Plain Talk About the Bible

PLAIN TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD’S ALL-TIME BEST-SELLER PLAIN TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD’S ALL-TIME BEST-SELLER Steve Herr Illustrations by Bronwyn Herr Newcreature Publications Box 6342 Jackson, Michigan 49204 INTRODUCTION My chosen career path has taken me into mechanical engineering. In my own work history I have seen design and drafting equipment pass from T-squares and triangles to drafting machines to computers with heavy-duty math processors and graphics software. One piece of equipment, though, has been a constant in engineering departments for as long as I can remember – the Machinery‟s Handbook. First published in 1914, it has remained a staple for engineering people, getting updated every few years. I own the 21 st edition, and a check at Amazon.com revealed that they are now up to the 28th. The Machinery‟s Handbook is filled – all 2482 pages – with formulas and charts for just about anything you could need for design. Want to know the specific gravity of gasoline? The distance across the flats of a one-inch hex nut? Shear stresses combined with tension or compression stresses? It‟s all in there. Whenever there have been disagreements over calculations for strength of materials or the pitch diameter of a spline, the Machinery‟s Handbook has been the source for settling all arguments and telling us what we need to know. In the spiritual realm we have a similar resource – the Bible. PLAIN TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE I decided to make this the first volume in the Plain Talk series because virtually everything covered in the series will be firmly grounded in what the Bible says. The Bible is the only accurate record of what God would have us know, therefore absolutely everything must be aligned with the clear teachings of Scripture. Time and again the Old Testament is peppered with phrases such as “Thus says the Lord,” “The word of the Lord came to me,” or “The Lord said.” The prophets of the Old Testament spoke with the absolute authority of God, and to disobey them was to disobey God Himself. King David wrote, Thou hast magnified Thy word together with Thy name. (Psalm 138:2) Years ago I got into an argument with a liberal minister during his Sunday school class about the inspiration of the Bible. His view was that he believed the New Testament, but did not believe the Old Testament where he could not reconcile it with the New. The writers of the New Testament, however, viewed the Hebrew Scriptures as the very Word of God. Over and over, Matthew stated how events in Jesus‟ life fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, saying things such as, “So that the Scriptures might be fulfilled…” Jesus Himself granted full authority to the Old Testament. He told the disciples on the road to Emmaus, "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:26-27) The apostle Paul stated, All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17) Peter said, Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (II Peter 1:20-21) The writer of Hebrews stated, For 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, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) There is a trend among people – even Bible-believing Christians – to take a “cafeteria approach” to the Bible, picking and choosing what they like and ignoring the rest. But look again at the total authority Jesus gave to the Bible: "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:26-27) Some groups teach that the Scriptures are not valid for today – “old manna,” I believe is the term they use. On the contrary, the Bible tells us: The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 (Jesus speaking) "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18) There is a lack of understanding among some of our brethren, in that they often take things backwards. There are many teachers and the heads of ministries who display apparent signs and wonders, basing their authority for their teachings on those signs. That couldn‟t be more wrong. We are to base their teachings against the Word of God so that we may know whether they are from God. One of the great signs of the end of the ages would be false teachers performing miraculous signs and wonders. Jesus warned us ahead of time: And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, `I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:3-11, 24-25) Jesus has warned us in advance. Our protection? Knowing the Word of God. Not even the apostles were immune to the scrutiny of the Scriptures And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:10-11) The Bereans were very happy to hear the Gospel, but they didn‟t accept it blindly – even with any accompanying demonstrations of power at the hands of Paul. They checked the Scriptures, and God has seen that their example is set before us. Now, whenever the writers of the New Testament spoke of “Scripture” they were speaking, naturally, about the Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. The early church, though, granted that same unquestioned authority to the writings of the apostles. Several times Paul instructed his epistles to be read in the churches, and Peter made this assessment of Paul‟s writings: Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. (II Peter 3:14-16) Peter equated Paul‟s writings with the Old Testament, giving them the same authority. There are a lot of books out there these days touting writings that were supposedly “suppressed” by the church fathers. Usually these other writings are filling the authors‟ desire for a particular agenda to be pushed, and the public is eager to snap up anything that is new and exciting. On the contrary, when the early Church was assembling the canon of Scripture, they had some very stringent (and logical) principles that they followed. The Hebrew Scriptures were adopted virtually automatically, since Jesus Himself gave them unquestioned authority. A little more thought went into the New Testament: The writing had to be from an apostle, or someone closely associated with them. For instance, Luke, who wrote the Gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles, was a traveling companion with the apostle Paul. (Notice how the narrative in the latter portion of Acts switches from third person to first.) Mark, who also wrote one of the Gospels, was with Peter. Matthew and John were, naturally, with the original twelve. The writing had to be in agreement with rest of Scripture. Many of the “lost” books teach things that are contradicted by the clear teachings of the writings we know are inspired. They had to already be accepted by the Church at large. To this day, people still seek to add to the Scriptures. Most of the cults have their own scriptures, either as a replacement to the Bible, or as a “supplement” whose authority supercedes the true Scriptures. Among some of our brethren they have “prophecies” and writings by “apostles” that pale compared to the Bible. These modern-day “apostles” do not meet the criteria set down in Acts 1:21, and without fail, the modern crop of “prophets” have a history of failed prophecies, bringing them under the judgment of Deuteronomy 18:20-22: But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. And you may say in your heart, `How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. I‟m not saying that God cannot speak today. What I‟m saying is that we need to compare what they say God said to what we know God said. Since we know that God never changes (Hebrews 13:8) then we know that any error is on the part of the later “revelation.” THE NEXT LOGICAL QUESTION So how do we know that the Bible is special? How do we know that it‟s different from any of the holy books from other religions, such as the writings of the Vedas, the Qur’an, or the writings of the Buddha? For those willing to look, the Bible is a treasure trove of information that the writers could not possibly have known on their own – bits of scientific information that was not discovered by scientists until centuries later, and prophecies that have been fulfilled down to the smallest detail. Books abound with many of these things detailed, and it would add way too much space to this little pamphlet to even begin to scratch the surface. I will hit the high points of some, then hopefully with your interest piqued, you can consult some of the books I‟ve listed at the end. SOME SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE We know that the Bible is not a book of science, but rather a record of God‟s dealings with man. From time to time, though, the writers of the Scriptures give us tidbits of scientific fact often couched in poetic language. Allow me to share just a few. COLUMBUS WASN‟T THE FIRST “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Remember learning that in grade school? In 1992, despite the best efforts of the “politically correct” crowd, we celebrated the 500th anniversary of Columbus‟ voyage, but historians tell us that he was not the first to reach North America. The Vikings reached and settled Greenland long before Columbus, and the ancestors of Native Americans most probably crossed a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska centuries before that. But Columbus stands out above the others because he actively sought to travel west to reach the east. He was the first to actually defy the conventional wisdom of his day and test the theory that the world was round instead of flat. If people back then had paid attention to their Bibles, though, Columbus‟ discovery would not have come as such a shock. Take, for instance, what the prophet Isaiah said, “He (God) sits enthroned above the circle of the earth…” (Isaiah 40:22 – New International Version) This doesn‟t mean a flat disk. The Hebrew indicates it is spherical, like a vaulted ceiling. Some versions – for instance, the New American Standard – render it, “It is He who sits above the vault of the earth.” That‟s not all. Many of the ancients also believed, for reasons that have always escaped me, that the earth rested upon the back of an immense turtle. Again, they would have done well to have consulted the Bible. Job had this to say: “He (God again) stretches the north over the empty space, and He hangs the world on nothing.” (Job 26:7) The writers of the Bible many times wrote, not fully understanding what God was saying. St. Peter tells us, “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (II Peter 1:21) GERMS AND THE BIBLE God often established rituals, made statements or gave commands without explaining Himself. Later discoveries have been made, though which shed light on them. Such are the dietary and cleansing laws in the book of Leviticus. Before the discovery of bacteria and their relationship to disease and infection, doctors had no idea why people got sick or why wounds would get infected. In the hospitals, surgeons would wear the same smock operation after operation. Younger surgeons would consider it a badge of honor to parade around the hospital in their blood-stained coats. Next to the operating tables would be basins of water where the surgeons would wash the blood off their hands between operations, using the same water each time. Is it any wonder, then, that more surgery patients would die from infection than from the problems that made surgery necessary? When the bubonic plague swept through Europe in the 17th century people would burn huge bonfires, thinking the plague was carried on the wind. Little did they know of the bacillus carried by fleas on rats. During this time the Jews came under heavy persecution. Very few Jews caught the disease, and as a result, they were blamed for somehow causing the plague and all its misery. Why were the Jews exempt from the horrors of the bubonic plague? For one thing, they shunned contact with Gentiles, and they did not eat much of the food the gentiles ate nor tolerated the presence of many of the same animals. The biggest reason, however, was the long list of rules governing cleanliness and purification in the Law of Moses. Chapters 11 through 15 of Leviticus give lists of animals that were considered "clean" and “unclean," and a detailed set of instructions for hygiene, especially for those with infectious diseases. It is interesting to note that before the discovery of bacteria in the 19th century, doctors - as noted earlier - would wash in the same basin of water, patient after patient. It was not until Louis Pasteur discovered circa 1865 the link between bacteria and disease that surgeons started washing their hands under running water to rinse away the germs. 3300 years earlier Moses wrote, "Now when the man with the discharge becomes cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing; he shall then wash his clothes and bath his body in running water and shall become clean." (Leviticus 15:13) Many times the writers of the Bible wrote without the full understanding of what they were writing. God directed them, and it would be a good idea if we were to heed what He says. ISAAC AND ISHMAEL The current buzz in the field of genetics in May 2000 is that Jews and Arabs share a common ancestry back to ancient times. In a study of over 1300 men from around the world in 30 countries, scientists found that Jewish men‟s Y chromosomes varied vastly from non-Jewish men around the world, but that they were virtually identical to non-Jews from the Middle East. By tracking genetic signatures, scientists can track descendants of large populations and determine common ancestors. Studies done on Jewish males revealed that the Jews have remained genetically pure throughout the Diaspora, the time of the Jews‟ dispersion into the whole world, which started prior to the time of Christ. The studies also showed that the Jews and Arabs share a common ancestor. This comes as no surprise to students of the Bible. The entire race of Jews can trace their ancestry to one man: the patriarch Isaac, born approximately 1896 B.C. Isaac fathered Jacob and Esau. God changed Jacob‟s name to Israel, who then had twelve sons who became heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribes of the Arab nations can trace their ancestry to Ishmael, who was born about 1910 B.C. Isaac and Ishmael were half brothers, sons of Abraham. Their genetic makeup has remained pure for four thousand years. The scientists have done us a big favor by giving us just one more little tidbit to bolster our faith. You really can trust your Bible. FULFILLED PROPHECY Most people, when you mention prophets will think of Jean Dixon or Edgar Cayce – or perhaps the tabloids‟ “Top ten Psychics.” A biblical prophet was actually someone who spoke for God. His primary purpose was to call God‟s people for a return to holiness and pronounce judgment upon those who would not listen. Often the prophets‟ credentials were established by short-term predictions. And, naturally, they also made long-range predictions. “Prophet” was not a career choice to be made lightly. God‟s standard for anyone who took the title was absolute 100% accuracy – no room for error at all. To fail as a prophet was to face execution. Jean Dixon made some pretty startling predictions (although she revealed them after the fact.) Edgar Cayce has quite a documented resume of predictions that came about and he demonstrated insight that was beyond explanation by normal means. But Cayce – and also Nostradamus – despite their impressive track records still fall way short of the 100% mark. God stated in Deuteronomy 18:22 - When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. Sadly, there are those within today‟s Church who have taken the title, but have not themselves lived up to God‟s standard. We are told to not listen to them. Here are some predictions by God‟s true prophets. Again, there is way too much to share in the space I‟ve allowed myself, but resources at the end of this pamphlet are listed if you want to look into this in more detail. (It‟s fascinating.) THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY OF TYRE According to Encyclopedia Britannica the city of Tyre was a major seaport from around 2000 B.C. in what is now Lebanon. According to God, it was filled with much wickedness. The prophet Ezekiel denounced Tyre sometime around 588 B.C.: Therefore, thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. And they will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rock." ...For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will bring down upon Tyre from the North Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great army. He will slay your daughters on the mainland with the sword; and he will make siege walls against you, cast up a mound against you, and raise up a large shield against you...Also they will make a spoil of your riches and a prey of your merchandise, break down walls and destroy your pleasant houses, and throw your stones and your timbers and debris into the water...And I will make you a bare rock; and you will be a place for the spreading of nets. You will be built no more, for I, the Lord, have spoken," declares the Lord God..."I shall bring terrors on you, and you will be no more; though you will be sought, you will never be found again," declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 26:3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 14, 21) The fulfillment of this prophecy makes even staunch believers stand in awe of its detail. Three years after this prophecy was given Nebuchadnezzar, as predicted, laid siege to mainland Tyre. After a 13-year siege, Nebuchadnezzar's army broke through the city's gates. What they found for their trouble was a city almost completely deserted. Most of the occupants had fled to an island about a half-mile offshore and built a fortified city there. Neb's army sacked the mainland city, as predicted, and reduced it to rubble. Although the mainland city was destroyed, the island city of Tyre remained strong for hundreds of years. Around 333 B.C. Alexander III (aka "Alexander the Great") swept through the Persian empire, conquering the great fortified cities. While Nebuchadnezzar was content to conquer just the mainland city of Tyre and leave the island city be, Alex was not so inclined. When he called for the city's surrender, they told him to go jump in the Mediterranean. Undaunted, Alexander devised a plan to have his way. It couldn't be done by ship because the walls of the city went right to the edge of the water. His solution was to build a causeway 200 feet wide from the mainland out to the island. It was built with rubble from the old mainland city, and by the time they reached the island, the Greeks were scraping up the dirt so that all that was left where the mainland city once stood was bare rock, just as Ezekiel had predicted over 250 years earlier. Alexander the Great reduced the island city to ruins in 232 B.C. The city recovered somewhat after this, but never to its previous status. The remaining history of Tyre is a definite fulfillment of the very first part of Ezekiel's prophecy. It seems every time an army would pass through the area, they'd stop by and sack Tyre again. 18 years after Alexander the Great, Antigonus conquered the city. The Muslims then took over Tyre until they were unseated by the knights of the Crusades, who then lost it to the Muslims again in A.D. 690. Today there is a small city a few miles down the coast called Tyre which resembles the old city in name only. The original site of ancient Tyre still has the ruins and the causeway, but now it is home only to a small fishing village where the fishermen spread out their nets to dry on the bare rock, just as Ezekiel predicted over 2500 years ago. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE For all my years of intensive Bible study I still am amazed at its pinpoint accuracy. Take, for instance, a prediction made by Jesus: "And Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He answered and said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down.'" (Matthew 24:1-2) Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when Titus, son of Rome's emperor Vespasian, sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Titus had given specific orders that the temple was to be left intact (I presume so that it could be plundered of its treasures.) A soldier acting on impulse threw a torch through the archway of the temple, setting fire to the tapestries inside. As the building burned, all its rich tapestries and wood paneling, the gold inside melted and ran into the seams between the stones. Afterward, in an attempt to recover the gold from between the stones, Roman soldiers tore down the walls, not leaving one stone upon another, exactly as Jesus had predicted. JESUS IS MESSIAH The writers of the New Testament and Jesus Himself appealed to His life being the literal fulfillment of hundreds of Old Testament prophecies as His primary credentials for the Messiah of Israel (Matthew 1:22, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 24:27, John 5:46, Acts 17:2-3, I Corinthians 15:3-4, etc.) With that much emphasis put on these prophecies by these spiritual giants, it behooves us to "search the Scriptures to see if these things are so." Here is a partial list of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah of Israel. Documentation can be provided to demonstrate that Jewish scholars did indeed consider these to be Messianic prophecies. He would be born of a virgin - Isaiah 7:14 He would be descended from Abraham - Genesis 22:18 He would be descended from Isaac - Genesis 21:12 He would be descended from Jacob - Numbers 24:17 He would be of the tribe of Judah - Genesis 49:10 He would be of the line of Jesse - Isaiah 11:1 He would be of the house of David - Jeremiah 23:5 *He would be born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2 He would be presented with special gifts - Psalm 72:10 Isaiah 60:6 He would be called Lord - Psalm 110:1 He would be called Immanuel - Isaiah 7:14 He would be called a prophet - Deuteronomy 18:18 He would be a King - Psalm 2:6 *He would be preceded by a messenger - Isaiah 40:3 His ministry would begin in Galilee - Isaiah 9:1 He would have a ministry of miracles - Isaiah 35:5-6 *He was to enter Jerusalem on a donkey - Zechariah 9:9 *He would be betrayed by a friend - Psalm 41:9 Psalm 55:12-14 *He would be sold for 30 pieces of silver - Zechariah 11:12 The money would be thrown into the Temple - Zechariah 11:13 The money would be used to buy a Potter's Field -Zechariah 11:13 He would be forsaken by His disciples - Zechariah 13:7 *He would be accused by false witnesses - Psalm 25:11 He would be silent before His accusers - Isaiah 53:7 *He would be wounded and bruised – Isaiah 53:7 Zechariah 13:6 He would be beaten and spit upon - Isaiah 50:6 Micah 5:1 He would be mocked - Psalm 22 *His hands and feet would be pierced - Psalm 22:16 Zechariah 12:10 He would be executed with criminals - Isaiah 53:12 *He would intercede for His tormentors - Isaiah 53:12 He would be rejected by His own people - Isaiah 53:3 He would be hated without cause - Psalm 69:4 People would wag their heads - Psalm 109:25 People would cast lots for His garments - Psalm 22:18 Gall and vinegar would be offered to Him - Psalm 69:21 He would cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" - Psalm 22:1 His bones would not be broken - Psalm 34:20 His side would be pierced - Zechariah 12:10 He would be buried in a rich man's tomb - Isaiah 53:9 This list is by no means exhaustive, but it is a fair representation. Most of these prophecies would be out His control to deliberately fulfill (such as “place of birth.”) Perhaps you may be thinking that they happened by chance, then His followers dreamed up this "Messiah" bit. Jesus literally fulfilled several hundred prophecies by His life, death, and resurrection. Of the sampling here, you probably noticed that I have marked some with an asterisk. According to statistics checked and verified by the Executive Council of the American Scientific Association, the odds against any one person fulfilling just those prophecies marked "*" is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. To picture how immense this number is, try to imagine all of Texas covered two feet deep in silver dollars. Take one of those coins and put a mark on it and mix it in with the others. Blindfold a man and tell him he may walk as far as he wishes in any direction, and to choose just one silver dollar. THE ODDS AGAINST THAT BLINDFOLDED MAN FINDING THE CORRECT SILVER DOLLAR ON HIS FIRST TRY ARE THE SAME AS THE ODDS AGAINST ANY ONE MAN RANDOMLY FULFILLING JUST THOSE PROPHECIES MARKED "*" and Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies about Himself, down to the smallest detail. "UNTIL SHILOH COMES" Here is a prophecy from many that Jacob pronounced over each of his 12 sons who became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel: The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (Genesis 49:10) The word that is translated "scepter" in this passage is referring to a tribal staff. Each of the 12 tribes had a tribal staff with its name carved on it. This could be taken to mean the tribal identity. Jewish and Christian scholars have for centuries have take "Shiloh" to be a name for the Messiah, therefore, Judah would not lose its tribal identity before the Messiah would appear. During the 70 years of the Babylonian captivity, Judah lost its national sovereignty, but not its national identity, or "tribal staff." They still had their own lawgivers during this time. The first event that set the stage for when the Jews would lose their tribal identity came when Herod the Great, who was of no Jewish blood, succeeded the Maccabean princes to the throne of Israel. Then, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Romans took away the Jewish leaders' power of the death sentence around A.D. 11, leaving the Sanhedrin the power of excommunication, imprisonment, and corporal punishment. The Jerusalem Talmud states that the members of the Sanhedrin, upon learning that they had lost the power of life and death, covered their bodies with sackcloth and their heads with ashes and cried, "Woe unto us, for the scepter has departed from Judah and the Messiah has not come!" Little did they know that their Messiah was right then a young man living in Galilee. WRITTEN BY JUST MEN? Despite the evidence for which I just gave a small sample, many people still have questions about the Bible‟s origins and transmission. One friend asked me, “How could God have kept the individual writers from imposing their own ideas?” That is actually a valid question. As you read the Bible, you can see different writing styles. The Bible‟s writings span some 1500 years, written in several languages, by people of all walks of life. It was written by kings, goat herders, fishermen, tent makers, shepherds, princes…Truly God is no respecter of persons. An aside note: This gives lie to those who consider the Bible to be just one book. It is a collection of books, all testifying to the eternal God. There are those who believe that God actually dictated the words of the Bible to the writers. If that were true, though, we would not have the tapestry of styles that we do. No, God used the personalities and backgrounds of each of His writers, using Paul‟s massive intellect, Peter‟s nononsense attitude, and Luke‟s meticulous research. Look at the following scans: In each example of my name, they were affected by the composition of the media - ink, graphite, and wax - by the hardness of the tips, and the thickness of the tips. Yet you don‟t have to be a handwriting expert to see that each example was written by the same person – me. In the same way, God was able to use the backgrounds, talents, and personalities of each of His writers to transmit His word to us. He could just as easily have used Mohammed or the Buddha. What we need to do is see if each of the writings stand up to objective evaluation. In this, the Bible is far above any other religious writings. In fact, when the Bible is compared to any other ancient writings it is definitely in a class by itself. For example… Herodotus‟ histories were written around 480-425 B.C. The oldest existing manuscript is dated A.D 900 – over 1300 years after the fact – with 8 existing copies. Plato‟s Tetralogies was written about 427-347 B.C., with the oldest existing manuscript being from A.D. 900 – over 1200 years – with 20 existing copies. Aristotle wrote from 384-322 B.C. The oldest existing manuscript is from A.D. 1100 – over 1400 years – with 5 copies at the most of any one writing. Caesar‟s writings date back to 100-44 B.C. The oldest existing manuscript from them is dated A.D. 900 – over 900 years after the fact – with 10 existing copies. Tacitus‟ Annais was written A.D. 100, with the oldest existing manuscript dated at A.D. 1100 – 1000 years later – with 20 existing copies. So what? Compare these other ancient writings to what we have from the Bible. The books of the New Testament were written in the first century A.D. Matthew and Mark wrote the Gospels that bear their names around A.D. 60-70, and John wrote his Gospel anywhere from A.D. 80-90. The John Ryland Library in Manchester, England has a manuscript of the Gospel of John dated at A.D. 130 – merely 50 years after the fact. The Chester Beatty Papyri, in the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin, contains large portions of the New Testament, dated at A.D. 200. The Bodmer Papyrus, in the Bodmer Library of World Literature, contains most of the Gospel of John, and is dated at A.D. 150-200. Codex Sinaiticus, located in the British Museum, has been dated at A.D. 350 – less than 300 years after the fact. Naturally, I‟m citing the oldest existing manuscripts, but what is even more amazing – considering the number of copies we have of other ancient writings – is that we have over 1300 copies of the complete New Testament or large portions. It is a bit more difficult to trace the manuscripts of the Old Testament. It was so important to the Jews that the Law and writings of the prophets be handed down intact, that the scribes took great pains to make sure there were no errors in transmission. The work of the scribes was a holy rite, and they held much status in the Hebrew culture. They took such care to make sure the copies were exact, that full authority was granted to the copies, and little attention was paid to the dates. We should not be too disappointed, then, to find that the oldest existing manuscripts of the Old Testament are dated at around A.D. 900, except for a manuscript of Isaiah dated about 150-100 B.C. and there was less than a 1.5% difference from the manuscripts 1000 years later – and we have thousands of copies of those available. Scholars tell us that we reliably have at least 95% of the Old Testament as it was originally written, and better than 97% of the New Testament. No other ancient writing even come close to that. HOW SHOULD YOU READ THE BIBLE? At this point, you may not be convinced that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but maybe your curiosity has been piqued, and you are thinking about giving it a look. What kind of Bible should you get? Where do you start? How much should you read? If you do not already have a Bible, your first concern will be choosing a version. For the most part, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek. Unless you are able to read Greek and Hebrew, you are at the mercy of those who have translated them into English. Do not fear, though, most translators considered their work to be for God, and have done their best to stay true to His Word. There are two approaches to this: word-for-word, and thought-by-thought. Frankly, I would think that someone would have to be pretty presumptuous to think he knows the thoughts of God, so I have always recommended a version closest to word-for word. That way, you can read God‟s words, and are more open for specific applications for your life, and different situations as you encounter them. The versions I would advise you not to use except to get a second opinion are paraphrases. These are Bibles where the authors have taken the text and reworded it – presumably to make it easier to understand. What we are faced with however is someone who is saying, “I can say it better than the Holy Spirit can.” That is dangerous ground no matter how you look at it. Some good friends who used to own a huge Christian bookstore in Columbus, Ohio didn‟t keep the paraphrases on the shelves with the Bible translations, but had them with the commentaries. You need to also take the scholarship and skill of the translators…and – sadly – the honesty of some of them. For that latter part, I will cite a couple of versions. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah‟s Witnesses) have their own version – the New World Translation - where the translators have actually tampered with the text to make the Bible friendlier to their own peculiar doctrines. A particularly dangerous version – simply because the translators have some agenda to push and it is accepted by Christians with little controversy – is the Good News Bible. While very few Christians would distribute the Jehovah‟s Witnesses‟ Bible, millions of copies of the Good News for Modern Man New Testament have been distributed by the Evangelical churches. There is one glaring error – and it‟s so blatant that I don‟t think I need to cite any other. The Bible states …without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22) The life of the flesh is in the blood, and it was Jesus‟ shedding of His blood that bought our forgiveness for our sin. Yet in passage, after passage, after passage, where the writers of the New Testament talk of our forgiveness because of Jesus‟ blood, the Good News Bible substitutes things such as “death” or “sacrifice.” A look at the Greek text shows that these verses all use haima, which means nothing but “blood.” Yet the translators for the Good News Bible have chosen to disregard the Greek text and substitute something else. Why? Here is a chart that compares various versions along a sliding scale for literal rendering of the original texts. Really, I would have shown this graphic, even if my own chosen translation were not listed as the most literal, after interlinear Bibles. You may ask, just how crucial is it really that we be so literal? Those in New Testament times put much stock in the smallest details of the Scriptures. I already quoted Jesus, where He stated, "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18) There was another incident when Jesus quieted the Sadducees by telling them, “Regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,. `I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." What was the issue here? The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or in any kind of afterlife for humans. The point that Jesus made was that when God spoke to Moses, He said “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” not “I was.” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive. Quite a lot of importance was attached to that one little word. There is another instance where Paul, in Galatians 3, made the case from one word in Genesis that Gentiles were to be included in Abraham‟s blessing through our association with Christ. Individual words are important, and we need a version that gets us as close as possible to the original texts. My own recommendations? For my own study I use the New American Standard. It has been proven time and again to be unequaled in scholarship and accuracy. It was a version that I started using about 6 months after becoming a Christian, and I have stayed with it for over 35 years now. I must admit that I did not do a careful study of the different versions available and choose the NASB, but it was the translation used by most of my friends at the Bible study I attended, and was a birthday gift from my girlfriend. As I became aware of the differences between versions, I found that the NASB was the best that I could have ended up with. Some people find its reading style too choppy. Naturally, if you find reading a tough chore, you are less likely to read. A viable alternative is the New International Version (NIV) recently updated. I have not done a thorough investigation, but I have heard rumblings that the updated NIV is not as good as its predecessor. For Roman Catholics that would want something accepted by the Church, I would recommend the New American Bible (not to be confused with the New American Standard.) It‟s a fairly recent version, taking advantage of the latest textual discoveries. IS THE KING JAMES BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD? I‟m bringing this up, only because you will eventually run into the issue, and I want to give you the answers ahead of time. First off, I want to go on record saying that the King James Bible is a good translation. It has served the church well for almost 400 years. It is not, however, the only English translation that is God‟s Word. Much damage has been done to Christians‟ faith because of the misinformation (intended or not) spread by the “KJV only” crowd. The only true written Word of God would be the original autographs, penned by the writers themselves. What we have today is enough, though, and God has honored our faith placed in the copies descended from the originals. There are several problems with the King James, none of which make it a particularly bad translation. The English language has changed drastically in 400 years. Some people find reading the King James tough going. Those who have been raised with it have less trouble, but it can be quite difficult for others. I find it interesting that those who oppose the Bible in a more modern style of English, will also offer books explaining what the archaic language means. Why not just put it in the body of the text? Older manuscripts that have been found have revealed that the King James has transmissional errors. Although the accuracy of the manuscripts of the Bible has been miraculously protected, minor errors have crept in, usually by overly-zealous scribes jotting notes in the margins (and a later scribe thinking it was intended to be in the text), or perhaps someone trying to harmonize similar passages from one Gospel to another. Whatever the reason, older manuscripts that have been found since the time of the KJV, have given us a clearer look at what God said. Many MANY times when lists are compiled of “verses left out of newer versions,” they are these added texts that have been removed, because they weren‟t there in the first place. Some passages are just plain mistranslated. Quick! What sea creature swallowed Jonah? If you said, “Whale,” you are wrong, wrong, wrong. There were 75 translators who worked on the King James Bible. 25 worked on the Old Testament, 25 worked on the Apocrypha, and 25 worked on the New Testament. When the translators working on the New Testament got to Jesus‟ statement in Matthew 12:40 about Jonah‟s being swallowed by a great fish, the biggest “fish” they could think of was the whale. That‟s how they translated it (Those working on the Old Testament did say, “Fish.”) and it is forever stuck in the public‟s mind as such. There are other places, but that is a good obvious example to make the point. With the attacks against the newer versions, it is worth noting that the King James Bible did not always hold the lofty position it does today. Remember the Pilgrims? If you recall what you learned in grade school, they came to America “to escape religious persecution.” The Pilgrims came in 1620. King James ruled England from 1603-1625, with the Bible that bears his name being published in 1611. The Pilgrims despised the King James Bible, and themselves used the Geneva Bible, published in 1599. When translation of the King James version was complete, it was examined by Dr. Hugh Broughton, one of the greatest Greek and Hebrew scholars of that time. The good doctor had this to say: The late Bible…was sent me to censure: which bred in me a sadness that will grieve me while I breathe, it is so ill done. Tell His Majesty that I had rather be rent in pieces by wild horses, than any such translation by my consent should be urged upon poor churches…The new edition crosseth me. I require it to be burnt. Whew! How did the KJV manage to get such a lofty position in people‟s minds? What is most important, though, is that you need to get a version that you will read. No matter how good a version you have, if you don‟t read it, you may as well not have one at all. JUST HOW SHOULD YOU READ THE BIBLE? Ok. You‟re convinced that the Bible bears a little more attention than you have previously given it. You‟ve waded through all the various versions and found one that would be a comfortable style. You are ready to begin. Where? The Bible is a big book – even more imposing because of its claim to be God‟s Word and the additional status people give the actual bound volumes. One friend I was urging to read the Bible was certainly intimidated by its size. I simply asked her, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, of course, is just one bite at a time. The Bible was written in a way that some have called “progressive revelation,” where God started out revealing just a little about Himself, then as people learned, He revealed a little more, then a little more, with His final unveiling of Himself in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. I don‟t know why He chose to do it that way, because each generation – even each person – has to learn about God from scratch. But He didn‟t consult me on that, so we have things that way. When God called Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob He wanted to raise up a nation where the environment could be made for His coming. Everything with the Hebrews was turned inward, away from the outside world. It fostered a culture where God could reveal Himself, and His word would be kept set apart from outside taint, waiting for just the right time for the coming of Jesus. Paul wrote, For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6) After Jesus‟ coming, though, God is now reaching out to everyone. Where the structure of Hebrew is turned inward, Greek is turned outward. The religious leaders of Judaism had as their primary responsibilities ministering to the house of Israel, and to guard the Law of God. The task of the Church is to be Jesus‟ witnesses “both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) To learn about God as quickly as possible, start in the Gospels. In there Christ is revealed. Initially, I read the Bible for several hours a day. I know that is unrealistic for most people. At the time, I was a college freshman, and my grades plummeted as I ignored my studies to read the Bible. I couldn‟t get enough. Start with a goal of a certain amount of time, or a certain number of chapters. Get a Bible that you won‟t be afraid to write in, and jot any ideas that occur to you as you read. Don‟t worry about trying to absorb everything. Understanding will come as you continue to read. Most importantly, allow God to speak to you through the words of the Scripture. Let Him speak, and be willing to listen. There is a wealth of information about living for God, living with others, living with yourself… Answers to the questions of where you came from, what purpose there is in life, and what comes next after this life. But you gotta read. HOW TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE Ahhhh. Now we‟re coming to the nitty gritty, and one of my main reasons for wanting to write this. I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that you will never, ever come to a full understanding of the Bible. The good news is that you will never, ever come to a full understanding of the Bible. No matter how intelligent you are, or how clever, or how much education you have, you are finite, and God is infinite. We can never hope to fully understand Him, even if we had all eternity to try. Is it any wonder then, that His book would continue to have things beyond our comprehension? It‟s laughable – yet tragic – how so many people have rejected Christianity because they can find things in the Bible that they don‟t understand. It was Mark Twain who said, “It‟s not the things I don‟t understand in the Bible that bother me, it‟s the things I do understand.” Those who reject the Bible – and, as a result, Christianity – on that basis are getting it backwards. If God is, then all the things we can‟t understand are irrelevant. James tells us, The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. (James 3:17) God is so far above us, though, that He may seem illogical. No, sometimes we are just too dull to comprehend His thought process. A good illustration is an episode of the original Star Trek. Kirk and Spock are standing in front of what looks like a giant stone donut. It was called the Guardian of Time, or something of that sort. Spock asks, “Are you machine, or being?” The Guardian answers, “I am both…and neither.” Spock retorts, “I see no reason to speak in riddles.” The Guardian replies, “I am answering as simply as I can, given your limited capacity to understand.” Even Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek and an avowed atheist, understood that there are some things that are so far above our ability to grasp that they seem illogical. Once you understand this principle, it is very liberating. Sometimes it is ok to say, “I don‟t know,” or “I don‟t understand.” Also, there are some things we are just not told. What we have is complete insofar as what we need to know, but there are some things left untold. Suppose you were to attempt to piece together a family‟s life by looking through their photo albums. You‟d get a pretty good idea of their life from the pictures, but they would tell only the high points: Their wedding, each child‟s birth, the new house, birthdays, vacations…You get the idea. Lots of details would be missing, though. When did Grandma stop coming to holidays? When was this house bought? There‟s a charcoal grill at this cookout, and a gas grill at this one. How long did it take to build that tree house? What is the dog‟s name? There are millions of details – important or insignificant – that we are not told. In the same way the Bible hits the high points, but there are lots of gaps. Additionally, there are some things that God has just plain reserved for His own knowledge without apology. Yet there are things – LOTS of things – that we can understand, and God wants us to learn. Through the years I have noticed how most Christians are content to have merely a fairly shallow knowledge about the Bible and what it says. We have a book that was written by GOD, yet most Christians pay more attention to programming their video players or their favorite sports team‟s statistics than what God has said…and there are groups who have done much violence to a clear understanding of God‟s Word. People with a poor understanding of the Bible are these folks‟ lawful prey. Through the centuries men have tried to obscure the clear teachings of the Scriptures and use that to control others. Jesus denounced the Jewish leaders of His day. "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the front seats in the synagogues, and the respectful greetings in the market places. Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it." And one of the lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too." But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.” (Luke 11:43-46) Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." And He answered and said to them, "And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, `Honor your father and mother,' and, `He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, `Whoever shall say to his father or mother, "Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God," he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:1-6) And so it continues today. A woman I used to work with was a cultist and we met once a week at lunchtime to discuss differences in doctrine. Time and again she‟d have some convoluted interpretation of a passage that strayed from its clear statement. Once, when I brought up a passage that clearly contradicted one of her group‟s teachings – and apparently her leaders hadn‟t yet thought up a rationalization – her answer was, “I don‟t think that‟s what that passage means.” The Bible states without qualification that the Lord is not willing that any should perish. (II Peter 3:9) It seems really odd that He would then make His truth so obscure. Centuries ago scholars looked at the peculiar style of the Greek of the New Testament. It was quite unlike the Greek used in the writings of Homer, Plato, and other classic writers. They concluded that it was some kind of “Heavenly Greek,” a holy type that God had reserved for His most holy Word. Have you ever seen the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? Indiana Jones was traveling around looking for the Holy Grail – the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper. Naturally, he had a nemesis who was also after the Grail, and their paths kept crossing. The two of them finally came to a cave that was filled with dozens and dozens of cups, and inhabited by an old knight who informed them that the true Grail was among them. Drinking out of the cup of Christ would grant one immortality, but drinking from the wrong cup meant death. The bad guy chose the most beautiful, ornate jewel-encrusted cup, deeming it worthy of a King. Naturally, he “chose poorly,” and died from his mistake. Jones‟ choice was a very commonlooking cup, saying, “This would be the cup of a carpenter.” Of course, his choice was correct, and he lived for the next sequel. I really do have a point from this story. As archeologists started digging in the Middle East, they soon started finding grocery lists, notes to the milkman, writings of everyday life in this same Koine Greek of the New Testament. The language of the New Testament is not for the scholars or some small elite group, it is written for the average person. You don‟t need an advanced degree in theology to understand the Bible. Just keep a few common-sense things in mind. A FEW COMMON-SENSE THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND Although the entire Bible is inspired by God, it does not necessarily mean that it is all “true.” On several occasions the apostle Paul admitted that he was merely expressing his opinion and not giving a command from the Lord. In Ecclesiastes , Solomon stated that much of what he wrote there was human wisdom. There are also obvious lies recorded. An easy example to grasp is where the serpent talked to Eve. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, `You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, `You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'" And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:1-5) What the serpent said was a bald-faced lie. Yet, it is contained in the Bible as an accurate quote. Special care must be taken to not just grab something out of its context and think you have the Truth. We should have long ago learned that just because something is in print (or on the internet) doesn‟t necessarily mean that it is true. In the same way, just because something is in the body of text in the Bible, it doesn‟t necessarily mean that it is spiritual truth. The first rule of properly interpreting the Scriptures is to pay attention to context. The context of the culture, the context of the recipients, and especially the context of the rest of Scripture. Suppose you were to happen upon this writing: GODISNOWHERE What does that mean? Does it say, “God is nowhere,” or “God is now here?” You wouldn‟t know for sure unless you asked the person who wrote it. In the same way, we need to allow God to interpret His own writing for us. Peter warned us, But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (II Peter 1:20-21) As you read the Bible there will be things that are quite clear. Read it like a newspaper, taking things as matter-of-fact straight narrative that are presented as matter-of-fact straight narrative. For instance, when the Israelites were being chased by Pharaoh‟s chariots, the text says that God parted the Red Sea. Many people reject it because it was miraculous, but that‟s the whole point of that story. There‟s a joke where little Billy‟s mother asked him what he‟d learned in Sunday school that day. Billy answered, “We learned how Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt. Pharaoh got mad, and chased after them. They came to the Red Sea, and couldn‟t go any farther. So Moses built a pontoon bridge across the Red Sea. Pharaoh‟s army chased after them, and after all the Hebrews were across, Moses blew up the pontoon bridge, and drowned Pharaoh‟s army.” Billy‟s mother was outraged. “She told you that?” “Well, no,” Billy admitted. “But if I told you what she did say, you‟d think she‟s crazy.” Once you factor in that God was helping them escape, why should that be so hard to accept? This was touched on by the apostle Paul as he was defending himself before King Agrippa for believing and teaching the resurrection of Christ. He asked, "Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead? (Acts 26:8) When one considers the enormous power of God, things of that sort are “incredible” only for idiots. Sometimes there is obvious poetry. A good example is Isaiah 55:12 - For you will go out with joy, And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. I once got into a discussion with a lady who insisted that we should take everything literally. I cited this passage as an example of how some things are poetic. She answered, “I think they do „clap their hands,‟ but it is in such a way that you or I would not consider it so.” Um…is that what we mean by poetic? THE CONTEXT OF THE CULTURE Many people misinterpret the Bible because they fail to take into account that they are reading about events that took place in the first century or before through the lens of our 21 st century culture. They look at things said and done in the Bible and don‟t realize that their culture is removed by centuries, a culture that would be quite foreign to most of us in the United States even today. Here is a good example. You know the story of Lazarus. Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha in Bethany, which is quite close to Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders were already out to get Jesus for asserting His deity. Jesus was in some unnamed location when He received word that Lazarus was ill. When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?” (John 11:6-9) What kind of answer was THAT? This is where it helps to understand the culture at that time. The period from sunup to sundown was divided into 12 equal parts called “hours.” During the season when sunup to sundown was long, they had long hours. When the day was short, they had short hours, but the time with daylight always had 12 hours. What Jesus was saying here was that His allotted time on earth was exactly as long as it was supposed to be. Going to Bethany, and passing so closely to those who sought to kill Him, did not put Jesus in any more danger than if He had hidden in a cave. There are many erroneous doctrines that people hold – and some churches – because they looked at passages in the Bible, failing to take the context of the culture into account. THE CONTEXT OF THE RECEIPIENTS Many times parts of the Bible – especially the apostles‟ letters – were written to specific individuals, dealing with specific problems, questions, and issues. That‟s not to say that we cannot get doctrine from them, we just need to be careful when things get down to specifics. A prime example is a passage that people quote to me to justify not talking to cultists who come to their doors: If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. (II John 10-11) That is not what the passage means. John‟s letter was to a lady in whose home local Christians met for worship and fellowship. Christians in those days did not have the buildings (nor the freedom) we so often take for granted. There were itinerate preachers who traveled from town to town, preaching the Gospel, and sharing with the local fellowships. There were also false teachers who were spreading a false gospel who would take advantage of the Christians‟ hospitality. John was telling the lady to not let these people in to preach – to not even give them a blessing. If you were to take that passage as a hard and fast rule, what do you do if your pipes burst in the middle of the night, and you can‟t find a Christian plumber? What about unsaved friends and relatives? This line of reasoning goes against the entire concept of evangelism in the New Testament. The early Christians evangelized everyone they could get their hands on. Yes, do not allow false teachers to share their errors to others, but you might be the only Christian willing to talk to Mormons or Jehovah‟s Witnesses. THE CONTEXT OF THE REST OF THE BIBLE One of the favorite points made by those who believe that the Bible contradicts itself (It doesn‟t.) is to quote “Eye for an eye,” and “Love your enemies.” They completely ignore the backgrounds of each of those quotes, and have no idea what was being said. The first quote is from Leviticus 24. During that time, the Jews were ruled directly by God through Moses, and later the Judges. This was part of the Law of the land that they lived under. Here is the entire passage: “`And if a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death. `And the one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life. `And if a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. `Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. `There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God.'" (Leviticus 24:17-22) What‟s the point? The punishment shall fit the crime. Someone puts out your eye, he won‟t be put to death for it. It is interesting that this law applied to strangers among the Jews as well as the locals. There was no double-standard with God. The important thing to keep in mind with this, though, is that this was civil law. These were the things where the government stepped in to resolve legal conflicts. When Jesus tells us, “Love your enemies,” He isn‟t talking about civil conflicts, but things of a personal matter. If someone were to kill your dog, and I take him aside and say, “That‟s ok. We‟re supposed to forgive,” what kind of presumption would I have, forgiving him for killing your dog? I can forgive others only for what they have done to me. One passage has to do with the law of the land, the other with personal relationships. There is no conflict merely because someone grabs a verse from one place and another from another place and puts them side by side. I can do that too: Matthew 27:5 - and he (Judas) went away and hanged himself. Luke 10:37 - "Go and do the same." Those who grab a verse out of its context then base a doctrine on it remind me of the old story about the five blind men who encountered an elephant. Remember the story? One man grabbed the elephant‟s tail and said, “An elephant is like a rope.” Another wrapped his arms around a leg. “An elephant is like a tree.” One man grabbed the trunk. “An elephant is like a snake.” Still another touched the elephant‟s tusk and said, “An elephant is like a spear.” And one leaned on the elephant‟s side. “An elephant is like a wall.” Each of these men had “seen” only one small part of the elephant, without seeing the entire animal. Interpret the obscure in light of that which is clear. For instance, Paul tells us that things in the Old Testament were written for our instruction. (Romans 15:4) We can properly understand most of the Old Testament in light of the Person of Jesus Christ, Who was God‟s final revelation of Himself to us. (Hebrews 1:1-2) A good example for something that might be obscure for one not yet familiar with the Bible is the emphasis of Jesus‟ shedding His blood for our sins. It‟s there – as I brought up in the section of Bible versions - and makes Christianity seem like a rather gory and violent religion. Yet, when we understand what is involved, it all comes clear. I initially quoted from Hebrews 9:22, …without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. There is more to that passage though: Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you." And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. (Hebrews 9:18-23) Some time ago my pastor and I exchanged a series of emails discussing this concept. Was it necessary for Jesus to shed His blood because the Law demanded such a sacrifice, or were the sacrifices in the Law set down because they were a type, pointing to Jesus‟ sacrifice by the shedding of His blood? Unfortunately, I don‟t think too quickly, and I often need much time to ponder questions of this sort. The discussion was a side issue from my primary reason for contacting him, and I left it as a conundrum to think about later. We are truly dead without Jesus. Death is separation. Spiritual death is our separation from God, and physical death is our soul and spirit being separated from our body. Our bodies die because of the effect of sin in us. We were never initially meant to die, but after sin entered the human race our bodies run down and wear out. Paul wrote, For by one man sin entered the world, and with sin, death. (Romans 5:12) Death is the “wage” we collect for our sin – The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) In order for Jesus to collect our wages of death – spiritual and physical – He had to die (although He, himself knew no sin) to provide payment. As He hung on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?” and the sun went black. (Matthew 27:45-46) These were physical indications that Jesus lost His special communion with the Father while the payment for our sin was being extracted. When that had been accomplished, Jesus said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Where does this issue concerning blood fit in here? Leviticus 17:11 states, The life of the flesh is in the blood. Besides His separation from the Father, Jesus also poured out His blood – and His life – so He could also take on physical death, and thereby redeem us from physical death as well as spiritual death. THE PROBLEM OF LANGUAGE Quick – what was the name of a Jewish carpenter who lived about 2000 years ago and died for our sins? Jesus? Well, that‟s not what His friends called Him. Have you ever wondered about Matthew 1:21? “and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Huh? Jesus‟ name was actually Y’shua, which in Hebrew means, “God‟s salvation.” Things sometimes get garbled in translation. Translated from Hebrew to English, it gives us Joshua. In our New Testaments, though the Hebrew was rendered in Greek – Iesous – THEN to English, which gives us “Jesus.” God honors our hearts, and it doesn‟t matter what else we call Him, as long as we (truly) call Him Lord. The Jews in Jesus‟ day spoke a dialect of Hebrew called Aramaic. In our New Testaments, there are several cases where the writers - while writing in Greek – inserted Aramaic words or phrases as they wrote. (There are groups who contend that the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic, then translated to Greek, but if that were the case, we would not have Aramaic words in the body of the text. I‟m not sure why these groups teach this, except, perhaps, to attempt to elevate themselves as possessors of some esoteric knowledge.) English can be a very confusing language for someone to learn. It can be at the same time very nuanced while being also extremely weak. Think of the word “love.” We love our spouses. We love our children. We love our parents. We love our friends. We love mashed potatoes… Translators are faced with the monumental task of taking concepts in the Bible and putting them in another language so that people might have the words that lead to eternal life. As you read the Bible, keep in mind that something may not make a lot of sense from the one-word rendering from the translators. If something seems odd, check a different version. Another good help is a commentary. There is a wealth of scholarship out there – but also some pretty lightweight stuff. Before getting a commentary, ask someone whose opinion you trust or check online reviews. Another good indication of a commentary‟s scholarship is how it was stood the test of time. I won‟t make any suggestions beyond listing what I have owned in the bibliography. As you get more familiar with the Bible, and more knowledgeable of its contents, you will find yourself consulting commentaries less and less. The main thing to keep in mind with commentaries is that no matter how good the information may be, it is still just human opinion, and not to be taken with the same authority as Scripture. CLOSING THOUGHTS Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING – even the teachings of an apostle (Acts 17:10-11) – are in subjection to the authority of the Scriptures. Much violence has been done to true biblical Christian doctrine through the centuries because people didn‟t understand the entire Bible, or those with a lust for power taught half-truths and their followers were too ignorant of the Word of God to challenge their teachings. What I have presented here is just the merest wisp of a scratch on the surface of what needs to be known, but following these principles will start you down the path to a much, MUCH better understanding of God‟s Word. Jesus prayed to the Father, “Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION I have listed here books that I have found useful. I‟m not saying that they are the best, just that they have been a help to me. There are so many reference books out there that I have not kept up with them, finding what I have to be quite adequate. As I stated elsewhere, once you get more familiar with the Bible, you will find yourself consulting many of these less and less. ONLINE HELP There are a couple of site that I know about (and thousands that I don‟t, I‟m sure) that can be a help – more generic than Christian sites that focus on a specific ministry or concern: BIBLE GATEWAY http://www.biblegateway.com This site‟s big attraction is online Bibles in over 35 languages. I counted 21 English versions. They are searchable by chapter and verse, or by key words. There are also a few commentaries available and some versions on audio. It has tutorials to help you set up and navigate all of their features. SCRIPTURE SOFTWARE http://www.eliyah.com/software.html While this site doesn‟t have as many versions available as Bible Gateway, it has a good selection of study helps, plus the Scriptures in some of renditions of the originals, most notable (if you read Greek) Textus Receptus, the manuscript from which the KJV was translated, and the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, done circa 200 B.C. The Septuagint was the version used by the Jews in Jesus‟ day. A good resource for the Bible‟s reliability is EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERTICT by Josh McDowell. McDowell has done a monumental work, giving evidence for the reasonableness of Christianity and the trustworthiness of the Bible that has withstood the test of time since 1972. He was originally involved in campus work, and those young Christians from that era found answers for their questions and have continued to make this book a classic. HALLEY’S BIBLE HANDBOOK by Henry H. Halley This is the single best book you can have for reference. First published in 1924, this has been a staple for Christians for generations. I checked Amazon, and they are currently up to the 25 th edition, with the NIV as part of the package. My own copy is from the first printing of the 22 nd edition in 1959. THE BIBLE BOOK BY BOOK by G. Coleman Luck This little book has been a big help for just putting straight in my mind where things fit together. No real commentary to speak of, it gives things such as the date written, the author, the recipients, why things were written, and things such as these. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BIBLE by James M. Freeman This book has been a help to explain the culture in which many things happened. NAVE’S TOPICAL BIBLE by Orville J. Nave The first reference book I ever bought – I don‟t think I was yet a Christian – was a small paperback edition of a Naves…in a grocery store! I had no idea books of this sort existed. The Nave’s – as its name implies - takes just about any topic you can think of and gives a selection of references to that topic. Something else to get is a good concordance. A concordance is a list of key words from the Bible that will help you find a passage when you can think of how it‟s worded, but can‟t remember just where it is. I have two, because they are each set up in ways that have their own strengths. STRONG’S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE by James Strong. First published in 1890, this concordance has been a staple among Christians – and some cultists. The complete editions have every single word listed from the King James Bible. Really. If you are trying to remember a passage, and all you can remember is that it has “the” in it, you could find it. You‟d have to go through pages and pages and pages of listings for “the,” but if you had the patience, you‟d get there. Naturally, you would have a better idea of what the passage says, but it is as complete as you can get. The Strong’s biggest strength, though, is its Hebrew and Greek lexicons. Each word is assigned a number, according to the term in the original language, which is then cross-indexed in the back. With the advent of the computer age, concordances tied to other translations - such as the New International and New American Standard – have been published using Strong‟s numbering system. YOUNG’S ANALYTICAL CONCORDANCE TO THE BIBLE by Robert Young I‟m not sure just when this was first published, but Robert Young died in 1888. Young took a different approach than Strong. Where Strong just took each instance of a word as it appeared in order it the Bible, then assigned his numbering system to tie it to the original languages, Young grouped the words together by the words in the original languages. It is most helpful if you are looking for not just a particular English word, but a particular English word that is translated from a particular word in the original. Current editions of Young’s contain cross-references to Strong‟s numbering system. The one commentary I have used through the years is the Wycliffe Commentary, published by Moody Press. When I bought it, I was not yet well-informed about what was out there (and quite impulsive.) I pretty much just picked one out at random. Fortunately, my choice was a good one. The commentators were good, conservative scholars, and it has served me well for decades. Each of these helps are just that – HELPS. Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit Who will teach you what the Scriptures mean, but you have to give Him the raw material to work with, meaning a storehouse in your own mind of things that you have already read. JUST READ PLAIN TALK BOOKS Plain Talk Books is an attempt to present the truths of orthodox Christianity in such a way to avoid the trappings that get in the way of many books on theology. It appears that many scholars and theologians seem to be impressed with their own vocabulary – or perhaps their publishers pay by the word. Whatever the reason, too many theology books are dry, stuffy, and way too wordy. I am not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I have been studying the tenets of my faith for well over thirty-five years. I also happen to tend to be a minimalist when it comes to making a point. Although I will attempt to keep a light mood in the pages of each book, I will strive for biblical accuracy on all points. Let‟s explore the things of God together. Plain Talk Books In conjunction with Newcreature Publications Box 6342 Jackson, Michigan 49203