PropheZine Newsletter #125
July 1, 2001
Bob Lally Publisher/Senior Editor
Bob Ippolito Asst. Editor
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Disclaimer: PropheZine publishes articles by many authors and may not
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IN THIS ISSUE
----GREETING FROM BOB LALLY
----ARTICLES
Dean Flanders...How to be Socially Sanctified
Bob Cornuke...The Search for the Real Mountains of Ararat
Dr. Thomas McCall...The Mystery of the Date of Pentecost
Patrick Zukeran...Authority of the Bible
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GREETINGS FROM BOB LALLY
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Hi Everyone:
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Prayer...we all need it. How any times does a Pastor say, "Whoever needs
prayer, come forward." and only about 5 people make their way to the alter!
Seems to me that EVERYONE should move forward as we all need prayer. Well,
the Lally family needs prayer also - serious prayer to flood the throne room
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PropheZine has only 4 donors which donate a small fraction of what is needed
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salary from their ministry (your donations pay his salary) and that is fine
for them, my desire is to work a secular job and have fun running PZ.
In simple words....Lord, I want to work, I am not lazy! So, if any of the
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Scripture shows how we are to mention our needs to our brothers and sisters.
Please pray for the Lally family as we go through these difficult times.
Pray that the Lord will end this situation and proceed to bless me with a
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======================================================
Branson Missouri International Prophecy Summit
Sherlock Bally Ministries (http://www.sherlockbally.com/) is sponsoring a
massive Prophecy Summit on August 21-25, 2001 in Branson Missouri. 3,000
attendees are expected. This Prophecy Summit will undoubtedly be the
greatest Prophecy conference to date - I can guarantee that.
Speakers: Sherlock Bally, Hal Lindsey, Zola Levitt, Grant Jeffrey, Bob
Cornuck, Gary Kah, Chuck Missler, JR Church, Yacov Rambsel, David A. Lewis,
Bill Cloud, Mrs. Missouri 2000, and others yet to be named.
So, call 1-866-263-1811 or visit http://www.sherlockbally.com/ for details.
($40-$50 registration fee - that's it!)
======================================================
How to be Socially Sanctified
By: Dean Flanders
http://www.apostasynow.com/
======================================================
Heb 12:14
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord:
To be sanctified (which means to be holy), one must be separated in a
distinct way - IN A WAY THAT GOD CAN SEE - from all that is not of Christ or
is against Christ in this world.
1 Pet 1:16
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Holiness is not chiefly a moral quality, such as men will notice and
acknowledge - it is a state before God, in which one is in some way
deliberately aloof from all those things which deny and doubt the saving
faith. Morality is included, but is not the essence of holiness - morality
is the fruit of holiness.
2 Cor 6:14-18
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath l with
darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he
that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God
with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I
will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And
will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the
Lord Almighty.
The easy part of being (or, appearing to MEN to be) holy is to refrain from
scandalous talk and behaviors. The hard part of being holy is being
UNENTANGLED with the Christless masses and the nominal false professors that
surround you. Once you have obliged yourself to affirm their lives and their
doctrines, ANY attempt at stepping away from their society or fellowship
will provoke them to attack and slander you. This article tells you how to
be "SOCIALLY SANCTFIED"... without living in an open war with the people
around you.
John 8:59
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out
of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
You can make it through this world, being holy, without being taken in the
snares of the godless. You can live along side of them, without offending
them so that they are always trying to hurt you. You can walk right through
the midst of them, untouched. You can involve with them socially, but never
get sucked into anything that compromises your faith. You can retain a
consistent confession of your faith in any company without making everyone
angry at you. This takes great sobriety, and a willingness to risk their
rejection for the truth's sake.... BUT.........
Prov 16:7
When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace
with him.
NOW...... some people....... they need to be attacked and criticized. They
just have to have it. There is no inner dignity to their faith, and so all
their "glory" has to come from feeling like a martyr. If they are not in a
war, they have no sense of place or purpose.
I am not speaking to these. They don't want to keep their faith and escape
conflict. They need conflict in order to assure themselves that they are
really doing something. They need to be noticed, to gain attention: and
because they cannot gain attention with the power of their personality or
their words, they must create a conflict; a fight - they need that. The
command is....... "Follow peace with all men......." Rom 12:18 If it be
possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
As to those who are always trying to find someone (especially some important
person) to denounce as an heretic; Jesus says this:
Mat 15:14
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead
the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Those who simply cannot and will not obey this command, will never know how
to be socially sanctified. They have a self-serving agenda, and are more
interested in drawing attention to themselves than they are in propagating
the Christian faith. After all, Jesus IS the "Christian Faith", and He said
to Leave them alone.....
To become "socially sanctified" you must determine to live the Christian
lifestyle just exactly as Jesus describes it in The Sermon On The Mount
(Matthew chapters 5-7). Your confession, and all your conversation must
implicitly conform to and agree with what Jesus said. You need not confront
people: just speak in agreement with your faith, no matter what the subject
at hand is.
Mark 12:34
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art
not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any
question.
Jesus was never trapped into relationships and commitments with the wrong
people on any level. The wrong people just stayed away from him, unless and
until they fulfilled the prophecy by murdering him. Jesus was not entangled
with the insincere. Jesus spoke consistently in agreement with His truth,
and the wrong people just stayed away and live consistently with the Truth
and the wrong people will not ask you questions they don't really want you
to answer. You need not be rude... just consistent. You can graciously and
humbly confess your truth, and those who fear and hate that truth will not
wish to hear anymore. You will not be attacked, but they will cease from
prying into your life and affairs. They don't want any conflict with you
either, and they will keep a safe distance from you. You have rejected no
one - you have denounced no one (openly) - but they know what you think by
your conversation, and they don't want to be directly challenged to answer
to it. They will be polite, and maybe even cooperative in mutual affairs
(like work, or children's activities, or school) - but will not go beyond
that.
I am living proof that this is so, and that this works. I am not a recluse.
I am very socially involved with many people who attend churches, but do not
share like faith with me. I am even somewhat respected by some of these. I
am invited to their affairs, and sometimes I go. They trust me with their
children (I am a teacher/tutor to homeschooled children in this area). The
ladies call my wife on the phone and they gab on and on - but never do they
ask any of those questions, which, if frankly answered, would cause trouble
for us. They just don't ask - and we do not "shun" anyone. Answer
"discreetly", and no one will dare to ask you any more questions.
Mat 7:6
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls
before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and
rend you.
Don't volunteer to say anything that you know will cause offense. If asked
directly, you must confess the truth: but you need go no further then
answering to exactly what they ask. Do not proceed to deliver a sermon
unless they ask for it. But Jesus told you that you were to not provoke
people by saying what they do not want to hear. If you are called to be a
martyr prophet, you will know that. Just make sure that you are
"volunteering" for conflict that is not profitable for you or God.
Mat 10:23
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into
another:.......................
Jesus did not order the Apostles to "stick around and raise an uproar" - He
said to leave, and leave them alone.
1 John 3:1
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should
be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it
knew him not.
Forget about trying to prove to "them" that you are the True Christian. They
cannot, and will not believe you.
But someone will say... how do I find those True Christian Friends? Again -
by confessing, and striving to live in agreement with the New Testament in
all things. All you have to do is say (when asked) that you don't believe in
women pastors one time, and the matter will usually be over with. They do
not want to hear your reasons if they believe you will not be moved and
cannot be convinced otherwise. The True Christian Friends will not keep
their distance from you, but will be attracted to you, instead. In fact, the
longer you talk, the more they will like you!
Your True Christian Friends are those with whom you can live and speak in
agreement with Jesus. If you speak and live in agreement with the teachings
of Jesus (especially The Sermon On The Mount), you will find it impossible
to get along with unbelievers and false brethren. You will only be able to
find peace and true fellowship with those who live by the same creed.
Luke 6:30
Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods
ask them not again.
It is completely understandable to ask how in the world anyone can obey
these words of Christ and survive in this world. Well..... if you are in the
company of other True Believers you can - for they will not take unfair and
wicked advantage of you! Simply being determined to live like Jesus said -
to do as He said - this will drive you from the intimate company of
unbelievers and false professors, for you will not survive among them. They
will destroy you. No - you need not avoid everyone for fear that they will
ask you for something - but you must always speak in implicit agreement with
the whole of the Christian revelation: And when you do, most of these will
flee from you in the same way that the cockroaches flee when the light is
turned on.
John 3:19-21
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every
one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that
his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Are you a light for Christ in this world? The above predicts that "they"
(the bad people) will stay away from you because they do not feel affirmed
around you. Again, there is no need to be confrontational or to start
arguments or to say shocking things that you are sure they will be upset
about.
If you consistently speak in agreement with the Christian revelation, you
will generally be left alone by all who hate that revelation, and those who
love that revelation will seek you out. The Saints need to be with someone
who will not abuse them if they decide to obey "Give to every man that
asketh thee...."
IS THAT YOU?
(real) Christians are forced together by the circumstances and realities of
this life. Their obedience to Christ and the Apostles in word and deed
leaves them nowhere to go but to each other. Thus, Christ, by all His
teachings and commands, makes us into a working Church.
Hey...no kidding... I live this way and it WORKS. Thank you Jesus!
======================================================
The Search for the Real Mountains of Ararat
By: Bob Cornuke
http://www.baseinstitute.org/
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One of the world's most provocative and controversial mysteries is the
search for the remains of Noah's Ark. Ark searchers have risked their lives
ascending Mount Ararat in Turkey where the remains of Noah's Ark are
believed to rest. A multitude of eyewitness accounts has attested to the
fact that the Ark still exists. These reports oftentimes depict an old
wooden structure sticking out of the snow and ice near the summit of Mount
Ararat. In spite of numerous media reports attesting to the Ark's survival
on Mount Ararat, there is no evidence that the ancient boat exists.
The biblical narrative and ancient historical records lead us elsewhere for
the location of the mountains of Ararat. No where in the Bible does it
mention the words Mount Ararat. The writer of Genesis says the Ark of Noah
came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat (plural). This indicates that the
Ark of Noah came to rest on a range of mountains and does not identify a
specific mountain. The traditional Mount Ararat, known as "Agri Dagh," is a
single mountain in a vast plain in eastern Turkey; it is not a region of
mountains as the Bible specifies.
The Bible gives us a compass direction for the landing location of the Ark,
and it is not in the direction of Turkey. The Bible says that the survivors
of the flood journeyed "from the east" and, subsequently settled in "Shinar"
(a region generally known as Babylon). Genesis 11:1 (NKJV)
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech, and it came to pass as
they journeyed from the east that they found a plain in the land of Shinar
and they dwelt there.
If the survivors of the flood journeyed from the east, they would have come
from the land in the direction of present-day, central Iran. Some Bibles
have different translations for this verse: "journeyed in the east" or
"eastward," which adds confusion to the actual direction from where the
survivors of the flood traveled. Dr. Roy Knuteson, Ph.D. in New Testament
Greek writes:
The Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek in 250 BC reads:
from the east. This is significant since these Greek-speaking Hebrews knew
the exact equivalent of the Hebrew into the Greek and chose a preposition
(apo) that only means "from," not "in," or "towards," or "eastward." I
would, therefore, choose the KJV translation for the correct rendering and
head for the east of Babylon for the mountain with the Ark.
Another scriptural reference describing the location of Ararat is found in
Jeremiah 51:27-28 (NKJV).
Call the kingdoms together against her; Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint
a general against her. Cause the horses to come up like bristling locust.
Prepare against her the nations with the Kings and the Medes, its governors
and all its rulers, all the land of his dominion.
This verse tells us that the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz formed
an alliance against Babylon. This would indicate that these regions were
located in the dominion of the Medes. The NKJV study guide describes the
location of the Medes as being from the Zagros Mountains in present-day,
central Iran.
The Bible gives us a third reference to the location of Ararat. II Kings
19:36 says,
Now it came to pass, as he (Sennacherib) was worshiping in the temple of
Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with
the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son
reigned in his place.
The ancient writings of Esarhaddon described his pursuit of the assassins
into Ararat. He writes, "I reached the dyke of the Tigres as it if were a
wide canal." This description alludes that he chased the assassins across
the Tigres in the south where dykes were common in the Mesopotamian Valley.
This would mean that the assassins probably went into what is known today as
Iran and not north into Turkey.
The belief that the great boat (Ark) in which a family had escaped the
waters of a worldwide flood could still be viewed at its original landing
site began to be attested in the Near East in the late pre-Christian period.
Reports of its survival continued through the Middle Ages and have
intensified in the Christian West in the last century. It has become very
popular to search Mount Ararat in Turkey even though this is an unlikely
candidate for the Ark's resting place.
Around the beginning of the Christian era, readers of Genesis would probably
understand the word "Ararat" in terms of the geography of their own day,
rather than that of the Genesis narrator. That is, they might restrict the
term to the small district on the Araxes, the Ararat of their time, rather
than with the much larger ancient Kingdom of Urartu. Urartu could at times
be considered the entire mountainous region north of Syro-Mesopotamia. The
result would be that one tall mountain in this area, Agri Dagi (traditional
Mount Ararat in Turkey), rising dramatically from the plain of the Araxes,
would be considered the real Mount Ararat. By the time of the conversion of
Armenia to Christianity (fourth century) and the introduction of an
alphabet, so that the Bible could be translated into Armenian (fifth
century), Armenia was a semi-independent kingdom whose religious and
administrative centers were concentrated in the northern part of the
country. Thus, when some persons read in the early translations that the Ark
had come to rest in the "the mountains of Armenia," and when Armenians in
particular read this in their own Bible, they might understand it in a much
more restricted sense than the writer of Genesis intended. Attention would
be focused too narrowly toward Agri Dagi in the north. It should be noted
here that Armenian literature of the 5th through the 10th centuries knows
nothing of any Ark story. It is not until the 13th century that the Ark
legends began to appear in Armenia, and by the 14th century these stories
became popular.
In the first century AD, Josephus discussing the royal family at Adiabene,
remarks:
...{in} a district called Carra {Carron} in Adiabene-roughly between the
upper and lower Zab Rivers, tributaries of the Tigris…the remains of the Ark
in which report has it that Noah was saved from the flood…to this day are
shown to those who are curious to see them.
Josephus added that this land is rich with Amomom, an herb which grows there
(known to grow in the mountains of central Iran). In the third century
Hippolytus wrote:
The relics of this Ark are ...shown to this day in the mountains called
Ararat, which are situated in the direction of the country of the Adiabene
{Iran}.
And possibly Julius Africanus, also writing in the third century, has this
location in mind:
...and the Ark settled on the mountains of Ararat, which we know to be in
Parthia {Iran}.
Another tradition locates the Ark in Persia (modern Iran). It was said to
have landed in the area of Ecbatana (Hamadhan). A map in Calmet's
Dictionnaire Historique de la Bible (1722), shows the Ark atop this
mountain, which it calls "Mont Ararat."
Ancient writings of the Assyrians tell of Assurnasirpal fighting a battle on
Mount Nisir (Mount Ararat) which the Lullumi call Kinipa. The Lullumi and
Zamua are from the same region. This region is in western Iran in the Zagros
Mountains east of the lower Zab River.
The Ark is said to have rested upon the mountains of Ararat, i.e. in the
mountainous region of Armenia, the plural showing that the mountain peak
known as Ararat (in Turkey) was not referred to. This peak is of volcanic
origin and lies outside the general region. It is only in comparatively
modern times that the present name (Mount Ararat) has been given to it.
(International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
The Ark's landfall was probably in southern Uratu {Iran}.
NIV Study Bible
Several ancient historians write about the great ship of Noah. Most do not
place the Ark in the region of Agri Dagi in Turkey, but in areas far to the
south. None of the ancient writers claim to have seen the Ark or any part of
it, or to have visited a landing site-or even to have conversed directly
with anyone who has. They only quote someone else, usually ending with the
clichè, "It is said that the remains of the Ark are to be seen to this day."
This they report, even if centuries have passed since the original source.
Have we solved the mystery of Noah's Ark on Ararat? Certainly not to the
satisfaction of all Ark-searchers and other interested persons.
Recently, Bob Cornuke traveled to Iran to research the possibility of Ark
legends in that country. He drove over 1,000 miles across rutted and dusty
roads. He conducted countless interviews, asking the question "Is Noah's Ark
on a mountain in Iran?" He received a negative response every time he posed
the question. However, when he traveled to a province in western Iran, he
received an overwhelming, "Yes," the Ark rests on a high mountain in that
region. He was told that something is on top of this mountain, and he
climbed as high as possible but was turned back by local tribesmen who said
demons live on top of the mountain, and wild animals would harm him if he
attempted to climb further. He was told that in order to see what is on top
he would need more than a day to climb, and it would be difficult without
ropes. He was alone in Iran on this research mission and wasn't prepared for
intense climbing. Bob was further discouraged from his investigation by the
local tribesmen; one even shooting his rifle over Bob's head twice as a
gesture to go no further. He was intrigued that a living legend exists
concerning the Ark. Bob reports, "Those who claim to have seen the old boat
say that it has square edges and that it is the color of the soil."
Does the Ark still exist? Some say that the Ark was probably consumed by the
elements or was used as firewood or building materials. The location of the
Ark will certainly remain a mystery for now. Bob Cornuke hopes to get closer
to unlocking that mystery on an expedition planned for July 1999.
The above arguments and historical references may not constitute a
conclusive argument for the Ark's final resting place, but at least a
reasonable solution has been proposed that the mountains of Ararat are more
likely in Iran and not in Turkey as so popularly accepted.
======================================================
Branson Missouri International Prophecy Summit
Sherlock Bally Ministries (http://www.sherlockbally.com/) is sponsoring a
massive Prophecy Summit on August 21-25, 2001 in Branson Missouri. 3,000
attendees are expected. This Prophecy Summit will undoubtedly be the
greatest Prophecy conference to date - I can guarantee that.
Speakers: Sherlock Bally, Hal Lindsey, Zola Levitt, Grant Jeffrey, Bob
Cornuck, Gary Kah, Chuck Missler, JR Church, Yacov Rambsel, David A. Lewis,
Bill Cloud, Mrs. Missouri 2000, and others yet to be named.
So, call 1-866-263-1811 or visit http://www.sherlockbally.com/ for details.
($40-$50 registration fee - that's it!)
======================================================
The Mystery of the Date of Pentecost
Dr. Thomas McCall
http://www.levitt.com/
======================================================
For believers in Jesus the Messiah, the dating of Pentecost is one of the
most exquisite examples of type and fulfillment in the Scriptures. Pentecost
means fifty, and is actually fifty days from another feast, First Fruits.
These calculations are explained in Leviticus 23:10-11, 15-17. The feast of
First Fruits was to occur on the day after the Sabbath (verse 11), which was
always the Sunday of Passover week. Pentecost, then, was the day after the
seventh following Sabbath (verses 15-16), which would be the fiftieth day
after First Fruits and also on a Sunday.
The fulfillment of these feasts is striking. Jesus died the Friday of
Passover week and had to be buried hastily before sunset, which was when the
Sabbath began. His body remained in the borrowed sepulchre throughout the
Sabbath day, but on that Sunday morning, when the priest was to offer the
First Fruits offering in the Temple, Christ arose from the dead, the first
fruits of them that slept (I Cor. 15:20).
For forty ensuing days, the Lord appeared to His disciples in His
resurrection body, and then ascended into Heaven. Ten days later, the Sunday
of the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers in
Jerusalem and created the ekklesia, the called out body of Christ, the
church. These fulfillments were obviously no coincidence, but were part of
the overall plan and purpose of God in verifying the powerful meaning of the
death and resurrection of Christ, and the establishment of the new body of
believers.
>From then on, the Jewish believers in Christ must have repeatedly informed
the people of Israel about the nature of the fulfillment of Passover, First
Fruits and Pentecost. It must have made a great impact on the Jewish people
who lived between the resurrection of Christ and the destruction of the
Temple in 70 AD, a span of about forty years.
The Rabbis' Problem with Vagueness
This brings us to the explanation of First Fruits and Pentecost offered in a
recent article by Moshe Kohn in the Jerusalem Post. Students of the New
Testament might well be mystified over the tortured reasoning concerning
what he perceives as the singular vagueness in the Torah about these two
feasts:
It is strange that of all the festivals the Torah ordains, Shavuot [Weeks,
Pentecost] alone the anniversary of the event that marks the birth of the
Jewish people is given no specific date. The Torah only tells us that at a
vaguely specified time during Pessah, from the day after the shabbat . . .
there shall be seven full weeks. Till the day after the seventh shabbat you
shall count 50 days (Leviticus 23:15-16).
Why is the day after the Sabbath considered vague? It seems pretty definite
to us! It means the day after Saturday, that is, Sunday. This is the way the
Sadducees and the later Jewish sect of the Karaites understood the
Scriptures, as Kohn explains:
This vague formulation was in dispute between Jewish sectarians and the
Sages. The Sadducees maintained that shabbat in this passage is a proper
noun referring to the weekly Shabbat.
According to this understanding, accepted by the Karaites and Samaritans,
the omer count begins the first Sunday after the first Shabbat of Pessah, so
that Shavuot always falls on Sunday seven weeks later (as it happens to fall
this year).
The normal Saturday meaning of the Sabbath in this passage was the view of
the Sadducees. They were the priestly party and had control of the Temple,
where the feasts were focused until the Temple was destroyed. The view of
the Sadducees appears to be supported by the Septuagint, which was the
translation from Hebrew to Greek by Jewish scholars in Egypt around 180 BC.
In rendering the two Hebrew words mimmacharat hashabbat (on the morrow after
the Sabbath) in Lev. 23:11, they used the Greek word protos (first). This
would indicate the first day of the week, or Sunday. Thus, the Septuagint
suggests that the Sunday First Fruits and Pentecost was observed throughout
the centuries before the First Coming of the Messiah.
However, Kohn explains that the Sages, the rabbis who compiled the Talmud
after the destruction of the Temple, had a very different interpretation of
the term Sabbath in this passage:
The Sages' view . . . was that this shabbat is the generic for day of rest,
referring to the first day of Pessah. Accordingly, the count begins the
second day of Pessah rather the night before and Shavuot always falls on
Sivan 6.
No less strange is that the Torah doesn't name this 50th day as the day of
the Mount Sinai event. Again it is the talmudic Sages who ruled that the
date is Sivan 6. (Shabbat 6b, Pessahim 68b)
Now, this is strange! The rabbis decided that in this case the term Sabbath
did not mean Saturday, but something else: the first day of Passover, or,
more precisely, the first day of Unleavened Bread (the second day of
Passover). What justification do they have for changing the meaning of
Sabbath that way? Kohn does not say, but there must have been a very strong
motive to cause the Sages to interpret Sabbath as something other than the
regular sacred Saturday Sabbath.
We have no proof, but suggest that the change came some time after the
resurrection of Christ and before the destruction of the Temple. Think of
the impact the Jewish believers must have had as they described the Lord's
resurrection on the Sunday of Passover week at First Fruits and the coming
of the Spirit seven Sundays later on Pentecost. The leaders must have been
hard pressed to explain away the relevance of the feasts and their
fulfillment in the Messiah.
The solution they came up with was to obfuscate the calendar in such a way
as to make the connection less clear between the feasts and their
fulfillment in Christ and the Holy Spirit. The strategy apparently worked
because most Jewish people today see no connection whatever between the
Feasts and the Messiah. By the time Josephus wrote his history about the
fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jewish authorities had established the
concept that First Fruits was always on Nisan 16, and Pentecost on Sivan 6.
Josephus went through a rather lengthy explanation that the Sabbath of Lev.
23:11
<http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?version=NIV&passage=Lev+23:11>
meant the first day of Unleavened Bread, not Saturday. Thus, apparently some
time before the destruction of the Temple, the practice of observing First
Fruits and Pentecost on Nisan 16 and Sivan 6 was in place.
Instead of causing Jewish leaders to marvel over the relationship between
the Feasts and the Messiah, the current festival schedule leaves scholars
like Moshe Kohn scratching their heads. They are perplexed over the
vagueness of the dates of First Fruits and Pentecost, and why there is no
clear statement in the Torah that Pentecost is the day Moses received the
Law, which is the teaching of the Sages. Such appears to be part of the veil
over the eyes of the majority of Jewish people that so tragically obscures
the truth about the Messiah in the Law.
Nevertheless, many Jews today and a lot of Gentiles who have no background
in these matters are being graciously enlightened and are receiving the
Lord.
The Case for Sunday First Fruits and Pentecost
There are strong arguments for the Sunday interpretation for First Fruits
and Pentecost in the Leviticus passage:
The basic meaning of the term Shabbat in the Torah is Saturday. There are
some rare exceptions to this rule, but the context usually clarifies the
meaning when there is an exception. It would appear that the burden of proof
would be with anyone who claims that Shabbat means anything other than
Saturday. Thus, the morrow after the Sabbath must mean Sunday unless there
are compelling reasons for understanding otherwise.
Even if the Sages could make a case for the first day of Unleavened Bread
(the second day of Passover) to be considered a Sabbath, how could the seven
succeeding Sabbaths be considered anything other than Saturdays? In order
for Pentecost to fall always on Sivan 6, the seventh Sabbath after First
Fruits has to be understood as something other than a Saturday. If it was
difficult to consider the first day of Unleavened Bread as a Sabbath, it
would appear almost impossible to consider Sivan 5 (seven weeks later) to be
a Sabbath, no matter what day of the week on which it fell. Yet this is what
the Sages are asking us to believe in order to accept what they have ruled.
All the other Mosaic feasts are given specific dates, such as Nisan 14,
Tishri 1, Tishri 10, and so forth. If the Lord intended for First Fruits and
Pentecost always to fall on Nisan 16 and Sivan 6, why did He not so specify
as He did with the other feasts? Why go through the elaborate process of
counting the seven Sabbaths, unless it was clear that these two feasts were
moveable, and would fall on different days of the month each year? It seems
that the emphasis in these two feasts is that they would always fall on the
same day of the week (Sunday) every year, rather than on the same numerical
day of the month.
As indicated above, the Septuagint appears to confirm the Saturday meaning
of Sabbath in Lev. 23:11 because it used protos to translate the phrase on
the morrow after the Sabbath. The testimony of the Septuagint is important
because it represents the thinking of Jewish authorities long before the
first coming of Christ and the development of the Talmudic positions on
controversial matters.
Thus, the great weight of evidence is that First Fruits and Pentecost were
always intended to fall on Sundays, without regard to the day of the month
they occurred. As for the New Testament record, it is clear that Jesus arose
from the dead on Sunday, the First Day of the Week, the day after the
Sabbath, as the fulfillment of the feast of First Fruits. What day of the
month was this that year? We believe that Thursday was Nisan 14, the day the
Passover lambs were sacrificed. Jesus ate the traditional Passover and died
on Friday, Nisan 15, and arose from the dead on Sunday, Nisan 17. This would
mean Pentecost fell that year on Sivan 7.
======================================================
Authority of the Bible
Patrick Zukeran
http://www.leaderu.com/
======================================================
There are many books today that claim to be the Word of God. The Koran, the
Islam holy book, claims to be the Word of God. The Book of Mormon claims to
be the Word of God. The Hindus believe the Bhagavad Vita is the source of
eternal truth. Karl Marx, with his atheistic world view, claimed his
writing, The Communist Manifesto, was the ultimate truth.
We Christians believe the Bible to be the Word of God and the eternal source
of truth we live by. How do we know the Bible is the Word of God? Can we
actually prove that the Bible is truly the Word of God? The answer is yes.
Before I begin this discussion of the authority of the Bible, let me first
quote the words of Jesus found in John 15:18. Jesus warns his disciples
about the attitude the world will have toward those who follow Him. Jesus
says, 'If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first. If you
belonged to the world, it would love you as its own As it is you do not
belong to the world. That is why the world hates you. 1 Peter 5:8 states,
"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone
to devour."
What is vital to understand from these passages is the attitude of the world
toward God. The world is in rebellion against God, and worldly people under
the influence of Satan seek to destroy your faith.
In the light of the times we live in, it is important for Christians not
only know what they believe but also, why they believe what they believe.
I once heard an astounding statistic. It indicated that 80 percent of the
college-bound students who profess to be Christians leave for school and
return home no longer believing in Christ. One of the reasons is this: when
a student sits in class and hears the professor discredit the Bible, the
student doesn't have a defense and is easily deceived into believing the
Bible is no longer credible. This happens too often because Christians know
what they believe, but not why they believe it.
In my experience, there is no book that is criticized and attacked more than
the Bible. Many intelligent scholars have written books that attempt to
discredit the authority of the Bible. This is one of Satan's goals: to get
man to doubt the Word of God.
To counter this attack we will study some of the evidence in the case
proving the authority and divine origin of the Bible. This knowledge will
enable us to make a solid defense of the faith when we are attacked.
There has not been in the history of man a book that has rocked the world as
has the Bible. The impact it has made is phenomenal. Some hail the Bible as
the Word of God; others criticize and condemn it. With the Bible facing such
great opposition today, and with many other works claiming to be the "word
of God," how do we know the Bible is the true Word of God? Let us take a
look at the evidence.
Internal Evidence
The evidence for the authority of the Bible falls into two major categories:
internal evidence and external evidence. I mean by internal evidence, the
evidence that is found within the Bible itself. By external evidence, I mean
evidence that is found outside the Bible, such as archaeology, science,
philosophy, and ancient manuscripts. Let us first consider the former, the
internal evidences.
Self-proclamation
The first fact is that the Bible claims to be the Word of God. The authors
knew they were writing the words of God, even though they often did not
fully understand what they were writing. 2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All
scripture is inspired by God." 2 Peter 1:21 states, "No prophecy was ever
made by an act of human will but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from
God." Jesus himself viewed the Old Testament as authoritative and quoted
from it throughout his ministry.
Holy Spirit
Second, the Holy Spirit confirms to us that the Bible is the Word of God.
John 16:13 states, "But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide
you into all truth." The Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin also
assures the believer that the Bible is God's Word.
Transforming Ability
Third, we have evidence concerning the transforming ability of the Bible.
Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living and active and sharper than
any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and
spirit." Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind." The Word of God and the Spirit of
God actually transforms the lives of people. The Bible has changed the lives
of murderers, drug addicts, top government officials, business people, and
students, to name just a few people from every walk of life who have been
transformed by the Bible. No other book can make such a claim. This is
because the Bible is not a mere book on good living but is literally packed
with power. It is the Word of God with the power to change lives.
These are only three internal evidences supporting the authority of the
Bible. These of course are not the best arguments to use in a debate, but
they are evidence. In the next section, we will study what I believe is the
best internal argument.
Unity
We have studied three internal evidences that support the authority and
divine inspiration of the Bible. In this section, we will study the fourth
internal evidence: the unity of the Bible.
The Bible covers hundreds of topics, yet it does not contradict itself. It
remains united in its theme. "Well, what's so amazing about that?" you may
ask. Consider these facts. First, the Bible was written over a span of
fifteen hundred years. Second, it was written by more than forty men from
every walk of life. For example, Moses was educated in Egypt and became a
prophet over Israel. Peter was a simple fisherman, Solomon was a king, Luke
was a doctor, Amos was a shepherd, and Matthew was a tax collector. All the
writers were of vastly different occupations and backgrounds.
Third, it was written in many different places. The Bible was written on
three different continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. Moses wrote in the
desert of Sinai, Paul wrote in a prison in Rome, Daniel wrote in exile in
Babylon, and Ezra wrote in the ruined city of Jerusalem.
Fourth, it was written under many different circumstances. David wrote
during a time of war, Jeremiah wrote at the sorrowful time of Israel's
downfall, Peter wrote while Israel was under Roman domination, and Joshua
wrote while invading the land of Canaan.
Fifth, the writers had different purposes for writing. Isaiah wrote to warn
Israel of God's coming judgment on their sin, Matthew wrote to prove to the
Jews that Jesus is the Messiah, Zechariah wrote to encourage a disheartened
Israel who had returned from Babylonian exile, and Paul wrote addressing
problems in different Asian and European churches.
If we put all these factors together, the Bible was written over fifteen
hundred years, by forty different authors, at different places, under
various circumstances, and addressing a multitude of issues. It is amazing
that with such diversity, there is such unity in the Bible. That unity is
organized around one theme: God's redemption of man and all of creation.
Hundreds of controversial subjects are addressed and yet the writers do not
contradict each other. The Bible is an incredible document.
Let me offer you a good illustration from apologist Josh McDowell. Take ten
contemporary authors and ask them to write their viewpoints on one
controversial subject. Would they all agree? No, we would have disagreements
from one author to another. Now look at the authorship of the Bible. All
these authors, from a span of fifteen hundred years, wrote on many
controversial subjects, and they do not contradict one another.(1)
It seems one author guided these writers through the whole process: the Holy
Spirit. 1 Peter 2:21 states, "No prophecy was ever made by an act of human
will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The unity of the
Bible is just one more amazing proof of the divine inspiration and authority
of the Bible.
External Evidence
In our study on the authority of the Bible, we have studied the internal
evidences, which are found within the Bible itself. Except for the unity of
the Bible, most of these arguments are subjective in nature. Now we will
study the external evidences of the Bible, that is, evidences found outside
the Bible.
Indestructibility
The first external evidence is the indestructibility of the Bible. The Bible
is the most well-known book in the history of the world, and no book has
been attacked more than it. Skeptics have tried to destroy the authority of
the Bible for the last eighteen hundred years. It has undergone every kind
of scrutiny possible from archaeology, science, philosophy, and computers.
Yet, despite all these attacks, the Bible proves itself to be true again and
again. Each time the skeptics have been wrong, and the Bible has proven
itself true. Just the fact that the Bible has remained steadfast in its
authority after two thousand years is another piece of evidence supporting
its divine origin.
Archaeology
The second source of external evidence comes from archaeology. Middle
Eastern archaeological investigations have proven the Bible to be true and
unerringly accurate in its historical descriptions. Nelson Glueck, a
renowned Jewish archaeologist, states, "No archaeological discovery has ever
controverted a biblical reference.''(2)
Dr. William Albright, who was not a friend of Christianity and was probably
the foremost authority in Middle East archaeology in his time, said this
about the Bible: "There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the
substantial historicity of the Old Testament."(3)
Here are a couple of examples of the historical accuracy of the Bible. A
good example is found in Genesis 14. The Bible speaks of Abraham's victory
over Chedorlaomer and five Mesopotamian kings. For years, the critics stated
that these accounts were fictitious and many people discredited the Bible.
In the 1960s, however, the Ebla tablets were discovered in northern Syria.
The Ebla kingdom was a powerful kingdom in the twentieth century B.C. The
Ebla tablets are records of its history. Thousands of tablets have been
discovered. What is important is that many of these tablets make a reference
to all five cities of the plain proving the Genesis 14 account to be
accurate.(4)
Another example is the story of Jericho recorded in the book of Joshua. For
years skeptics thought the story of the falling walls of Jericho was a myth.
However, in the 1930s, Dr. John Garstang made a remarkable discovery. He
states, "As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell
outwards so completely, the attackers would be able to clamber up and over
the ruins of the city." This is remarkable because city walls fall inward,
not outward.(5)
The March 5, 1990 issue of Time magazine featured an article called, "Score
One For the Bible." In it, archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon claimed Jericho's
walls had fallen suddenly. Many scholars feel this was caused by an
earthquake which may also explain the damming of the Jordan. Additionally,
grain was discovered, which shows the city was conquered quickly. This find
adds credence to the biblical account. Further study by Brian Wood found the
date of the fall of Jericho to match the Bible's date.(6)
Here are just two great examples of archaeology authenticating the
historical reliability of the Bible. No book is as ancient, and at the same
time, as convincingly accurate as the Bible.
Indestructibility and archaeology are two external evidences for the Bible.
Prophecy
There are many more external evidences for the Bible, but I'll just cover
one more: evidence from prophecy. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies
which have come to pass. No book in history has ever come close to the Bible
when it comes to fulfillment of prophecy.
The prophecies in the Bible are very specific and accurate. Nostradamus
claims to have made hundreds of prophecies that have come true, but if you
read his prophecies, you will find them to be vague and unclear. His symbols
and language can be taken to mean a number of historical events. Unlike many
such prophecies, biblical prophecy is very specific.
Here are some examples. In Ezekiel 26, which was written in 587 B.C.,
Ezekiel prophesies that the mighty city of Tyre would be destroyed. Tyre was
made up of two parts, a mainland port city and an island city half a mile
off shore. Ezekiel predicted mainland Tyre would be destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar, many nations would fight against her, the debris of the city
would be thrown into the ocean, the city would never be found again, and
fishermen would come there to lay their nets.
In 573 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the mainland city of Tyre. Many of the
refugees of the city sailed to the island and the island city of Tyre
remained a powerful city. In 333 B.C., however, Alexander the Great laid
siege to Tyre. Using the rubble of mainland Tyre, he built a causeway to the
island city of Tyre. He then captured and completely destroyed the city.
Today, Tyre is a small fishing town where fishing boats come to rest and
fisherman spread their nets. The great ancient city of Tyre to this day lies
buried in ruins exactly as prophesied. If we were to calculate the odds of
this event happening by chance, the figures would be astronomical. No, it
was not by coincidence.(7)
Here's another example. There are over three hundred prophecies made of
Jesus in the Old Testament. Prophecies such as His place of birth, how he
would die, His rejection by the nation of Israel, and so on. All these
prophecies were made hundreds of years before Jesus ever came to earth.
Because of the accuracy of the prophecies, many skeptics have believed that
they must have been written after 70 A.D.--after the birth and death of
Jesus, and the destruction of Jerusalem. They have thereby tried to deny
that they are even prophecies.
However, in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. These scrolls
contained the book of Isaiah and other prophetic books. When dated, they
were found to be written from 120 to 100 B.C.,(8) well before Jesus was
born. It would have been an incredible accomplishment for Jesus to have
fulfilled all three hundred prophecies. Some say these prophecies were
fulfilled by chance, but the odds for this would be exceptionally large. It
would take more faith to believe in that chance happening than in the fact
that Jesus is God and these prophecies are divinely inspired.(9)
No book can match the Bible when it comes to prophecy. Understand that I
have only touched the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of additional
proofs for the Bible, yet I have only mentioned a few. I hope this study has
aroused your interest to further study the Word of God.
======================================================
Branson Missouri International Prophecy Summit
Sherlock Bally Ministries (http://www.sherlockbally.com/) is sponsoring a
massive Prophecy Summit on August 21-25, 2001 in Branson Missouri. 3,000
attendees are expected. This Prophecy Summit will undoubtedly be the
greatest Prophecy conference to date - I can guarantee that.
Speakers: Sherlock Bally, Hal Lindsey, Zola Levitt, Grant Jeffrey, Bob
Cornuck, Gary Kah, Chuck Missler, JR Church, Yacov Rambsel, David A. Lewis,
Bill Cloud, Mrs. Missouri 2000, and others yet to be named.
So, call 1-866-263-1811 or visit http://www.sherlockbally.com/ for details.
($40-$50 registration fee - that's it!)
=====================================================
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