrypha? Is the Septuagint better than the Masoretic text? What about the Textus Receptus vs. Nestle Alland? Was the New Testament written in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Which translations are based upon the best ancient text? Did the true Church of God have the canon from the beginning? Here are links to related sermons: Let’s Talk About the Bible, The Books of the Old Testament, The Septuagint and its Apocrypha, Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, and Lost Books of the Bible, and Let’s Talk About the New Testament, The New Testament Canon From the Beginning, English Versions of the Bible and How Did We Get Them?, What was the Original Language of the New Testament?, Original Order of the Books of the Bible, and Who Gave the World the Bible? Who Had the Chain of Custody?

Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but …

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.

The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.

Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.

Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?

Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.

The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how they develop love, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?

Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 160 different languages there.

LATEST SERMONS

0 notes

standskeleton · 5 months

Text

LITTLE BOOK OPEN

By Randall Frushour

Revelation chapter 10 Daniel chapter 9

In the Book of Daniel, the term week refers to a period of seven years. Therefore, seventy seven-year periods, or "seventy weeks" of years total 490 literal years. This is a unique usage of the term "week" in the Old Testament, where a year regardless equates to "a year" and not, to 1 day or to 1,000 years.

English is native language of 400 million people, but it is spoken by over 1.5 billion people worldwide. It is the lingua franca of pop culture and the most spoken language in the fields of business, filmmaking, and research. English by a large margin is the language of choice for many international organizations and institutions.

King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible, was translation into proper text in 1611 by a team of theologians under King James of England, is still revered by many today as the most accurate and faithful translation of texts in the original Hebrew and Greek. This is because the KJV was meticulously translated word-for-word, without taking any liberties with the context.

Something To CONSIDER

| To Be SHOWN | LEARN A SKILL | To BEHOLD | To KNOW and Should UNDERSTAND.

Reading in Daniel 9: 22 & 23.

And he said Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. Daniel 8:19.

While angel Michael was battling the princes of Persia, Gabriel ministered to Daniel's debilitating condition. Angels Michael and Gabriel both had essential roles in completing the account of the writing and telling the future. Bard the chatbot also suggest "Michael providing the spiritual guidance and Gabriel providing for physical support".

Regarding Daniel chapter 9 verse 2, it's essential to understand how Daniel comprehends the 70 years of Jeremiah's prophecy about destruction of Jerusalem by reading books. He next was given "70 Weeks" of years prophecy by angels Michael and Gabriel. Verses 24-27 of Daniel chapter 9 provide key insights into this prophecy, which is still unfolding and verses 22-23 tell of having understanding about all of this is by great or divine help.

I prefer to reference the Rapture as the "Return of Christ" and the Resurrection of the Dead, encompassing individuals of all backgrounds, as the "Second Coming of Christ." It's crucial to note that only at the point of his second coming does Christ receive glory, dominion and an everlasting kingdom. Though one that never ends.

Bard says Yes, I think your way of expressing the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ is clear and concise. It is also helpful that you emphasize the fact that Christ only receives glory, dominion, and an everlasting kingdom at the Second Coming.

Here is a possible alternative way to express your point:

I prefer to use the term "Return of Christ" to refer to the Rapture, and the term "Second Coming of Christ" to refer to the Resurrection of the Dead and the establishment of Christ's everlasting kingdom. It is important to note that only at the Second Coming does Christ receive, as then given him, full authority and glory.

So I made the following changes:

I replaced the phrase "individuals of all backgrounds" with the more concise phrase "all people."

I added the word "full" before "authority" to emphasize that Christ only receives complete authority at the Second Coming.

I replaced the phrase "one that never ends" with the more concise phrase "everlasting."

Overall, I think your way of expressing the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming is excellent.

.. This gets very easy as much of unsealing puzzle pieces begin looking actually like a vision. Keep watching then look away to a news or video report and hear there what you just understood in the prophetic vision.

This first sentence, "This gets very easy as much of unsealing puzzle pieces begin looking actually like a vision," is a bit metaphorical, but it is still understandable. It suggests that as you learn more about the prophetic vision, it becomes easier to see how the different pieces, but all for the vision, fit together.

The second sentence, "Keep watching then look away to a news or video report and hear there what you just understood in the prophetic vision," is more straightforward. Endstop.

God the Father himself will, before this generation passes, descend from the heavens to judge the earth and the sinful world, in accordance with the vision and prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. Many readers who refuse to take this literally will fail to understand that this prophecy actually refers to the partial destruction of the Earth as a planet. It is ironic that there also, are two separate future horizons for people they will find themselves in one or the other, depending on whether or not they believe this prophecy then become a choice for them, for us.

Prophecy foretells the final redemption of Israel with a return to their ancestral homeland, a restoration of the Jewish people to the holy land. Over the next 1,000 years, despite geological and meteorological challenges upon their return, the land that encompasses Palestine, also known as Israel, will not only remain intact but will thrive. There will be significant seismic activity and biblical weather events, primarily as a judgment on Magog, often identified as Russia and its allies, as they turn back from Ukraine and approach the mountains of Israel, as described in the texts of Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Some reading this won't wish to remain anywhere around this land for that event and depart the holy land having traversed already the mighty armies setting up siege mounts surrounding them and as it goes, beginning to tear Jerusalem apart. It is written that half will stay and half will leave.

Suggesting that divine judgment, an issued decree, and full redemption might appear to happen simultaneously, but it emphasize that the divine judgment will primarily target the armies surrounding Israel before it is fully directed toward the earlier mentioned elements, serving as a distinct, yet interconnected, phase in the overall sequence of events on the people there and on the holy land itself.

A scriptural comparison can be drawn particularly between Iraq and Iran with Israel and Palestine, revealing similar circumstances. However, in the end, the outcomes diverge significantly, with Israel experiencing restoration and healing, while Babylon, representing Iraq and Iran, undergoes a more pronounced and potentially disastrous transformation. This parallel is reminiscent of the imagery in the book of Revelation, where it speaks of a "deadly wound" on one of the seven heads being healed, leaving the world in wonder.

This discussion primarily pertains to Iran and Iraq, although it has implications for the entire Middle East region. Certain nations, such as Jordan, may seek to mitigate the harshest effects of divine judgment, but even in doing so, they may experience a significant loss of population. A reset or transformation of Middle Eastern nations is anticipated to coincide with the full restoration of Israel. In this context, these nations are likely to cooperate willingly, recognizing the larger plan at play.

Habakkuk chapter 2 advises us to wait because the vision yet, even is meant for the future, in time yet to unravel, out from the vision and prophecy told. So we read long and see far. Daniel in chapter 8: 26 says "the end shall be for many days," upon it saying then, it's "yet a time to be appointed". We do have 1,000 more years still before the great judgment is, when Jesus is then yet "given a kingdom, glory and dominion".

The use of the word "then" in Daniel's prophecy, specifically in Chapter 11 verses 19 and 20, serves as a unique marker that many believe signifies a crucial turning point in the unfolding of end-times events. These verses are often seen as symbolic "day 1," setting the stage for the prophecies we see today aligning with world events, including those related to the 2024 election.

The conflicts that have unfolded in the Middle East since 2002 bear a striking resemblance to the precise descriptions found in Daniel Chapter 8. His prophetic visions and dreams have been a source of ongoing interpretation and confirmation. Notably, the entities described as "the goat and its famous horn" and "the two horns" of the ram have been attributed to modern geopolitical players. A closer look at these passages reveals that the ram represents Persia, corresponding to present-day Iran and a portion of southern Iraq, while Media refers to regions encompassing Iraq, Afghanistan, parts of Syria, and six other Arab countries. The alignment with historical events since 2003 as depicted on Oxford maps underscores the role of the USA and UN in fulfilling these prophecies.

For more of understanding delve into Daniel chapter 8's depiction of this fierce battle between the two-horned ram and the He-goat with a notable horn between its eyes which obliterates the Ram. Cross-reference this with the Oxford Atlas of Ancient World Empires, 2010 Concise Edition for a credible identification of this prophecy in illustration.

CHATGPT ADDS:

These insights provide a thought-provoking perspective on the contemporary world stage and the potential fulfillment of ancient prophecies in our time endstop.

The prophecies regarding the end times remained sealed and hidden until "the end arrive." I believe we are currently in that era, evident by the fulfillment already of numerous prophecies. However, uncertainties persist, such as the exact time and timing of the Rapture event and the Tribulation Period. According to Daniel 11:36, the "determined end" will be realized. This could suggest that precise timing remains undisclosed or might be influenced by and for future events, like a peace treaty or the climate crisis prompting decisive action. In any case, we shouldn't be surprised when the events unfold, as they have been predicted for centuries.

It allude to a time when people will count up the days, especially so after the rapture and during the 1,000-year period, known as "the great millennium, or the great day of the Lord" before the hour of final judgment and his second coming. Here, is "one thousand years like a day and a day as 1,000 years," a great day, that.

These biblical references are literal in their original text and shouldn't be misconstrued. Unfortunately, many fail to do their due diligence in scaling prophecies. They listen to anybody that sounds authoritative but which leave them empty-handed.

We are less than amazed by the persistent interpretation by Monday morning quarterbacks of "a year, that is other than a year". In the context of Daniel 9, the term

"week" is not open to interpretation as "a month, a decade, a century," or even the claim that it could represent 1,000 years as some have suggested. Scholars have already addressed the matters many decades ago. We work ahead and build onto them as they event. In chapter 9 a week can only be correctly understood as a period of "seven years" in accordance with the word's Greek meaning and the contextual usage within the verse 24.

Let him who has an ear hear what the spirit says to churches, a verse in Revelation first half of the book repeat there, word for word in seven verses. One verse in chapter 13 of Revelation even says "let anyone, who hears, hear what the Spirit says. Only him, or her. And in Isaiah 28 is the instruction how to build interpretively all our understanding. Line upon line and precept upon precept "a little here and a little there" he says over and over! But as he says they refuse to listen and go and fall backward, and are broken, snared and taken. Hosea in his fourth chapter describes us the Lord's people, in context, as our ignorant of just getting the knowledge to keep our lives in tact let alone to be not destroyed and ironically, in days when knowledge shall so increase. That, it has increased inarguably.

In Daniel chapter 9 verse 2, it's crucial to consider how Daniel understood the 70 years of Jeremiah's prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem through reading books. The revelation of the "70 Weeks prophecy" by the angels Michael and Gabriel in verses 24-27 of Daniel chapter 9 provides significant insights into this prophecy, which some believe is still unfolding.

While interpretations of verses 25 and 26 in Daniel chapter 9 may vary, it's important to be cautious about incomplete attempt of interpretation. The phrase "unto the Messiah" could be seen as a reference to the rapture of the body of Christ's believers, potentially marking the end of the age of grace or signaling the imminent arrival of the Rapture. The notion of the Holy Spirit being "cut off in verse 26 may symbolize the discontinuation of His specific work and a shift from a presence of righteousness to the unrelenting unrighteousness all around most of the world. This interpretation aligns with 2nd Thessalonians 2: 6 & 7, which suggest that the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way to allow certain events to unfold.

It's important to note that interpretation of these passages can vary among scholars and theologians and different perspectives exist regarding their meaning and timing.

BARD

Certainly, the passage you're referring to is 2nd Thessalonians 2:8, which provide further context regarding the restraining of "the Son of Perdition" or "that wicked" one; so Bard's replying .. in texts.

In this context, "let or restrained" implies that something or someone is holding back or preventing the full revelation of this wicked figure.

The passage suggests that this restraint will continue until a certain point, after which "that" Wicked will be revealed. It's believed by many scholars and theologians that the restraining force mentioned is the Holy Spirit, which is preventing the full emergence and unveiling of this figure. When this restraint is removed, that wicked one will be revealed, but ultimately, the passage indicates that the Lord will intervene and destroy him, with the spirit or the word of His mouth and the brightness of His coming

Interpreting these passages can be complex, and different theological traditions may have varying views on their meaning.

"Before we move on from this topic, it's important to highlight the significance of interpreting the rest of this passage for a comprehensive understanding. In subsequent sections, we will delve into the concept of 'the Son of Perdition' as mentioned in scripture, describing a wicked individual who will eventually be revealed. Prior to this revelation, this person was held back by the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit. To clarify, the term 'let' in this context means 'restrained'."

Verse 8: And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming

In conclusion, it's crucial to unravel the scripture message in Daniel's vision and consider why the 70th week appears incomplete. Scholars such as Jonathon Cahn have offered valuable insights, but it's essential to continue studying and interpreting these prophetic messages carefully. Misguided teachings about the end of the world should be critically examined in light of timely but newly revealed prophecies. How it is until we've lived through Sunday can we tell about it Monday morning. Let's instead now then see what happens and then how it's told in prophecy.

1 note · View note

eli-kittim · 2 years

Text

A Critical Review of the “TruthUnedited” YouTube Channel Which Teaches a Heretical Christian Doctrine

By Bible Researcher & Author Eli Kittim 🎓

What is the Truthunedited Platform?

Although the practical side of this YouTube channel appears to have a semblance of Christianity, the theology is definitely Judaic!

This YouTube channel is called “Truthunedited” and it also has an affiliated website: Truthunedited.com. These platforms are apparently run by the host, Mr. Ron Charles. Unfortunately, I could not find anything about his qualifications. This is a very popular YouTube channel that has 604k subscribers.

Their website seems to advertise books by the Restored Church of God (RCG), an offshoot of the teachings and doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong who was the leader of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). The RCG is a cult which,

denies the Trinity, says that God is a

composition of two beings … that being

born again means being resurrected from

flesh to spirit, that the earth was re-

created, that people will not go to hell and

will be annihilated, that Christians do not go

to heaven, … that the Holy Spirit is a force.”

——- Wiki

I skimmed through some of the videos that he’s put forth and they seem quite disturbing. For example, one of the videos refers to Easter as a goddess, which is based on the discredited 19th century book “The Two Babylons” by Alexander Hislop. The actual word Easter in Greek is “Pascha” (Πάσχα), from the Jewish “Passover” (aka Pesach). So, in trying to discredit Easter as a pagan holiday, his argument is irrelevant to the original Hebrew festival because he’s arguing only from the English translation, the so-called Month of Ēostre', which is historically a so-called “Paschal month" that corresponds to April.

In another video (“What is the true name of our creator & messiah?”), Mr. Ron Charles differentiates between the creator and the messiah, even though Hebrews 1.2 & John 1.1-3 tell us explicitly that Jesus is in fact the creator! Mr. Charles admits that he is part of the Hebrew Roots movement——which is a Jewish religious movement that advocates adherence to the Torah and the Law of Moses——something that Paul criticized vehemently. More on that later. He writes: “I want to discuss why I prefer using the Hebrew name of our creator and the Hebrew name of our Messiah.” But the messiah **Is** the creator! Why distinguish between the creator and the messiah? Well, because that is a Hebrew, not a Christian, position.

A Critical Review of the Truthunedited Video: “This is How a Believer Should Live in These Last Days”

While viewing this channel, I saw some other heretical videos as well but I would like to limit the discussion to one particular video which I listened to from start to finish, namely, a recent YouTube video entitled “This is How a Believer Should Live in These Last Days.”

The content of this video is quite shocking! As a case in point, what does the host mean by saying that he praises “Yah”? Is he a Hebrew convert? Because in the New Testament the name Yah is never mentioned, not even once! According to the New Testament, we must ONLY praise **Jesus**:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is

no other name under heaven given to

mankind by which we must be saved.

——- Acts 4.12 NIV

Yet, in this entire video, Mr. Charles mentions the actual name of the God-incarnate-messiah “Jesus” only once, and that in passing, as a pejorative translation. And yet, the original Greek name of the Messiah is Iésous, the correct English translation of which is Jesus.

Moreover, Mr. Ron Charles keeps talking about his personal relationship with the Father. He never once mentions his personal relationship with the Son. As a matter of fact, when he refers to God’s Son, who’s coequal with the Father, he simply calls him by the vague term “messiah.” Mr. Charles claims to come from the Hebrew Roots Movement. But, as far as the Jews are concerned, the messiah is NOT Jesus. For example, a majority of the Jewish Chabad community believe that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the deceased seventh Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, is the Jewish messiah. Is that who he’s referring to? Different religions have different messiahs. For instance, in Islam there is Imam Husayn and the Twelfth Imám (Shí’ih), and the Promised Qá’im in the Bábí Faith. There is also the Buddha Maitreya-Amitabha, the Shah Bahrám (Zoroastrianism), and the Avatar Kalki (Hinduism). These are different messiahs that are associated with different belief systems. To the Rastafari religion, it is Haile Selassie I from Ethiopia. So, which of these messiahs is he referring to? And if he’s a Christian, why doesn’t he mention the name of Jesus Christ, which is the name above all other names?

He discusses the cultural deception that is going on and “the marketing of Satan,” but his misleading approach to Jesus Christ and the New Testament is equally dangerous and deceptive because it not only mixes Christianity with Judaism, but it also destroys the New Testament from within by radically changing its terminology, it’s theology, and even the name of it’s God. If we don’t even know who we are praying to, why bother to pray at all? I don’t know enough about his soteriological views because I haven’t listened to any of his other videos, except one. I don’t know what salvation means to him. But given that he is part of the Hebrew Roots Movement, I suspect he thinks that we have to follow the laws of Moses, observe the sabbaths, etc. But Paul urges us to do the exact opposite (cf. Acts 16.31):

all are justified freely by his [God’s] grace

through the redemption that came by Christ

Jesus. ——- Rom 3.24

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the

truth and the life. No one comes to the

Father except through me.’ ——- John 14.6

In the New Testament, is the Messiah’s Name Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic? Is it Ἰησοῦς or Yeshua?

In the video that we’re discussing, the host keeps repeating the name Yahusha. But who is Yahusha, anyway? Can he show us where that name is mentioned in the Greek New Testament as Jesus’ name? Answer: nowhere! The host mentions the name of Jesus only once, in passing, by erroneously stating that his name is “Yahusha, who in English is translated to Jesus.” In order to confirm this translation, please give us chapter and verse in the New Testament where Yahusha is written as the name of Jesus. This so-called “evidence” doesn’t exist. The New Testament only mentions the name Ἰησοῦς, which in English is translated as Jesus, not Yahusha (see the original Greek New Testament: Matthew 1.16; 3.13, 15-16; 4.1, 7, 10, 17; 7.28; 8.4, 10, 13, 14, 18, 20, 22; 9.2, 4, etc.). And I’m only partially citing the gospel of Matthew. There are many more references. Besides, there are three more gospels, the book of Acts, the epistles, and the Book of Revelation. The name Iesous (Jesus) is mentioned nearly 1,000 times in the New Testament. The Greek text never once refers to Jesus as Yahusha or Yeshua!

If Jesus’ name was in fact the Hebrew Yeshua, why didn’t the New Testament transliterate it as Yeshua? By contrast, the name “Ἰησοῦς” is not annotated as a transliteration, even though Hebraic transliterations are typically explained in the New Testament one way or another. For example:

1) In Mark 11.9, hosanna (ὡσαννὰ) is

explained.

2) ελωι ελωι λεμα σαβαχθανι is explained in

Mark 15.34; Matthew 27.46.

3) Talitha cum is explained in Mark 5.41.

4) In John 20.16, "Rabbouni” is explained.

5) In Romans 8.15, Abba is explained.

6) In Matthew 1.23, the name “Immanuel” is

explained.

The Aramaisms that exist in the Greek New Testament are typically explained or defined. For example, in Matthew 27.46, we read:

Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? (which means

‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken

me?’).

By contrast, the name ΙΗΣΟΥΣ (Jesus) is *never* *ever* explained as an *aramaism,* nor defined as an Aramaic or Hebrew name. If what Mr. Charles says is true, why doesn’t the New Testament indicate that the name “Jesus” is the transliteration of Yeshua? You would think that a name as important as Jesus would necessitate such an explanation. The fact that there isn’t any indicates that the Greek name Iēsous is not a transliteration from the Late Biblical Hebrew Yēšūaʿ (Yeshūa):

The English name Jesus derives from the

Late Latin name Iesus, which transliterates

the Koine Greek name Ἰησοῦς Iēsoûs.

——- Wiki

By contrast:

The name יֵשׁוּעַ, Yeshua ([is] transliterated in

the English Old Testament as Jeshua).

——- Wiki

Conflating the Hebrew name of Joshua with Jesus Christ is confusing for various reasons:

In Nehemiah 8:17 this name refers to

Joshua son of Nun, the successor of Moses,

as leader of the Israelites. ——- Wiki

According to the Book of Numbers verse

13:16, the name of Joshua, the son of Nun

was originally Hosheaʿ (הוֹשֵעַ), and the

name Yehoshuaʿ (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) is usually spelled

the same but with a yod added at the

beginning. ——- Wiki

So what do we call the messiah of the New Testament? Joshua son of Nun, Hoshea, Yəhōšūaʿ, Yeshua, or whatever other Hebrew name we could think of?

New Testament Misquotes and Hebrew Interpolations

Mr. Ron Charles, the host of this video, misquotes Paul as supposedly saying that “this is the Will of Elohim & Yahusha for you.” But Paul does not mention either Elohim or Yahusha in his letters. Why is he putting words in Paul’s mouth that Paul never said? This is misleading because he’s colouring the Greek New Testament with foreign elements from the Hebrew Roots movement. If he’s going to refer to the New Testament, it’s appropriate that he uses the original Greek words of the text. Hebrew is appropriate only for the Old Testament.

He further misquotes Ephesians 5.17. The text reads “Lord,” not master. Ephesians 5.17 uses the Greek term “kurios” to mean “Lord.” We are not talking about kung-fu, platonic philosophy, or Buddhism where there’s a master-disciple relationship. We’re talking about reverence to almighty God. The only appropriate translations are “Lord” or “God.” None of the credible Bible translations quote kurios as master. I’m not sure which Bible version he’s using. He also misquotes Romans 12.11, 19, and Philippians 3.1. The word is Κυρίῳ (Lord), not Yahuah! Furthermore, in Philippians 3.14, the words are God (θεοῦ, not Elohim), and Christ Jesus (Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, not Messiah Yahuah). In Philippians 3.20, the words are Lord Jesus Christ (κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν), not “master Yahusha the messiah.” This is a way of belittling the name of Jesus by not mentioning his name *properly* or *reverently* and not referring to him in a manner worthy of the name that is above all names. That name is actually Ἰησοῦs (i.e. Jesus) in the Greek New Testament. It is not a Hebrew name derived from the Old Testament or from Pharisaical Judaism.

Mr. Charles then misquotes James 1.27 and mentions a “Pure and undefiled religion before Elohim and the father.” And if the Father is not Elohim, then who is Elohim? In the New Testament, neither Jesus nor the Father is ever called Elohim. Mr. Ron Charles doesn’t seem to be familiar with textual criticism, the Greek New Testament, or with Christian theology.

He then misquotes 2 Corinthians 5.20 by using the vague term “messiah”——a term that means different things to different people——and also by mentioning Elohim who, once again, is never mentioned in the New Testament. Here is the phrase in the original Greek (2 Corinthians 5.20 SBLGNT):

ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ οὖν πρεσβεύομεν ὡς τοῦ

θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι’ ἡμῶν · δεόμεθα

ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, καταλλάγητε τῷ θεῷ.

As you can see, the Greek words that Paul uses are Christ (Χριστοῦ) and God (θεῷ), not messiah or Elohim. That’s why Jesus is known as Jesus Christ, whom he never mentions, except once as a pejorative or pagan translation. Yet he claims that “we are representatives of the gospel.” But if he identifies with the New Testament, why is his theology derived from the Old Testament? I also noticed that his relationship is not with the Son, but rather with the Father, because he keeps saying that he had some issues that the father had to help him work through.

What is more, he keeps praising this unknown and obscure messiah without once revealing what his true name is: the name that is above all other names, mind you. This New Testament name stands far above the other Old Testament names (such as Elohim and Yahweh) because we are not supposed to call on these names for salvation. So, which name do we call upon for salvation? We are to call on the name of Jesus (Acts 4.12)!

Hebrew Roots Beliefs

In case you’re not familiar with the Hebrew Roots Movement, here are some of their beliefs:

Hebrew Roots followers believe that sin is

breaking the Torah (cf. 1 John 3:4), all of the

purity laws such as dietary restrictions and

sabbath keeping are in the Torah, thus it is

sinful to not keep the sabbath and to eat

forbidden animals, among other social and

religious observance laws. ——- Wiki

Unlike the New Testament that does away with the works of the law (legalism) in favor of grace, the Hebrew Roots followers believe in observing the Law of Moses and the Torah:

Old Testament/Torah Laws and the

teachings of the New Testament are to be

obeyed by both Jews and Gentiles in the

community of believers. (See Numbers

15:15–16 for the explanation). ——- Wiki

But these “Hebrew Roots” beliefs are the exact opposite of what the Greek New Testament teaches. In fact, this is precisely the charge that Paul brought against Judaizers in Galatians. Paul says in Galatians 2.16:

know that a person is not justified by the

works of the law, but by faith in Jesus

Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in

Christ Jesus that we may be justified by

faith in Christ and not by the works of the

law, because by the works of the law no one

will be justified.

In Galatians 2.21, Paul says:

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if

righteousness could be gained through the

law, Christ died for nothing!

In Galatians 3.11, Paul repeats the justification of faith teaching through grace:

Clearly no one who relies on the law is

justified before God, because ‘the righteous

will live by faith.’

It’s also found in many other places, including Romans 3.20:

Therefore no one will be declared righteous

in God’s sight by the works of the law.

It doesn’t get any clearer than that. We are not to observe the law. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone! In fact, the entire New Testament can be summed up as the revelation of the person and work of Jesus Christ (Ιησούς Χριστός).

Alas, even as he ends his video, Mr. Ron Charles keeps talking about Elohim, while repeating the ambiguous and enigmatic term “messiah” over and over again. He also keeps mentioning “Yah” nonstop. But who is “Yah” in the New Testament? He is never mentioned. In fact, Mr. Charles ends the video by saying “praise yah.” Really? Not Jesus? And he is supposedly a Christian who identifies with the Gospel of the New Testament? I don’t think so. This is clearly a heretical Jewish theology that radically deviates from, and corrupts the truths of, Christianity!

See my essay:

“Yahweh is Never Once Mentioned in the New Testament”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjOF_wqhKdv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eli of Kittim (@bible_prophecy_elikittim)

instagram

——-

9 notes · View notes

iglesiani · 3 years

Text

Iglesia ni Cristo

Iglesia ni Cristo (Tagalog for "Church of Christ") In the Philippines, Cristo is also known as Kristo, and it is the largest indigenous Christian church in the country. It was founded in 1914 by Félix Ysagun Manalo.

Manalo (Félix Manalo Ysagun) was reared in the Roman Catholic Church but left when he was a teenager. During his adolescence and early twenties, he converted to Methodism and subsequently to Seventh-day Adventism before preaching the necessity for a restoration to the original Christian church founded by Jesus Christ.

Manalo initially established a church in Manila but quickly departed to preach around the country. He drew some followers who associated him with the angel rising from the East, referenced in chapter 7, verse 2 of the Revelation to John, the last book of the New Testament.

That allegation acquired credibility among his followers with the start of World War I on July 28, 1914, one day after Manalo registered Iglesia ni Cristo with the Philippine government. Members of the church viewed Manalonot just as the angel of Revelation but also as God's final sugo or messenger.

When World War II ended and Japan vacated, the church flourished swiftly despite its meager origins. Manalo assumed the role of executive minister and supervised massive growth. After his father died in 1963, his son Erao took over as executive minister and developed the church globally.

Erano officiated in the INC's first service outside the Philippines, held in Hawaii in 1968. The church's riches and reputation grew, and it became a strong force in Philippine politics by pushing its followers to vote in elections. Its power was demonstrated by the designation of July 27, the day of the church's formal foundation, as a Philippi holiday.

It claimed to have congregations in more than 100 countries in the early twenty-first century, and its membership was believed to be more than three million in the Philippines and several thousand worldwide.

Theology at Iglesia ni Cristo is Unitarian, belief that Jesus Christ is God's chosen son but not God himself. It teaches the idea of the Last Judgment and adheres to a stringent scriptural ban on ingesting animal blood. Services are held in the congregation's members' vernacular language. Paso ("God's Message"), the church's periodical, is published in Tagalog, English, and other languages. Its headquarters are in the Philippine city of Quezon City.

Ten things to know about the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ)

We are not a religious organization.

We believe that Jesus Christ is a human being, not God. To put it another way, we don't believe in the Trinity.

We adhere to the Bible and only the Bible.

We are not a cult.

We don't believe in baby baptism.

We do not observe Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentine's Day, or another pagan-based festival.

We are not a Filipino congregation.

We think the reestablishment of the church is biblically founded and prophesied.

We do not practice tithing.

We believe that to be saved, a person must enter Christ and become a member of his body.

OUR CONVICTIONS

The Father is the one, God.

We believe that the Father, the Creator, is the one and only real God. We believe this because it is the truth given by our Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles. God is a spirit. Thus, He lacks body and bones. God does not have a trinity of individuals. Though the Bible mentions the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it never refers to them all as gods or as three people in one God; instead, it identifies the Father as the only real God.

His own words make it clear that He is a man who speaks the truth that He received from God. The prophets also taught that there is only one God who created us. He is the one God; there is no other God, and no one compares to him.

God is eternal, having no beginning or end, immortal, and does not tire or get tired. All three individuals in one god have never been referred to in any way in the Bible. The only real God is the Father alone, who is always referred to in the Bible.

He alone is the Creator of heaven, the heaven of heavens, and everything that is in them, as well as the earth and all that is on it, and the oceans and all that is in them.

Jesus Christ, the Lord

The Iglesia Ni Cristo believes that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 3:17), is God's one and only Savior. Christ is the only mediator between God and man, as well as the only route to God.

However, we do not believe that Christ is a God-Man. According to His witness and the teachings of His Apostles, He is the man in nature.

Christ possesses all of the characteristics of a human person. He was hungry, thirsty, weary or exhausted, slept, and died.

However, Christ, as opposed to all other men, is the only one who did not sin. God has elevated him and given him a name above all names, so that at the name of Christ, every knee should bow, both in heaven and on earth. In the eyes of God, he is far beyond every principality, power, strength, and dominion. Every name that has been named and everything has been placed.

All of Christ's power and authority will finally be surrendered to the real God. He had identified Himself as the Son of God on several occasions, but He never claimed the term "God" or "God the Son" for Himself since He is not God but a man.

The Indwelling Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the power sent by the Father in Christ's name to instruct and remind His messengers of what Christ taught.

In addition, Christ sends the Holy Spirit to assist us to overcome our shortcomings. As a result of the Holy Spirit, the Church of Christ is strengthened, edified and As a result, although the Holy Spirit is a spirit, the Scriptures never refer to him by his full name, "God the Holy Spirit," because he isn't God,

The Holy Bible

Faith and service to God must be based only on the Bible, according to us. Because it reveals God's righteousness, the Gospel is God's power for redemption for all who believe.

In the Holy Scriptures, God has given us a book full of wisdom and information for teaching, doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete and fully equipped.

God has purposefully veiled His words in mystery so that men who seek to comprehend the Scripture via their worldly understanding would never come to know the truth.

The Apostles refer to the gospel taught by people who have not been sent by God as "another gospel." And any use of the Gospel that deviates from the truth or its genuine meaning will invariably lead to perdition.

Click here

#iglesia ni cristo

4 notes · View notes

fil-jannah · 5 years

Text

Muslims believe in the one Creator of the Universe, referring to Him as “Allah” which is the Arabic word for “God”. Muslims worldwide, even English-speaking Muslims, frequently use the Arabic word “Allah” because Arabic is the language of the Qur’an. But #Allah is no different than the God of Abraham, Moses and #Jesus. The Creator is the Creator regardless of what people call Him. In the English language He is most commonly referred to as “God”. Yet Jesus spoke a different language, referring to God as “Eloi” in Mark 15:34 of the New Testament. Are “God” and “Eloi” different gods? Many Hispanics call God “Dios” and many French say “Dieu”. It would logically follow then that people who refer to God as “Allah” in the Arabic language are referring to the very same God. In fact, many Arab Jews and Arab Christians call God “Allah”. And the word “Allah” is written in Arabic script on the walls of many Arab churches and on the pages of Arabic Bibles. So while the understanding of God may differ between faith groups, the various names used to describe Him does not change the fact that the one Creator of the Universe is the #God of all people.

- The Deen Show

10 notes · View notes

romancatholicreflections · 6 years

Text

19th February >> Daily Reflection/Commentary on Today’s First Reading for Roman Catholics on Tuesday, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10). The story of the great Flood.

Is there some deep memory behind this story and then reading into it a religious meaning? What was the cause of the Flood? Or was it pure myth? Was it some overflowing of the rivers going through what is now Iraq? Was it the result of a tsunami caused by a mighty earthquake in the Mediterranean? In any case, it is another Fall story.

The New American Bible introduces the story in this way:

The story of the great flood is a composite narrative based on two separate sources interwoven into an intricate patchwork. To the Yahwist source, with some later editorial additions, are usually assigned 6:5-8; 7:1-5,7-10,12,16b,17b,22-23; 8:2b-3a,6-12,13b,20-22. The other sections come from the “Priestly document”. The combination of the two sources produced certain duplications; also certain inconsistencies, such as the number of the various animals taken into the ark and the timetable of the flood. Both biblical sources go back ultimately to an ancient Mesopotamian story of a great flood, preserved in the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic. The latter account, in some respects remarkably similar to the biblical account, is in others very different from it. (edited)

The New Jerusalem Bible also comments:

There are several Babylonian stories of the Flood which are in some respects remarkably similar to the biblical narrative. This last does not derive from them but draws on the same source, namely, on the memory of one or more disastrous floods in the valley of the Euphrates and Tigris which tradition had enlarged to the dimensions of a worldwide catastrophe. But there is this fundamental difference: the author has used this tradition as a vehicle for teaching eternal truths – that God is just and merciful, that human beings are perverse, that God saves his faithful ones (see Heb 11:7). The Flood is a divine judgement which foreshadows that of the latter days (Matt 24:37ff; Luke 17:26ff), just as Noah’s salvation prefigures the saving waters of baptism (cf. 1 Pet 3:20-21).

The setting is that mankind has become steeped in sin and immorality. As the reading opens, we are told that God saw how great was the wickedness of mankind on the earth. “Every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.” There was moral corruption everywhere. (And, because human nature did not change after the Flood, the situation did not greatly improve.) At this time, too, there is as yet no distinction between Israel and everyone else.

God, described in very human terms, regrets not only the creation of human beings but of all the “animals, creeping things and birds of the air” as well. Though morally innocent, the animal world, as creatures under human corrupted rule, shared in being judged. The heavenly bodies and the plants were excluded (because they would not have been wiped out by a flood).

Saying that God ‘regrets’ is a human way of expressing the fact that tolerance of sin is totally incompatible with his sanctity (1 Sam 15:29 reminds us that God, unlike humanity, never has to repent). In a far greater number of passages the expression means that God’s anger has been appeased and his threat withdrawn as soon as his people change their ways (cf. Jer 26:3).

There is one human exception to the universal corruption. Noah was a good man, who “had found favour with the Lord”. The destruction to come will, through him, become a reconstruction. Noah and his family will become a righteous remnant which will survive and regenerate, paving the way for the appearance of God’s people in the person of Abraham.

Much of the full story is left out in our readings.

Before the rains come, Noah and all his family are to go aboard the ark. The actual building of the ark according to instructions given by God is omitted in our reading. The English word ‘ark’ comes from the Latin translation arca, meaning a ‘box’ or a ‘chest’. (We have mentioned the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ several times. It was a kind of wooden chest.)

Noah is told to bring with him and his family seven each (male and female) of clean animals and two each of the unclean and seven each of birds. (For an explanation of the number ‘seven’, see tomorrow’s reading.) The ceremonially unclean animals would only have to reproduce themselves after the Flood, but greater numbers of ceremonially clean animals would be needed also for the burnt offerings that Noah would sacrifice and for food. One might have thought that God would have got rid of all the “unclean” animals altogether but their continuing presence after the flood had to be accounted for.

We need to remember that we are not dealing here with a historical event but with a myth. Myths play a very important role in human life and culture. A myth is basically a story which expresses a deep truth that cannot really be expressed in any other way. It is a way, too, of presenting deep truths to people who are uneducated and illiterate (but by no means unintelligent). Much of the Old Testament takes the form of myth but we should not be concerned about this. In fact, it is this realisation that opens up to us the full meaning of passages. Fundamentalism and literalism have the opposite effect.

Seven days after they went aboard, God said he would send rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights and every living thing on the earth would be wiped out. This period of time is often used to indicate a significant period in salvation history (cf. Deut 9:11; Matt 4:1-11, the temptation of Jesus in the desert).

Noah did everything that God had told him to do. Seven days later the rains began.

The message is clear: God protects the virtuous and punishes the wicked. However, we might modify our way of saying that now. Based on many other passages both in the Old and New Testaments, it is difficult for us to accept a God who takes vengeance on those who go against the way of life he proposes to us. It contradicts the teaching that Jesus, the Son of God, gave us, especially in his sacrificial death for us sinners. As Paul tells us, it is easy to understand a person dying for a good person but not for a wicked one. That is exactly what Jesus, with the full approval of his Father, did for us.

There is indeed punishment for sin but it flows out of the sinful acts themselves. Evil is destructive; good is nurturing and growth-inducing. Evil brings division; goodness brings peace and harmony.

2 notes · View notes

jewishshadowhunters · 6 years

Text

Judaism 101: Torah

The word “Torah” is tricky to define, because it can mean different things in different contexts. In its most limited sense, “Torah” refers to the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. But the word “torah” can also be used to refer to the entire Jewish bible (the body of scripture known to non-Jews as the Old Testament and to Jews as the Tanakh or Written Torah).

In its broadest sense, “Torah” can refer to the whole body of Jewish law and teachings.

Below we talk about the Tanakh (written Torah), Talmud (Oral Torah), and other important texts.

Written Torah/Tanakh

To Jews, there is no “Old testament”. The books that Christians call the New Testament are not part of Jewish scripture. The so-called Old Testament is known to us as Written Torah or the Tanakh.

Below is a list of the books of Written Torah, in the order in which they appear in Jewish translations, with the Hebrew name of the book, a translation of the Hebrew name (in the case the translation is different from the English name) and English name of the book.

The Hebrew names are derived from the first few words of the book. The text of each book is more or less the same in Jewish translations as what you see in Christian bibles, although there are occasional, slight differences in the numbering of the verses, and other more significant in the translations.

TORAH (The Law):

Bereishith (In the beginning...) (Genesis)

Shemoth (The names...) (Exodus)

Vayiqra (And He called...) (Leviticus)

Bamidbar (In the wilderness...) (Numbers)

Devarim (The words...) (Deuteronomy)

NEVI’IM (The Prophets)

Yehoshua (Joshua)

Shoftim (Judges)

Shmuel (I &II Samuel)

Melakhim (I & II Kings)

Yeshayah (Isaiah)

Yirmyah (Jeremiah)

Yechezqel (Ezekiel)

The Twelve (treated as one book):

Hoshea (Hosea)

Yoel (Joel)

Amos

Ovadyah (Obadiah)

Yonah (Jonah)

Mikhah (Micah)

Nachum

Chavaqquq (Habbakkuk)

Tzefanyah (Zephaniah)

Chaggai

Zekharyah (Zechariah)

Malakhi

KETHUVIM (The Writings):

Tehillim (Psalms)

Mishlei (Proverbs)

Iyov (Job)

Shir Ha-Shirim (Song of Songs)

Ruth

Eikhah (Lamentations)

Qoheleth (the author's name) (Ecclesiastes)

Esther

Daniel

Ezra & Nechemyah (Nehemiah) (treated as one book)

Divrei Ha-Yamim (The words of the days) (Chronicles)

“Tanakh”, the term used to refer to the Written Torah is an acrostic of Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim.

The Torah Scrolls

The scriptures that we use in services are written on parchment scrolls. Always handwritten, they are in attractive Hebrew calligraphy with “crowns” (crows-foot-like marks coming up from the upper points) on many of the letters.

This style of writing is called STA”M (abbreviation for “Sifrei Torah, Tefillin, and Mezuzot”, which is where you will see that style of writing).

You are not supposed to touch the parchment on these scrolls. Some say it is because they are too holy, some say because the parchment, made from animal skins, is a source of ritual defilement, some say because your fingers’ sweat has acid that will damage parchment over time.

Instead, you follow the text with a pointer, called a Yad. “Yad” means “hand” in Hebrew, and the pointer usually is in the shape of hand with a pointing index finger.

The scrolls are kept covered with fabric, and often ornamented with silver crowns on the handles of the scrolls and a silver breastplate on the front.

They are kept in a cabinet in the synagogue called an “ark” (as in the Ark of the Covenant,not Noah’s ark. The words are different and unrelated in Hebrew. Noah’s ark is called teyvat (ship), while the synagogue ark is either an acrostic of “aron kodesh” or holy cabinet or coming from the latin “arca”.)

The Torah scrolls that we read in synagogue are unpointed text, with no vowels or musical notes, so the ability to read a passage is a valuable skill, and usually requires substantial advance preparation.

Chumash

Jewish scriptures are sometimes bound in a form that corresponds to the division into weekly readings (called parshiyot in Hebrew). Scriptures bound in this way are generally referred to as a chumash. This word came from the Hebrew word for five, and refers to the five books of the Torah. Sometimes, a chumash refers to a collection of the five books. But often, a chumash contains the entirety of the first five books, divided up in weekly parshiyot, with the haftarah portion inserted after each week’s parshah.

Oral Torah/Talmud

In addition to the Written Torah, we have an “Oral Torah”, a tradition explaining what the scriptures mean and how to interpret and apply the Laws. Orthodox Jews believe that G-d taught the Talmud to Moses, and that he in turn taught it to others. Talmud was maintained in oral form only until about the 2nd Century CE, when it was compiled and written down in a document called the Mishnah?

Over the following centuries, additional commentaries elaborating the Mishnah were written down in Jerusalem and Babylon. These additions are known as the Gemara. Mishnah and Gemara together form the Talmud, complete in the 5th century CE.

There are as a result two Talmuds. The Jerusalem Talmud, and the Babylonian Talmud, known to be the more comprehensive one, and the one most people refer to when saying “The Talmud.”

Additional commentaries on the talmud have been made by noted Jewish scholars such as Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchakià) and Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known to the secular world as Maimonides.)

Adin Steinsaltz recently completed a new edition of the Talmud, with his own commentary instead of the Mishnah, Gemara and Rashi commentaries.

The Talmud is not easy to read. It’s like someone else’s class notes for a college lecture you never attended. There are often gaps in the reasoning where it is assumed the reader known what they are talking about, and concepts can often be expressed in a short-hand fashion. Biblical verses supporting a teaching are often referenced by only a couple of words. The Talmud preserves a variety of views on every issue, and does not always clearly identify which view is the accepted one.

The Mishnah itself is divided into six sections called sedarim (orders, English). Each seder contains one or more divisions called masekhtot (tractates, English). There are 63 masekhtot in the Mishnah. Approximately half of these have been addressed in the Talmud.

Though those divisions seem to indicate subject matter, we note that Mishnah and Talmud engage in a lot of free-associations. As a result, widely different subjects can be discussed in the same seder or masekhtah.

Zera'im (Seeds), dealing with agricultural laws

Berakhot

Peah

Demai

Kilayim

Shebiit

Terumot

Maaserot

Maaser Sheni

Challah

Orlah

Bikkurim

Mo'ed (Festival), dealing with Shabbat and festivals

Shabbat

Erubin

Pesachim

Sheqalim

Yoma

Sukkah

Besah

Rosh Hashanah

Taanit

Megillah

Moed Qatan

Hagigah

Nashim (Women), dealing with marriage, divorce and contracts

Yebamot

Ketubot

Nedarim

Nazir

Sotah

Gittin

Qiddushin

Nezikin (Damages), dealing with tort laws and other financial laws

Baba Qamma

Baba Mesia

Baba Batra

Sanhedrin

Makkot

Shabuot

Eduyyot

Avodah Zarah

Avot (also known as Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers)

Horayot

Kodashim (Holy Things), dealing with sacrifices and the Temple

Zevachim

Menachot

Chullin

Bekhorot

Arakhin

Temurah

Keritot

Meilah

Tamid

Middot

Qinnim

Toharot (Purities), dealing with laws of ritual purity and impurity

Kelim

Ohalot

Negaim

Parah

Tohorot

Miqvaot

Niddah

Makhshirin

Zabim

Tebul-Yom

Yadayim

Uqsin

In recent times, many observant Jews have taken up the practice of studying a page of Talmud every day. This practice, referred to as daf yomi (page of the day), was started at the First International Congress of the Agudath Yisrael World Movement in August, 1923. Rav Meir Shapiro, the rav of Lublin, Poland, proposed uniting people worldwide through the daily study of a page of Talmud. Daf Yomi started its 12th cycle on March 2, 2005. The 13th cycle was started in 2013, and has yet to finish.

Other Writings

In addition to these works, we have midrashim, stories expanding on the incidents in the Bible to derive principles or Jewish law; or teaching moral lessons.

There is also a vast body of responsa, answers to specific questions of Jewish law. Beginning in the middle ages, when local rabbis were faced with difficult issues of Jewish law, they often wrote to the most respected rabbis in the world to get answers to these questions. The local rabbi would present the situation, often including detailed references to the Talmudic passages he had reviews, his own interpretations and the world-respected rabbi would provide a reasoned argument in favor of his answer. Over time, these responsa were collected into printed volumes. This tradition continues to the present day, with responsa dealing with issues relating to modern technologies. We have responsa on the permissibility of cosmetic surgery, the kashering of dishwashers, and artificial insemination. We are currently in the process of computerizing the thousands of volumes of responsa.

As you can see, the body of Jewish tradition is very vast.

In the Middle Ages, for quick answers, there were several attempts to create definite codes of Jewish law. The best-known are Rambam’s Mishneh Torah and Joseph Caro’s Shulchan Arukh. These works were very controversial in their own time, because they did not identify the sources, whether Talmudic or Torah, for these opinions, and generally ignored conflicting voices. There was a concern that such works would discourage Jews from studying the Torah and the Talmud. Today, these sources are well-respected, and the Shulchan Arukh is often treated as primary source.

We asl have a mystical tradition, own as Kabbalah. The primary written work in Kabbalistic tradition is the Zohar. Traditionally, rabbis discouraged teaching this material to anyone under the age of 40, because it is too likely to be misinterpreted by anyone without sufficient grounding in the basics.

#torah #resources #original #judaism 101 #jewish

10 notes · View notes

thespanishgroup-eng · 2 years

Text

Things to Know About Document Translation

Written content is involved in the translation effort. Simply, translation is the process of converting content from one language into another. Religious texts are the earliest translations that have been observed. Some historical traditions claim that Xuanzang, a Chinese monk, was the first to transcribe Buddhist scriptures. The most widely used were the numerous early translations of the Bible, including Saint Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible and the Septuagint's translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek.

Document translation now addresses a variety of subjects and market segments. The promotion of comprehension and effective communication among those who do not share the same language is made possible via document translation. Nearly all facets of society—lives, economy, public and private governance—are impacted by translation.

Uses of Document Translation in Real Life

Making ensuring that audiences around the world can understand messages and information in their own language helps to close the communication gap.

Services for translation are essential to all facets of society and advantageous for international trade. Multinational corporations benefit from translation. The programme makes it possible to exchange information in chosen languages, connect overseas firms with local ones, close deals, and advance trade and business.

Translation of documents fosters cross-cultural interaction. Through official translation, more individuals who speak various languages can appreciate and enjoy books, movies, music, and other kinds of art. As more individuals from many cultures become aware of and appreciate one another's cultures, artists, authors, film directors, and singers are just a few of the people who gain from translation services

In international diplomacy, translation is essential. In order to achieve worldwide agreement, proper communication is essential. Business executives, politicians, and world leaders should communicate in their native tongues.

The proper certified English translation of documents by qualified translators also contributes to the dissemination of information, the transmission of news, and the growth of tourism.

Who Is Capable of Document Translation?

It is good if you hire a professional translator to translate your document to make your document translation accurate and of the highest quality possible. To undertake translation work, a professional translator needs the appropriate education, experience, linguistic competence, and writing abilities.

For All of Your Translation Needs, Contact Certified Professionals Today.

You merely need to contact experts whenever you require high-quality professional translation services. One of the excellent translation services is provided by The Spanish Group. They are the first-class certified document translation service provider that reliably serves the modern needs of global trade, law, and immigration. A majority of the native speakers in their network of qualified translators are local residents. You can reach them by phone at (+1800) 460 1536 or by sending an email to [email protected] or simply visit the official website www.thespanishgroup.org

#certified document translation #certified english translation #document translation services near me #document translations #official translation

0 notes

biblenewsprophecy · 4 months

Text

Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes

@bible-news-prophecy-radio

Many who do not live in Islamic countries know little about Islam and even less about how Muslims view the West and what they see of those who profess Christianity. Back in 1980, the old Worldwide Church of God published an article by Keith Stump titled 'Seeing the World Through Islamic Eyes.' Muslims themselves tend to view the West as hypocritical, decadent, and immoral. They tend to see the world's version of 'Christianity' as false and compromised. Many would be surprised to realize that Muhammad claimed that there were two kinds of Christians: the faithful and the rebellious. Some scholars believe that Muhammad had contact with and was influenced by those who held to Judeao-Christian practices. What are some similarities between original Christianity and Islam? What do Muslims teach about Jesus? Will God's plan of salvation result in massive numbers of Muslims being saved?

An article of related interest is available titled 'Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes'

A free online book of related interest is also available titled 'Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century'

youtube

Youtube video link: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes

Related Items:

Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge. Here is a link to a related sermon: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes.

CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 160 different languages there.

LATEST SERMONS

0 notes

dailybiblelessons · 6 years

Text

Friday: Preparation for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

This week's blog post is here. It has a review of Modern English Version-, asks the question who should we love as our neighbor, and has more on the theme of love.

More information about the two complementary and semi-continuous series is here: Which Series?

Complementary Hebrew Scripture from the Torah: Leviticus 19:32-37

You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or quantity. You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them: I am the Lord.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Writings: Ruth 2:1-9

Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband's side, a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered, “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came, and she has been on her feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment.”

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

Complementary Psalm 119:1-8

Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways. You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances. I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

Semi-continuous Psalm 146

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them;¹ who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!

¹This passage is used in Acts, when the believers pray for boldness (Acts 4:23-31), and when Paul and Barnabas prevent the people of Lystra from offering them sacrifices (Acts 14:8-20) as well as in Revelation, when a voice speaking to John instructs him to prophesy in many nations (Revelation 10:1-11).

New Testament Epistle Lesson: Romans 3:21-31

But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Year B Ordinary 31 Friday

Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from Holy Bible New Revised Standard Version with the Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical Books (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Footnotes in the Hebrew Scriptures that show where the passage is used in the Christian Scriptures are based on information from the Complete Jewish Bible (Updated) (CJB) by David H. Stern, Copyright © 1998 and 2006 by David H. Stern, used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the CJB, the passage ends with (CJB) and the foregoing copyright notice applies. Note: The links in the titles above take you to Amazon, where you can purchase them and benefit The Lectionary Company. Image credit: Jews and Gentiles created by Michael Gilbertson from public domain images found on Wikimedia. This is a public domain image. If used, please credit The Lectionary Company.

#B Ordinary 31 Friday #Jews and Gentiles #God #faith #righteousness #praise #Naomi #alien #ordinances #blood

2 notes · View notes

thewayisyah · 4 years

Text

Can You Trust The Bible

It is not surprising that this is a common question. According to Google in March 2021 there were exactly 129,864,880 books in the world. One book quickly stands out with no comparison is the bible. Described as a collection of religious texts, it is impossible to place this book in just one genre.

This book is everywhere, chances are it is in your home right now. It has also been printed in almost every language, and it's old, really old. The bible is in fact the oldest book in the world. The oldest biblical text found is approximately 2700 years old. Most believe the first book Genesis was written approximately 3400 years ago and the last book Revelation was completed around 90AD or approximately 1900 years ago.

Its powerful writings have spawned over 30,000 religious organizations or denominations worldwide. The bible is a holy grouping of hebrew writings that consist of a total of 66 books within the one binding. Those books are categorized into two parts. The first part is known as the Old Testament or First Covenant. It is also known in Judaism as the Torah. Although Islam is considered an Abrahamic faith, the Quran is not identical to the Old Testament as the Torah remains. The second part is known as the New Testament or Renewed Covenant. 40 authors are believed to have been inspired by God when writing the bible.

Can you trust the translation accuracy?

Most of the controversy surrounding the bible is usually rooted in the opinions of those who oppose the very existence of a higher benevolent being. Still others question the translation conversion integrity. That is a valid concern considering the interpretation of its content could be expected to vary from that of the original author's intent. The bible can be found in over 3,312 languages with approximately 50 different versions in English alone. Was it all translated accurately?

Consider the archaeological evidence. In 1946 in the Qumran Caves in the Judaean Desert of the west bank, ancient Hebrew Manuscripts were found. These manuscripts consisted of 800+ documents made of animal skin, papyrus and even forged copper. The material composition of these manuscripts were important because it allowed fairly accurate radiocarbon dating to determine they were over 2000 years old. These manuscripts are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls can be viewed today in Jerusalem and were written in mostly Hebrew but some in Aramaic and Greek. These are the three original languages the bible was written in. All the books of the Torah except for Nehemiah and Esther were found. As you can imagine anyone questioning the integrity of modern day bible translations would be interested in a comparison. The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided an impressive amount of evidence for the overall integrity of the modern bible and its various translations. The Dead Sea Scrolls also help when considering the following topic of missing books.

Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek all do not perfectly translate into english. This is generally the reason behind why there are so many translation versions. Translators are forced to decide whether they are seeking to convey the exact words or the central idea of the text. This process has generated two types of translations known as “word for word” or Thought for Thought. Some blend both. You may want to consider the planned use of the bible when deciding what will work best for you.

Are books missing from the bible?

This all time best seller has generated opposition to its powerful message since its pages were first read. Early christians suffered fatal persecution for simply possessing a copy. So it isn’t difficult to consider that some wishing to suppress various messages contrary to their position of power or control, may not only manipulate translation but remove content from the bible entirely. Is there any evidence of this?

Depending on your patience and willingness to research the answer you will find the answer varies depending on the source. Research will generally lead to the 14 or 15 Apocrypha books or the 7 books removed by Martin Luther.

Let's discuss the Apocrypha first. This word is derived from ancient Greek and means those that were hidden. Some have interpreted the meaning to be too sacred or secret to be in everyone's hands. Eventually in time it has become known as false, bad or heretical. In this context it refers to religious texts that were in some versions of the catholic bible.

I will be going into much greater depth on this subject when I publish my book, Book of Books sometime in 2021. In the meantime with regards to the accusation that upto 15 books or more have been removed from our modern day translations, the answer is, possibly.

The dead sea scrolls did contain portions of three books considered Apocryphal. Ben Sira (or Ecclesiasticus), Tobi, and the Epistle of Jeremiah. It is also suggested that the Book of Enoch was found which is not confirmed. All this is evidence of is that these three books were likely around at a much later date than previously assumed. Why these 15 books may have been removed is another consideration which leads to Martin Luther. The 16th century father of Protestantism, is known for his removal of 7 books from the catholic bible at the time. He left the catholic church in 1517 because he denounced the catholic practice of selling pardons for sins.

He is known for removing 7 books from the Catholic bible. All of those books were part of the 15 referred to as the Apocrypha. These are referred to as deuterocanonical books by Catholics and Orthodox or otherwise known as Apocrypha by Jews and Protestants for obvious reasons. The reason why he removed them is not confirmed but assumed generally that they did not fit what was assumed as the overall accepted inspired writings of the bible (aka canon).

Conclusion

Those that have actually read the pages of the bible and still walk away doubting the content as divinely inspired are small in number for a reason. Personally I believe it's impossible, which is why I usually ask any opposition, “ Did you really, really read it, really?” With regard to the bible as we know it today, our modern translations such as the King James Version or the American Standard etc. are trustworthy in terms of the message's integrity and authenticity.

So yes, you can trust that little to nothing was lost from the original text through the process of translation. Certain versions have been found to differ from the collective and those are usually associated directly to their associated individual sect or denomination. With regard to the missing books, you are free to develop your own conclusion. Personally being a believer that the writings of the bible are of divine origin, I cannot conclude that anything meant to be provided to the children of God would ever be allowed to be removed. If in the future these claimed missing books are proven as authentic I do not believe they could ever be of any overall importance. I am planning to personally read them all and I will provide updates.

The collective message of the bible has survived antiquity, and much scrutiny. I believe the entire message of the bible is sound. Not one piece of evidence has been produced proving the bible incorrect, ever. You must read the books yourself to make a sound determination and If you are seriously considering a version or translation to call your own, you may wish to consider praying to God for guidance and also make sure that you thoroughly research each version before committing.

_____________________________________________

www.thewayisyah.com

A Non denominational ministry keeping it strictly scriptual. The word of God has shown the way to salvation! No emotional, traditional, or religious bias shall keep us from following the light of YAH.

0 notes

ltworld · 4 years

Text

Revelation, Coronavirus, and the Mark of the Beast: How Should Christians Read the Bible’s Most Fascinating Book? Part 2

Kevin DeYoung

Earlier in the week I started a three-part series on how to read the book of Revelation. We will get to the mark of the beast next week, but first, an explanation of what Revelation says about itself.

You can tell a lot about a book by its introduction. Read the first few sentences of a fairy tale, a memoir, or a logic textbook, and you will instinctively know that there are certain “rules” for interpreting these works correctly. A good introduction helps us approach the rest of the book in the right way. That’s what the introduction to Revelation does. It orients us to the type of literature we are about to encounter.

In particular, the first three verses of Revelation tell us three important things about the type of book we are reading. Revelation is an apocalypse, a prophecy, and a letter.

Apocalypse

The word “revelation” is simply the English translation of the Greek word apokalupsis found at the beginning of verse 1. The book of Revelation is about the uncovering or the unveiling of what must soon take place. To be sure, in some ways, this is a mysterious and difficult book. But we must remember, Revelation is not meant to shroud the truth but to reveal it. God means for us to understand this book.

“Apocalyptic” can sound like an intimidating word, but all we need to understand that as an apocalypse, Revelation is a book of showing. That’s what makes it so intriguing and so tricky. The book doesn’t give us precise legal codes; it gives us verbal pictures. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him [Jesus] to show to his servants the things that must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1). It’s important to note that John doesn’t draw us a picture of what he saw or act it out in a play. He expects his visions to be read and heard. We are still dealing with text. But don’t look past the obvious: Revelation is a book of showing. The verb “to see” appears 52 times in Revelation. We are meant to “see” what we read on the pages.

We should look at the visions of Revelation as we would look at portraits in an art gallery. Revelation is not given as sequential clips from a movie, but as self-contained portraits that often show the same thing in a different way. The word most scholars use is “recapitulation.” It means that Revelation is not a chronological road map from chapters 4 to 22, but a series of visions that overlap and repeat. The seven seals are a portrait, and the seven trumpets are another portrait, but they do not necessarily follow one after the other.

Let me see if I can explain this recapitulation better by giving you some examples. Look at Revelation 11:15-18. It’s clearly a picture of final judgment for all people, the righteous and the wicked, the small and the great. Compare these verses with Revelation 20:11-15, which is clearly another picture of final judgment. It will be difficult to make sense of these sections if we think one follows chronologically after the other. We aren’t watching a movie unfold in real time; we are looking at different portraits of the same reality.

You could also look at Revelation 16:17 where the seventh angel pours out his bowl and says, “It is done!” Then in 21:6, he who sits on the throne says, “It is done!” If chapter 21 occurs temporally after chapter 16, we are left with a lot of confusion. God declares “It is done” in two different places. But if Revelation is full of recapitulation, this is not a problem.

Here is one more pair of verses: Revelation 6:12-17 and 16:18-20. In both sections we encounter the day of God’s wrath with a cataclysmic earthquake, islands fleeing, and mountains removed from their place. How can the earth crumble to pieces two times? It doesn’t. But in Revelation, we often have two different portraits of the same event.

We can’t read Revelation like every other book. Revelation is a book of symbols in motion. The graphic images and pictures (given with words) point to a deeper reality. The seven stars are angels, and the seven lampstands are seven churches (1:20). The seven heads are seven hills (17:9). The prostitute is a great city (17:18). Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints (19:8). The ancient serpent is the Devil (20:2). Unless we are prepared to look at Revelation symbolically—in pictures—we will miss the point.

Because Revelation is a showing book, full of symbols, numbers play a crucial role. John doesn’t use numbers as secret codes to crack but as signs of completeness, totality, and perfection (or the lack thereof). Three numbers are particularly important: seven, four, and twelve.

Seven is the number of completeness, especially in a spiritual sense. Thus, John writes to seven churches (real churches) as a representation of all churches. Likewise, we see seven spirits, seven judgments (in the seals, trumpets, and bowls), and seven lamps. The phrase “Lord God Almighty” occurs seven times (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 19:6; 21:22), as does the phrase “the one who sits on the throne” (4:9; 5:1, 7, 13; 6:16; 7:15; 21:5) and the word “Christ” (1:1, 2, 5; 11:15; 12:10; 20:4, 6). Prophecy is mentioned seven times (1:3; 11:6; 19:10; 22:7, 10, 18, 19). Peoples, tribes, languages, and nations are mentioned seven times (5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15). The Spirit/Holy Spirit is mentioned seven times in relation to the seven churches and another seven times in the rest of the book (1:10; 4:2; 14:3; 17:3; 19:10; 21:10; 22:17). Jesus is used 14 times (7 x 2), and Christ is called the Lamb twenty-eight times (7 x 4).

The number four points to universality or worldwide scope. That’s why we read of four living creatures, four horsemen, the four corners of the earth, the four winds, and the four-fold phrase “people, tribe, language, and nation.” Similarly, the phrase “the one who lives forever” appears four times (4:9, 10; 10:6; 15:7) as does “seven spirits” (1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6) and references to lightning, sounds, and thunder from the throne (4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18).

The number 12 and its multiples indicate the fullness of God’s people. Hence, we have 12 tribes and 12 apostles. We read of 24 (12 x 2) thrones and 24 elders. We see God’s people symbolically depicted as 144,000 (12 x 12 x 1000). And in the depiction of the New Jerusalem where God’s people dwell for all eternity, the number 12 occurs 12 times.

You get the picture (pun intended). Revelation, as an apocalypse, is a book of symbols and a book of showing.

Prophecy

Revelation is also a prophecy (1:3; 22:7), and as such, it’s rooted in Old Testament imagery. We will misread Revelation if we try to find referents from our day instead of first of all seeing allusions from the Old Testament. Think of all the Old Testament imagery that Revelation borrows: the tree of life, the ancient serpent, the plagues, the Song of Moses, Jezebel, Babylon, the temple, Jerusalem, the 12 tribes of Israel, priests, incense, Balaam, the water of life, the winepress of God’s wrath, and on and on and on. Even though Revelation is about the future, it, more than any other book in the New Testament, only makes sense when seen through the eyes of the past. A list of Old Testament allusions and parallels in Revelation would fill several pages, with around 500 references.

Moreover, Revelation is not just steeped in Old Testament imagery, it is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Think, for example, of the connection between Revelation and the book of Daniel. In Daniel 2 Daniel interprets a dream for King Nebuchadnezzar. In his dream Nebuchadnezzar sees a large statue made of gold, silver, iron, and clay. The statue is broken to pieces by a rock that then becomes a huge mountain that fills the whole earth. The four metals are four kingdoms, and the rock is a final kingdom set up by God that will destroy all the other kingdoms and never be destroyed. In Daniel 2:28 Daniel says, “God has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.” And in verse 29 he says, “The revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.” This language is similar, and identical in parts, to the language used in Revelation 1:1, except this time John speaks of a revelation that God gave to show what must soon take place. The phrase “what must soon take place” is used four times in Revelation, and the connection with Daniel is deliberate. What Daniel interpreted as going to happen in latter days is now close and even at hand. The appointed time when God would set up his divine everlasting kingdom—that rock that destroyed the statue of gold, silver, iron, and clay—has arrived.

Let me highlight one more connection, this time between the end of Daniel and the end of Revelation. In Daniel 12:4 Daniel is told, “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.” In Revelation 22:10 John is told, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.” You can hear the similar language. But, whereas Daniel was told to seal it up until the end, John was told to keep it open, because the time is near. What Daniel saw was coming to culmination in John’s day. What had been far off was now near at hand.

This means we are in the end times/last days and have been for years (cf. Acts 2:17; 1 Tim. 4:1). This doesn’t mean the end of the world is tomorrow. The “end times” or the “last days” is the designation for the time following the triumph of Jesus Christ on the cross. A new day has dawned in salvation history. That’s the point of the connections between Daniel and Revelation. The divine kingdom that would destroy all other kingdoms has already come—it is at hand. But it is not yet fully established. The prophecy of Daniel and the whole Old Testament, really, has come to its zenith in Revelation. The triumph of the Son of Man, the coming of the divine kingdom, and the salvation of the righteous, and the judgment of the wicked have already occurred, and they are not yet completed. In other words, the time that John saw as soon to appear has not been fully realized, but it has been inaugurated.

If all this sounds confusing, it’s because most of us don’t understand how multi-layered biblical prophecy is. Most prophecy in the Bible works by speaking to the immediate context and spinning out into the future. Most prophecy has an already and not-yet fulfillment.

For example, Isaiah 40:3-5 says, “A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.” What is Isaiah talking about? Well, he’s talking about the return from exile in Babylon, but he’s also thinking of a deliverance more complete. Therefore, when the Gospels see in John the Baptist the fulfillment of Isaiah 40, they aren’t making things up. They are seeing the fulfillment of God’s ultimate salvation. The New Testament writers understood—as the Old Testament prophets did—that prophecy usually has a near-term and long-term fulfillment.

It’s as if a prophet came to America after 9-11 and said, “Hear, O my people, in America. Your days of fear will soon be over. I will topple Hussein. Bin Laden will I find out. Baghdad will be a haunt of jackals and Al-Qaeda a wasteland. No more will terror strike your land. Mothers will no longer weep. Children will not be fatherless. I will deliver you from all your sorrows. Death shall be destroyed, and your punishment ended. I will be among you always. I am the Lord your God, and there is no other.” Obviously, that’s not a real prophecy. But since it deals with familiar people and places, we can more easily hear near-term and long-term fulfillment. My made-up prophecy speaks hope into the immediate context, but the language is also so exalted and otherworldly as to point us to a later, fuller fulfillment. That’s how prophecy worked in the Old Testament and how it is fulfilled in Revelation.

Letter

Revelation is an apocalypse, a prophecy, and a letter. It is a letter written by John and sent to seven real churches. Some of the churches were under attack: spiritually, physically, and materially. And some of the churches were knee-deep in compromise and worldliness. The message that this letter conveyed was, above almost all else, an exhortation to overcome. “Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Jesus has won the victory. Live like him. Die like him. But do not succumb to the devil and the world.”

Revelation was probably a circular letter meant to be read at one church and then sent on to the next. Revelation would be read in a worship service, probably in one sitting. Much of the congregation would have been illiterate. They couldn’t have studied the letter even if they had a copy, so the church would listen as the reader read.

You might think, But how could they possibly understand a book like this? They didn’t have commentaries, or concordances, or Bible software, or inductive training methods, or even a Bible to follow along in! But they did have several advantages we don’t have.

First, they didn’t have TVs, movies, and the internet, so they were probably just plain better at learning with their ears.

Second, they probably knew the Old Testament better than we do.

Third, they didn’t need a translation. Fourth, they lived in the world and culture in which the letter was written. That’s a huge advantage. No matter how brilliant and diligent our study, we will never be able to know the world of first-century Asia Minor as well as the people who lived in it. I’m sure there were all sorts of idioms, symbolisms, and referents that we struggle to uncover that they would have known instantly. We have to read big fat books to figure these things out, but things would have been much clearer had you been sitting in the First Church of Smyrna. This isn’t to make us despair of understanding Revelation. With a good knowledge of the Old Testament and some historical knowledge, we can understand this book. After all, God gave it to us to show his servants what must soon take place. The point I am trying to reinforce is that we must not forget Revelation was a real letter to real people. It was written for a first-century audience. Now, it still has significance for us, but it was first of all written to seven churches in Asia Minor who lived in the first century, understood Greek, and were threatened by persecution and tempted to compromise. While it’s quite possible for Revelation to signify more than first-century Christians could fully understand, it must never mean less. As a letter, our interpretations of Revelation must be constrained by John’s authorial intent and the original audience’s ability to make sense of what was written.

Note: This post was first published through The Gospel Coalition website.

#deyoung #revelation

0 notes

bm2ab · 4 years

Photo

Arrivals & Departures 12 April 2020 Celebrate Easter Sunday! Celebrate Pascha! Celebrate Resurrection Sunday!

Image: Icon of the Resurrection depicting Christ having destroyed the gates of Hades and removing Adam and Eve from the grave. Christ is flanked by saints, and Satan—depicted as an old man—is bound and chained. (See Resurrection of Jesus in Christian art.)

Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as "Holy Week", which contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In Western Christianity, Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the 50th day, Pentecost Sunday. In Eastern Christianity, the season of Pascha begins on Pascha and ends with the coming of the 40th day, the Feast of the Ascension.

Easter and the holidays that are related to it are movable feasts which do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars which follow only the cycle of the Sun; rather, its date is offset from the date of Passover and is therefore calculated based on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established two rules, independence of the Jewish calendar and worldwide uniformity, which were the only rules for Easter explicitly laid down by the council. No details for the computation were specified; these were worked out in practice, a process that took centuries and generated a number of controversies. It has come to be the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March. Even if calculated on the basis of the more accurate Gregorian calendar, the date of that full moon sometimes differs from that of the astronomical first full moon after the March equinox.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In most European languages the feast is called by the words for Passover in those languages; and in the older English versions of the Bible the term Easter was the term used to translate Passover. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs (symbols of the empty tomb). The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide. Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter parades. There are also various traditional Easter foods that vary regionally.

0 notes

delenaciamacco · 4 years

Photo

Did You Know…

Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts which do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars which follow only the cycle of the Sun; rather, its date is offset from the date of Passover and is therefore calculated based on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established two rules, independence of the Jewish calendar and worldwide uniformity, which were the only rules for Easter explicitly laid down by the council. No details for the computation were specified; these were worked out in practice, a process that took centuries and generated a number of controversies. It has come to be the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March. Even if calculated on the basis of the more accurate Gregorian calendar, the date of that full moon sometimes differs from that of the astronomical first full moon after the March equinox.

This Year Easter falls on April 12, 2020. Although we may not be celebrating it as we traditionally have been, the Meaning of Easter should always ring true.

#1 Realtor in Central Ohio REMAX Connection Realtors DeLena Ciamacco Happy Easter real estate

0 notes

cfijerusalem · 6 years

Text

THE GOD OF ISRAEL WHISTLES

“I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.” (Zechariah 10:8, ESB)

New immigrants in Ben Gurion airport in Israel (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia)

Some translations of the living Word translate the word whistle as call for, give a sign and even hiss; however, the Hebrew word (sharaq) is translated into English as whistle, even to pipe. Just think. He God of all Creation, the Cosmos, the Heavens above and the Earth below, whistles. He somehow makes a clear, high-pitched sound which only they, the Jewish people can hear…but He has also given those of us who stand with the Jewish people, the same knowing in our hearts, that “it is time to come home from the nations…really time.”

I once asked a Russian Jewish immigrant “why did you come to Israel?” He found no words but just shrugged his shoulders, and then pointed upward to God.” That told me, it indeed was the Lord who had called him to make the holy pilgrimage of “Aliyah” (immigration) to the Land of Israel, as a Jewish person. In today’s Jerusalem Post (2/13/19), I quote: “Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu Party, said…that Jews who “want their children and grandchildren to remain Jewish have only one choice: move to Israel as soon as possible…A wave of anti-Semitism is sweeping the world and gaining momentum…” This S.O.S. signal, to his own people was to alert them, to awaken them and to pay attention to the clock, and God moved one of his own people, to again “sound the warning.” I have no doubt that God is calling His People back home to the resurrected, renewed and restored Land of Israel. It is all part of his end-time plans. Our job as Watchmen is to also “sound the trumpet” to our own people to pray-pray-pray because it is important that they come willingly while they can, instead of being terrorized to flee. If God can speak through donkeys, (Numbers 22:21-35), wink in (Acts 17:30-31, KJV), blow a trumpet, (Joel 2:1) he can certainly whistle, if He desires to. Do we hear the sound? I have always said an even greater mass Aliyah, than we have experienced so far, is coming and when it does, it will be a tidal wave like no one could imagine. It is time to really pray! The CFI Distribution Center stands prepared to welcome many more new immigrants. Be sure to read “For Zion’s Sake” on the Internet (www.cfijerusalem.org).

LET US COME TOGETHER IN PRAYER AROUND THE WORLD

Pray that the warnings will not fall on deaf ears and dismiss the signals to them, rejecting wise counsel (Psalm 7).

Watch and pray the wave of anti-Semitism to be “just enough” to uproot but not hurt. “I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:15, NIV).

Intercede for Israel’s leadership to speak more about this “going up” which the God of Israel wants for His People. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Pray for good shepherds over Israel.

Fervently pray that many will not be caught in materialism, prosperity and complacency and miss their opportunity to flee without fear. “They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west” (Hosea 11:10, NIV).

Beseech the Lord for hearts of Christians worldwide to stay alert and be ready to help when needed here in Israel.

Thank the Lord for His Holy Promises for His Chosen People: Aliyah being top priority for the last days before the setting up of the Kingdom.

Praise Him for His Promises in the Bible, the whole counsel of God. There is no such thing as an “OLD” Testament, all the words of the Eternal God are Everlasting and Jesus (Yeshua) taught from the Jewish Scriptures saying “…it is written”… many times. “…for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

Aliyah is a holy act and decision especially for the Jewish people. May the ears of the Jewish people be open to return while they can. Being better citizens of another nation was never meant to be. Israel is the nation into which they are called. Thank God that when His People get home, the greatest signal of all is that Messiah (Yeshua) will return to set up His Father’s Kingdom on earth: in Jerusalem. All mankind will come up to worship the One True God: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yeshua continues to lead us to Him.

In His Love and Service, Sharon Sanders

Christian Friends of Israel - Jerusalem email: [email protected]

0 notes