Podcasts about good news translation

This week's message is titled "Joel, Acts, and the Holy Spirit." Thank you to Paul, Rhonda, Don, and everyone else who made this service possible. Songs from this service: In My Life, Lord, Be Glorified - https://youtu.be/9IpW8lLjMkY -- Lord I Need You - https://youtu.be/tp_w5b3eeh0 -- It Is Well with My Soul - https://youtu.be/5ovnm-gzLfs -- Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) - https://youtu.be/kMBt8mkW9as -- I Am a Sheep - https://youtu.be/Vm5hV4ews6g -- Great Is Thy Faithfulness - https://youtu.be/IiQzzc41z5Q -- Trust In You - https://youtu.be/qv-SXz_exKE Scriptures from this service: Communion - Matthew 27:46; Psalm 73:23-26 (GNT); 73:28 (GNT). Reading: Joel 1:1-13. Sermon - Joel 2:11; 2:28-31; 2:32; 2:12-13; 2:17; 3:2; 3:9-10; 3:20-21; Acts 2:17-20; 2:21; 2:22-24; 2:24; 2:25-28; Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:27-28; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:36-39; 2:41; 5:42; 2:47; 6:7; 5:42; 9:31; 17:24-25; 17:28; 20:32; 28:31; Romans 14:7; 14:7-8; 16:25-27; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20. Closing - Ephesians 1:18-23. Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash [accordion] [accordion-item title="NIV Copyright" state=closed]Scripture quotations marked (NIV) taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version© NIV© Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="Good News Translation Copyright" state="closed"]Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today's English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.[/accordion-item][/accordion]

Thank you to Earl, Rhonda, Barb, and Don for being part of the service. Happy birthday this week to Alice. Songs from this service: Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah - https://youtu.be/kx-lXR_ibbM -- Love Divine - https://youtu.be/Cwi_-rUDg0Q -- Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - https://youtu.be/-iVedIQns64 -- He Looked Beyond My Fault https://youtu.be/E-miI8PibpI -- What Grace Is Mine - https://youtu.be/djQupbVcjcY -- Cleanse Me - https://youtu.be/DkK-CUusxCA -- Ring Out The Message - https://youtu.be/I6SWsB8GZ2Q -- Beautiful Things - https://youtu.be/0jVvYikdK7Q Scriptures from this service: Communion - Genesis 28:20-22 (GNT); Luke 22:42 (GNT); 22:44 (GNT); Matthew 6:10. Reading - Matthew 19:16-30. Sermon - Matthew 19:28; Romans 8:1-2; 8:18-21; 8:22-23; 8:24-25; 8:11; 8:10; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:17; Revelation 21:1; Colossians 1:21-22; 1:20; Romans 8:23; Isaiah 65:17-18; Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 61:1-2; Acts 1:14; 2:1-4; 2:17; 2:4; 2:17; 2:22-24; Ecclesiastes 1:9; Revelation 21:1; Ecclesiastes 1:9; Revelation 21:1; 21:2-5; 21:25; Isaiah 61:2; Matthew 5:12; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 51:10; Romans 12:2. Photo by Sabbra Cadabra on Unsplash A memorial service took place at our building on January 12 for Joyce Perry. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/XW9AfTtWRBE https://youtu.be/XW9AfTtWRBE [accordion][accordion-item title="Good News Translation Copyright" state="closed"]Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today's English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.[/accordion-item][accordion-item title="NIV Copyright" state=closed]Scripture quotations marked (NIV) taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version© NIV© Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.[/accordion-item][/accordion]

Host Martin Tanner shares the narrative of the birth of Jesus, in modern English, from the Good News Translation of the Bible, with explanations of seeming contradictions, such as:  When Joseph found out Mary was expecting, why would he need to divorce her?  They weren't married yet.  Who were the Wise men?  Why are they part of the Gospel story of Jesus's birth?

Thank you to Earl, Amy, and Don for being part of the video, and to everyone who was involved in the service. Happy birthday this week to Dianne, Debby, Geoff, and Earl. Happy anniversary to Jan & Geoff. Songs from this service: Firm Foundation - https://youtu.be/UfDFgYG-62Q -- Come Thou Almighty King - https://youtu.be/HYkkPkr04_s -- Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus - https://youtu.be/t6_P-S-JdMg -- Living Hope - https://youtu.be/kuxPcK7GwSI -- Cornerstone - https://youtu.be/h4KGkH7naKY -- O Come, O Come Emmanuel - https://youtu.be/kqKUlpuyZL8 -- Heavenly Sunlight - https://youtu.be/GrtLGew0ae4 -- Firm Foundation (He Won't) - https://youtu.be/cjT7Wdm71WE Scriptures from this service: Communion - Luke 22:19. Reading - Psalm 130:1-7. Sermon - Philippians 3:20; 1 John 3:2; John 8:12; Isaiah 7:14; Ephesians 3:12; Psalm 42:11; 119:74; 147:11; Proverbs 24:14; Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 147:11; Proverbs 24:14; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Jeremiah 29:11; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 3:1-3. Closing - Romans 5:5 (GNT). Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay [accordion] [accordion-item title="NIV Copyright" state=closed]Scripture quotations marked (NIV) taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version© NIV© Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.[/accordion-item][accordion-item title="Good News Translation Copyright" state="closed"]Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today's English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.[/accordion-item][/accordion]

Thank you to Geoff, Ed, Amy, and Don for being part of the video. Happy birthday this week to Chris and Kranti. Songs from this service: Come, Now Is The Time To Worship - https://youtu.be/bMu0Y1wgZMg -- Unto Thee O Lord - https://youtu.be/S3Z0IRO-cgk -- Lord I Need You - https://youtu.be/tp_w5b3eeh0 -- When We All Get To Heaven - https://youtu.be/SjgkpWuoTLs -- Reap That Joy - https://youtu.be/jigl4YwiqKo Scriptures from this service: Welcome - 1 Chronicles 16:10; 16:23-25 (ESV); Romans 5:12 (ESV); Romans 5:18 (GNT); Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV); James 3:9-10. Reading - Isaiah 2:1-5. Sermon - Isaiah 57:18; Hosea 6:2; Joel 3:1; Isaiah 1:18 (ESV); 2:3-4 (NIV); Romans 8:22; John 3:16; Matthew 28:19; Isaiah 19:23-25; Revelation 22:17; John 7:37; Isaiah 25:3-4; 25:6-8; Matthew 19:28; Acts 3:21; Romans 8:21; 8:23; Colossians 1:20; Isaiah 35:1-2; 35:3; 35:5-6; Isaiah 40:1-5; 40:3; 42:1-4; 42:9; 43:1; 43:18-19; 43:25; 53:4-6; 53:11; 53:12b; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 20:28; Isaiah 65:17-18; Ephesians 1:9-10; Isaiah 66:22. Closing - John 1:14 (ESV) Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash [accordion] [accordion-item title="NIV Copyright" state=closed]Scripture quotations marked (NIV) taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version© NIV© Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="ESV Copyright" state=closed]Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV© Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version©), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="Good News Translation Copyright" state="closed"]Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today's English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.[/accordion-item][/accordion]

Thank you to Dave, Rhonda, Toluwani, and Don for being part of the service. Happy birthday this week to Cody and Bryan, and happy anniversary to Rebecca & Chris. Songs from this service: New Doxology - https://youtu.be/Hm2xUl243lc -- The Lord Almighty Reigns - https://youtu.be/2TdEZXPuKOo -- Lead Me To Calvary - https://youtu.be/abb1FvD1YMA -- Eternal Father Strong To Save - https://youtu.be/m6-Cbx18BWA Scriptures from this service: Welcome - Romans 12:1. Communion - John 6:25-33 (GNT); 6:35-37 (GNT); 6:50-51 (GNT); 6:53-58 (GNT). Reading - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV). Sermon - Psalm 46:9; Genesis 9:11; Isaiah 2:4; Revelation 21:4; John 15:13; Matthew 5:9; Eve of Destruction - https://youtu.be/_38SWIIKITE Revelation 21:1-5; 21:7. Closing - John 15:9; 15:12-13; 15:17. Photo by Diane Picchiottino on Unsplash [accordion][accordion-item title="NIV Copyright" state=closed]Scripture quotations marked (NIV) taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version© NIV© Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.[/accordion-item][accordion-item title="Good News Translation Copyright" state="closed"]Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today's English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.[/accordion-item][/accordion]

Hello, This week We have special Guest Pastor Cameron Jeffs from Impact Church in Kingston Bringing us the message today: God's Waiting Room.These are Scriptures from His message:Luke 24:49 (Good News Translation)49 And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you.”Acts 1:4 (NIV)4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.Acts 1:9 (NKJV)Jesus Ascends to Heaven9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.Acts 1:16New King James Version16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;Acts 1:20 (NKJV)20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be [a]desolate,And let no one live in it'; and, ‘Let another take his [b]office.'Acts 1:8 (NKJV)8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”Luke 24:49 (New American Standard Bible)49 And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”Acts 1:13 (NKJV)13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.Acts 1:14 (NKJV), Acts 1:23-24 (NKJV), Acts 1:26 (NKJV), Acts 1:4 (NIV)Be blessed as you listen and tune in next time for more great teachings from the Word. 

Pastors Brown and Brown bring the Sermon of Enrichment from 1 Timothy 6:12 & Genesis 4:3-8 (Good News Translation)

Prayers of the People and The Lord's Prayer by Raymond McCordScripture Lesson (John 20:19-31(Good News Translation) by Paul Becker  

Episode 255 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 10 – The Forest and the Trees Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: After he said this, Jesus … made some mud … he rubbed the mud on the man's eyes and told him, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” … the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing. The Gospel of John, Chapter 9, verses 6 and 7, Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is our 10th and final episode in our series on archeology and the Bible. This is not our final episode because we have exhausted the pool of archeological findings that support the trustworthiness of the Bible. You could do a radio show or podcast every day for the rest of your life and never cover all of that evidence. Instead, in our series we have discussed just a few of the thousands of archeological discoveries that support the accuracy of the Bible’s text. But we hope the examples that we have cited will inspire listeners to do some further exploration on their own. RD Fierro is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books and he is in the studio today as we wrap up this series. RD, we could go on for months or years talking about all of the archeological evidence that demonstrates that the history contained in the Bible is reliable. So, why limit this series to 10 episodes? RD: Well, before we get started I’d also like to welcome everyone to this episode of Anchored by Truth. And, if this is your first time being with us, we’d encourage to you to check out – not only the earlier episodes in this series but all of our previous series because Anchored by Truth is the only radio show that we know of that focuses exclusively on demonstrating the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of scripture. And that’s why we do series like this one on archeology and the Bible. But archeology is only one of the disciplines that support the accuracy of the Bible. While most people don’t realize it because of the Biblically hostile culture in which we live physics, chemistry, biology, geology, paleontology, and many other scientific disciplines – as well as basic logic and reason – support the fact that the Bible is the inspired revelation of an almighty God. In fact, you really can’t have a truly coherent worldview without acknowledging that the Bible is God’s inerrant word. And that’s our purpose – to help people develop not only that awareness but also be able to cogently explain why this is true. VK: That’s a big statement. I don’t think many people in the world, especially in the western world, would accept the fact that we must accept the truth of the Bible to form a coherent worldview. RD: It’s a big statement but that doesn’t mean that it’s not true. And in the future we are going to do a series on why forming a coherent worldview necessitates a Biblical worldview. But for today’s wrap up we’re just adding one more piece to the assembly of that much larger puzzle. VK: What you’re saying is that building a coherent worldview – a truly coherent worldview – isn’t something that can be done in a few minutes, hours, or days – or even months. Building a truly coherent worldview and seeing how and where the Bible fits in takes years. You must build a coherent worldview just as you would assemble a jigsaw puzzle - one piece at a time. But each piece that you put into place enables you to see the larger picture or pattern more clearly. And that’s what we try to do with these series. We keep adding pieces to the larger picture – one episode at a time and one series at a time. This series on archeology is just one piece of evidence that demonstrates the historical reliability of the Bible. It’s just one piece but it is an important piece. RD: Yes. At Anchored by Truth and Crystal Sea Books our basic formulation for how we can be sure that the Bible is the inspired word of God is centered around four lines of evidence: reliable history, remarkable unity, fulfilled prophecy, and redeemed destinies. So, in this series we have pointed out a number of specific examples of archeological discoveries that have demonstrated that the Bible’s historical record is true. VK: We’ve talked about the fact that the rediscovery of the city of Nineveh in the mid-19th century confirmed portions of the book of Jonah that were doubted by secular scholars. We’ve talked about the evidence that supports the historicity of the Biblical records contained in both the Old and New Testaments with respect to the city of Jericho. We discussed the fact that the Bible not only gets the big details of history right – such as the names of empires, emperors, cities, and nations – but also smaller details. We talked about how the book of Jeremiah even accurately preserved the name of one of the king of Babylon’s court officers. That’s the kind of historical detail that is easily lost in the sweep of history but the Bible kept it and it’s been validated by archeology. RD: Yes. And we could have offered many, many more examples. At the start of today’s episode we used a quote from the gospel of John where Jesus restored sight to a blind man. As a part of the process Jesus told the blind man to wash his face in the pool of Siloam. Jesus named the pool he wanted the man to wash in. So, obviously this pool was well known in Jesus’ day. Well, in 2004 a crew digging a sewer line in Jerusalem uncovered some well-dressed stone steps that were covered by more than 10 feet of soil that had washed into a valley. Further exploration revealed that the steps led into a stone-lined pool that was not far from a tunnel that in Old Testament times had brought water into Jerusalem. VK: This water tunnel is called Hezekiah’s tunnel because it was built by the Old Testament king of Judah named Hezekiah as part of his preparations to withstand a siege by the Assyrians. The tunnel itself is mentioned 2 Kings, chapter 20, verse 20 and 2 Chronicles, chapter 32, verse 30. We have a friend who actually walked through the tunnel when he visited the Holy Land. The tunnel was finalized around 701 BC although portions of it may have existed earlier. RD: Right. Subsequent excavations at the pool revealed coins that the pool dated from around the first century BC and other coins revealed that the pool was still in use during the time of the Jewish revolt against the Romans which lasted from 66 AD to 70 AD. In other words, the pool would have been in use during Jesus’ earthly ministry around 30 to 33 AD. So, Hezekiah’s tunnel and the pool at Siloam are just two more examples of archeological discoveries that are entirely consistent with the Bible record. VK: And there are countless others that we could cite. Bible critics used to doubt the existence of the greatest king of Israel during the Old Testament period: King David. Due to the Bible’s description of him, he almost seemed to be legendary – a sort of Old Testament King Arthur. But in 1993 a fragment of an ancient stone tablet was found that mentions the “House of David.” This fragment was dated from the late-9th century BC which means it dated about 150 years after the time that David was king of Israel. The fragment also mentions other names of kings that are named in the Bible. Scholars are agreed that 150 years is not enough time for true legends to form so the fragment pointed clearly to the existence of a king named David whose dynastic succession was still in existence at the time the fragment was prepared. Again, this is a clear example of archeology supporting the Bible. So, with all the examples that are available that support the Bible’s records why do you think that so many critics continue to resist the idea that the Bible’s history is accurate? RD: Well, that’s actually the major subject I wanted to tackle today as we finish our series on archeology and the Bible. We began talking about this last time. It’s somewhat amazing to me how many people will dismiss the reliability of the Bible’s text and then proceed to rely on it as if it were true. VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about? RD: Sure. Last year a friend of mine read James Michener’s book called The Source. He wanted me to read it. So, he got me a copy. The back cover of the version he got me says this: “Michener vividly re-creates life in an ancient city and traces the profound history of the Jewish people – from the persecution of the early Hebrews, the rise of Christianity, and the Crusades to the founding of Israel and the modern conflict in the Middle East.” The hero of Michener’s book is an archeologist named Cullinane. Michener has this to say about his hero: “He was the crop-headed type of new scholar, solidly trained and not given to nonsense.” VK: In other words Michener’s archeologist isn’t one of those silly people who accept the Bible as being reliable and true. RD: Right. In one incident Michener writes this: “On his departure from Chicago, loaded with gear, [Cullinane] had been asked by a newspaperman if he expected to dig up any records which would prove that the Bible was true. Cullinane replied, ‘No, we’re not out to help God steady the ark.’” VK: But then you said that 25 pages after his hero dismissed the Bible’s truth the hero is then finding artifacts and uses the Bible to give them context and meaning as well as citing details about history that come to us from the Bible. RD: Exactly. Michener does exactly what so many people do – and not just with respect to archeology. They openly contend that the Bible’s text is untrustworthy but then proceed to rely on the truth of the Bible’s reports. VK: For instance, the back cover talks about “the profound history of the Jewish people” and “the persecution of the early Hebrews.” But we could ask Michener, what constitutes a Hebrew or a Jew? Someone might reply that a Jew is a descendant of the patriarch Abraham. RD: And that would be partially true. The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham. But there are a lot of other people in the world today who also trace their ancestry to Abraham. For example, many of the modern day Arabic tribes see Abraham’s first born son, Ishmael, as their ancestor. And Abraham had a number of other sons. Genesis, chapter 25, verses 1 through 5 says this: “Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” VK: So, the point is that a lot of tribes and national groups were descended from Abraham. Well, then as a further qualification we might say that the Jewish people are descended through Abraham’s son Isaac. RD: And that would also be partially true. But Isaac and Rebecca had two sons, Esau and Jacob (who was later renamed Israel by God). And Jacob wasn’t the only one who founded a nation that persisted for hundreds of years. Esau was the ancestor of the Edomites who are mentioned frequently in the Old Testament, often as an enemy of Israel and Judah. After the southern kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar the Edomites moved into some of the vacant territory into the region of the former city of Hebron. The Greeks and the Romans called this region Idumea. And the Idumeans were present in the time of Jesus. Herod the Great was the son of an Edomite father and a Jewish mother. So, just because someone was descended from Isaac wouldn’t make them a Jew. VK: In other words, to be considered Jewish someone would have to be descended not only from Abraham and Isaac but also Jacob. And we learn from the book of Genesis that Jacob – who was later renamed Israel by God – was indeed the father of the 12 men who gave rise to the 12 tribes of Israel. But I think I see where you’re going. The back cover of Michener’s book says that it is going to discuss the “profound history of the Jewish people” but how would you even know where that history begins if you eliminate the Bible or if you discount the accuracy of the Bible’s reports? RD: Exactly. Michener’s hero discounts that he will find anything that will be relevant to the Bible’s truth but then must presume that truth in order to even make sense of a great many of the artifacts he unearths. And that’s what a great many people these days do. They tell us the Bible is a dry well for truth but then return to that well many, many times when they need to fill in the gaps of what they see in the earth. I was watching a public television documentary recently about the history of writing and the alphabet. In general, it was very informative. But part of the narrative said that human beings had been around for 300,000 years but writing had only been around for the last 5,000 years. VK: But even that period of human existence of 300,000 years isn’t agreed upon by secular scientists. Many discussions of the history of humanity have our specific species dating back as much as 800,000 or even a million years ago. And our “near ancestors” are sometimes dated to as much as 2 and a half or 3 million years ago. RD: Correct. Secular science wants to find a long period for human existence but is forced to acknowledge that common attributes that mark human civilizations like building and writing can only be dated to thousands of years ago. Even if we accept secular science’s dating of the oldest ruins on earth they only date to about 10,000 years before Christ. VK: And as we have discussed in other episodes in this series those dates are assigned not measured. There is no way to directly measure an ancient date. And the assigned dates are all dependent on a set of unprovable assumptions. RD: Right, but notice something. The observable evidence is all entirely consistent with a Biblical time period. The Biblical time period says that the earth is roughly 6,200 years old and the flood of Noah occurred about 1,500 years after creation. I’m using round numbers here for the sake of simplicity. This means that the oldest human structures or trees (which are the longest living land plants) would be just shy of 5,000 years old. This time period is entirely consistent with observations that we make about the world as we see it today. VK: And for anyone who wants to go deeper into more of the problems with deep time and uniformitarianism they can go to our website, crystalseabooks.com, and locate our series on “10 facts every Christian needs to know.” In that series we have a lengthier discussion than we can undertake today about the scientific problems with the secular ideas about deep time. RD: Yes. So, one of the big ideas we want people to remember as we close out this series on the Bible and archeology is that the observations we can make today through available evidence are consistent with the Bible’s reported time frames. But when you start using secular conventions of millions and billions of years you run into some real issues. VK: Such as “where are all the dead human bodies?” If human beings have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, or more, where are all the bones of the people who supposedly existed during that period? There are extraordinary fossils of very small creatures that supposedly died millions of years ago and we see their remains but we find very few, if any, human remains. And those that are supposedly human, or pre-human, have numerous problems with the identifying the skeletons as being truly human. RD: Right. And it’s not as though secular scientists aren’t aware of the problems that arise with their time frames and alternative explanations. They are. But in order to resist the obvious conclusion that evidence from human and natural history is entirely consistent with the Bible they have to find reasons to disagree with what the Bible is telling us. VK: And some scientists have become willing to admit that they do so. Harvard evolutionary biologist and geneticist Richard Lewontin wrote: “We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failures to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.” RD: Lewontin said the quiet part out loud. Science does not require a materialistic explanation but secular scientists do. And, sadly, they are aided in their quest to cast doubt on the Bible’s records by liberal so-called theologians who bring an anti-supernatural bias to the Bible. There have been a number of groups who have supposedly wanted to find the “authentic Jesus” or “the real history” behind the Bible’s plain declarations. So, they admit that the city of Jericho existed and that the walls fell but they must doubt the dating of when the walls collapsed. They admit that there was a dynastic succession of kings in the southern kingdom of Judah but then dispute who was the founder of the succession despite the Bible’s record of the life of King David. They admit that the book of Daniel reports accurately the succession of empires that controlled the Middle East in Biblical times but claim that the book of Daniel must have written 400 years after the date that it was. VK: And, as you said, they do all of this because they must resist the conclusions that are inescapable if the Bible is what it says it is – the Word of an almighty God. Because that word of God doesn’t just contain statements about history, culture, and nations it also contains ethical and moral prescriptions. The Bible is a unique book in human history and human experience. As some people have noted, “most of the time people judge books. The Bible is a book that judges people.” RD: Yes. Archeological findings provide a great deal of support for the accuracy of the Bible’s historical records. Thus, any fair evaluation of the Bible must be that it is a generally reliable historical record. But this generally reliable historical record goes on to record not just ordinary history but also an extraordinary, redemptive history. The Bible records God’s superintendence of redemptive history including His direct intervention at times to keep His plan on track. God’s superintendence and intervention is an anathema to modern man that wants to believe that man is the penultimate actor in the universe. And God’s presence in the universe means there is an ultimate Judge who will one day hold all people accountable for their lives and actions. VK: This is why so many people resist the obvious conclusion that the Bible contains a reliable record of the history it chooses to report. If the Bible is trustworthy when it comes to history it is likely also trustworthy when it comes to its enduring ethical pronouncements and its warnings about the consequences for ignoring or disobeying God. The same God that brought down the walls of Jericho, also brought down the Babylonian Empire. He also destroyed the city of Nineveh so completely it was lost to history for almost 2,000 years and He allowed the city of Jerusalem to be destroyed for rejecting His Messiah. RD: Yes. Our God is a God of mercy and salvation but He is also a God of justice and holiness and we see evidence of all of His attributes in human history especially the history of Israel and the Middle East. Michener’s fictional hero wants to study the history of the Jews but he doesn’t want to learn anything from that history. Like so many today Michener’s hero thinks that the horned-altar he finds in the mound he is excavating is just another ancient relic. He fails to recognize that among the God of Israel was not the same as the gods of the surrounding cultures. Michener’s hero has failed to make a critical distinction – between the One True God of the Bible and the false gods invented by men to avoid acknowledging the True God. The Bible is a single story about creation, fall, and redemption. Archeological discoveries affirm the accuracy of many of the events in that redemptive history. But redemption would be irrelevant and unnecessary if the fall had not occurred. And that is what is so dangerous about us not preparing ourselves to effectively advocate for the One who provides redemption – because the effects of the fall will one day sweep away everyone who has not turned to the God of salvation. VK: And that is why we all need to study the Bible and study enough about the Bible’s settings and history to help our friends and family. Archeology helps us do that. And there a lot of good resources that can give us a good, basic understanding of how archeology helps reinforce our confidence in the Bible. We should know enough to be able to help our kids and grandkids understand and avoid the pushback from a world that doesn’t want them to live a life of saving faith. Knowing a little bit about archeology can help with this greater goal. God has given us ample evidence His word is true. He expects us to exercise our minds and wills to become familiar with the evidence and to incorporate into our lives and faith. As we close, today let’s listen to a prayer of adoration for our Creator God. God not only created everything that exists, He also maintains it by His infinite power. As the Apostle Paul said to the Athenians “in [God] we live and move and have our being.” Surely, such a God is always worthy of adoration of Him. ---- PRAYER OF ADORATION OF THE CREATOR VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the Good News Translation) The Gospel of John, Chapter 9, verses 6 and 7, Good News Translation

Episode 231 – Seriousness of Sin – Part 10 – The Original Sinner Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. … he is a liar and the father of lies. The Gospel of John, Chapter 8, verse 44, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hi! Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. We’re glad to be with you today on Anchored by Truth. This is our final episode in this series that we have called “The Seriousness of Sin.” During this series we talked about the consequences of sin both in this world and in eternity to come. We discussed the reality and nature of hell. And we spent a few episodes talking about how seriously God treats sin. If you want an easy-to-see example of how seriously God treats sin you only have to realize that man lost paradise and death entered creation all because of a single sin in the Garden of Eden. And an even more graphic example of sin’s seriousness is that God’s only Son had to die on the cross to atone for sin’s consequences. To help us wrap up this series we have RD Fierro in the studio today. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, in our last episode we talked about sin being out-of-bounds. Can you briefly summarize why that was important? RD: Doug Apple who is the manager of the WAVE 94 radio station in Tallahassee once said to me that “[God] set up boundaries for us, and things outside the boundaries are called sin... and things outside the boundaries don't work right. If we are paying attention … we can see that things outside the boundaries are problematic.” I think Doug is absolutely right and so as a partial summary to this series I wanted for the listeners to begin thinking about areas in their lives where they may be “beyond the boundaries.” As Doug noted, anything beyond the boundaries God has set for us is going to cause problems. The whole point of this seriousness of sin series is to help people start thinking about whether they have a Biblically based understanding of what sin is and whether they are joining the broader society in treating sin lightly or even flippantly. VK: Because if they are treating sin lightly or flippantly they are going to have problems. Sin is insidious. At first sinful activities may seem fun or pleasurable. Especially to young people it may seem like we make too big a deal out of sin. We hear people say things like “what’s the harm” or “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” But what the Bible clearly shows us is that sin always causes harm. It may cause little initially but the harm will build over time. And all too often by the time the sinner realizes the gravity of what they have been doing it is too late. But by developing a Biblical understanding of sin we can avoid the proliferation of sin in our own lives and the harm that sin will produce. RD: Yes. So, in our last episode we talked about how we can know that we are approaching or going beyond the boundaries God has set for us. VK: And anyone who missed that episode or any episode of Anchored by Truth can go to our website, crystalseabooks.com, and listen to it. RD: Right. So, last time we talked about the fact that God’s boundaries are meant to keep us safe while we are passing through this world. We don’t want to sojourn with sin the way Abraham’s nephew, Lot, did when he went to live in the city of Sodom. VK: Sojourning with sin is not just unwise. It can pose mortal danger just as it did for the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah. RD: Right. If Lot had stayed out of Sodom he wouldn’t have lost his wealth, his family, and his dignity. Lot sojourned with sin and paid the price. God rescued Lot but it would have been so much better for him and his family if he had not. Now we don’t know the specific reason Lot decided to abandon his former life as a very successful shepherd but we do know Lot’s life is one more sad example of what happens when we let the lust of our eyes entice us to go beyond God’s boundaries. VK: And that’s something that has been happening ever since Satan first tempted Eve in the garden. Genesis, chapter 3, verse 6 says, “The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.” Eve’s surrender to temptation began with her eyes. The same thing was true of Lot. Genesis, chapter 13, verse 10 says, “Lot looked around and saw that the whole Jordan Valley, all the way to Zoar, had plenty of water, like the Garden of the LORD or like the land of Egypt.” Lot liked how the Jordan valley looked. So, he left his uncle and the mountains and descended into sin’s valley where he lost everything. Those verses are from the Good News Translation. RD: Right. Both Lot and Eve got into trouble, at least in part, because they were tempted by beauty. In Eve’s case it was the beauty of the tree. In Lot’s case it was the beauty of the valley. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being attracted to beauty. But we must always check to be sure that beauty we are seeking is the beauty that arises from godly things and not the lust that arises from our eyes or our pride. VK: We hear about the role that beauty can play in leading people into temptation and ultimate destruction in two of the best known passages from the Old Testament about the city of Tyre [TIRE]. Tyre was a very wealthy, prosperous city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea during Biblical times. It amassed huge wealth from trading because of its powerful navy and coastal location. The prophet Ezekiel gave several prophecies about the upcoming destruction of Tyre. In chapter 27, verses 2 and 3, of his book Ezekiel said, “Mortal man, sing a funeral song for Tyre, that city which stands at the edge of the sea and does business with the people living on every seacoast. Tell her what the Sovereign LORD is saying: ‘Tyre, you boasted of your perfect beauty.’” Then in chapter 28 verses 12 through 15 Ezekiel reports God talking to the king of Tyre. God said, “You were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were! You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created. … You lived on my holy mountain and walked among sparkling gems. Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil.” That’s also from the Good News Translation. RD: Some Bible commentators think that God addressing the king of Tyre in chapter 28 is actually God speaking to Satan using the king as a human representative for Satan, but there is not a consensus among the scholarly community on that. But regardless of whether God is addressing Satan or just a puffed-up earthly king we can see that beauty, in and of itself, is not a sign that danger may not be just around the corner. We must be alert to the possibility that evil is using visual beauty as a disguise. VK: And that is one thing that you said you wanted to talk about as we wrap up this series. There are often obvious warning signs that sin is, as God told Cain in Genesis, chapter 4, verse 7, “crouching at your door.” But sin does always crouch at the door in a monster outfit. Here’s what the Apostle Paul had to say when he was warning the church in Corinth about the dangers of false teachers. “Those men are not true apostles—they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.” RD: Right. Sin is dangerous because it can masquerade so effectively. VK: If sin can masquerade as beauty or light, then how do we know to be on guard to avoid it? RD: By following Jesus’ example when He was tempted by Satan and not Eve’s. VK: Jesus quoted scripture to Satan and continued to quote scripture as the temptations continued. Eve initially repeated God’s word to Satan but she quickly abandoned God’s instructions in favor of her own estimation. Rather than simply sticking with the simple instruction she had been given about the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – “don’t eat” – she substituted her own judgment. The fruit looked good. She wanted to be wise. She wanted to be like God. I see your point. Jesus, even though he was the Son of God, just returned to God’s word every time. Yikes. This is scary. RD: And it should be. Sin can masquerade as beauty and light – because the original sinner can put on any guise that suits him. He has been doing so from the beginning. That’s what we heard about in our opening scripture. Jesus told his disciples that “[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning. He … always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. … he is a liar and the father of lies.” Note the Jesus said Satan was a murderer from the beginning and he was the father of lies. We sometimes think that the first sinners were Adam and Eve, but they weren’t. VK: I see what you’re saying. Adam and Eve weren’t the first sinners. The very first sinner was Satan. RD: Yes. And we can learn a lot about the dangers of sin and how to combat it by looking at what the Bible has to say about Satan. Satan was the original sinner, the father of lies and murder. We hear Satan lying to Eve in the opening chapters of the first book of the Bible, Genesis. And we hear Satan deceiving the world through the anti-Christ, Beast, and false prophet in the last book of the Bible, Revelation. VK: You know that’s something you hardly ever think about. The only Person, the only One who transcends the entire period of the Bible’s record is God. God is mentioned in the very first verse of the Bible and the last verse of the Bible and the last 3 verses of the Bible in Revelation all mention Jesus. God begins the Bible and ends the Bible which is entirely appropriate. It is His book. But, interestingly Satan is also mentioned in the first book of the Bible and in the last. Satan also makes lots of appearances along the way including at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. So, we know that Satan, like all those of the angelic order, do not suffer death. RD: Yes. And during all that long period there is no evidence found anywhere in the Bible that Satan ever turned away from his sinning ways or repented of his wickedness and evil. That gives us all something to think about. VK: Such as? RD: Well, even up to this point Satan has existed for over 6,000 years. And while Satan is neither omni-present nor omniscient during those 6,000 plus years he has seen a lot. Satan has seen God destroy human sinners – a lot of them. Satan observed Jesus’ earthly ministry. He saw Jesus cast demons out of people with merely a word. And Satan knows the entire Bible cover to cover, every word. Satan knows the book of Revelation, which forecasts his ultimate fate, better than any person ever could. But again, despite all of what he has seen and what he knows we have no evidence that Satan has ever sought forgiveness or redemption from God. To the contrary, if those who view Revelation as describing a future great conflict are correct, Satan and his demonic followers just get worse through time. VK: I know where you’re going. It is a cardinal belief among the modern world that if we could just give people more information, more education they would all begin to behave more virtuously, more nobly, more kindly. We hear over and over today that human beings aren’t evil, just misinformed. But as we look at the career of an intelligent being that has spanned thousands of years that belief is called into question. Now, I’m sure that there are people today who would say that using Satan as an example of how humans behave isn’t fair. We aren’t demons or angels. RD: I’m sure they would. And it is true that we are not members of the angelic order. But we are intelligent, moral agents, with free wills as the angels are. But there is an important difference between us and the angels. After Satan and the demons sinned there is no record in the Bible that they were provided a means of redemption. By contrast after Adam and Eve sinned God immediately instituted a plan to redeem anyone who would begin to place their trust in God for redemption from their sins and not place their trust in themselves. It’s a mystery that I call “two rebellions, one redemption.” VK: The Bible records two rebellions against God – the angelic rebellion and the human rebellion. But the Bible records only one redemption. God made the plans and provisions to redeem a portion of the rebellious humans but not the rebellious angels. RD: And I think we can learn a lot from thinking about this situation. And one thing we learn is that there is a strong inclination to continue in sin once that path is started. Satan and his demonic followers apparently became irretrievably locked into their rebellion once they started. And we find that same characteristic true of so many people in the Bible. VK: We think of the Pharaoh that Moses confronted. Pharaoh and his army were ultimately destroyed when they tried to cross the Red Sea after God had parted it for the fleeing Hebrews. But they were chasing the Hebrews after they had seen God perform a series of 10 miracles including the death of the first-born of all the Egyptians. And we can think of the Hebrews in the desert who even though they had seen the miracles and the destruction of the Egyptian army decided to rebel against Moses’ leadership. We hear about this incident in chapter 16 of the book of Numbers in verses 25 and 26. “Then Moses, accompanied by the leaders of Israel, went to Dathan [DAY-THUN] and Abiram [AH-BEE-RAM]. He said to the people, “Get away from the tents of these wicked men and don't touch anything that belongs to them. Otherwise, you will be wiped out with them for all their sins.” And we can think of the destruction of the 10 northern tribes of Israel when they fell into idolatry and refused to give it up. RD: Exactly. In fact, when we go through the Bible we find that there is one and only one thing that can be counted on to induce people to give up their sin: the word of God. For instance, one of the most wicked kings in Judah’s history was Manasseh. VK: We hear a part of his story in 2 Chronicles, chapter 33, verses 9 through 13. “Manasseh [MAH-NA-SUH – just like Joe’s name] led the people of Judah to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the LORD had driven out of the land as his people advanced. Although the LORD warned Manasseh and his people, they refused to listen. So the LORD let the commanders of the Assyrian army invade Judah. They captured Manasseh, …, put him in chains, and took him to Babylon. In his suffering he became humble, turned to the LORD his God, and begged him for help. God accepted Manasseh's prayer and answered it by letting him go back to Jerusalem and rule again. This convinced Manasseh that the LORD was God.” That’s the Good News Translation. RD: Manasseh repented of his sins when he remembered God’s word. And, of course, the most spectacular example of a sinner giving up his sin is when the Apostle Paul, when he was still called Saul, heard Jesus on the road to Damascus. Time and time again in the Bible we find out that it is God’s word that brings about a change in heart. Even in the classic story of the Prodigal Son the son only repents and returns home after he thinks about his father. So, I think when you put all this together we find out that only God and his word can restrain the growth of sin and return sinners to the path of righteousness. VK: And God opened this path to human sinners by being willing to assume a human nature and then dying a terrible death on the cross. The Bible tells us that God made man in His own image. And after man sinned God took on, as the Bible says in Romans, chapter 8, verse 3, “the likeness of sinful flesh” to permit man’s redemption. This is a very powerful line of thinking. People on their own are going to be defeated by sin. Sin is so serious that people can’t successfully resist it. It takes the power and love of God to limit the growth of sin and to overcome its effects. But the good news is that God can and does overcome sin. The Apostle John said in 1 John, chapter 5, verse 4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” We can overcome sin but we must emphasize that we can only do so through the power of God and His word. RD: Sin is serious because it is contrary to God’s plans, commandments, and nature. So, how seriously we view sin is directly related to how seriously we take God. When we sin, when Satan sinned, we were saying to God that we know better than Him. That’s an unbelievably arrogant and foolish statement. Who can know more than the omniscient? Who can give advice to the One who gives the power to think in the first place? Who can instruct the Perfect Being that designed all of creation? These questions answer themselves. Yet, Satan, Adam, Eve, and all of Eve’s descendants have answered them by saying “we can.” VK: People throughout history have substituted their judgment for God’s. But it never improves things when the finite tries to shove the infinite aside or replace His perfection with our imperfections. Satan was one of the most glorious beings ever created but he sacrificed his exalted status by seeking a status that belongs only to God almighty. While we don’t know for sure how Satan attempted to do that, we know that that kind of an attempt would never succeed. God is not only all-knowing He is also all-powerful. RD: And that’s the point. We learn from the first sinner’s failure to achieve his plans that no plan formed against the Almighty will ever succeed. It could never succeed. But we also know from the history of Satan contained in sacred scripture that Satan never learned anything from his failure. Instead, all scripture tells us is that he digs his heels in further in what will be a futile attempt to resist the irresistible. The question is whether we will learn from the history of Satan, Pharaoh, and Manasseh. When Satan and the demons fell they locked themselves into eternal enmity against God. Pharaoh had the opportunity to repent but refused despite God sending some of the clearest warnings ever give to anyone. He died and tens or hundreds of thousands of his people died with him and because of him. Manasseh was a desperately wicked king but he was brought so low as to be imprisoned in a foreign land he remembered God’s word that God is merciful to those who repent. He humbled himself and repented and God restored him back to his land. VK: What we all need to learn is that sin is serious, deadly serious. But we must also remember that deliverance from sin and its consequences is possible. But that deliverance cannot arise from purely human means. We need God’s word, God’s Spirit, and God’s power to come into our lives. We need to humble ourselves and repent just as Manasseh did. One of the most comforting lines in all of scripture is 1 John, chapter 1, verse 9. “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” That’s from the New Living Translation. RD: Sin is serious because it alienates people from God. God never intended that. God has given us the Bible, his special revelation, so that we can understand both sides of the equation. As with the case of the Prodigal Son sin moves us away from God but God is always ready to forgive us and restore us when we realize that a life apart from God is a life in the pig pen of sin. No matter how much money we make, how many cars we have, or how many creature comforts we enjoy a life apart from God will never be fulfilling and whole. And a life of sin which remains without confession or repentance will only earn us a place in the lake of fire alongside the original sinner Satan. Sin is serious and deadly but God, through Jesus’ sacrifice, has made restoration available. If ignore that restoration then like Adam and Eve the only one responsible for our exile from a heavenly Eden will be ourselves. VK: God created a creation that was without sin but he also gave free will to angels and men. Satan and his demons abused their free will and were ejected from heaven. Satan then brought his spirit of sin to the Garden of Eden and tempted Eve. All the holy angels were watching. Would Adam and Eve listen to God’s clear command or follow Satan’s serpentine suggestion to eat forbidden fruit? The choice was Adam and Eve’s. Sadly, for them and us, they ate and brought death, disorder, and disaster to a creation that had been “very good.” But man’s demise was never God’s plan and God immediately began a plan of redemption. That plan was the costliest possible to God. He had to sacrifice His only Son to make redemption possible. But a loving and merciful God made that sacrifice. If we ignore the benefits of that sacrifice we prove that we are more interested in following Satan than Jesus. That’s just plain crazy. We pray all our listeners will choose Jesus and life. This sounds like a great time to pray. It seems appropriate today to pray for the restoration of the worship of the One True God who is both the architect and builder of the temple of our salvation. Let us hasten into the temple and pray never to leave. ---- PRAYER FOR RESTORATION OF THE WORSHIP OF THE ONE TRUE GOD (MARCUS) VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quote from the New Living Translation) The Gospel of John, Chapter 8, verse 44, New Living Translation

This is the first message in the series The Church of Christ Matthew 16:13-19 Good News Translation 13 Jesus went to the territory near the town of Caesarea Philippi, where he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 “Some say John the Baptist,” they answered. “Others say Elijah, while others say Jeremiah or some other prophet.” 15 “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 “Good for you, Simon son of John!” answered Jesus. “For this truth did not come to you from any human being, but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven.  18 And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it.  19 I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itischurch4real/message

Reference this lesson and find out more here: https://evidence4faith.org/portfolio/why-are-there-different-bible-translations/ The Good News Translation was the first easy-to-read Bible to hit the market. It became popular very quickly with teens and was the most popular Bible in the United Kingdom by 1991. There have been more easy-to-read or children/teen Bibles that have come out since. The GNT was put together by only 7 translators using a dynamic approach (thought-for-thought). Some scholars regard the GNT as a paraphrase and take issue with its potentially misleading doctrine. Listen in to find out more about this translation and how it can be used. CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5#goodnewstranslation #gnt #paraphrasebible #dynamicbible #bible #biblestudy #bibletranslations #whyaretheredifferentbibletranslations #podcast-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/ WEBSITE: https://evidence4faith.org/NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/hpazV5BOOKINGS: https://evidence4faith.org/bookings/CONTACT: Evidence 4 Faith, 5821 Bear Trail, Rhinelander WI 54501 , info@evidence4faith.orgMy goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians 2:2-3Mentioned in this episode:Support this Broadcast!Help us create the next course by becoming a donor today: https://evidence4faith.org/give/Get to know E4FLearn more about our ministry: https://evidence4faith.org/presskit/ Join us at one of our events: https://evidence4faith.org/events-book-conference-speaker/ Check out our full library of audio and video courses: https://evidence4faith.org/courses/

This podcast is the first of two parts covering Chapter 19 of The True Christian's Faith and Experience concerning the doctrine of perfection.Today, it is common to misunderstand the meaning of the words “perfect” and “perfection” as they were used in Shewen's time.  These words most often meant “fully developed” (complete) and “full development”, specifically with reference to the Spirit.  In the Holy Scriptures there are many citations to the perfecting of holiness in the fear of God and pressing forward to its attainment, and full growth to the measure of becoming a “perfect” man in Christ Jesus (i.e. spiritually fully developed).The Holy Scriptures contain exhortations for holiness and perfection.  They also give testimonies of those who obeyed and obtained holiness and perfection.  The true Christian understands that these are attainable today, can be obeyed, and the heavenly treasure truly enjoyed even while physically here.This is a sound doctrine that the Christian in name only does not understand.  He says there is no “perfection” here.  There is no growing up to the stature of the fullness of Christ.  This is the language of the nominal Christian.  He pretends to honor Scriptures and holy men.  However, the true Christian has passed through the work of regeneration and has experienced the work of the Spirit of God in his own heart until he is fully saved through grace and has gained victory over what has made him sinful and defiled. He comes to know the true Sabbath of rest.  He no longer speaks or does his own will or works.  Yet, his own will, thoughts and desires must be watched and subjected to the will of God, as Christ left an example when He prayed to His Father “Not my will, but thine”.  In this heavenly self-denial (ego renouncing) and true resignation (submission to God) stand the perfection and safety of the true Christian, all done through the power and spiritual appearance of the second Adam, Christ in him.The true Christian has come to cease from his own thoughts, words, and works, his own way and will, and his own wisdom and knowledge.   He has come to this state through the work of regeneration, true self-denial and resignation, i.e., to that state that Paul was in when he said “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me…”.  This is the “perfection” the true Christian arrives at, to know that Christ lives in him  where sin and death once reigned.  This is a “perfect” state and has been, is, and can be obtained, according to the Holy Scriptures and the testimony of the true Christian.  References:The True Christian's Faith and Experience Briefly Declared.  The quote in our introduction was from Romans Chapter 12, verse 2, Good News Translation.Visit us on our website at ohioyearlymeeting.org. Any who might be interested in joining any of the Ohio Yearly Meeting Zoom online studies should check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups on our website. All are welcome!We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes. Contact us through our website, or email us at OYMConservative@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for your excitement about our return to podcasting! It's been a thrill and we couldn't be more grateful.This week we discussed Welcomed Pauses, and explored what they look like biblically and in reality. We hope you enjoy!THIS WEEK'S VERSES:“The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, ‘Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest.' For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat.” (Mark 6:30-31, The Message)“Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)“Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving].” (James 1:19, Amplified)“Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their sicknesses. As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.” (Luke 5:15-16, The Message)“Because the Lord has appointed tomorrow as a day of seriousness and rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord when we must refrain from doing our daily tasks. So cook as much as you want to today, and keep what is left for tomorrow.” (Exodus 16:23, The Living Bible)“He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. That's where he restores and revives my life.” (Psalm 23:2-3, The Passion Translation)“Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does.” (Job 37:14, Good News Translation)PRACTICAL APPLICATION:First and foremost, if incorporating welcomed pauses is hard for you, ask yourself, “why do I struggle with this?”Focus on Job 37:14. The Good News Translation says this, “Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does.” Cultivate more welcomed pauses in life.Make it short. Let go of the pressure to make it grand and deep.Plan. Scale back where necessary, schedule for a good time, prepare in advance.Make sure to check out our past episodes with co-host Tracy Hurst, and to find out more about Tracy, visit her website.

Throughout the course of our day, we listen to a lot of things. We listen to the radio, we watch and listen to videos we listen to the requests of our families and friends, and yet with all that we listen to, we must listen to our King, Jesus. Listening to, inclining our ears to hear the directives, proclamations, ordinances, laws, and commands of the King must hold the preeminence in our lives for Kingdom Living and a Kingdom mindset. As we shared in last week's podcast, in accordance with Luke 17:21, Jesus says the "Kingdom of God is within you."With Jesus as our King of kings and Lord of Lords, as citizens of His Kingdom. In the government of His Kingdom, Wisdom is always present to assist. In the Good News Translation of Proverbs 1:20-21, the Bible says, "Listen! Wisdom is calling out in the streets and marketplaces, calling loudly at the city gates and wherever people come together." Proverbs 4:7 in the Amplified Bible declares, “The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]! And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]. It is Wisdom's advice, counsel, and sound judgment that guides us through life and ministry as we listen to the voice of God through His Wisdom. Invite a friend, a family member, or a co-worker as we continue to learn to "Think Like God Thinks" as we adhere to the principles and precepts of "Wisdom: the Call to Listen Part 2." --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dr-gregory-l-cruell/support

Episode 179 – 10 Facts Every Christian Needs to Know 7 – Declining Narratives Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter, chapter 3, verse 4, New International Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re very glad to be with you today as we continue the series we started a few weeks ago on Anchored by Truth. We are calling this series “10 Facts Every Christian Needs to Know.” In the studio today we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. So far we have covered 5 of the 10 facts and we have done that over 6 episodes. RD, let’s do a quick review of the first 5 facts and maybe take a quick look at where we are and where we’re going. RD: Well, I would also like to say hello to all the listeners joining us here today. I do think it is a good idea for us to do a status check at this point because I think that this is one of the most important series that we’ve ever done on Anchored by Truth. VK: Why is that? RD: Well, to say our society is in a mess today probably a bit of an understatement. I don’t want to spend too much time listing the litany of social and cultural issues that are afflicting us because they are apparent and well known. But one of my observations has been for a long time is that while we normally talk about economic problems, social problems, health problems, political problems, etc. – all of those really stem from a spiritual problem. And the heart of that spiritual problem is people turning away from the only source of truth and light that can make a difference in the human heart – the Bible. Over the last 75 years or more there has been a steady decline in the United States and in just about all western cultures in Biblical literacy. Most surveys tell us that far less than 10% of Americans have any real depth of knowledge about the Bible. VK: And you believe that one reason for that is that today in America and the west most people have come to regard the Bible as either being only partially true at best and outright myth and fairy tale at worst? And part of what has caused this profound doubt is the counter Biblical narratives that have arisen over the last 150 plus years. These counter Biblical narratives have become so deeply embedded in our society that the counter narratives hold much greater sway over our population than the transcendent truth of the Bible. And so far we have talked about an unholy trinity of those narratives: Deep Time, uniformitarianism, and evolution. Geological uniformitarianism played key role in convincing people like Charles Darwin that the earth was millions or billions of years old. This, in turn, allowed Darwin that to extend those uniformitarian ideas beyond geology to biology which turned into the General Theory of Evolution. So, those three ideas became instrumental in creating widespread doubt or indifference to the Scripture. RD: We pointed out last time that the most prominent atheist of the last 3 or 4 decades is Richard Dawkins. Lest anyone think that this dark, despotic chain of decline … VK: Uh, that’s easy for you to say … dark, despotic chain of decline … RD: … not really. Just so that listeners don’t think I’m being unduly melodramatic even Richard Dawkins has connected Darwin and a lack of faith in God – what I am calling a dark, despotic chain of decline. Dawkins has written that “Although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.” In other words Dawkins admits that without Darwin, or at least his ideas, someone who wanted to be an atheist was continually confronted with some very troubling question that his belief system couldn’t answer. Without God where did everything come from? Without God who created life? Without God who made a creature so different from all of the other creatures we see about us on the earth? VK: The Bible clearly tells us that “God created the heavens and earth.” The Bible tells us that God created man in His image. And the Bible describes God’s original creative activity as taking place thousands of years ago – not millions or billions. So, to replace God as being necessary to the world as we know it, these counter narratives had to be created, circulated, and adopted. And they were … so successfully, that if anyone dares suggest that the earth is only thousands of years old they are immediately attacked or ridiculed. And you think that this “10 Facts” series is important because it represents the launching point for knocking that unholy trinity of dark, despotic narratives off of their high, exalted perch. RD: Exactly. Right now most of our attention gets focused on what I call secondary narratives. The narratives we notice, such as the prominent social and political narratives, are secondary ones - the acceptability of abortion or same sex marriage, the difference between "green" energy and fossil fuels, increased government control and regulation over our daily lives, etc. The secondary ones emerge from and are dependent on the primary ones. Primary narratives are the overarching paradigms so embedded in the culture that they are not even noticed any more. As we said last time, these primary narratives are like the framed art prints on your wall. Initially you see them and think about them, but as time goes by you notice them less and less. Eventually you only notice them when a visitor comes in and makes a comment about them. Deep time, evolution, and uniformitarianism - among others - are now primary narratives in our culture. Only fools and the suspect disagree with them. VK: So – as we mentioned last time - briefly put Deep Time, along with its close cousin the Big Bang, does away with the need for God as Creator of the universe. The General Theory of Evolution does away with the need for God as the Author of life. Biological uniformitarianism provides the mechanism we need to explain the amazing biodiversity around us and does away with God as Sustainer and Multiplier. And geological uniformitarianism explains why the earth’s surface looks the way it does. And, in doing so, geological uniformitarianism does away with God as the Administrator of justice. The big lesson that came out of the Genesis flood is that if you practice evil continually God will wipe you off the face of the earth. That’s a pretty potent lesson in how seriously God takes sin. The sum of these parts is that we have now done away with any need to acknowledge God since we can explain the universe, life, and the surface of the earth without Him. And … since we've done away with God we now create our own standards for what constitutes "personhood," family, man's dominion over the earth, etc. RD: Right. So, these primary so-called scientific narratives give rise to another primary moral or ethical narrative that I want to spend some time on today – a narrative that is sometimes phrased homo mensura. VK: According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary homo mensura [MEN-SUR-AH] is a doctrine first propounded by the Greek philosopher Protagoras which holds that humankind is the measure of all things. It is sometimes simply stated “as man is the measure.” This means that everything is relative to human apprehension and evaluation, and that there is no objective truth. We’ve talked before on Anchored by Truth that we live in a post-modernistic world that not only denies that we can know absolute truth but also that it even exists. RD: Right. Nature abhors a vacuum. Once we did away with God we had to have something to fill the void so man stepped up and stepped in. So, as you’ve already noted this freed man up to begin to redefine any of the transcendent standards that God had established for man. Man felt free to do away with the Ten Commandments because supposedly science had done away with the Being who sent the commandments down the mountain. VK: The problem is, of course, we didn't do away with God or His truth. And the house built on intellectual sand falls when the river of reality hits it. And we are seeing all around us the reality of what happens with man starts to see himself as, in fact, being the only measure by which all standards should be established or moral or ethical judgments be made. RD: There’s an old saying that “ideas have consequences.” We can now see the consequences these primary narratives have on communities and societies and I think many people are waking up to the fact that they don’t like these consequences. But … and this a big but … these primary narratives are so deeply embedded within our culture we have moved past the point where we can simply dismiss them out of hand. It’s no longer enough just to say, as the old bumper sticker used to read, “The Bible says it. I believe it. End of discussion.” That may be true for many people. They do believe the Bible and that’s great. But when you simply proclaim but fail to “explain” you have given the other person no reason they should accept your proclamation. VK: And even Jesus modeled this approach in providing a witness to the watching world. In the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 11 Jesus said, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If not, believe because of the things I do.” That’s from the Good News Translation. RD: Right. The predominant result of the primary narratives supposedly coming from science – Deep Time, evolution, uniformitarianism - was to get rid of a perceived need for God. This gave rise to a primary narrative that man was now the highest and only judge for how life was to be lived, how the universe was to be explained, and how the affairs of man were to be governed. So, if we are going to get back to a world in which God’s transcendent truth supplants homo mensura we can’t just dispute the child we must begin to engage the false parent. VK: So in this “10 Facts” series we are challenging the so-called truth of those primary narratives that we supposedly get from science? And we’ve gone through 5 of the 10 facts so far? RD: Right. But rather than moving on to fact 6 today I want to take a little time and give a broader overview of what we are trying to accomplish. With the first 5 of our “10 facts” we have challenged the prevailing view of what might be termed natural history. With the next 5 facts I want to shift from talking just about natural history to talking about human history. I specifically want to talk about how what we know about human history is not only consistent with the Bible but how certain events within human history actually help confirm the Bible’s supernatural origin. VK: We have often said on Anchored by Truth that any book that claims to be the word of God must possess at least attributes. First, the book must be consistent with what we know from making observations about the world around us. And I’ll add that we’re not just talking about observations of the physical universe but also what we know about the history that has preceded us – both natural history and human history. Second, that book would have to give evidence of a supernatural point of origin. These criteria are important. You obviously wouldn’t want to trust a book claiming to come from God that is manifestly inconsistent with observations you can easily make. Why trust a book’s depiction of heaven if you can easily verify it can’t even accurately tell you about earth? Why trust a prophecy about the future if what that book tells you about the past is inaccurate? RD: Yes. So, with our first 5 facts we demonstrated that the natural history related by the Bible is reliable. In saying this we are not trying to turn the Bible into a history or a science textbook. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, the principle purpose of the Bible is “primarily teach what we are to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of us.” In other words, the purpose of the Bible is to tell us about God and to transmit God’s expectations for us to us. But as the Bible accomplished its purpose it has to necessarily relate observations about the world and the people upon whom it reports. If those observations weren’t accurate we would have valid reasons for not accepting the reliability of the Bible. VK: And, notwithstanding man’s attempts to dispute with the Bible, the observations the Bible reports about natural history are accurate when we are honest with the science and honest with the Bible’s literary constructs. The Bible does contain poetry, allegory, and even romantic poetry. No responsible Bible interpreter tries to construe non-historical sections literally. But one section of the Bible that does contain history is very often maligned. That is the opening chapters of Genesis. The opening chapters of Genesis contain a significant amount of material about natural history. And the point of our first 5 facts was to demonstrate that contrary to current attempt to defame that history, the natural history in the opening chapters of Genesis remains stubbornly accurate. RD: The first fact that we discussed was that every Christian needs to know is that science confirms that the universe and earth are thousands of years old, not millions or billions of years old. This confirms the age of the earth we can calculate from the genealogies in Genesis. The second fact we covered was that the complexity of life makes it impossible for life to have arisen as a result of the random collision of atoms and molecules – even if you could explain the existence of the atoms and molecules to begin with. This confirms the Bible’s record of God creating all life beginning on day 3 of the creation week. Fact number 3 is that there is solid scientific evidence that the tallest mountains on earth were underwater at one time. This confirms the account of a worldwide flood in chapters 6 through 8 of Genesis. VK: The 4th fact we discussed is that the fossil record does not support any kind of gradual development of the many different types of plants and animals we see on earth. Instead, life on earth is fundamentally discontinuous at both a biochemical level as well as at the level of visible morphology. The first fossils we see in the rocks show plants and animals fully formed and functional and even those phyla that are supposedly hundreds of millions of years old so closely resemble their modern counterparts they are easily recognized. The 5th fact we talked about is that the dating methods that are used to assign dates to rocks or fossils all depend on assumptions that are unproved and unprovable. Moreover, those methods have been shown to dramatically misdate certain specimens when we know when a particular sample of rock was formed by volcanic eruption. RD: Right. So, in our first 5 facts we have concentrated on showing that the natural history related by the Bible is entirely reasonable when compared with empirical observations of the world we live on. We now want to turn out attention to showing that Bible is equally reliable when it comes to the facts that it chooses to relate about human history. VK: Can you give us a preview of what we will be talking about? RD: Well, I don’t want to give away too much right now but let me just touch on one subject that will be relevant - geography. Just about every good study Bible has one or more maps as a part of it. VK: I think most people know that. RD: I think they do too. I think they take them for granted. But in taking them for granted what they are unconsciously doing is acknowledging the reliability of the underlying historical text. Remember, that those maps are being produced by modern users of the Bible. None of the Bible writers created maps and inserted them into their scroll, clay tablet, or codex. It’s not that they couldn’t have. Maps have been around for thousands of years. But that wasn’t their purpose. They were simply preparing records or accounts initially for the Jewish nation. But in the course of making their record they described names, dates, and places. Now calendar systems have changed down through history. So, we have to “translate” their dates into the Gregorian calendar that we use today. And names have a certain amount of variation. The same man might be called Richard, Rick, or Dick and no one in our society would think anything about it. The same thing was true in ancient times. King Uzziah was also known as King Azariah. VK: But geographic places don’t change. That doesn’t mean that the boundaries of a particular kingdom or nation won’t vary over time. The United States started out as 13 colonies but today is 50 different states. But it is distinctly the same nation. But even while the nation is changing New York City is still in the same place today as it was when the Dutch first bartered for the right to the property. But New York City was originally called New Amsterdam. The name was changed in honor of the Duke of York following the British acquisition of it from the Dutch. And that is a phenomenon that we also see in the Bible. Name of places will change although the place is obviously still in the same geographic location. RD: Right. And the fact that we can know with a high degree of confidence what places those ancient names applied to means that modern scholars can construct accurate maps. But they couldn’t do that if the ancient Bible texts were unreliable. This reliability and accuracy distinguished the Bible from many other books that claim to be the word of God. VK: I see what you’re saying. Biblical scholars often have discussions about the exact route that the Israelites took when they left Egypt. There are often 3 possible routes that are discussed: the Northern Coastal route, the Bitter Lakes route, or the Suez route. But the fact that they can discuss various possibilities at all means that the description of the route in the book of Exodus is accurate enough that it corresponds to the known geography of that region. It corresponds well enough that there are multiple possibilities that could satisfy the described path. I suppose people might say that since we can’t identify the exact route that casts doubt on the accuracy of the text. RD: But that makes as much sense as a friend asking how you went from Macon, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee and wondering whether you went straight through Atlanta or took the beltway around it. You reply you don’t know because you were asleep and someone else was driving. Your friend wouldn’t say that you couldn’t have made the trip because you weren’t sure which route you took. The Bible record is proven to be true and accurate regardless of which of those 3 possibilities, or another one, is true. The point is that the Bible texts are accurate enough to permit scholars to identify the location of Bible events on modern maps. This, then, is a testimony to the accuracy of the text that we have received. VK: So, one of the points that we will be making in the next 5 facts that we will be covering is that we can have confidence in the reliability and accuracy of the Bible’s text. And that is true of both the Old and the New Testaments. The book of Exodus which is in the Old Testament is accurate when it relates information pertaining to the geography of modern day Israel and Egypt. The book of Acts is equally accurate when it relates information pertaining to the Roman Empire of the 1st century AD. The books of Exodus and Acts are separated by approximately 1,500 years in terms of their time of preparation. But both books display the concern of the inspired Bible writers for accuracy and fidelity. RD: Right. So, this example helps reinforce the fact that the Bible is accurate when it relates human history as well as natural history. And that’s a point we want to reinforce in the next 5 facts. But in our next 5 facts we are also going to introduce a couple of facts that demonstrate that the Bible also has a supernatural point of origin. VK: Many, many writers would be competent at relating history. There is an abundance of ancient historians and while their reliability varies there are still many of them who prepared very accurate accounts of certain historical events or people. But the Bible contains evidence that its writers weren’t just working with their human gifts as impressive as some might have been. The Bible contains evidence that there was a supernatural Presence superintending and inspiring the records they were preparing. When God directed the individual writers to pick up their pen or stylus He provided them information that would have been impossible for them to discern unless He was choosing to give them supernatural insights. RD: The point of this series and today’s discussion is to help Christians guard against as the Apostle Paul put it “Satan’s wiles.” Ever since the Garden of Eden Satan has used the same strategy. First Satan casts doubt on God’s goodness. Then He denies God’s truth. The next he elevates the self-importance of man. Finally, he establishes a replacement for God’s truth in the mind and heart of men. That’s what we see with these primary narratives we’ve been talking about. The Bible tells us the earth is thousands of years old. But then someone got the idea that the topographic features of the earth needed millions of years to form. Then that idea was extended beyond geology to biology. Then we invented dating mechanisms based on unprovable assumptions but asserted that anyone who doubted them must be doubting science. Then after God was deemed no longer necessary all that was left was to decide that man was the measure of all things. VK: As you said it’s a dark, despotic chain of decline and it’s been going on for a long time. But in the 150 years since uniformitarian ideas began to seize popular culture the decline has accelerated and one of those primary narratives has become that science has proven that our world and universe can exist just fine without God. But when we start taking a hard look at the available evidence our brains confirm what our hearts already know – there is no coherent explanation for the universe that doesn’t include God. This sounds like a great time to go to the Lord in prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer that we and our friends and neighbors would set aside all of the narratives that our culture pushes and instead return to the inerrant, infallible, and inspired worship of the One True God. ---- PRAYER FOR RESTORATION OF THE WORSHIP OF THE ONE TRUE GOD VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quote from the New International Version) 2 Peter, chapter 3, verse 4, New International Version Immeasurable Age - creation.com Radio-dating in Rubble - creation.com Dinosaur footprint treasure trove found in Britain - creation.com The Bright Angel Trail trackways - creation.com Flat gaps - creation.com Dinosaur and mammal tracks found together - creation.com Genesis in clay - creation.com New archaeological find affirms Old Testament historicity - creation.com Debunking the Documentary Hypothesis - creation.com Noahs Flood - creation.com Satan’s Strategy • Cast doubt on God’s goodness • Deny God’s truth • Elevate self-importance • Establish a replacement in the mind and heart for God’s truth Cultural Narratives One way to look at narratives is that there are primary and secondary narratives that circulate in our culture. The primary narratives are so embedded in our culture that they are not even noticed any more. They are like the framed prints on your wall. Initially you see them but as time goes by you notice them less and less. Eventually you only know they are there when a visitor comes in and remarks about them. Deep time, evolution, uniformitarianism, and the equality of all religious viewpoints are now primary narratives in our culture. Only fools and the suspect disagree with them. The narratives we notice (such as the prominent social and political narratives) are secondary ones - the acceptability of abortion, same sex marriage, the difference between "green" energy and fossil fuels, "public" education, increased government control and regulation, etc. The secondary ones emerge from and are dependent on the primary ones. • The Big Bang/deep time does away with the need for God as Creator. • Evolution does away with the need for God as the Author of life. • Uniformitarianism does away God as the Administrator of justice (become evil continually and God will wipe you off the face of the earth). Since we've done away with God we now create our own standards for what constitutes "personhood," family, man's dominion over the earth, etc. The problem is, of course, we didn't do away with God or His truth. And the house built on intellectual sand falls when the river of reality hits it. So, we will proclaim the truth to try to save some and maybe by God's grace many or most. People who doubt the inerrancy of scripture never think about any of this but they should. The line from that which they doubt the Word to a life they don't want to live is very straight. The line grows even more straight as it uncoils - just like the hangman's rope.

A reading of Proverbs 15 along with a prayer at the end. Reading from the Good News Translation today. I pray your blessed by the reading of God's Word over you're life!

Episode 170 – Paul’s Places – Part 11: Summary 1 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: I passed on to you what was most important ... Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time … Last of all … I also saw him. 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 3 through 8, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re very grateful to be able to be with you today. We have been working on a series we call “Paul’s Places” for several weeks now. In fact, this is our 11th lesson in this series. By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of books contained in the New Testament. Nine of those books are letters Paul wrote to churches that are identified in our Bibles by the names of cities or, in the case of Galatians, a region that would be in modern-day Turkey. Anyone who has missed any of the previous lessons can find them on our website, crystalseabooks.com, or on their favorite podcast app. We started this series for one simple reason – to help people understand that the New Testament documents are historically reliable. So, today we want to begin to summarize some of the major points that we’ve covered during this series. To do that, today In the studio we have RD Fierro, the author of a number of great Christian books and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, what’s on your mind as we begin to summarize our series on “Paul’s Places?” RD: Well, I’d like to first start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. Then, I’d like to reinforce the point you just made. We wanted to do this series to help listeners begin to understand that the New Testament is historically reasonable and reliable. When it comes to our Bibles, our scripture, two questions are of supreme importance. Do we have a text that we may say with confidence is the text as it was written by the inspired writers almost 2,000 years ago? And if we do, can we be confident in the trustworthiness of the account that the document writer penned? In the case of the New Testament there is an abundance of evidence that the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes.” VK: As we mentioned in our last episode of Anchored by Truth we are now 2,000 years removed from the time that Jesus walked on the earth, performed His miracles, died, and rose again. And we are almost 2,000 years removed from the time when people began hearing about those events and either accepting or rejecting the meaning of what had occurred. And during that 2,000 years a lot has happened. Empires have risen and fallen. Civilizations have changed. Science and technology have lifted people off this planet and to the nearest celestial body. And we have communication and information transfer methods that would have seemed miraculous to most people who walked the earth during Jesus and Paul’s time. And that has created a peculiar danger for us hasn’t it? And that’s what you want to talk about today. RD: Yes. We are so far removed historically from Jesus’ earthly ministry that too often today people forget that the entire Christian faith is based on one historical fact: that Jesus died, rose from the grave, and then ascended into heaven. VK: That’s what we heard about in our opening scripture from 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. Paul says in that passage that he passed on to the church in Corinth what was “most important.” Paul said that this fact is the most important fact for the Christian faith - that “Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day.” So, when we say that the entire Christian faith is dependent on one historical fact we are not making an overstatement. RD: No, we are not. And while I think most Christians have a general understanding of the importance of the resurrection I fear that the passage of those 2,000 years has allowed many to drift into an almost mystical interpretation of it. VK: What do you mean? RD: We have seen lots of movies and television shows filled with special effects that have portrayed various Bible stories. And we’re accustomed to seeing those kinds of productions about all kinds of historical events, not just those contained in the Bible. But when we see these productions we know that Hollywood has injected in a certain amount of romanticism. They take dramatic license for the purpose of making their story-telling more entertaining. Pretty soon it becomes hard for us to think about the real history, especially history that happened 2,000 years ago. So, we allow our perception of a plain historical fact to take on the same tinge of mysticism or fantasy that we know infest so much of contemporary drama. We forget that the resurrection of Jesus is a plain, unvarnished historical event just as real as whether your neighbor’s kid played soccer in high school, whether George Washington was the first president of the United States, or whether you went to the gas station this morning. VK: Well, you may have a point. We live in a culture and a society where entertainment producers, among others, try to blur the lines between fiction and reality. These days it takes a considerable effort to make sure that we sort out truth from lies and distortions. And we are fed plenty of lies by a great many media sources. So, you are concerned that even Christians can lose sight of the reality of the resurrection. What you’re saying is that we have to consciously resist any attempts to mythicize or allegorize the resurrection. We must continually remind ourselves and others that Jesus walked out of a stone tomb just as certainly as we put gas in our car the last time we filled up. RD: Yes. And the letters that Paul sent to the various churches makes that point repeatedly. And in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 Paul is explicit that if the resurrection did not take place the entire Christian faith is in vain. VK: The Amplified Bible puts it this way in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 14: “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain [useless, amounting to nothing], and your faith is also vain [imaginary, unfounded, devoid of value and benefit--not based on truth].” RD: This is why it is so important that we ensure that we understand and can explain why the New Testament documents, including the Pauline epistles, are reliable historically. 20, 30, or 40 years ago it may or may not have been necessary. But today we are surrounded by nearly continuous claims that we must distrust the Bible except in a precious few areas where – it is grudgingly allowed – that archeology may indicate that the Bible got something right. VK: When, in fact, the exact opposite is true. The New Testament is filled with historical details and overwhelmingly archeology has provided solid support that the New Testament is accurate. And we have tried to bring a few of those details forward in this “Paul’s Places” series – like noting that Paul uses historically accurate terms even incidentally like when he described a Roman soldiers’ armor in Ephesians, chapter 6. RD: Right. In one of our episode on the letters to Ephesus and Colossae we pointed out that Paul used the term “machaira” when he was referring to the “sword of the Spirit.” Like most Greek words “machaira” is very precise. It refers to a relatively short sword that could be up to 19 inches long. One commentator said this about the machaira. “Of all the swords that a Roman soldier could use, this one was the deadliest. Indeed, the ‘machaira’ could be as long as 19 inches, but it was often shorter, resembling a dagger, therefore it was usually used in close combat. It was razor sharp on both sides of the blade and its very end turned upward, causing the point of the blade to be extremely sharp and deadly.” VK: And we pointed out in that episode of Anchored by Truth that that short sword was a perfect weapon for use in the fighting formation that the Roman infantry often used. So, Paul’s use of the term was both historically accurate as well as instructive from a spiritual standpoint. RD: The machaira was used for both offense and defense. So, when Paul said that we needed to adopt the word of God as our “sword” he was teaching a profound truth. We can think back to when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. For each of the three temptations that Satan presented to Jesus, Jesus responded with scripture. In this case all the scriptures that Jesus quoted to Satan came from the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 13 and 16 and from chapter 8 verse 3. VK: And for any Christian who tends to think that the Old Testament was no longer relevant after Jesus’ earthly ministry the temptation in the wilderness should settle that question. If Jesus thought well enough to quote the Old Testament to Satan that should make it good enough for us. RD: Absolutely. So, in Satan’s temptation in the wilderness Jesus showed that the word of God is suitable for defense. At other times Jesus showed us that the word of God was suitable for offense. A good example of using the word of God offensively, but respectfully, was when the Pharisees or Sadducees tried to use trick question to trip Jesus up. For instance, when the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus with the question about one woman marrying 7 brothers to deny the reality of life after death Jesus used a quote from Exodus, chapter 3, verse 6 to show them the error in their theology. The Sadducees insisted that there was no such thing as life after death and they denied the authority of the books of the Old Testament except for the Torah – the first five books. So, Jesus pointed out that even in one of the books they accepted, Exodus, God declared he was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What Jesus was illustrating was that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had to be alive because God used the present tense when he spoke of them. So, the point of Paul using the term machaira is … VK: No pun intended... RD: No pun intended – the point of Paul using the word machaira is that Paul simultaneously gave us evidence that he was using a culturally and historically appropriate reference to teach a spiritual truth – that God’s word may be used to deflect Satan’s attacks and temptation and it may also be used when we need to correct spiritual misunderstandings and beliefs no matter how sincerely those beliefs are held. The fact that Paul’s use of such culturally and historically illustrations in his teaching and preaching shows that he wrote and spoke during the time period that immediately followed Jesus’ earthly ministry. This is quite different from what many critics claim. There are times when Bible critics try to claim that the New Testament documents were written hundreds of years after the events they report. VK: You will sometimes hear critics say that the New Testament was created “hundreds of years” after the time period during which Jesus lived. And they will cite the fact that the early church councils that settled the content of the New Testament occurred in the Council of Hippo or the Council of Carthage. The Council of Hippo took place in 393 AD. The Council of Carthage took place in 397 AD. And since 301 AD to 400 AD was “the fourth century” they take some liberties and use the phrase “hundreds of years” after Christ to date the New Testament. RD: And it is true that in the Councils of Hippo and Carthage all 27 books that appear in our New Testament were affirmed as canonical. But that was not when the books, such as the Pauline epistles, were written. The best scholarship demonstrates that Paul’s epistles, as well as those of John and Peter, were written during the latter half of the 1st century AD – mere decades after Christ’s death. And that’s part of what we have been showing throughout this “Paul’s Places” series. VK: For instance, when we did our show on the epistle to the Galatians we pointed out that one of the issues Paul had to address in Galatians was that there was no need for anyone to first become a Jewish convert before becoming a Christian. At that point in the history of the church there was still some confusion, or deliberate distortion, about how to become an authentic Christian. There were agitators in some places that insisted that unless you were willing to follow Jewish requirements and customs that you couldn’t be a Christian. Paul forcefully rebuked this falsehood in the letter he wrote to the Galatians. Paul went so far as to call the Galatians who were being tempted to abandon the true gospel as being “foolish.” RD: Right. There would have been far less need to reject that false proposition – the heresy – that you had to first be a Jew to be a Christian once the church had been around for a few hundred years. There were other heresies that were circulating but by then the Judaizers assertions had largely faded from view. So, if someone had been trying to manufacture a fake epistle and attribute it to Paul in the late 4th century AD it is highly unlikely they would have used the Judaizer heresy as a primary subject of their fake. But in the latter half of the 1st century the stage of the development of the church made Paul’s observations in Galatians relevant. Even more so because from the book of Acts we know that even though Paul had personally preached in Galatia we do not have a record of him spending any lengthy period there. VK: You mean the way he did in Ephesus and Corinth. We are confident from Acts that Paul spent as much as 18 months continuously in Corinth and possibly up to 3 years continuously in Ephesus. RD: Yes. So, when you look within and across Paul’s epistles you see three things very clearly. First, Paul chooses the subjects for his epistles with a specific audience in mind. And he chooses the examples to illustrate his teaching very carefully – examples that will be particularly important to the local congregation with which he is communicating. VK: Such as Paul’s emphasis on the superiority of Christ to all other supposed sources of supernatural power and importance in the book of Ephesians. The temple of the goddess Diana was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and was found in Ephesus. Paul does not demean the local worship of Diana by name but simply asserts that “Christ rules there above all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords; he has a title superior to all titles of authority in this world and in the next. God put all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things.” Those are verses 21 and 22 from chapter 1 of Ephesians from the Good News Translation. RD: And earlier in verses 18 through 20 of that same chapter Paul had said, “I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people, and how very great is his power at work in us who believe. This power working in us is the same as the mighty strength which he used when he raised Christ from death and seated him at his right side in the heavenly world.” VK: In other words, Paul was assuring the Ephesians who had given up their worship of the prominent local goddess Diana that they were in fact not giving up anything. To the contrary Paul assures them that they had turned from the lesser to the greater. He assures them that any power they might have hoped to obtain from any goddess their neighbors might be worshipping was more than replaced by the authentic power of the authentic God. This was the power that literally raised Jesus from the dead. RD: Exactly. Now today we can all understand and take comfort from the words that Paul wrote to the Ephesians. The Bible is suitable for all people in all ages in all nations and tribes. But those words would have been particularly poignant and important to a group that had had their whole world rearranged when they first heard the gospel. At any rate the first thing that we will always see was that Paul always addressed specific subjects for his intended audience. He might have addressed a subject because he had received questions about it or he may have known something about the region or culture that necessitated he cover a particular topic. But in all of his epistles Paul always chooses the subjects for his epistles with a specific audience in mind. The second thing we see throughout Paul’s letters is that Paul’s language, subjects, examples, and references are all consistent with a composition date of the 2nd half of the first century AD and consistent with someone who had travelled widely within the Roman Empire. VK: Said differently, there are no anachronisms or historical inaccuracies in the Pauline epistles. When Paul wrote his epistles he wasn’t writing history per se. But as he used examples and analogies in his writing he couldn’t help but mention things that were a part of his readers’ lives and times. So, though he wasn’t writing history Paul couldn’t avoid the historical implications that are present in any letters of the kind he was writing. RD: Yes. For instance in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 32 and 33 Paul describes an incident that occurred shortly after his conversion. Paul says, “In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.” So, in a very off-hand kind of way Paul gives us an opportunity to check his historical accuracy. VK: Most commentators think Paul was converted to Christianity around 34 or 35 AD. Well we know from abundant historical sources that Aretas IV ruled the desert kingdom of Nabatea from 9 BC to 40 AD. In fact, Aretas IV was the most powerful king ever to rule Nabatea. Nabatea included southern Syria, Jordan, the Negev portion of Israel, the Sinai Peninsula and parts of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. His capital city was Petra which is in modern day Jordan. The portion of Syria over which Aretas had control includes Damascus. So, we know that this casual reference of Paul to a king who ruled over a city where his life was endangered is a historically accurate reference. RD: And Aretas had actually interacted with scriptural history in another way. One of Aretas’ daughter married Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas is well known in the gospels as the king who ruled in Galilee during Jesus and John the Baptist’s lifetime. Antipas actually divorced Aretas’ daughter and then married the wife of his half-brother Herod Philip I. John the Baptist denounced this marriage in the gospel of Mark, chapter 6, verse 18. This so enraged the wife that she later was able to get Antipas to order the execution of John the Baptist. Later Aretas attacked Antipas and destroyed his army – a defeat which Josephus said the Jews thought was divine retribution for Antipas’ murder of the Baptizer. VK: In other words, like the gears of a fine watch we see that scripture meshes very well with the history going on around it at the time. Are there any other observations of this type that you would like to make before we close? We don’t have a lot of time. RD: Yes. The third thing you see very clearly in Paul’s epistles is a concentration on Jesus. At times Paul would defend his own ministry but always to demonstrate that he had the qualifications to reveal to them profound truth – truth about Jesus. And Paul always displayed a keen understanding of the Jewish scriptures and how they revealed a picture of Jesus throughout. One reason that Paul may have displayed such a passion for truth and an awareness of scripture is because Paul was a student of Gamaliel. We only see Gamaliel revealed in two places in scripture. In Acts 5:34 and Acts 22:3. In Acts 22:3 Paul describes himself as having sat “at the feet of Gamaliel.” Gamaliel was one of the very few people who earned the title Rabban (“our master, our great one”) as opposed to the title Rabbi (“my master”). VK: And he was the Jewish leader who said in Acts chapter 5 that the Jews should be very careful in their dealings with the disciples after Jesus returned to heaven. His observation to his colleagues was that if the disciples were on a mission from God, fighting with them would be like fighting with God. That’s never a wise proposition. RD: Exactly. In all his letters Paul demonstrated a profound passion for showing how the Jewish scriptures not only foretold the appearance of the Messiah but the implications of that appearance. From Paul we get some of the clearest declarations of Jesus’ divinity and the fact that as the Son of God come in the flesh Jesus has the capability to save anyone who will place their trust in him. In his letters Paul displays a concentration on Jesus but always with a few toward why that is such good news for us – for Jesus’ people. So, again this is an amazing display of how scripture always weaves an awareness of the supernatural realm but brings that awareness into sharp focus for how it gives us better lives. VK: And, as you often say, one of the Bible’s main attributes is that it shows us how heaven and earth fit together. The first verse of the Bible says that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And the rest of the Bible shows us how those two realms continue to not only exist along side each other but how they interact with one another. At times that interaction is dramatic as when God came to earth in the form of a man. The second person of the Trinity came to earth, walked among us for a little over 30 years, and then finally ascended back to heaven. But that trip was the most important one of all time because it made our eternal salvation possible. RD: Amen. VK: Well, that’s a good place to end for today. This “Paul’s Places” series is all about helping people see more clearly that the Pauline epistles, the letters contained in the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul, are exactly what they claim to be. They are letters written by one of Christianity’s first evangelical preachers to convey important truths to those who had begun to place their trust in Jesus. Those letters most certainly assert Christ’s divinity but far from that assertion being some kind of myth it is backed up by solid historical evidence and testimony. Let’s close with prayer as we always do. Today let’s listen to a prayer of confession for our sins. The Bible tells us that when we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us of those sins. So, confession is not only good for our souls it is a good way to ensure that we may always go boldly into God’s presence to present our needs. ---- PRAYER OF CORPORATE CONFESSION VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quotes from the New Living Translation) 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 3 through 8, New Living Translation paultanner.org/English Docs/SpecialArt/Pauline Chronology.pdf

Episode 169 – Paul’s Places – Part 10: Thessalonica Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God's trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 16 and 17, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re so grateful we have the opportunity to be with you today. We have been working on a series we call “Paul’s Places” for several weeks now. In fact, this is our 10th lesson in this series. By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote almost half of the books in the New Testament. In this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by geographic names – mostly of cities such as Rome or Corinth. But the book of Galatians is named for the province of Galatia which was a region in what is now in modern-day Turkey. Anyone who has missed any of the previous lessons can find them on our website, crystalseabooks.com, or on their favorite podcast app. Today In the studio we have RD Fierro, the author of a number of great Christian books and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, what was the major reason you wanted to do this “Paul’s Places” series? RD: Well, I’d like to start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. The reason we undertook this “Paul’s Places” series is really quite simple – to help our listeners formulate a better answer to the question: “are the New Testament documents historically reliable?” The New Testament documents are the documents from which we get our information about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. These are real events that occurred within real history. So, it is reasonable for people to wonder how we can be sure that we have an accurate record of their occurrence. VK: We are now 2,000 years removed from the time that Jesus walked on the earth, performed His miracles, died, and rose again. And we are almost 2,000 years removed from the time when people began hearing about those events and either accepting or rejecting the meaning of what had occurred. Many of those early hearers celebrated the fact that Christ Jesus the Messiah had come and they became the first Christians. But we tend to forget in our day and age that those first Christians – even though they believed – had questions about exactly what had taken place. So, the Apostles began writing and sending documents to some of those first groups and churches to provide answers to questions and encourage their recipients. And later many of those early documents were gathered into the compilation that we call our New Testament. RD: Right. And the Apostle Paul was one of the hardest working of the Apostles and one of the most prolific writers. Almost half of our New Testament came from his hand. VK: And among the letters that Paul sent that have been preserved for us are the letters he sent to churches in various cities – or in one case – several churches in a region known as Galatia. We call those letters by the name of the group that received them – such as Romans, Corinthians, or Thessalonians. And today we want to take a closer look at the letters Paul sent to the Thessalonians. RD: Yes. Among Paul’s letters that have been preserved for us nine of those letters are identified by place names. There are six cities named and, as you said, one region called Galatia. Two of those cities, Corinth and Thessalonica, have more than one letter preserved in our Bible. So, we call those 1 and 2 Corinthians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In our Bibles 1 and 2 Corinthians are placed earlier in the order of arrangement within the compilation. But most scholars believe that 1 and 2 Thessalonians were actually the earliest of Paul’s letters that have been preserved. VK: The one possible exception to 1 and 2 Thessalonians being the earliest of Paul’s letters that were preserved is the letter to the Galatians. Scholars are pretty much evenly split on the date of the composition of Galatians. Some scholars believe Galatians was written as early as 49 AD right after Paul’s 1st missionary journey. Other scholars place it several years later after or during Paul’s 3rd missionary journey – possibly as late as 57 AD. Since most scholars date 1 and 2 Thessalonians around 51 or 52 AD it is quite possible they were the earliest of his letters, or epistles, that have been retained. RD: Yes. And for anyone who would like more information about the dating of Galatians question they can visit our website, crystalseabooks.com, and listen to the episode in this “Paul’s Places” series that covers Galatia. For today we want to turn our attention to the letters to the Thessalonians. And that first thing that I want to notice is that we know exactly where the city of Thessalonica is located because it is in the same place today as it was in Paul’s time. Today, Thessalonica, is also known as, Thessaloniki, Saloniki, or Salonica. VK: Today, Thessalonica is the second-largest city in Greece, with over 1 million inhabitants. In Paul’s day it’s thought that Thessalonica had about 200,000 residents. Thessalonica is a sea-port. It is at the head of the bay which is on the Gulf of Thessalonica. As a sea port is ideally situated for commerce. Thessalonica was founded by one of Alexander the Great’s successors named Cassander in 315 BC. Cassander named the city for his wife who was also a half-sister of Alexander. Today, Thessalonica is the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia and it pretty much served that same purpose in Paul’s day when Macedonia was a Roman province. The Romans had taken charge of Macedonia and Thessalonica in 148 BC. So, it is fair to say that in Paul’s day was a very important city. Right away it makes sense that Paul would have gone there to preach and establish a church when he had the opportunity. RD: And even more than being an important city Thessalonica was located on what is called the Egnatian Way. The Egnatian Way was a very important transportation artery the Romans had built in the 2nd century BC. It ran through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a continuation of the Appian Way. Essentially the Egnatian Way was the main line of overland travel through Macedonia (northern Greece) all the way from the west coast of Greece to western Turkey. Both Thessalonica and Philippi were on it. So, it makes sense that when Paul was mistreated in Philippi he would have followed the Egnatian Way to the next major city to the west which was Thessalonica. VK: We hear about that in the book of Acts, chapter 17, verses 1 through 3. “Now when [Paul and Silas] had traveled through Amphipolis [AM-PHIP-AH-LIS] and Apollonia [APP-AH-LOAN-EE-UH], they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he visited them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” RD: Essentially, Paul skipped two smaller towns on the Egnatian Way, Amphipolis and Apollonia, and made his next ministry stop after Philippi in Thessalonica – which we have said was a far more important city. Plus, it is quite likely that there may not have been a synagogue in either Amphipolis or Apollonia, so that would have limited Paul’s normal approach to preaching the gospel when he entered a new area. VK: And here that was Paul’s custom from the section of Acts. When Paul came to a new area he would start preaching the gospel at the local synagogue. Paul was a Jew so he would start at the place where it was most likely he would find people who would know the Jewish scriptures, our Old Testament, and with whom he had a natural bond. If Paul didn’t get a positive response from the Jews in the synagogue he would find a place to preach to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Then, he would stay, as long as it was profitable for him to be there. All too often the resentment of the local Jewish community would create problems for Paul and his new converts. That’s what happened here. In verses 5 and 6 from chapter 17 of Acts we hear, “But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and they attacked the house of Jason and were seeking to bring [Paul and Silas] out to the people. When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; …” RD: Right. This little vignette that we get from Acts is actually very helpful in giving us insight into the content of the letters that Paul sent to the Thessalonians. So, let’s dig into that a bit. It doesn’t seem like Paul got to spend too much time in Thessalonica before he had to move on. Compare a time period that sounds like it was 2 to 3 months with the 18 months Paul spent in Corinth when he founded the church there and the nearly 3 years he spent in Ephesus. But the church he founded in Thessalonica continued on despite Paul’s limited time there. VK: Possibly because there were some influential people within Thessalonica who had begun to believe when they first heard the gospel. Acts, chapter 17, verse 4 tells us that “a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a significant number of the leading women” had become believers. RD: Quite possibly. I think that reference to “leading women” is particularly important. “Leading” in this context likely means influential, important, and rich. That’s a pretty good start for a church to have a group of influential and wealthy women who have discovered the truth. They would not be easily pushed aside or dissuaded. And, oddly enough, the fact that the Thessalonian church included a large number of wealthy and influential women may give us an interesting clue into one of the primary subjects that Paul addressed in his letters to the Thessalonians. VK: An interesting clue huh? I can’t wait to see where you’re going with this. RD: Yes. It’s sanctified imagination time. A couple of times in this “Paul’s Places” series we’ve mentioned that we can learn more and understand better the content of Paul’s letters, his epistles, if we not only study the individual letters themselves but also look across the letters to see where they compare and contrast. Well, we’ve noticed in the letters that we’ve covered so far that Paul has covered a wide variety of subjects. VK: He covered the relationship between the Jews and Gentiles both before and after Jesus’ coming in the letter to the Romans. Rome had a lot of both Jews and Gentiles in its congregation. He covered how to deal with sexual temptation in his letter to the Corinthians. The city of Corinth contained a temple to the Roman goddess Venus that employed as many as a 1,000 prostitutes. Sexual temptation was a real problem there. In his letter to the Colossians Paul was very emphatic that Jesus was superior to all other supposed gods, goddesses, and celestial powers. Colossae was located in a region that had worshipped the goddess Cybele that some thought had become an astral power. RD: Right. Up to this point we have seen that Paul covered a wide variety of subjects in his letters along with a continuous emphasis on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies contained in the Old Testament, which were the Jewish scriptures, about the Messiah. Evidently part of Paul’s evangelistic strategy was to start out by proclaiming that the Messiah had come and that this meant that the major event necessary for redemptive history to proceed to its conclusion had been completed. VK: The New Geneva Study Bible’s introductory section on 1 Thessalonians says this. “… the Thessalonian letters, Paul’s preaching at Athens, recorded in Acts 17, confirms that [Paul’s] strategy among non-Jewish audiences at this time was to stress the coming judgment that God has placed in the hands of the risen Christ.” RD: And, of course, that makes sense. With Jewish audiences Paul had a point of connection that he did not have with non-Jewish audiences. With Jewish audiences Paul could refer to their scriptures which, for most of his listeners, were in the form of the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. But with non-Jewish audiences referring to the Septuagint would have been meaningless. Even if they had a copy they would have had little or no familiarity with its content. But one place Paul could start his evangelistic message was with the fact that all human beings have an innate sense of right and wrong and that the fact that we all know we have done things that are wrong means that someday we are going to face judgment. VK: But, naturally, at the same time that Paul confirmed his audiences fears about the coming judgment he gave them the good news that anyone who placed their trust in Jesus, the Messiah who had come, would have no reason to fear that judgment. The consequences of judgement for those who believed in Christ had already been placed on Christ. Believers, therefore, need have no fear of judgment. Jesus has been judged in our place. We can look forward to eternal life because he paid the penalty for our sin. RD: Amen. And Paul covers this good news in one way or another in every one of his letters. But among all the other subjects we have seen that Paul has covered there is one very obvious subject that we have not mentioned because, surprisingly enough, it is only covered in depth in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. VK: And that subject is? RD: The question of the order and timing of when judgment and our own resurrection will occur. Think about it. A man has just told you about this prophet in Judea that preached about the kingdom of heaven, claimed he was God in the flesh, and performed miracles to validate his claim. Then that prophet was killed by the Romans … VK: And everybody in Paul’s day knew that the Romans were very good at executing people they thought were criminals ... RD: … and they knew how they executed them. But then you hear that the prophet who said He was the Son of God didn’t stay dead. He rose from the dead by His own power, appeared to hundreds of people for a period of 40 days, and then ascended back into heaven. And you are told that someday this prophet is coming back to earth to judge everyone who has ever lived. That whole message is startling and amazing so naturally you have questions. So, what is the first question most people would ask when they hear the prophet is coming back? VK: When. I would want to know when the prophet is coming back. And I would want to know how I’ll be able to recognize that we’re getting close to that time. RD: Exactly. But the only place in his many letters when Paul spends much time on the question of the how and when of Jesus’ return is in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. Well, one reason this question seems to have been particularly important to the Thessalonians is that evidently between Paul’s time with them around late 50 or early 51 AD and when he wrote 1 Thessalonians, a number of the Thessalonian believers had died. And evidently the question of what would happen to believers who had died before Christ’s return had become important in the Thessalonian church. Evidently, after Paul left them someone inside or outside the church had started circulating the idea that believers who were still alive when Christ returns would get better treatment than those who had died. So, remember what we said about the church at Thessalonica having started with a number of the “leading women.” VK: Oh. I see where you’re going with this line of thinking. You’re thinking that it would be quite common for wealthy, influential women to be, shall we say, more mature. Or said plainly – a lot of years often pass before people acquire substantial amounts of money, influence, or wisdom. Not always – but it’s certainly not uncommon. RD: And what do older women have? VK: Older husbands. And we all know it’s very common for men not to live as long as women. So, it’s not a stretch to think that some of the concern about the treatment of dead believers may have arisen among some of the older women who had helped found the church. That actually makes good sense. Those women had been early converts. And even though Paul had only been gone from Thessalonica for a year or two before he wrote 1 Thessalonians it’s easily possible some of those early converts had already experienced the loss of the most important person in their life. Naturally, they would want to be sure that if Jesus came back before they died that they would be reunited with their lost loved one. Grief has a way of bringing certain questions into sharp relief. Wow. You don’t think about that when you read those epistles. To us these are letters long dated and established. But when Paul was writing to the Thessalonian church he may very well have been writing to a church where some of his first converts had only recently become widows. RD: The question of the timing of Jesus’ return gets sensationalized in our day and time. There are countless books, movies, and TV dramas that have contemplated the question in one form or another. But we know with absolute certainty that 2,000 years will have elapsed between Jesus’ first and second coming. VK: But those 1st century believers had no way of knowing that. For all they knew it might have been just a matter of a few decades that would elapse. So, to a widow in Thessalonica who had just lost her life partner the question of the treatment of a dead believer would have had a great sense of immediacy. RD: Yep. And remember that those 1st century believers not only didn’t have the benefit of our 2,000 years of hindsight but they also didn’t have any easily accessible resources to get answers to their questions. So, when Paul sent them a letter that said in effect, “don’t worry. If your husband or wife has just died they will also be raised to new life when Jesus comes” that would have been like eating cold watermelon on a hot day. VK: Yes. I recognize that line from your book The Prodigal’s Advocate. RD: Well, for anyone who wants to deepen their faith or help someone else find theirs The Prodigal’s Advocate is a great resource. At any rate, wanting to know how and when Christ will return is still a subject of interest in our day and age. And it would have been a natural question for Paul’s first converts. In a way it is remarkable that after Paul wrote the letters to the Thessalonians Paul only spent much time addressing the question in 1 Corinthians. VK: Well, as we’ve noted 1 and 2 Thessalonians are quite possibly Paul’s earliest epistles that have been preserved. It may be that as Paul moved through his ministry career he began covering Christ’s return so thoroughly in person he no longer had to spend much time on it in his written correspondence. RD: And that is actually a very important observation. One of the topics that Paul does cover in 1 Thessalonians is the divinity of Christ. Paul strongly affirms Christ’s divinity in 1 Thessalonians. So, this tells us that the doctrine that Christ is both fully divine as well as fully human was not a much later development in the Christian faith as is sometimes alleged. Right from the beginning the earliest Christians knew that Jesus was “God in the flesh.” And the Trinitarian nature of the Godhead is also addressed in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14. VK: Those verses say, “But we ought always to thank God for you, … because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you … that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” RD: This demonstrates that rather than such doctrines as dual nature of Christ and the Trinitarian nature of God were well understood from the earliest days of Christianity. Critics will sometimes allege that the belief that Christ was truly God was a later addition to the Christian faith. The critics will assert something like “Christ was a good man and a great teacher but he never claimed to be God.” But as C.S. Lewis pointed out in his well-known discussion of “Lord, liar, or lunatic,” that kind of assertion is just silly. Anyone who reads the gospels carefully knows that Jesus quite clearly claimed to be God and to possess prerogatives that only God possesses such as the authority to forgive sins. So, as Lewis noted any man who believes he is God may be a liar trying to deceive others or he might be a lunatic who is simply crazy. But neither a liar nor a lunatic should be considered a “good man or a great teacher.” But if Jesus is who He claimed to be, God incarnate, then the only appropriate response is to fall on our knees in abject awe and worship Him. VK: Well, that’s a good place to end for today. Again, this “Paul’s Places” series is all about helping people see more clearly that the Pauline epistles, the letters contained in the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul, are exactly what they claim to be. They are letters written by one of Christianity’s first evangelical preachers to convey important truths to those who had begun to place their trust in Jesus. Those letters most certainly assert Christ’s divinity but far from that assertion being some kind of myth it is backed up by solid historical evidence and testimony. Paul’s letters are not only spiritually informative but historically accurate and reliable. The critics who assert that the divinity of Christ was a legendary attribute added hundreds of years after Christ’s death simply do not have truth or evidence on their side. Paul’s letters fit perfectly into an inspired, inerrant, and infallible scripture. Let’s close with prayer as we always do. Today let’s listen to a prayer for our young children and let’s always remember that if we do not train them up in the word of the Lord others will train them up in the way of the world. ---- PRAYER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quotes from the Good News Translation) Philippians, chapter 1, verses 18 thru 20, Good News Translation paultanner.org/English Docs/SpecialArt/Pauline Chronology.pdf

Episode 166 – Paul’s Places – Part 7: Ephesians and Colossians Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: I want you to know how I am getting along and what I am doing. This is why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up. Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 21 and 22, Contemporary English Version Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me. I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along. Colossians, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re grateful to be with you today. We are in the midst of a series on Anchored by Truth that we are calling “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. Some Bible commentators believe Paul also wrote the book of Hebrews but we cannot be certain about that because the author of the letter to the Hebrews did not name himself. In this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by the names of the cities, or the region, to which they were sent. So far we have looked at the letters to the churches in Rome and Corinth, which are cities, and Galatia which was a Roman Province in what would be modern day Turkey. Today we’re going to look at Paul’s letters to two other churches that were located in modern-day Turkey – Ephesus and Colossae. In the studio today we have RD Fierro, an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why don’t you remind us of the reason we wanted to do this Paul’s Places series? RD: Well, I’d like to start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. We launched this “Paul’s Places” series because in our day and age many people have lost sight of the fact that the New Testament documents are extraordinarily reliable as historical records. And one of the ways we can be sure about that is by looking at the geography, history, and cultural information contained within those records. When we do that we see that this information, which is almost incidental to the main purpose of the book or letter, corresponds perfectly with what we know about the geography and history from many other extra-Biblical sources. This amplifies the confidence that we may place in those records – and, of course, it is from those records that we get the most information about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. VK: In other words if we are confident about the geographic and historical information contained in Paul’s records we may be confident about the validity of the reports Paul makes. And in every report Paul made he affirmed the central element of the Christian faith – that Jesus rose from the dead. Christianity is distinguished from all other religions because Christianity affirms that our founder and central figure is still alive. Jesus died but he did not remain dead. Jesus rose and now sits at the right hand of God. That is why we may justifiably worship Him. Only God has power over life and death. Jesus demonstrated that He had that power when He rose out of the tomb on Easter and appeared to hundreds of His followers over the next 40 days. RD: Amen. It would be impossible for anyone today to personally testify that they were a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. We base our trust in the historicity of the resurrection in the records given to us by the Apostles and their representatives like Luke. So, it is helpful for our own faith to take a little time and see how we can confidently establish the historical reliability of the records that teach us about Jesus. That’s what this “Paul’s Places” series is, hopefully, doing. VK: Now you said that today you want to actually begin a study of two of Paul’s epistles: Ephesians and Colossians. Why are we tackling these two books together? RD: Well, you might call this portion of “Paul’s Places” a tale of two cities. But it is actually a tale of 3 cities. The New Testament contains, as the books of Ephesians and Colossians, the letters that Paul sent to the churches in Ephesus and Colossae. But in the epistle to the Colossians Paul mentions a sister city of Colossae called Laodicea. So, during the next couple of episodes I want to look at all three of these cities and see the role they play in the New Testament. To do that properly we are going to have to not only look at the books of Ephesians and Colossians but we are also going to have to look at the very last book of the Bible which is Revelation. So, let’s take a quick look at the first portion of Revelation, chapter 1, verse 4. VK: The first part of that verse says, “This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia…” You know I don’t think most people realize that when John wrote the book of Revelation he actually had a specific group of churches in mind. Revelation is the subject of so much sensationalism that I think people often miss that the opening part of the book has very specific messages for very specific churches. RD: I agree with that observation. The seven churches that John addressed his communication to were churches in these 7 cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. So, one fact leaps out right away. The city of Ephesus was the only city that received an individual letter from Paul that is mentioned in the list of the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation. And a second fact that also leaps out is that Laodicea, which again is mentioned several times in the epistle to the Colossians, also is part of the group of seven. None of the other cities to which Paul addressed an epistle are mentioned in Revelation. And while the city of Colossae is not mentioned by name in Revelation, I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that Colossae and Laodicea were both located in a region of Asia called the Lycus Valley. It was called the Lycus Valley because in ancient times the Lycus River ran through the valley. VK: So, how far away was Laodicea from Colossae? RD: Colossae was about 10 miles east of Laodicea. VK: And how far away was Ephesus from Colossae? RD: Colossae was about 100 miles east of Ephesus. VK: So, let’s make sure the dots are connecting as we move along. We’re studying the books of Ephesians and Colossians together because they share a number of connections in the Bible. Both Ephesus and Colossae are located in modern-day Turkey as is Colossae’s sister city, Laodicea. But Colossae and Laodicea are a lot closer together than Colossae and Ephesus. So, one fact leaps out right away that confirms the accuracy of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In Colossians, chapter 4, verse 16 Paul said, “After this letter has been read to your people, be sure to have it read in the church at Laodicea. And you should read the letter that I have sent to them.” That’s from the Contemporary English Version. But Paul did not include a similar admonition in his letter to the Ephesians even though all of these cities were located within the Roman province of Phrygia. It made sense for Paul to tell the Colossians and the Laodiceans to share letters with each other because they were only 10 miles apart – but Ephesus was 100 miles away from them. 100 miles was a long distance to travel in those times. RD: Yes. And as long as we’re on the subject of how the geographic references within Colossians make sense let’s take a look at one more. Colossians, chapter 4, verses 12 and 13 say, “Your own Epaphras, who serves Christ Jesus, sends his greetings. He always prays hard that you may fully know what the Lord wants you to do and that you may do it completely. I have seen how much trouble he has gone through for you and for the followers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.” So, in Colossians besides mentioning Laodicea Paul also mentions another city from the Lycus Valley: Hierapolis. That also makes sense geographically. Colossae was about 10 miles east of Laodicea. Hierapolis was about 6 miles north of Colossae. VK: So, it makes sense that this believer named Epaphras would have had concerns for the churches in all three of those cities – Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. All three of them were located in the Lycus Valley fairly close together. RD: Right. And even though Epaphras was with Paul at the time Paul wrote the epistle to the Colossians most scholars believe that Epaphras probably founded the church in Colossae and possibly also in Laodicea and Hierapolis. In Colossians Paul seems to indicate that he had never personally visited Colossae or Laodicea. VK: You are thinking of Colossians, chapter 2, verse 1 which says, “I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.” That’s from the New Living Translation. RD: Right. But we do know that Paul had spent a considerable amount of time in Ephesus. From the book of Acts, chapter 19, verses 1 through 10 we know that Paul spent over two years and possibly close to 3 years in Ephesus. VK: Verse 10 says, “This [teaching] went on for two years, so that all the people who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord.” RD: Yes. So, it is quite likely that sometime during this two to three year period Epaphras came into contact with Paul while Paul was in Ephesus. Before Paul’s time Colossae had been a thriving and prosperous town. It was the center of an important wool industry and it was located on a very important overland trade route. It had declined somewhat and in Paul’s day it was a fairly modest market center. Laodicea, by contrast, was a wealthy and important center for banking and textiles and it had a bit of a medical industry. It had a medical school that had developed an ointment that was used to treat eye problems. It is entirely reasonable that Epaphras may have been connected to one of the businesses that thrived in and around the Lycus Valley and had occasions to travel to Ephesus. VK: Ephesus was an important trade center in Paul’s day. It was on the west coast of Asia and was an important gateway that linked the Mediterranean world and the inland part of Asia. In Paul’s time Ephesus was one of the 5 most important cities in the entire Roman Empire. Rome was, of course, the most important city but Ephesus was ranked in the same category as cities such as Corinth, Antioch of Syria, and Alexandria of Egypt. I guess we might liken Ephesus to Miami which is the connecting city between North and South America. RD: That’s a good analogy. Ephesus was an important place to do business. So, even though it would have been a several day journey from Laodicea and Colossae a merchant, trader, or banker might have had occasion to go there regularly. Scripture does not tell us what trade or occupation Epaphras practiced but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to believe he was financially successful. He was prosperous enough to later leave Asia and travel to Rome to be with Paul while Paul was imprisoned there from around 60 AD to 62 AD. VK: Ephesians and Colossians are two of the four epistles that are sometimes referred to as the “prison epistles.” Again, epistle is just another word for letter. These epistles are called the “prison epistles” because scholars think wrote them during that period of imprisonment that is described in Acts, chapter 28, verses 16 through 30. The four prison epistles are Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Philemon was a believer who lived in or around Colossae. RD: Yes. Paul wrote to Philemon to request that Philemon be kind to a believer named Onesimus. At one time Onesimus was either a slave or a servant of Philemon but Onesimus had run away from Colossae to Rome. In Rome Onesimus came into contact with Paul and became a Christian. Paul convinced Onesimus he needed to do the right thing and return to Philemon and reconcile with him. But Paul did not send Onesimus back empty handed. He wrote one of the most compelling appeals you will ever read for why Philemon should be gracious to Onesimus and it is quite likely that one of Paul’s closest associates, Tychicus, also accompanied Onesimus. VK: We heard about Tychicus in our opening scriptures. Tychicus is mentioned in both Ephesians and Colossians as the person who is bringing Paul’s messages to those churches. For instance, in Ephesians Paul wrote, “This is why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up.” RD: And in Colossians Paul wrote, “Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me. I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along.” VK: The language Paul used in both of those greetings is very similar. In both Paul says that Tychicus is a faithful servant of the Lord, that he will give the churches updates about Paul, and that he will “cheer you up.” Apparently, Paul had a lot of confidence in Tychicus. But the similarity in this language does give you the strong impression that Paul wrote both of the letters at or near the same time. RD: And that’s one of the reasons we wanted to tackle these two epistles together. Obviously, if these two letters were written at the same time one question is which letter did Paul write first? VK: Why is that relevant? RD: Because when people write multiple similar documents it’s sometimes possible to see the progression of their thoughts as they go along. And we get to see the writer imparting nuances that are important to understanding the content. School teachers used to tell us to “compare and contrast” things to better understand similarities and differences. That same thought process can be helpful as we come to Paul’s epistles. In other words, we can learn more by looking at all of the documents than if we just look at each document in isolation. VK: I see what you’re saying. If we look at one document by a writer – assuming it’s a competent writer - we can certainly see what the writer wanted to communicate. But we can’t necessarily pick up patterns or progressions in thought from a single document as well as we can if we have multiple documents from the same hand. And that is especially true if we can look at several documents that were prepared around the same time. RD: Exactly. Paul, of course, varied the content of his letters based on many different considerations. Each of the churches he wrote to had individual concerns and issues and often Paul needed to address those local situations. VK: We saw that in the first letter to the Corinthians. If Ephesus was the Miami of its time, Corinth was the Las Vegas. Sexual temptation abounded in Corinth. So, Paul spent more time addressing sexual temptation in 1 Corinthians than in any of his other epistles. RD: Exactly. Another consideration that affected the content of Paul’s various epistles was the state of development of the church. As we saw in Galatians Paul had to address the issue of certain agitators who were trying to tell the church members in Galatia they had to accept Jewish customs and laws before they could become Christians. This assertion struck at the heart of the gospel which clearly says that salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone. Paul forcefully rebutted this contention in his epistle to the Galatians. Well, in Colossians Paul apparently had to deal with a peculiar form of angelic worship. Colossae was located in a region in which a particular form of pagan worship had developed. This religion was the worship of the goddess Cybele. [sib-ah-lee] VK: The New Geneva Study Bible has this to say about Phrygia, the region in which Colossae was located, and the worship of the goddess Cybele. [sib-ah-lee]. “In ancient times, the region had given birth to the worship of the goddess Cybele, whose cult … was characterized by ritual cleansing in the blood of a bull, ecstatic states, prophetic rapture, and inspired dancing. … Within a few years of the inception of Christianity among these Phrygians , Epaphras and Paul found that an appetite had emerged for something more than the crucified and risen Christ. … Cybele and her lover Attis were transformed at some time by popular pagan piety into astral and cosmic powers.” RD: Right. And I would add that at this point in history it was often thought in the pagan religions present in the Roman Empire that stars and planets, and even physical elements (earth, wind, water, fire) were thought to control the destinies of people. Remember that at the time Paul wrote Colossians Epaphras is with him. So, Epaphras has reported to Paul that a form of syncretism – combining the elements of two different religions – was starting to take place in Colossae. This, again, is not surprising given the religious history of the region in which Colossae is located. So Paul had to address this local issue in the letter to the Colossians. VK: In Colossians you see phrases such as “See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.” That’s Colossians, chapter 2, verses 8 through 10 of the Good News Translation. RD: And while you do see Paul addressing the supremacy and necessity for Christ in Ephesians you don’t see him addressing the specific concern of pagan angelic worship. Now, I want to add here that the Colossians do not seem to have been worshipping the angels themselves but it is more as if they were trying to worship alongside the angels who in ancient times were often associated with astral or celestial powers. But that issue was apparently not present in the Ephesian church. VK: Possibly because Paul had spent close to 3 years in Ephesus ministering directly. It may be that the Ephesian believers’ extensive contact with Paul himself meant that they were far better grounded doctrinally. RD: Quite possibly. What you do see in Ephesians is more of a spirit of awe, prayer, and praise along with the very famous discussion of spiritual armor present in chapter 6 of Ephesians. We’re going to talk more about that in our next episode of Anchored by Truth. In Ephesians you actually don’t see Paul addressing any particular local issue with respect to the content of the Christian faith the way he did in Galatians and Colossians. That freed him up to spend more time expounding on subjects of general interest such as the unity of Christ with His church and the relationship between our lives before Christ with our life after we are saved. VK: Ephesus was obviously a very special place to Paul so it is natural that he would want to provide some last bit of encouragement to the believers who were there. In Acts, chapter 20, verses 17 through 35 we have a record of Paul’s last meeting with the Ephesian elders. At that time he said, “I have gone from place to place, preaching to you about God's kingdom, but now I know that none of you will ever see me again. … Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock he bought with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I am gone, others will come like fierce wolves to attack you. Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. Be on your guard! Remember how day and night for three years I kept warning you with tears in my eyes.” That’s from the Contemporary English Version. RD: That meeting between Paul and the elders was about 3 or 4 years before Paul wrote his epistle to the church. But his warning to the elders helps us see the genuine warmth Paul was expressing when he wrote at the beginning of his letter, “I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people. So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers.” That’s chapter 1, verses 15 and 16 from the Contemporary English Version. Somebody told Paul that at least up to that point that the Ephesians believers were remaining faithful and it genuinely pleased him. The other thing that is missing from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is any extensive defense of his own ministry of the type that is present in the letters to the Corinthians and Galatians. He didn’t have to provide a defense because the Ephesians knew him so well. VK: All of this goes to reinforce the major point that we are making in this “Paul’s Places” series. The epistles, the letters, Paul sent to the various churches we know in our Bibles by geographic labels are consistent not only with geography and culture but also with the history of the early church. Paul had apparently never been to Colossae or at least there were a lot of people there who had never seen him. But Paul had spent 3 years ministering personally in Ephesus. So, the tenor of the two letters is different even though they were obviously written about the same time. The religious traditions present in Colossae meant Paul put a special emphasis on the supremacy of Christ to any and all perceived celestial powers in Colossians. But Paul didn’t have to do that in Ephesians. But in Ephesians we do see a spirit of gratitude that probably resulted from the fact that - even though Paul hadn’t seen any of them for a while – someone had told him they were still remaining faithful. This sounds like a great time to go to prayer. Since we are so close to anniversary of the day that America declared her independence, today let’s listen to a prayer for God’s blessings to remain with this nation. ---- PRAYER FOR FOURTH OF JULY VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quotes from the Contemporary English Version) Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 21 and 22, Contemporary English Version Colossians, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, Contemporary English Version

One dictionary defines the word happy as, showing, or marked by pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, or joy. One question to be answered is who was the happiest person who ever lived? I submit to you that Jesus was the happiest person to ever live! Even through the rejection, lies, hatred, and hardships, He endured at the hands of the religious leaders that led to His crucifixion. To be happy in this toxic, sin-sick, secular society in which we live, you and I must live by the fact that we are "accepted in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). Furthermore, our identity is in His Divinity. We are created in His image and likeness to have dominion and not be dominated (Genesis 1:26-28) by our emotions or the people, pain, and pressures of life. The Good News Translation of Psalm 92:10 becomes reality in the life of the believing believer. The writer of this Psalm declares, “You (God) have made me as strong as a wild ox; you have blessed me with happiness.” God wants you happy! The Good News Translation of Proverbs 8:30, speaking of Wisdom, who is Jesus, says, “I was his daily source of joy, always happy in his presence." Psalm 16:11 declares in the Easy To Read Version says, “You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Invite a friend or co-worker to join us for principles and precepts from God's word as we continue to learn to Think Like God Thinks and the fact that "God Wants You to Be Happy!" --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dr-gregory-l-cruell/support

2 Corinthians 12: 6 - 10 Good News Translation 6 If I wanted to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I will not boast, because I do not want any of you to have a higher opinion of me than you have as a result of what you have seen me do and heard me say. 7 But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which acts as Satan's messenger to beat me and keep me from being proud. 8 Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked him to take it away. 9 But his answer was: “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak.” I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me. 10 I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. For grace to be activated, there must be weakness that must be acknowledged. Acknowledge grace. Romans 4: 19 - 20 Good News Translation 19 He was then almost one hundred years old; but his faith did not weaken when he thought of his body, which was already practically dead, or of the fact that Sarah could not have children. 20 His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/itischurch4real/message

Episode 154 – Why Am I Here – Part 3: Biblical Illiteracy Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105); “Your statutes are my heritage forever, they are the joy of my heart” (Psalm 119:111); Psalm 119, verses 105 and 111, New International Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re very grateful to be with you as today as we continue the series we began last week on Anchored by Truth. We’ve entitled this series “Why am I here?” To help us continue considering a question that has probably occurred to just about every person who has ever lived. The answer to the question is both simple and profound. We’re all here because God made us. That’s a pretty simple statement but it has profound implications. So, to help us explore some of those implications, today we’re fortunate to have Dr. Gregg Alexander back on the show with us. Gregg is a retired Tallahassee physician who has taught an adult Sunday School class for more than 25 years. As such he has seen humanity from all sides and he is definitely a very deep student of the Bible. GREGG would you like to take a couple of minutes and tell us a little about why you have been such a faithful teacher for your church? GREGG OPENING COMMENTS - VK: One of the reasons we wanted to have Gregg back on the show is because several years ago Gregg did a study series for his Sunday school class on Biblical illiteracy. As we have been discussing in our first episodes in this series in order to develop an answer to the question of why we are here we must understand our role in the created order. This, in turn, means we must recognize that we were created by an almighty, loving God and that God has designated man to bear His image within the created order. The only creature that God made who is said to bear God’s image is mankind. That designation is not given to any other earthly creature or even to the angels. But we cannot fully comprehend what bearing God’s image means if we are not familiar with the Bible. So, we wanted to spend at least one show in this series talking about the poor state of Biblical literacy within our current culture. Gregg, when you did your series on Biblical illiteracy why did you feel that it was so important to take that up as a subject? GREGG: The Church competes in the marketplace of ideas and ideologies. Listeners to Anchored by Truth are probably far more Biblically literate than members of our society at large and that’s good. But we need to understand what is going on in the culture around us if we are to minister effectively to it. Groups like Barna, Gallup, and Pew Research try to keep track of trends, and if they are correct in their analysis, the picture is not good. In 2006, Gallup asked people whether the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Only 26% said “yes” – down from 40% in 1980. The number of people who said the Bible is a collection of stories, fables, myths, history, and teachings increased from 10% in 1980 to 19% in 2006. Consider these numbers as you remember that more than 75% of the respondents were professing Christians. VK: Yikes. That’s pretty scary. 75% of the people responding to Gallup self-identified as professing Christians and yet only 26% said that the Bible is the inspired word of God. And that was 15 years ago and we know that the situation quite likely hasn’t gotten any better. That’s one of the reasons we launched Anchored by Truth. We want to reawaken a widespread understanding that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. GREGG: And that’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back on Anchored by Truth – to help sound a wake-up call. Plus, you have a good variety of coffee choices in the studio. But aside from the coffee I want people to begin to rediscover that their lives will be richer and more meaningful if they will take the time to really begin to study and dig into the Bible. I would like to serve as a stimulus toward greater and more regular study of the Bible, and greater trust in its ultimate authority for our lives. God wants us to pray and read our Bible. It’s not about hearing someone talk about the Bible, it’s about digging into it deeply. God wants us to be an instrument in His hand, but He needs His instruments to be sharp. VK: Well, I know that you believe that God’s desire for His children to be informed students of His word which is effectively illustrated from a passage in the book of Acts from chapter 17. What specific passage are you thinking about? GREGG: I think that the way Luke describes the Apostle Paul’s encounter with a group of Bereans illustrates our need for scripture perfectly. Acts described the believers in Berea, which is a region in Greece near Thessalonica, in this way: “As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” This is Acts 17:10-11. Note that this part of Acts says that they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” To the Bereans the Scriptures were the test for truth. And, since the time of Christ, the books that have been put together to form our Bible have been revered by Christians as the word of God applicable to all time and all circumstances, and the revelation of the mind and will of God. VK: And frankly there was a time in America when you might have been able to make a similar statement about a large percentage of the population. As the survey information you cited above shows that may no longer be true but at one time it certainly was. GREGG: When this country was founded the Bible was respected by just about everyone, and biblical principles formed the shape and stability of the culture. This was clearly evident in the realm of public education. Children were taught the alphabet using the textbook entitled The New-England Primer, published in 1687. Most, if not all, of the Founding Fathers were taught to read and write using this book which unashamedly taught the Christian worldview. This textbook was gradually replaced by a series of books known as the McGuffey Readers. William McGuffey was a committed Christian who was consumed by two passions: public education and preaching the Gospel. McGuffey presented education from a biblical foundation, and he reinforced biblical principles of life and morality in the lessons. VK: So, it sounds like we started out pretty well in America. In our early history the Bible was not a book that was relegated to church buildings on Sundays as it is so often today. The Bible was a book that was a part of everyday life and not just for adults but for people of all ages. That opens up the question of “what happened?” GREGG: When McGuffey died in 1873 his book underwent a radical transformation. America was changing into a pluralistic society – a melting pot of religions and worldviews. Europe was already reacting to the revolutionary socialism of Karl Marx; the philosophy of Kant followed by Nietzsche; Europe's increased concern with material naturalism disguised as science in general and Darwin in particular; and a general intellectual rebellion against tradition and authority. The revised McGuffey Readers went totally secular to meet the supposed need of national unity and the dream of America as the place of refuge for the world’s oppressed masses. VK: You know we sometimes think that the secularization of America started in the latter part of the 20th century. A lot of people think of the 1970’s as a decade of “free love” and the anti-institution movement. But you’re saying that the roots of secularization started almost 100 years earlier aren’t you? And along with that secularization there was a steadily diminishing regard for the Bible wasn’t there? GREGG: In general, yes. The secularization of America did not start in period following World War II though it certainly accelerated them. In the latter part of the 19th century the biblical doctrines of salvation, righteousness, and piety, and their biblical examples and references, began to be replaced by civil and social values and morality. McGuffey’s Eclectic Primer of 1836 was published as a “Revised Edition” in 1881, and it contained no reference to God, His sovereignty, or man’s accountability to Him – the revised McGuffey Readers were then wholly secular. And, if all that wasn’t bad enough, in the 1920s/1930s American education came under the spell of John Dewey (1859-1952), a psychologist and philosopher who is the person most responsible for how American children are educated today. Dewey changed the priority of education from acquiring knowledge to experiencing knowledge. In the 1920s, he became known for his criticism of traditional teaching with its didactic delivery of facts to be remembered in favor of a dialectic (the use of logical argument or discussion: a “back-and-forth”) experience of “facts.” VK: So, what you’re saying is that this trend toward a loss of a Biblical worldview began to be reflected in a wide variety of ways and by a large number of people. That reminds me of Galatians, chapter 5, verse 9. “This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!” That’s from the Good News Translation. The English Standard Version says, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” GREGG: So, part of the lump that Dewey’s teaching leavened was author Stephen Prothero who wrote a book in 2007 called Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't. Prothero, who was a professor of religious studies and chair of the religion department at Boston University, was initially a follower of Dewey’s progressive educational model. Having been turned off since high school to the study of history as a mindless accumulation of names and dates, he embarked on an enlightened teaching career using a test-free environment of “challenging conversation.” He quickly learned, however, that students can’t discuss what they don’t know – that there had to be some common knowledge in order to understand what the words meant! Can you imagine how things would be dangerously different if engineering, aeronautics, law, or medicine were taught by “dialectic”? VK: Well, I don’t think I would like to fly in a plane by someone who had not been taught that there are certain facts and laws of physics that aren’t subject to your opinion. And I certainly don’t want a doctor who thinks that anatomy is a subject where cultural trends are a substitute for knowing the difference between muscles and bones. GREGG: Prothero tells an interesting story of a conversation with a visiting professor from Austria who offered some observations on American undergraduates. This visiting professor from Austria said American undergraduates are “very religious” compared to their European counterparts, but they know next to nothing about religion. The European students have compulsory religious education, but wouldn’t be caught dead in a church, and are far less likely to believe in heaven and hell. The Americans, in contrast, are simultaneously religious and ignorant of religion – they attend churches and synagogues but religious ignorance is bliss. VK: We don’t think about that very much. In America religious education is almost entirely confined to seminaries or divinity schools where those happen to appear in a broader university setting. But it is common in European nations for there to be mandatory religious education at all grade levels. But the visiting professor’s observation shows that it takes more than intellectual knowledge to be a follower of Jesus. We must trust with our hearts in Jesus’s atoning work for salvation to occur. GREGG: True, but that does not mean that we can neglect the intellectual, informational aspect of our faith. In America, faith without understanding appears to be the standard among college undergraduates. They are Protestants who can’t name the four Gospels, Catholics who can’t name the seven sacraments or the seven deadly sins (“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” [Proverbs 6:16-19]), and Jews that can’t name the five books of Moses. VK: And that lack of religious comprehension in college students pretty much mirrors things in other parts of society, doesn’t it? GREGG: Yes. Things are no better in the society/culture at large. For comedians, there are subjects that are almost too easy – sure things that guarantee a laugh. For Jay Leno one late night, it was the Bible. During the taping of one of his television shows, Leno moved through his audience asking people what they knew about the Bible. "Name one of the Ten Commandments,” he said. "God helps those who help themselves?" someone ventured. "Name one of the apostles," Leno told them. No one could. Finally, he asked them to name the Beatles. Without hesitation, the answer came ringing from throughout the crowd: George, Paul, John and Ringo. Leno wasn't spoofing the Bible that evening. He was spoofing our society, which claims a grounding in Judeo-Christian principles and yet – according to a number of surveys – is increasingly losing touch with the Scriptures. VK: George Barna is one of the pollsters who follows faith trends most closely isn’t he? I’ve often seen citations from surveys that he has conducted and they rarely contain good news if you are interested in how well American Christians grasp the basics of their historic faith. GREGG: That’s correct. Evangelical pollster George Barna says that over the past 20 years we have seen the nation's theological views slowly become less aligned with the Bible. Americans still revere the Bible and like to think of themselves as Bible-believing people, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Christians have been increasingly adopting spiritual views that come from Islam, Wicca, secular humanism, the eastern religions, and other sources. That's because we're not reading and studying the Bible. If we don't know what God says is truth, it makes us vulnerable to believing a lie. VK: So, you would share the perspective that we often express on Anchored by Truth – that is important for Christians to fully engage their minds in practicing their faith. And the centerpiece of that practice must be devoting time and attention to understanding and comprehending the Bible. GREGG: I definitely agree that one of the most serious problems in the church today is one of "Biblical Illiteracy.” And unfortunately this problem is limited to those in the world, but it is also present in the church. Another pollster George Gallup has said “Americans revere the Bible - but, by and large, they don't read it. And because they don't read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates." How bad is it? Consider these results from various surveys: • Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. • Many professing Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. • 60 percent of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. VK: Wow. That’s pretty startling. I think when I was young just about every kid in my neighborhood would have known those things. GREGG: And it doesn’t stop there. Here are a few more statistics that should stagger anyone who thinks that the Christian faith is important. • 82 percent of Americans believe "God helps those who help themselves" is a Bible verse. • 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. • A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. VK: 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife? Ok. I don’t know whether that is funny or sad. GREGG: Well, here is one more for you. According to David Eikenberry, youth pastor at Orchard View Congregational Church in Muskegon, Michigan only two of 10 people participating in a recent Gallup survey correctly identified who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Most thought. The Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham and not by Jesus. VK: So, all of this goes back to the purpose of this series. We are trying to help people develop a trustworthy answer to the question of why we are here. Why are human beings present on the earth in the first place? And in our first two episodes we made the point that for us to have a meaningful answer to the question of why we are here we must understand that we were made by an almighty and loving God. But after the creation of our first parents, Adam and Eve, they rebelled against the one prohibition that God gave them and that introduced sin and death into the created order. But God began a plan of redemption and we know live during a unique time in that plan. We live in the period between the first coming of the Messiah and His planned future return. This points out the need for people to become very familiar with the Bible. It is only from the Bible that we can develop a full-orbed understanding of who and what God is. The Bible gives us as comprehensive a picture of God as the human mind is able to form. From the Bible we learn about God’s unrivaled power, unblemished righteousness, immaculate character, and amazing love and grace. This enables us to have a full appreciation of His glory and majesty and then contemplate our own lives and meanings knowing that the sovereign, royal and perfectly holy God has chosen us to bear His image. GREGG: The first step in Christian understanding is the reading and understanding of the Bible. Therein contains all the truth any person can need for an understanding of God (in all Three Persons); forgiveness of sin, salvation, and eternal life; the commandments of God that we are to follows in order to glorify Him and bring blessings on us; and the moral guidelines for living a righteous life. If we don’t understand these basics I don’t see how people can ever truly understand their purpose in this life. The verse that I have used to best describe the theme of this short series is Hosea 4:6. VK: That verse says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” GREGG: And here are a couple of other verses that make the same point that without a knowledge of God's Word, a person has no real direction or guidance in life: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105); “Your statutes are my heritage forever, they are the joy of my heart” (Psalm 119:111); and: “ Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for your salvation, O Lord, and I follow your commands. I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you” (Psalm 119:165-169). VK: And, of course, these are just a sampling of verses that we could point to where scripture makes it clear that we must know God’s word if we are to know our purpose in God’s kingdom. But, as we did in our first two episodes, we want to be clear that pursuing meaning for our lives is a journey not necessarily a single destination. We have to meet people where they are so someone in a crisis who is wondering if their life has meaning needs reassurance first. That reassurance comes in the form of knowing there is a God who loves and cares for them and has a plan for their lives. But as the crisis hopefully passes we need to help them move on to a deeper and more sustaining answer. If we don’t, and they don’t, the next crisis will be a question of when not if. GREGG: And those kinds of crises occur more often today than ever before because if they don't know the Bible they can't know the truth about why they are here. If there is a new “religion” in America, it is the religion of “tolerance.” The primary dogma of tolerance comes from religious pluralism, which affirms that all religions are equally valid and deserving of equal respect, and from postmodernism which refuses to commit to any absolute truth. Christianity is clearly out of step with today’s culture. Jesus said this in John14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It’s easy to see how Jesus’ exclusive claim could be very difficult and embarrassing for a child coming up in the pluralistic soup of the last few decades, or for anyone who has grown up in America in recent decades. The paradox of “tolerance” by today’s definition is that Christians lose in two ways. First, the Christian is labeled intolerant of other religions because of the narrowness of his views. Second, Christianity is the least tolerated of all religions. But the paradox of “tolerance” is that our society also loses. Without a firm anchor to the truth people start drifting in this sea of religious pluralism and like any boat that can’t be secured it may be easily swamped by storms or rough waves. As Anchored by Truth is doing in this series we must master the basics about God, man, and purpose from the Bible to truly understand why we are here. If we don’t gain a firm grasp on those basics we may ask the question “why am I here” until the second coming but we won’t get any closer to finding an answer that will keep our boats afloat. Well, before we close I’d just like to thank you for the opportunity to join you on Anchored by Truth. VK: And we’d certainly like to thank Dr. Gregg Alexander for being our guest today. His service to the church has spanned decades and he is certainly an inspiration for all of those of us who are privileged to know him. So, before we go here is a brief summary of where we are in our series about “why am I here.” To know why we are here we must understand the nature of the created order and a few other basics. Those basics include knowing that God created the universe. We need to know this so we can understand the nature of reality. Next, we need to know that the created order fell when man sinned. But that God began a plan of redemption and the key step in that plan was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So, to know why we are here we must know how we are related to Jesus. And to get a firm grasp on those first two point we must study the Bible because if we don’t our knowledge of God, Jesus, reality and redemption is going to be incomplete. As always we want to close with prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer for the renewal of the church. The church is a great place to begin to know what the Bible is saying so we want strong and healthy churches. But for us to be strong and healthy members of the church we have to study the Bible for ourselves. And as we mentioned today scriptural literacy is one of the greatest challenges of our age. ---- PRAYER FOR RENEWAL OF THE CHURCH VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the New International Version) Psalm 119, verses 105 and 111, New International Version

WINNING WITH THE WORD “Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God's principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God's manual for life. An invitation for you: To subscribe to this blog, click here.  To subscribe to this podcast, click here. If this blog and podcast have blessed you, please encourage your family and friends to subscribe as well. Thank you! Be sure to check out our Featured Book of the Week at the end of this post. ______________________________________   Do you prefer listening instead of reading? Then click below to listen to today's blog post on podcast. https://media.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/content.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/The_Hidden_Subtlety_of_Stress.mp3 ___________________________________________________________________________ Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, novelist and life coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, March 21, 2022, and this is Episode #12 of Series 2022. This episode is titled "The Hidden Subtlety of Stress". All stress is self-imposed.  Whoa, Dr. MaryAnn! What are you saying? And how dare you say it? Don't you know that stress comes from outside circumstances? I can't help being stressed. I hear you, my friend. I was in your shoes at one time. But I learned that if I'm stressed, it's my own fault. And if you're stressed, it's your own fault. I know you don't like to hear that. Neither did I. But, bottomline, it's the truth, so we both may as well face it. So, you're probably thinking I owe you an explanation. I agree. Here goes. God created us in such a way that peace is the norm for us humans. In fact, God has provided the Bible--particularly, the New Testament--to teach us how to live in peace. The problem is, we don't obey His instructions. For example, are you obeying the following instructions that God has given us to keep free from stress? 1. John 14: 1 - "Do not let your heart be troubled." The Good News Translation says it like this: "Do not be worried and upset."  Are you letting your heart be troubled? Are you allowing yourself to be worried and upset? Notice the wording here: Do not LET or ALLOW your heart to be troubled. This means that we control whether or not our heart is troubled. Whether we are worried or not is entirely in our hands. 2. Colossians 3: 15 - "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts."  Here again, God uses the word "let", meaning "allow". He is instructing us to allow Christ's peace to rule in our hearts. This command implies that we can also NOT allow Christ's peace to rule in our hearts. We have a choice to allow ourselves to be ruled by Christ's peace or not. The opposite of peace is stress. If we don't allow Christ's peace to rule in our hearts, we will experience worry and stress. If we do allow Christ's peace to rule in our hearts, we won't experience worry and stress. Again, the choice is ours.  3. Philippians 4: 6 - "Do not be anxious about anything." Anxiety is a major problem today. Most of the prayer requests I receive have to do with anxiety of some sort. Yet, God has commanded us not to be anxious about anything. ANYTHING! This command implies that we have a choice. That we have control over anxiety. One of the greatest tricks of Satan today is to convince us that we have no control over our emotions. Because we believe this lie, we give in to our emotions. We allow them to rule us because we think we have no power over them. But the truth is that we do have power and control over our emotions. And we need to begin exercising that power in order to get rid of stress in our lives. At the same time, in order to exercise power and control over our emotions, we need the grace of God. We cannot do this in our own strength. We humans have a sin nature, and that is our default nature. Unless we are born again,

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 10- Moses' Extended Family, God's Presence in Battle, and Preparing for War Numbers 10 covers many topics: how to blow the trumpets (vs. 1-10); how to set out (vs. 11-13); marching order as they set out (vs 14-28); Moses pleading with Hobab (vs. 29-32); and the leading of the ark (vs. 33-36). What is the relationship of these to each other? I believe that the pieces are closely linked. The theme of this connection is the relationship between God's presence and doing battle for God. Let's look at some of the background before connecting all the pieces. Hobab...Father-in Law or Brother-in-Law? When first reading Numbers 10, many people are confused about the name of Moses' father-in-law. Numbers 10:29 says, "Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law..." This section is very confusing. The meaning in the ESV is "Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, is the son of Reuel the Midianite," because Judges 4:11 mentions "Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses." But when I first read it, I  read it that Moses' father-in-law was Reuel, and he had a son named Hobab. Someone else pointed out that this understanding was not consistent with Judges 4:11. It seemed to her that the father of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law, was called Reuel. But I said that when Exodus 2:18 was talking about Moses helping to water the flock of the daughters of a Midianite priest in the wilderness, it was mentioned that their father's name was "Reuel." This proves that Reuel is not Moses' grandfather, but rather Moses' father-in-law himself. When Exodus 3:1 mentions Moses' father-in-law, the name used is "Jethro.”   So what is the name of Moses' father-in-law? There is an explanation that "Jethro" is just a title, like the title of the Midianite priest, and "Reuel" is the name of his father-in-law. In Judges 4:11, the word "father-in-law" in "Moses' father-in-law Hobab" is the same as "brother-in-law" in the original Hebrew text. Therefore, some Bible translation scholars also advocate that the father-in-law in Judges 4:11 be translated as "brother-in-law." Because there are different translations in the different English Bible versions, we often find certain words translated differently. For example, NRSV, Darby Bible Translation, King James, ESV, and others have translated Judges 4:11 into "Moses' father-in-law Hobab.” But there are also many versions, including the New Living Translation, NIV, Good News Translation, New Heart English Bible, American Standard Version, English Revised Version, World English Bible, and more which have translated it as "Moses' brother-in-law.” It can be seen that theologians have different understandings or ideas on how to translate this verse. My inspiration is that Hobab is Moses' brother-in-law. Why? I will give an example to prove my guess. First, let us look at Exodus 18. Exodus 18 tells how Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, heard of the great things God had done for Moses and for the Israelites, so he  brought Moses' wife and two children with him to the mountain of God. Moses then testified to his father-in-law again of how God saved the Israelites. Jethro's reaction to Moses' news is recorded in Exodus 18:9-12 (ESV):  “And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.” Looking at these verses, we can see that Jethro praised Jehovah and offered sacrifices to God. To use a common phrase among Christians, Jethro seems to have received salvation and accepted God's salvation when he heard Moses' testimony. Exodus 18:13-26 then records that Jethro gave Moses advice. He told him to appoint chiefs of thousands and hundreds, etc. to help him judge the people. Please note that verse 18:27 (ESV) says, "Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country." What we should focus on here is the place and time when Jethro came. He might have come to Mount Sinai, the place where Moses set up the tabernacle, sometime in the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. Exodus 16:1 (ESV) recorded that the Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. After Moses let his father-in-law depart (Exodus 18:27), Exodus 19:1 records that the Israelites came to the wilderness of Sinai "on the third new moon" in the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. The NIV says “on the first day of the third month” instead. And Numbers 10:11-13 (ESV) mentions, "In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses." The book of Numbers records that they had been traveling from the wilderness of Sinai on February 20 of the second year. Perhaps they made stops along the way. Perhaps they were still in Sinai in March, when Jehovah descended on Mount Sinai. Exodus 19 records Moses going up the mountain to meet with God, where the Lord spoke to Moses for a long time and promulgated the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Moses stayed with God on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18). Then, in Exodus 31, the Lord commanded Moses to build the tabernacle. After Moses went down the mountain, he found that the Israelites broke the law by worshipping the golden calf. Later, he went again to Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 34:28). Chapter 35 begins to record the details of the construction of the tabernacle. In Exodus 40:2 (ESV), the Lord says to Moses: "On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting." It can be seen that Moses was setting up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. The record of leaving Egypt ends here. It was mentioned that the clouds covering the tabernacle guided the Israelites' movement. When the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out. The book of Numbers is a continuation of the records here. It continues to record the journey of the Israelites. I guess that Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, left during the period around February 20, the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. Plus this was also recorded in chapter 16 before Jethro came in Exodus 18. The Israelites were in the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, around February 15. If this was recorded in chronological order, Moses' father-in-law may have come to see Moses after February 15th. On February 20th, the Israelites began to “set out for the first time”. Perhaps the wilderness of Sinai was large and they had walked for quite a long time. Although we don't know exactly when Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came, we can guess from the above verses that he may come around February 15-20. How does this prove that the Hobab recorded in Numbers 10:29 might be Moses' brother-in-law, rather than his father-in-law? If he was his father-in-law, there would be no need for Exodus 18:27: "Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country." In Numbers 10, if Moses had begged for his father-in-law to not leave him, why didn't he prevent his father-in-law from leaving in Exodus 18? He encouraged it! We should also consider the distance Jethro would have had to travel to reach Moses' camp. At that time, transportation was inconvenient. It is unlikely that Jethro would leave and come back that soon. This makes no sense!   Furthermore, we read that Moses' father-in-law was old and he had praised and offered sacrifices to Jehovah. So Moses was also comfortable with his leaving, knowing he would have a proper burial in his own country. It is very difficult for people to leave their hometowns when they are old, so Jethro likely would not have wanted to travel further with Moses. So Moses did not think it necessary to stop his father-in-law from leaving. However, when Moses' father-in-law came, he might have brought Moses' brother-in-law Hobab with him and stayed with Moses for a few more days. When Moses was encamping, Hobab might have said that he hoped to go back to his own country like his father, Jethro. That's why Moses begged him to stay. Why? My guess is that, although Hobab wanted to return to his hometown, he was still young. The Bible does not record if he knew Jehovah, so if he went back, he might not be able to enter the kingdom of God peacefully like his father. Thus Moses hoped that Hobab could embark on a difficult but promising journey with him so that Hobab's family could be saved. Moses may have thought that he could still convince him to spend part of his time travelling with the Israelites. Moses' Heart for Others Numbers 10:31-32 tells us, “Thus Moses begged Hobab and said, ‘Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.'” Some people think that Moses does not trust God enough here but I disagree. Wherever Moses went, he had the presence and leading of the cloud. He did not necessarily need the help of Hobab. But if Hobab left Moses, he would not necessarily be able to enjoy the presence of God. The issue was not that Moses needed Hobab.. Rather, he was worried that Hobab would wander away from God.   The Line of Hobab Of course, the Bible does not record in Numbers 10 whether Hobab agreed to Moses' request, but other verses suggest that Hobab did walk with Moses. Judges 1 tells the story of Judah going up first to fight. It is especially recorded in verse 16: "The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people.” From this verse, we can see that Hobab may have agreed to Moses' request, and thus received God's blessing while dwelling with the tribe of Judah. Judges 4:11 says, "Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses (or brother-in-law), and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh." The descendant of Hobab, which is Jael, killed Sisera, Israel's enemy. Part of Hobab's line became warriors to fight for God. Since Hobab followed Moses and took this arduous journey, he had also received great blessings.   I heard Chuck Pierce, a prophet in the United States, say that the word for “peg” in the passage where Jael hits Sisera's head is the same word in the Hebrew text as the word “and” in Genesis 1:1 (“God created the heavens and the earth”). This tent peg is made of wood. It represents that when Christ was crucified on the cross, the heavens and the earth were linked together, and the power of God's enemy Satan (represented by Sisera) was removed. God used the descendant of Hobab to show his power. Directions for War: Then and Now When I was reading Numbers 10:1-10, the Holy Spirit highlighted verse 8 to me: "The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations." The two trumpets that Jehovah had Moses make had specific instructions for blowing the trumpets, and only the sons of Aaron, the priests, could blow them. What does this mean? This is signifying the presence of God. A priest is a person who serves God and gets to enter into His presence. Christians today must first be priests to draw near to God and minister to God Himself, and then enter into His presence before we can hear and release His words. The words of God are represented by the trumpets here, and these trumpets will lead us into battle. When two trumpets were sounded, all the Israelites would come. When only one trumpet was sounded, only the leader would come. When a trumpet blast was sounded, the tribes camping on the east were to set out. At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south were to set out. Numbers 10:9 says, "When you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.” It can be seen that blowing the trumpets was indeed for war purposes.   I have made several observations about some people's pursuit of spiritual warfare in the Pentecostal Movement. Some people I personally met have limited life and spiritual experience, but they often claimed that they engaged in spiritual warfare against enemies all day. I personally encountered these kinds of people. They would see demons in every place and under every situation. I also saw that they were deceived by the enemy in the end. I felt that they had a good heart, but their focus was misplaced. Our focus should not be centered on spiritual enemies. Rather, we need to focus on the Lord.   The secret of spiritual warfare is not to fight, but to rest and enter into God's presence. Only by entering the presence of God and the richness and fullness of God's life can you overcome the enemy. However, this does not mean that spiritual warfare is not real. Many evangelical brothers and sisters ignore the reality of spiritual warfare and do not dare to be in contact with the spiritual realm or pursue spiritual gifts. The purpose of our pursuit of God is not just to have His presence for the sake of having it. After we enter into God's presence, we will naturally enter a spiritual battle.   This is also true in the second section of the chapter (vs. 11-13). The leading of the cloud is also the presence of God. In the third section (vs. 14-28), the order of the seven camps of the twelve tribes shows preparations for war. The tribes in the east set out first. After the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, carried them away. The tabernacle represented God's presence. When there was war in the Old Testament, the people had to walk with the ark and exalt it to win. This is proved by the later experiences of Moses and the experiences of the Israelites in the book of Judges. Then the camps on the south side set out before the Kohathites, who carried the objects of the sanctuary. After they arrived, the Gershonites and Merarites would set up the tabernacle and would directly put the objects of the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies into the tabernacle. This was to bring in or maintain God's constant presence. Do you see the cycle? God's presence brings in spiritual warfare. But it is with God's presence that we see victory in war. The purpose of war is to bring in more of the presence of God. It is a circle. On the one hand, there is God's presence. On the other hand, there is victory in wars with the help of God.   Here is where we begin to see connections between the pieces of the chapter. This is all recorded before Moses begged Hobab. My inspiration in this is also to signify the theme of God's presence and war. The process of the Israelites leaving Egypt is a process of manifesting the power of God. Along the way, it is like testifying to the Gentiles. They let the prostitute Rahab (Joshua 6) and Gibeon (Joshua 9) etc. be able to join the army of God. This is a natural result of God's presence. Hobab may have been heard-headed, but he was still subdued and attracted by God's presence. Thus, in the end, he may have followed Moses embarking on a journey and a battle of leaving his home. How can the presence of God not attract people? If we really have the presence of God, our relatives will follow us. I found this true in my own life. It was not me, but the presence of God in my family that drew my realtives to Him. Like Hobab, they joined us in the army of God. Therefore, from this perspective, Hobab could not have left Moses in this place. If he left, I believe it would have been an insult to the presence of God. The Importance of Like-minded Friends Of course, I do not deny that Moses had his weaknesses. We can imagine Moses' moods. Suppose that Hobab was Moses' brother-in-law, and may have lived with Moses for nearly 40 years. Moses might have said to Hobab, "Look, God put the burden of leading the Israelites on my shoulders. I already told God to kill me. I can't bear it, but God still won't listen. Although God commanded me to lead the Israelites in leaving Egypt and performing miracles for them, they complain constantly (Numbers 11 records that the Israelites were complaining about God, and God burned some of them to death). Look at my brother Aaron and sister Miriam. They are also helping me, but they are jealous of me in their hearts (Chapter 12 records this story). I have only a few like-minded people. We have lived together for 40 years. You are someone I may be able to rely on. Please help me out." This is only my imagination. However, the Israelites had just left Egypt and had not had much time to build trust with Moses. Moses and his brother and sister had not lived together for a long time, so they were not familiar with each other. I don't believe that Moses needed Hobab to lead them into camping in the wilderness. For one, the cloud of God led them. Also, Moses had lived in the wilderness for forty years, so he himself may have been familiar with the wilderness. What Moses needed was a like-minded person. Picture the situation of the church today. What many pastors lack is not the presence and leading of God, but like-mindedness from fellow church members. Thus, many times God's call cannot be fulfilled. I think Paul also had the same feeling; he repeatedly reminded brothers and sisters to be like-minded (Philippians 2:2). In order to win the battle, we need the presence of God and support from like-minded members of the body of Christ. Final Thoughts In the last section (vs. 33-36), it is recorded that Moses was praying to exalt the ark. This shows even more clearly that our inspiration may be right. Wherever there is the exaltation of the ark, there is the presence of God, there will be victory in battles, and enemies will also be scattered. The result of the victory in battles will naturally bring more of the presence of God, and will also bring more people of God into His kingdom. I will repeat the last two verses here to serve as inspiration for us all. And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.” I pray that in your spiritual journey, you will be filled with the presence of God and surrounded by like-minded people so that you can win the battles you face. Let the name of Jehovah be exalted! May His glory fill the whole world in order to bring more people into the kingdom that He has prepared for us.  

We live in an upside down world and don't realize it. In today's episode, Jesus shows us what right side up looks like. But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other one too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. - Luke 6:27-29 Good News Translation

Download Hebrews 1-5 We are in the Church Stream reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Hebrews is written to the leaders and residents in Jerusalem - a remarkable book of literary excellence with piercing and perfect logic. It's eloquence is historical and its message is powerful.  The Message is that Jesus is our messenger of what God is, what He's done, and that He is The New Covenant.  Salvation once and for all is found in Him. It was written before the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.  It in a sense is bracing the Hebrews for the fact (that they were slow to accept) is that Jesus is the Atoning Sacrifice. The sacrifice of animals and their blood can never take sin away.  So that with the Temple soon gone, they would not slump into defeat and dismay, but would be further urged to simply accept the glaring truth that the final sacrifice for their sin has been made.  Hebrews is truly a writing of marvelous triumph.  You will enjoy and be blessed as we read this book during the church stream for most of this month. 1 - The opening is something that needs to printed large and readable and put in a prominent place so that it's the first thing we all read each morning and the final muse each night:  Christ is glorious Deity, the Creator, Preserver and owner of the Universe.  It is His sacrifice that redeemed humanity so to bring salvation for all who would receive Him.             God's Son; Jesus is, first off, greater than angels. The angels' position is explained for the remainder of the chapter.  Christ, the angels, and man and the interrelation of the three are laid out. Angels have been very misinterpreted in history, so this section of chapter one clears up much fog for all of us.  And it ought also inspire us about the heights to which we are headed as God's creation who have followed in His calling. And for what it's worth - the angels are here to assist us in following Christ in our calling. 2 - There is no overstating the fascinating and wonderful salvation that has been offered us. We must seriously embrace this gift. One day we will reign with Him. And the angels will continue in their service. We will reign with Him because of the love our Savior has for us. He knows us and understands us and forgives and saves us because He has been with us in our plight as humans. Christ knows our sufferings and is righteous to save. 3 - This discourse is an urging of the Hebrew-minded people to realize that one greater than Moses has come. Reverence Moses, yes, but Christ being greater is the one we are to worship.  Christ is over Moses. This is God's doing.    The Holy Spirit, speaks to us, and we are to hear so that we obey and then come into blessing and rest by walking with God.  It is not His plan for us to disobey, and dwell in a wrong place where we should not be.  The Israelites of the Exodus had a blessed place to go and find rest from the wandering but they disobeyed and died in the desert. We have all the revelation we need in Christ and are therefore to live and believe and walk in His rest today. 4 - God has a rest, and tremendous rest, a sabbath, a world of rest for His people. This rest is not just an idea, it is a position of blessing and provision and communication and intimacy with Him that He wishes to take Believers to - if we will let Him.  This is the Word that God has spoken to us.  His Word is sharp and discerning and active. And know that Christ Jesus is our great High Priest now. He is perfect in every way, compassionate and empathetic toward us and able to plead for us. Christ's role for us supersedes the Levitical Priesthood - more on this in Hebrews 10 later this month - ... 5 - Christ Jesus' role is compared to that of the Levitical Priests.  'Not that the Levites were all 'off base' now, it is simply that God is stressing that Christ is the Priest that offered it all on our behalf. The Priests offered animals as they were called upon to do. Some of the reasoning is to prove that centuries of doing such is all and only temporary gestures to have us be exercising the need to be forgiven. Christ's body and blood is God giving all so that we can be saved. The animals blood offered by Priests can never save us the way we need to be saved. Again, the priests were not irrelevant and futile. God ordained them. But now the time has come to shift our minds from the temporary work of the priests to the eternal work of God.  The Hebrew mentality especially needed to restructure their priorities. The passage ends today with the writer of Hebrews making a sobering statement of the childish faith and indolence of the church that the Hebrew leaders in Judea were in charge of. They had forgotten the basics and the beauty of their Christian faith along the way.  They needed to rebuild their foundation spiritually and grow from there - again! The Thread Through the Streams The theme that arose day after day is a salient reminder of what the truth is; truth that needs to be stated, and stated again and again. -In Numbers the men who stray and start prostituting with women of Moab and Midian are identified and executed. Then a census is taken. The statement is that we are going to go in to Canaan soon and we have what we need numerically but the wrong men need to be removed from the ranks first. We cannot proceed with army flanked by men who resent the truth. Also with leadership switching to Joshua soon, Moses' departure does not mean the need to be following is over with. We still need to be following -it just switches to Joshua soon. These are dire reminders and truths -In Chronicles, David makes his offerings and praises to God, commissions the next king and the construction of the Temple begins. Are we to do any different than to offer ourselves to God, praise God, raise up the next generation for God and build upon all the things that pertain to God. This needs to be stated repeatedly to each generation lest we stray from what He wants for us. -In Proverbs we are told what wisdom is and the endless need for wisdom.  'Looking for wisdom? Here it is; keep reading the Proverbs. -Ezekiel has the task of taking the Hebrews from la-la-land back to the truth. The Judeans think they will be fine. The Hebrews in exile think things will be fine...just let them go back to Jerusalem (now). No, folks, Zedekiah the king is going to be tortured, his family killed, Jerusalem is going to get over run and leveled, the prophets in the land are liars and cultic, the lives and faith of the Judeans are like dead vines...THAT is the truth, kiddos!  God is going to smash it all and start over. -Habakkuk gives the recipe for successful faith and remaining in the truth: though we may be completely empty-handed, I will be joyful and glad for The Lord God is my Savior, -John tells the whole world what the Truth and the Word is - he tells exactly what and who the Word is! -The "Book of Hebrews" tells the Hebrews what it is they have been looking for and waiting for and longing for all these centuries. You are looking for HIM?  It's Jesus whom you have been looking for.  He is the Truth and you need look no further.      HE is the Truth.

Download John 1-2 We are in the Christ Stream reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Thank you Lord Jesus for becoming flesh, for living among us, for touching our hearts, for your Cross, for saving us, for loving us... For you.  We are grateful.  Amen. We began the book of John today.  It is the first of John's five books we find in Scripture; John, I Jo., II Jo., III Jo., Revelation. John's gospel is comprised of incidents and teaching that is over 90% unique to John; found only in John, whereas Mt,Mk,Lk are much more similar to eachother  John was closest to Jesus. It was John who was told by Jesus from the Cross to "look after mother." [Mary]. Peter was regularly jousting with John and James for prominence among the disciples. John sat next to Jesus at the Last Supper and leaned upon Jesus. He seemed to know most clearly that 'this was it.'  Back in Galilee, Jesus told Peter in a clear insinuation that Peter would also be executed years from now. Peter immediately refers to John and asks, "what about him...?!"  The other Disciples had to sense that Jesus was closest in heart to John.  One writer wrote, "The Intimate Gospel: Studies in John" in 1978. It is a perfect title for commenting upon one of the most amazing books ever written. 1 - John opens by equating Jesus as "The Eternal Word."  The Truth is that God is God, and what God has said is also God. His Word IS Him. All people can look back on things spoken in the past and blush, "oh heavens, did I say that?" We compare our words now with what we said or believed years ago during school days, or earlier school days and muse, "what on earth was I thinking?" Well we weren't thinking clearly, nor completely. We never totally are prior to meeting Christ Jesus (I John 3:2). After we see Him, we shall be like Him. What Jesus is and says is God. Not so with us, however. God's Word is eternally true, and eternally God.  God's Word is Jesus.  This Word; Jesus came to earth and dwelt among us. The only way we ever find out the eternal truth about God is to dwell with Him. Therefore He came to dwell with us. Jesus is God's grace and truth and therefore He's the one way that we find grace and truth. This news of God's arrival on earth was so vital that it warranted a messenger to go ahead of and announce his entry. This was John the Baptist. In case anyone missed it, Jn./Bpt is a different John than the John who wrote the Book of John. Jesus and John/Baptist meet publicly and Jesus is baptized by John to demonstrate that we are to be baptized also; to put this world and this life away in burial and arise anew in the Holy Spirit to live for our Eternal Savior.  Jesus then calls the first Disciples.  He calls us too, btw! 2 - Jesus walks into a wedding situation and performs his first miracle by turning water into wine. It was not just any wine but the finest of the finest of fine wine. The value of what Jesus made that day was in the realm of $2.5Million in wine if it were to be purchased and served today. This is similar to when Jesus fed the 5,000 and the 4.000.  The farmer's work turns a bag of seed into tons of food every summer. Then there is the miller, then the baker and "voila" there is bread on the table for us to eat.  All this 6-month long process happens in moments in Jesus' hand. How? Jo.1:3 "Through Him all things are made." So the process of winemaking requires years...normally. Jesus' hands can make it happen in moments. And He did. And it was such an excellent product that it made the satiated guests marvel over the flavor and quality. The disciples picked up on who did it but not the wedding guests. Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover three years before He Himself would be the Passover Lamb and cleaned out the Temple area from being a market place. He was angry that God and prayer time with God was being sold to the highest bid that anyone could afford. The distinction here is that Jesus refers to them making the Temple of marketplace.  When He clears the Temple area the week before the Resurrection, He calls what they are doing as making the Temple a "Den of Robbers."   And the reading today ends with a clear reference that Jesus understood human nature. And indeed He did. That is why He came to redeem - for we needed redemption.

Download Habakkuk 2:2-3:19 We are in the Exile Stream reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord, fill us with your faith. You tell us that the righteous shall life by faith, so that is how we want to live - by the faith that you put in our hearts. Amen. We remember, from last week, Habakkuk petitioning of the Lord in great anxiety because of the Babylonians bearing down on Judah. It was an invasion that came in three waves: 605 B.C. 597 B.C. and 586 B.C.  Habakkuk is writing his book right before the first invasion.  His desperate prayer is answered starting in Hab. 2:2 2:2ff - Habakkuk is told to "have pen ready" to write down the prophecy that God gives.  First item to be assured of is that the evil will not live and the just/the righteous shall live by faith; by being faithful to God.  The Babylonians were wealthy, greedy, violent, armed, sneering, plundering - all taken by conquest v.s. building something and doing something positive.  The Babylonians had shed blood everywhere and were bent on destruction. All nations cowered and trembled in the presence of the Babylonians.  Well their time was coming and they were doomed to destruction; to the destruction they had inflicted on everyone else.  They were doomed to fall shortly after finishing this conquest of Judah.  However the Babylonians would not cover the earth.  They would go down just like all their victims.  And the people of God would, in time, be the ones who would cover the earth. The end of chapter two still echoes across the world: "The Lord is in His holy Temple. let everyone on earth be silent in His presence." 3 - Habakkuk prays a response of great awe at God's hand and workings.  He gives a terribly colossal rendition of the mighty works of God who rules all the universe with great power and might. Habakkuk is also resigned that God must do what God must do (in the finishing of His cleansing Judah of their ungodliness).  By now Habakkuk is so positively certain of God's righteous work and his own personal faith in God that nothing is going to shake him from his faith. The coming days may be dark but the future is bright and glorious in God. And all the securities of the earth; food, shelter, clothing - come what may - are irrelevant to the security that God gives.  The near future which held the decimation of Judah, did not dim the glory and wonder of God who eternally holds His best and His people in His hand.

Download Ezekiel 12-15 We are in the Prophetic Stream reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Good Lord have mercy -->some might pray at this point. But our job is to learn permanently that your rules are rules that we need to live by...permanently.  Amen. 12 - so goes the life of a prophet living among spiritual dullards to say the least.  It's great being a big name in history but the road to prominence here is not a pleasant one - not for Ezekiel. He is called to model what is coming for King Zedekiah as he flees Jerusalem at night. Zedekiah, the waffling, flip-flopping king who tried to play both sides, [make that all sides!] to avoid discomfort during the looming invasion back in Jerusalem.  Remember Ezekiel is exiled among the Chaldeans and prophesying in this setting as the Chaldeans are on a mad charge for Jerusalem to burn the place and execute anyone who fights them in the process.  So Ezekiel has to go camping and, uh, it's not at an R.V. park!  What is being foretold is that the Judeans are going to go "camping" and it's the type of camping trip where they ironically would love to be concerned with mosquitos and ants and pine needles in their sleeping bags. But they are going to be concerned with war, famine, and disease. After this then maybe they will begin to hear God and realize that they are a stubborn indolent people v.s. what God called them to be; His testimony.  From 'here on' the cheery prophecies that were all lies and the false encouragement is over with. God is going to talk to them straight and plain: YOU ARE REBELLIOUS ... and it's time for your spanking, and it's going to hurt! 13 - The false prophets in Jerusalem and those who had been exiled and were living among the exiles were disgusting to the Lord. The false prophets, male and female, were hucksters that had nothing to do with the Lord nor His Truth. The men were declaring that all was safe and fine. They were painting the crumbling walls white to give the impression that they were steady and strong when they were in shambles. The ladies were selling "magic cloth" veils [oh boy!] and charms that were supposed to give good luck/protection/power. The occultic material is under-described because the Bible doesn't want to encourage it nor even foster a curiosity.  Simply put, God has Ezekiel scold these false prophets. Their due time is coming. 14 - Israel has an idolatry problem. But in a phony gesture of pious inquiry, the leaders, who approve of all the idols, seek Ezekiel to find what the Lord's Will is.  No one but the duplicitous leaders fooling themselves get fooled here. God's sentiments are pretty clear here in responding to those who deliberately break His Will while claiming to want to know God's will.  Get real, jokers. The Babylonians would have sent the worst death blow so far save for the fact that Daniel, an exceptional Hebrew, was an exile who became a man of tremendous favor and service in the Babylonian Leadership. His prominence took him to basically 2nd from the top in the Empire. And mayyy-be God was staving off the inevitable because of Daniel, a Hebrew from Judah...?. He, Noah, and Job are mentioned as righteous examples of types that could thwart a disaster for Jerusalem. But even that wasn't going to delay the judgment that was set to befall Judah for its idolatry.  Not any longer. 15 - The people of Jerusalem are compared to a vine that is growing where it is of no use.  It cannot be used for anything. Can you say, "worthless"? This is how God sees the people of Jerusalem;  worthless dead vines that need to be burned. Jerusalem needed to be burned clean of its idolatrous people. God was getting set to do that via the Babylonian army.

Download Proverbs 1-4 We are in the Wisdom Stream and reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Dear Jesus, we ask for wisdom, and we know that you give generously to those who ask of you.  Amen. Solomon was raised by David who was stalwart, regal, a musician, a tactician, soldier, and poet turned king. And David was diligent to instruct Solomon. Excelling was normal living to Solomon. He wrote the first 29 chapters of this book [with Agur writing 30 and King Lemuel 31].  His writings are voluminous, not to mention the songs he wrote. His mind was the wonder of his world and his era. People came 1000's upon 1,000's of miles to have audience with him. He taught on botany, animals, science, politics, business, poetry, virtue. His preaching entranced those who were able to gather in his corridors. Solomon was impassioned to have learning be a preoccupation for his people; and of anyone who would come to learn. So for the next nine weeks (through USA's Thanksgiving weekend) we will be sitting and learning from Solomon. Letting one's self be mentored by Solomon is far better than making all the mistakes personally. World leaders today benefit from Solomon's wisdom. 1 - Solomon urges us from the start to pay attention and learn wisdom. Wisdom surpasses knowledge for wisdom properly applies what is known and learned.  Wisdom is even defined as "skill" when describing the skill of the workers who did the artwork and thinking for the Tabernacle [Exo.31]. There are plenty of people in this world who have storehouses of knowledge and are yet derelict in their living. Therefore wisdom is worth more because wisdom knows what to do with what is learned. There are billions of people on earth who know things but do not know what to do next...[so get wisdom!] Wisdom will grant character, steering lives away from stupidity, bad company, and criminal living,  And attaining wisdom isn't some mysterious hunt disguised behind tricky endeavors - simply ask God for it. Wisdom is everywhere and for the embracing. Avoiding wisdom will increase trouble, bring destruction and cut life short. Whereas wisdom brings secure living. 2 - The young will be rewarded for seeking wisdom. In wisdom they will possess a guide in life that surpasses all other forms of guidance.  Wisdom will guard against darkness and sin and those who seduce wandering souls to unwittingly traverse the wrong road that leads to the world of the dead. I.e. Wisdom keeps life aright. Shunning wisdom will funnel anyone past and beyond the point of no return. Outer darkness awaits those who stop their ears from learning wisdom. 3 - Solomon advises the young to adhere to teaching, loyalty and faithfulness, to trust God over their own thoughts, remain humble, and remember to make offerings to God. Wisdom is letting yourself be corrected.  Therein comes wealth and honor, for wisdom is the source of all life. And it is imperative to grow in wisdom - for wisdom is never outgrown.  Be charitable. And to remain in God's blessing --> avoid arguments, scheming, jealousy, violence, evil and all stupidity. 4 - Above all things get wisdom - for wisdom opens the world and eternity. Wisdom leads to all things that are desired in this life. There are two paths in this life: one that comes from wisdom and leads to life and wonder, and the other that shuns wisdom - leading to darkness, evil, pain, wickedness, and shame.

Download II Chronicles 28:1 - II Chronicles 5:1 We are in the Nation Stream reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Heavenly Father, you build us up and raise us up. We see your astonishing Temple going up today with unsurpassed beauty and value and strength. Thank you that the fixation has switched to us; your Temple today. As David's life draws to a close, here's a quick reminder: I Chron. is David's life as is I & II Samuel. I Chronicles being a slightly more regal and godly illustration of David.  Whereas I & II Samuel would make for a slightly higher grossing movie with all the illustrative details.  II Chron. covers the same time period of I & II Kings. The "Kings" covers the melee~ that was going on in both Kingdoms, while II Chron. is focussing on only the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 28/29 -  Here is David's final instructions for the Temple, his calling forth of Solomon and declaring him the next king. Solomon is to build the Temple as his father reminds him to honor God and follow the plans every step of the way. The duties and details are stated to the Levites reminding them of their duties.  His encouragement to Solomon is what every child wants to hear from their father and it would eliminate the woes of much of the world if this type of word proceeded from every father. Before David heralds his last public worship service, he declares what his gifts for building the Temple are going to be. Not to belabor the math too much but here's one picture: the gold that was amassed just for the Temple was 610,000 lbs. / 305 tons of gold! It's almost 13 semi trucks loaded to capacity weight!. If it were a single cube of gold it would be 505 cubic feet [8 feet X 8 feet X 8 feet square!]

Download Numbers 25-27 We are in the World Stream reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord, Teach us to live right and do right, to serve you wholeheartedly, bless others, and finish well.  Amen. 25 - The sinister agenda of Balaam and the outright dark agenda of Balak came into bloom as the men of Israel started attending the party/feast/festivals of Baal with the Moabite and Midianite women. It was a sex cult and not much else. Balak wanted the Israelites distracted, cursed. Balaam was not able to curse them against God's plan. We read that last week as Balaam tarries pathetically with Balak who tries again and again to get Balaam to curse them. As they go to one offering after another it all seemed pathetic. Could we call it "dilly-dallying on purpose"?  Balak had gotten them to tarry where they shouldn't be long enough and the Israelite men then slouched in their morals - 24,000 of them do anyway - and they get to whoring with local pagan girls. We see this in history where and when men go to places they shouldn't be and stay longer than they ought.  What does anyone think is going to happen? God's judgment falls and all the fornicating men are ordered executed. Translations vary but the actual order was to impale them and put them up on poles as a testimony to what happens when men stray from what they are called to do.  The whole mess is eventually blamed upon Balaam whom God/Moses ordered killed; Num. 25:4, 31:8./ 2 Ptr.2:15 /Jude 11 /Rev. 2:14.  Turning away and disobeying God for cash and/or what seems like pleasure for a season brings condemnation and that is why Peter, Jude and John (in Revelation) bring it up 1300 years later at the close of the biblical text. 26 - With the latest plague and purge of the disobedient behind them, it was time to take a census before heading into the Promised Land. The census here is ordered of God and for practical purposes. I Chron. 21ff. is the census done in error; at Satan's urging and was David's transgression. When God says to take inventory, He always has a reason. When a man takes inventory against God's will it is akin to someone standing in front of a body mirror to admire himself and flex for 6-7 hours. Uh, knock it off and go do something!] We've met a few people; ladies namely who tarry in front of a vanity for 3 hours each morning to put on makeup. Never mind that their children need breakfast, their husband needs them for sundry reasons, the dog isn't fed...theyyyy need to be pretty (uh-hum, for whom??!). OK, enough said --> God called for this census.  All tribes tallied, the men of age totaled 601,730.  It's interesting that in the census taken in Numbers 1; 38 years prior, there were 603,550 men of age. Of those, 603,548 had died in the desert and only Joshua and Caleb had survived. So now they were near set to enter the Promised Land with 601,730 men of fighting age. 27 - The issue of property going to daughters who had lost their father and had no brothers arises and is settled squarely and in a fair manner.  Be sure to interpret this in the proper light theologically v.s. via the gender hostile culture of today that claims to be ever so sensitive while is fosters infection and resentment more than propriety and forthright fairness.  The issue isn't going to be settled here today but back up a moment and realize that if someone wants to be treated fairly, they should go to God [and not court, or N.O.W. rallies pushing angry feminist candidates and their resentful agendas]. Women in the Judeo-Christian world are the best treated, most honored, most bestowed upon, wealthiest, most cherished, empowered, pampered, and adorned women the world has ever seen. Christ has set women free so women are to realize how loved, treasured, and provided for they are.                          The reading ends today with the Moses getting a painful reminder of where he had failed God and His command to pass the leadership to Joshua. On the bright side this made Moses doubly resolved to make sure that Joshua is ordained and bestowed with the Spirit of God so that he is endowed and ordained to lead through the next generation as they cross the Jordan to enter their destiny. This is done and done well.   Though a generation later they did not do so well with it. [see Judges 2] A story today where God's plan is not passed on so well:  My husband reminds me of a sad story of a minister in Europe who died recently at 106. He was ordained into the ministry in his early 20's about a decade after WWI ended. He served in the same church for 84 years as the pastor. That is all good and it speaks of longevity and faithfulness. But the problem is that he didn't "pass the torch" to others. The parish was packed to the rafters from the late 1920's to the late 1950's. Then the distractions and worldliness overtook the culture in the 1960's and the congregation slowly filed out - not to return. Neither was this pastor raising up, training, discipling, and ordaining others to assist in evangelizing his city nor his country, nor were missionaries being sent out. His last Sunday before his funeral, in the 2,000's A.D. his once-filled sanctuary was not even 5% filled as about a dozen souls were scattered about the stone monolith that seats hundreds upon hundreds.  I.e. raise up and prepare others into ministry. Do not clutch the pulpit/the staff/the ephod to ones'self.   Do like Moses did to Joshua.

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Isaiah 7-11, after which I'll have a gripe about something in one of our chapters, and then a close examination of a verse in another chapter. After than, there's the “On This Day In Church History” segment. The scripture reading and my remarks are longer than usual today, so I'm going to keep everything else shorter than usual. Thoughts on Isaiah 8 Is It Understandable? Ok, I'm all for modern English translations as long as the new translation makes the text easy to understand, and it conveys the original meaning that was intended in the original language. But in the beginning of chapter 8 we have, what is to me, an excellent example of why we need to keep the older translations around.  At the beginning of chapter 8, God tells Isaiah to “Take a large piece of writing material and write on it in large letters: “Quick Loot, Fast Plunder.” It it me, or did you sort of say, “What?!?” when you heard that? I did not immediately grasp the meaning of that sentence. What exactly is a large piece of writing material, and what is the meaning of  “Quick Loot, Fast Plunder”? In the King James Version, Isaiah is told, “Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher–shalal–hash–baz.”. Now, other than Maher–shalal–hash–baz, doesn't that make more sense? I'll explain Maher–shalal–hash–baz in a moment. But you probably easily understood the instruction to “Take thee a great roll.” What did they write on in those times? Scrolls. The modern translation could have easily said, “Get a large book and write on it.” In my opinion, that would have been much better. Is It Accurate? And did you notice something in the King James Version I just read to you that was not in the Good News Translation? Let me read them to you again. First the KJV: Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher–shalal–hash–baz. And now, the GNT: Take a large piece of writing material and write on it in large letters: ‘Quick Loot, Fast Plunder.'  Did you hear the missing element? In the KJV Isaiah is told to write with a man's pen. There is nothing at all about what to write with in the GNT. Why is this point important? I like the way the Jamieson, Fausset, Brown commentary explains it: (Isaiah was to write it) in ordinary characters, which the humblest can read. Not in hieroglyphics. The object was that, after the event, all might see that it had been predicted by Isaiah.” This was God telling Isaiah that He wanted everyone, from the most noble to the most humble, to know what God told Isaiah would take place. It was not to be only for the aristocracy. Does It Make Sense? Now for Maher–shalal–hash–baz. Again, the KJV says: Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher–shalal–hash–baz. The GNT says: Take a large piece of writing material and write on it in large letters: ‘Quick Loot, Fast Plunder.'  Maher–shalal–hash–baz means, “Make speed to the spoil, hasten to the prey.” Don't you think that is actually more clear than  “Quick Loot, Fast Plunder.” Quick Loot, Fast Plunder sounds like a fast food slogan or something.  The message here is that the Assyrian army will come upon them with great speed and make great spoil. They're coming in quickly, and they will bring a great deal of destruction upon them.  So there's a short lesson on one way to get more meaning from the reading of scripture. Use more than one version. Compare translations. Don't just let things go by that you're not clear on.  Thoughts on Isaiah 9:6 Ok, I'm going to cheat just a little bit here. We read from the Good News Translation, but for my remarks, I'm going to use the King James because I like how it sounds, and many of us are more familiar with this verse in the KJV because when we hear the Christmas story, it is the KJV that is most often quoted. The Verse Here's Isaiah 9:6 from the KJV: For unto us a child is bor...

Episode 122 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 8 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: (Bible quotes from the Good News Translation) The LORD Almighty answers, “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.” But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Malachi, Chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello. I’m Victoria K. Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth. Today we are concluding our look at “The Intertestamental Period” - the 400-plus year period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Next time we will begin a new series we call “But what about?” which will explore various topics found in the Bible that people sometimes find puzzling. For instance we are planning on doing one or two episodes on “but what about heaven and hell” and “but what about angels and demons.” But, for today, we’re going to close out this series on the intertestamental period. I’m in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, would you care to say a word of greeting and introduction? RD: Greetings to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. We really appreciate you taking some time to be with us for this episode. We know that anyone who takes the time to listen to Anchored by Truth only does so because they have a sincere interest in knowing the Bible better because the single focus of Anchored by Truth is to demonstrate, as our opening says, that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. That truth used to be commonly accepted but it’s not today. So, to hold to that truth requires both commitment and courage. VK: RD, throughout this series we’ve been talking about the intertestamental period. And I think we’ve seen that even though no new books of the Bible were being produced during this period that this was a key period in Biblical history. Can you give us an overview of why you thought it was so important for us to take an in-depth look at this period? RD: Sure. The short answer is that the intertestamental period was the period in which a number of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled. If we don’t know anything about the intertestamental period’s history, we will miss important instances of prophetic fulfillment. Also, during the intertestamental period changes occurred in and around Israel that affected the world in which Jesus lived His earthly life. If we don’t understand those changes we miss important events that prepared the world for the arrival of the Messiah. So, to close out our series I want to emphasize those points by thinking about two hypothetical scribes – one scribe who lived at the very beginning of the intertestamental period and one scribe who lived at its end. Let’s call our first scribe, Ariel and our second scribe Zedekiah. VK: We think of a “scribe” as someone who is a writer or a stenographer but you’re using the term as it was used in the Bible. A scribe was someone who was an expert in the Jewish scriptures and law. RD: Right. So, let’s say Ariel was a scribe who lived in Jerusalem around 425 B.C. I want to think about the world in which Ariel lived and, more importantly, what Ariel knew about the progress of the plan of redemption. VK: Well, first, Ariel knew that there was a plan of redemption because the plan had been launched in Genesis, the first book of the Jewish scriptures which we now call the Old Testament. And, at the time Ariel lived all of the books of the Old Testament had been written though scholars differ on when the first compilation was actually made. But in Ariel’s day the final books of the Old Testament, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi, had just been completed. So, at least all the books would have been available in one form or another. RD: Yes. The books had all been written though as you say the first complete compilation into a single volume as we know the Old Testament would not have been available. For instance, in the Jewish scriptures the books we call Ezra and Nehemiah were generally thought to have been a single book and even in the various compilations that were produced the order of the books sometimes varied. But the main point is that Ariel has access to the entire Old Testament. As such, and since Ariel is an expert on those books, Ariel would have known that a large number of the Old Testament prophecies had been fulfilled. VK: Such as the prophecy contained in Isaiah 44:28 where God told Isaiah “When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’ he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’” Ariel lived at a time when he had seen, or more probably his grandparents had seen, the Persian Emperor, Cyrus, conquer the Babylonian Empire. Very shortly after he did so Cyrus issued a decree that allowed the Jews in exile in Babylon to return home and to begin rebuilding their temple. RD: Right. Ariel, his parents and his grandparents, had seen a number of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled during their lifetimes. They had seen that, even though the Babylonians did not initially destroy Jerusalem, they finally did as prophesied by Ezekiel. They had seen that the Babylonian exile had lasted about 70 years as prophesied by Jeremiah. They saw the Babylonian Empire fall to a confederation of the Medes and Persians as prophesied by Daniel. And they had seen Babylon fall in the exact way Isaiah had foretold. In Isaiah 44:27 God has said, “When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’ they will be dry.” The way the Medes and Persians bypassed Babylon’s impregnable walls was by diverting the Euphrates River that flowed under the wall. Then, when the river bed was dry they just marched under the wall into the city. VK: And our fictional scribe, Ariel, now lived in a mostly rebuilt Jerusalem. The temple had been finished around 515 B.C. but the walls of Jerusalem weren’t finished until 445 B.C. So, Ariel lived in a walled city although it wasn’t nearly as grand as the pre-exile city had been. And Ariel lives in a city that is part of the Persian Empire. Israel is not an independent nation although they are enjoying some degree of autonomy in their daily lives and religious practices. RD: Right. So, Ariel has seen a number of prophecies contained in his scriptures come true. But Ariel also knows that there are a large number of prophecies he can read about that haven’t come true. The prophet Daniel has prophesied that the Persian Empire will be conquered by the Greeks, but in Ariel’s lifetime the Persian Empire is at the height of its power. Greece is just a disjoined group of warring city states that aren’t a single country much less a threat to the mighty Persian Empire. And, as Ariel looks out over his city from the temple mount, the biggest prophecy of all – that a Messiah would come to deliver His people – remains completely unfulfilled. VK: And maybe worse for Ariel he has the prophecy from chapter 9 of Daniel to deal with. That prophecy said that 483 years had to elapse from the date a decree was given to rebuild Jerusalem and restore its moat and city square before the Messiah, the Chosen One, would arrive. And to compound this dilemma there were four separate decrees issued by Persian emperors that had to do with rebuilding either the temple or the city. So, Ariel can’t really even be sure which decree is the one that starts the 483 year time clock ticking. RD: Correct. But, Ariel has seen a number of very specific prophecies fulfilled so Ariel has good reason to believe that the other prophecies he knows about will also come true. But Ariel has no idea that the most recent books he has seen added to his scriptures, Ezra-Nehemiah and Malachi, are going to be the last of God’s special revelation for a very long time. VK: A period of over 400 years. That’s almost 200 years longer than the United States has been in existence. Hopefully, Ariel has a comfortable life because neither his children, grandchildren, nor great grandchildren are going to see the prophetic fulfillment of many prophecies which are very important to them. RD: So, now let’s leap forward to Zedekiah, our hypothetical scribe who lives at the very end of the intertestamental period. Like Ariel, let’s say Zedekiah lives in Jerusalem and he lives at the time that John the Baptist has just appeared on the scene. John the Baptist has just started his pubic ministry and is just starting to create a buzz among the common people. Zedekiah isn’t a skeptic but Zedekiah, as an expert in the scriptures, feels that he has to be far more cautious before he places his trust in this strange guy who lives in the desert, wears a camel hair coat, eats locusts and honey, and is telling everyone they need to repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Let’s see what Zedekiah knows that Ariel didn’t. VK: Well, Zedekiah now knows that just about every prophecy in the book of Daniel has been fulfilled with a staggering amount of precision. Unlike Ariel, Zedekiah has seen the Persian Empire fall to the Greek Empire. And Zedekiah knows that that conquest occurred within a remarkably short time period – just over a decade. Zedekiah also knows that there was only one great king of the Greek Empire, Alexander the Great. Zedekiah knows that the prophecy that said Alexander’s empire would be split into four parts has come true. And Zedekiah also knows that the Greek Empire has been replaced by the Roman Empire. So, Zedekiah can see the series of four world empires prophesied by Daniel in chapters 2, 7, and 8 of his book has all been fulfilled. RD: And Zedekiah has seen that the prophecies in Daniel chapter 9 through 12 have been partially fulfilled. Zedekiah has seen that the struggle between the king of the north and the king of the south described so clearly in chapters 11 and 12 has unfolded just as prophesied in the conflicts between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. So, Zedekiah can see that a great many more prophesies contained in the Old Testament have been fulfilled between Ariel’s time and his time. VK: And this was one of the big reasons we undertook this examination of the intertestamental period. If we don’t know anything about the intertestamental period we miss seeing an amazing number of prophetic fulfillments. RD: Right. But, like Ariel, Zedekiah has not seen any of the prophecies related to the coming of the Messiah being fulfilled. Like Ariel, Zedekiah is still awaiting the promised Anointed One who will deliver his people. But unlike Ariel Zedekiah can see that the prophesied 483 time period between the delivery of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the arrival of the Messiah has largely elapsed. Zedekiah knows that it has been more than 400 years since Darius and Artaxerxes issued their decrees concerning Jerusalem. So, Zedekiah could have good reason to believe that the arrival of the Messiah might be very close at hand. VK: Just as Nicodemus seems to have. Nicodemus said plainly to Jesus that they, the Jewish leaders, knew Jesus had come from God because of the miracles Jesus had done. The perceptive Jews of Nicodemus’ day knew all that our hypothetical Zedekiah did. And, when the Jewish leaders saw John the Baptist begin his ministry apparently many of those leaders wondered exactly that. In the first chapter of his gospel John says that the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites out to ask him whether he was the Messiah. John of course said that he wasn’t. But he did say that he was the Elijah-type messenger that Malachi prophesied would arrive just before the Messiah. RD: Right. So, Ariel and Zedekiah both stood at crucial intersections of history. Ariel stood at the intersection where a 1,000 year period of God’s special revelation came to a close and period of revelatory silence was about to begin. In Ariel’s day it had been a little over a thousand years since Moses had first assembled or written the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible. And the 400 to 450 year period of the intertestamental period was about to begin. Zedekiah stood at the end of that period and where a new period of special revelation was about to begin. It would begin first with John the Baptist breaking the period of revelatory silence. John obviously was receiving communication directly from God because he told his followers he was able to identify Jesus as the Messiah because of the sign he had been given that the Spirit would come down and rest on Him. VK: But John the Baptist wasn’t the only one that God was communicating with directly in that day. John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, had a visit from Gabriel. Gabriel told Zechariah of the coming birth of John the Baptist. And there were two elderly people, Anna and Simeon, who received messages from God about Jesus and recognized Jesus as the Messiah when he was a baby. RD: Correct, but Anna and Simeon’s messages from God were more for the purpose of authentication than proclamation. And Zechariah’s message was more for preparation. It was John the Baptist who came forth in the mold of the Old Testament prophets and really broke that extended period of prophetic silence. What I want us to see is that the intertestamental period created those prophetic intersections. The opening of the intertestamental period inaugurated a period of prophetic silence, the close marked the end. What I think is useful for us today is to examine what the people who lived at those intersections knew and how what they knew affected their faith. In part, I think this is useful because it is fair to say that we live in another period of prophetic silence. VK: What you mean is that the canon of scripture closed almost 2,000 years ago, right? It’s not that we don’t have a special revelation from God. We do. It’s called the Bible. But the period we live in resembles the intertestamental period because new special revelations are not being added currently. Do I have that correct? RD: Exactly. In fact, it’s been almost 2,000 years since the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, was written. So, this period of revelatory silence has gone on 4 to 5 times longer than the intertestamental period. But during this period we have seen additional prophecies fulfilled. Some of these were prophecies contained in the Old Testament but some were provided in the New Testament. VK: Such as? RD: Such as Jesus prophesying about the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. VK: You’re thinking of Mark, chapter 13, verses 1 and 2. “As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.” Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” RD: Yes. Jerusalem was completely destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman general, Titus, who later became emperor. But let’s get back to Ariel and Zedekiah for a moment. As we mentioned in their hypothesized settings both knew about prophecies of a coming Messiah but neither had seen His arrival. But if Zedekiah lived for a few more years after he saw John the Baptist appear on the scene Zedekiah would have seen dozens more Old Testament prophecies come true in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s just that Zedekiah, like most Jews of his time, would have seen the prophecies come true in an unexpected way. VK: Faithful Jews like Zedekiah very much expected the Messiah to be a conquering political and military figure. But in His first coming Jesus came to conquer sin and death – arguably a task that’s immeasurably harder than just conquering a country or empire. RD: Yes. So, as we stand in our own period of revelatory silence we have the advantage not just of seeing that the vast majority of Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled, but also many from the New Testament. But like Ariel and Zedekiah there is one great prophetic hope that we have and for which we are still awaiting fulfillment. VK: I’m sure you mean the second coming of Jesus. Believers have been looking forward to that since Jesus’ ascension and the angels asked His disciples why they kept looking at the sky. Then they added, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Ever since that minute believers have wondered when He would come again. RD: That is the hope I’m thinking about. There are many different opinions on many matters relating to eschatology but all commentators are agreed that at some point Jesus will make a physical return to the Earth. And when He does He will usher in the time of final judgment and separation of believers from unbelievers. So, we, in our day, are different from Ariel and Zedekiah in that they were looking forward to the first coming of the Messiah. We look back to Jesus’ first coming. But we are the same as Ariel and Zedekiah in looking forward to the Messiah righting all wrongs, providing rewards to His servants, and restoring the heavens and earth to an uncorrupted state. That’s one of the reasons I think it is a good idea for contemporary believers to study previous periods of Biblical history like the intertestamental period. We can get so lost in our own time and troubles we can forget that God’s plan of redemption is still firmly on track and that He will complete it at a time that He has already chosen. VK: So, what you’re saying is that in order for us to persevere in our faith we need to have an eternal perspective. We need to see beyond the trials and temptations that surround us day-to-day. It’s certainly not that those trials and temptations are unimportant but if we want to be victorious over them we need to remember that it is God who will provide the victory. But how can we be confident that God will provide the victory if we don’t have confidence in God’s promises. And the place where God’s promises are contained is the Bible. So, we need to ensure that we are firm in our minds that the Bible is God’s word. It’s one thing to answer yes to the question, “is the Bible the word of God?” But it’s another thing to be able to answer the follow up question of “why do you believe that?” RD: And, oddly enough, studying the intertestamental period increases our confidence in the two testaments. And thinking about the challenges believers faced at each point in redemptive history helps us be much more secure and effective in our own place in redemptive history. Christianity is a faith rooted in time and place. It’s not a faith that asks its believers to suspend their critical facilities. To the contrary, as we discussed in a previous episode of Anchored by Truth we are commanded to love God with all our minds. A huge part of the confidence believers should have is knowing how we today fit into the unfolding of redemptive history. VK: So, are we more like Ariel or Zedekiah? RD: I think we’re more like Zedekiah. At our place in history we haven’t had a direct revelation from God in almost 2,000 years. Zedekiah knew God had been quiet for over 400 years but right before John the Baptist started his ministry Zedekiah had no way of knowing when God would break His silence. VK: Oh. I think I see where you’re going with this. When God did break His silence He gave the world so much more than just another earthly political leader. God gave the world the means to transcend the sin and death that had plagued mankind since the garden. So, while Zedekiah wouldn’t know it until after the resurrection something far more amazing than just a military conquest was right around the corner. RD: Precisely. I’m well aware there are a wide variety of views on eschatology in our day and time. Probably the dominant view in our day and time is that the next event of redemptive history is the rapture – the removal of the church before the great tribulation. But not all Biblical scholars believe there will be a rapture or a literal millennium of Christ’s reign on this earth. But all Christians agree that Christ’s physical return to the earth is an event that we can and should anticipate eagerly. And as Jesus emphasized, other than the Father, no one knows the day and time that will happen. It could be tomorrow. It could be today. VK: So, we need to be about the business of ensuring that we are ready for Him to return. That’s not something that anyone else can do for us. We must do it for ourselves. That’s the reason regular Bible study and meditation are essential to our maturity as Christians. Other people can answer questions and point us to helpful resources but we are the only ones who can absorb it and apply what we learn to our lives. RD: Amen. Today we used Ariel and Zedekiah as hypothetical examples of people who lived at particular times in Biblical history. But there were real people who did live at those times and places who had the same kinds of questions that we do. Zedekiah lived in an era when God’s prophetic silence was broken but it’s interesting to think about what Zedekiah might have wondered right before that happened. Did Zedekiah wonder whether God was ever going to keep His promise to send a Messiah? Did he wonder whether God’s revelation was ended for all time? His scriptures told him differently but did he believe them. Our Bible tells us Jesus is coming again. We live in an era when we’ve seen a physical nation of Israel restored to its homeland. So, we’ve seen things that some people only dreamed about for over 1,900 years, but never happened. What’s next for us? The one thing we know for sure is that Jesus is coming again. We have hundreds of fulfilled prophecies from the Bible that assure us that at some point God will interrupt the daily activities of this world in an amazing and powerful way. We too could be the people who witness that. VK: Sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer of for our kids who will soon be starting school because we certainly want God to both guide, inspire, and protect them. ---- CHILDREN STARTING SCHOOL VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the Good News Translation) Malachi, Chapter , verses 1 and 2, Good News Translation

I have been back from Indonesia for over a month now, and my life has slowly calmed down to the point where I can make a podcast again. If you listened to my last update, sent from my hotel room in Jakarta, and prayed for me, I want to say Thank You! The Lord answers prayers! If you would like to see a follow-up to my prayer requests from my last update, a link to our recent prayer letter is here in the episode notes. LINK Heads up, people: I have some cool downloads for this episode. You can see all the links to those in the episode notes. In my last update, I mentioned that I would share something about my article in Indonesian which started out with the title, The Heritage of the King James Version. After John Wycliffe, the first famous English Bible translator, I learned a bit more about William Tyndale. He fled for his life, and finally was betrayed and cruelly martyred in 1536. But his work greatly influenced Bible translations after him. One estimate says that 84% of the KJV shows influence from Tyndale. Beyond that, through subsequent translations, Tyndale's influence is still felt. Bringing this home to the present day, if you read the ESV, Tyndale's influence is discernible in that Bible. How amazing and I think this shows God's fingerprints: The first Bible translator martyred is still influencing our Bible translations. Before the KJV, there were two English translations of note: The first is the Great Bible, authorized by Henry the VIII. This was translated by Miles Coverdale. It was called ‘great' because of its size. King Henry's Secretary of State, Thomas Cromwell, directed the clergy to provide “one book of the Bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it.” Note that this means that Cromwell and the king did not consider that parishioners might want their own copy! Coming only three years after Tyndale's incomplete translation, Coverdale primarily revised and corrected Tyndale's work. Coverdale translated the remaining books of the OT from the Latin Vulgate, not from the Hebrew. The second precursor to the KJV that I want to mention is the Geneva Bible. It was published in 1560, 51 years before the KJV. Under the reign of Mary Queen of Scotts, when protestants were persecuted and more than 300 were martyred, many protestant theologians fled to various places in Europe. In particular, many fled to Geneva, where John Calvin was in the later years of his life. In 1557 they formed a committee to translate the Bible. Just a year later, Queen Elizabeth I gained the throne of England, and the dedication of the Geneva Bible was addressed to her. The Geneva Bible scored an amazing number of FIRSTS: It was the first English Bible translation that was translated entirely from the original languages, Hebrew and Greek. It was the first Bible translated by a committee instead of by a lone individual. The Geneva Bible was the first to be printed in an easy to read Roman font. The Geneva Bible was the first study Bible, with Bible maps, and explanatory notes on every page. Note also that these notes were written by leading scholars of the Reformation. This was the first printed Bible with chapter and verse numbers. The Geneva Bible was the first one to use italic font for words that were added to complete English grammar, differentiating those words from all those that were direct translations of the source text. This Bible was printed in versions that were small enough to be easily carried and inexpensive enough that ordinary believers could own a copy. The Geneva Bible (and not the KJV) is the Bible that was used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John Knox, John Donne, and John Bunyan (the writer of The Pilgrim's Progress, 1678). This is the Bible that in 1620 was carried to America on the Mayflower. Twenty-four copies of this Bible are housed in libraries and museums in America. If you are interested in the Puritans and what the protestant reformers believed, get the Geneva Bible. Facsimile copies of the Geneva Bible are available to buy, one of the 1560 edition, and the second of the 1591 edition. I have already given away my facsimile of the 1560 edition. However I have found a complete PDF that contains the complete 1560 edition, and the link for downloading it is here in the episode notes. (This PDF is only 259 MB because it is a black and white scan.) If you don't want to learn to read the antique font in the PDF, Biblegateway displays the Geneva Bible complete with its footnotes. However, when King James came to the throne of England, he did not like the Geneva Bible. One of the issues was those excellent study notes I mentioned above. You see, some of the notes contain critical remarks about what ‘kings or queens shouldn't do'. (This is no wonder, seeing what the authors had been through!) James decreed that the new translation would not have any study notes.  It is an odd quirk of history, that the KJV has so dominated in its influence, because in its time it was  not considered the most exact translation, not considered poetic in its style, not considered as the only authoritative Bible. But it became the dominant Bible in England and eventually in the USA partly because its printing was authorized by the Crown, thereby suppressing the printing of the Geneva Bible. However, beyond doubt, the King James Bible has been, and still is, the world's most influential book. I will not take the time here to list its many influences over our English language and culture (as such praises can be found all over the Internet), but I highlight one influence not normally mentioned: The KJV has exerted a huge influence over Bible translations into the world's languages. Most of the time, Bible readers of this time do not realize that what is sold as a King James Version they use is not really the same as the original KJV. That is why a better name for the modern editions of the KJV is the Authorized Version. You can download a PDF of the whole KJV 1611 first edition here. (The whole Bible is 1.8 GB because this scan is in color.) [naked link: https://archive.org/details/1611TheAuthorizedKingJamesBible/page/n5/mode/2up] One of the differences between the normal Authorized Version and the real 1611 KJV is that the Authorized Version won't contain the Preface entitled The Translators to the Reader. If you think that you're good at understanding King James English, I challenge you to read the original Preface. To make it easier to download, I have linked a copy of just the preface HERE. When you discover how difficult it is to read the original font and spelling, I have linked a PDF that contains the KJV Preface with modern spelling HERE. Unfortunately, what we need is a modern language translation of this important document, with footnotes explaining references to events, literary figures, or customs common to that era that leave modern readers in the dark. Back in the 1980s, I wrote a letter to a special friend and supporter because he and his family had joined the King James Only movement. My short article with quotes from the Preface was later reprinted and used by Wycliffe Bible Translators. The letter is linked HERE, and it explains why the King James translators themselves would not have agreed with the King James Only movement. There is so much more to discuss about the history of Bible translation up to our times, which will someday be in the article I was writing in Indonesian. For now I want to jump to a notable Bible translator who is now largely forgotten. His name is Richard Francis Weymouth (1822-1902). Weymouth was a school teacher, an authority on literature, a published linguist, and a published Greek scholar. His NT in Modern Speech was published posthumously by his secretary in 1903. Weymouth was WAY ahead of his time. He realized that all the English translations published up to 1900 retained the wooden literalisms of Tyndale, making them hard to understand. He set out to make the first ever natural-sounding English translation, that is a translation that would make it sound like Paul and other NT writers had written in English, instead of Greek.  So Weymouth made the first ‘meaning based translation', although that term and terms like ‘dynamic equivalence' had not yet been coined. His NT in Modern Speech is wonderfully accurate and still sounds amazingly modern, given that it was first published in 1903. It was not until 1966 that the Good News Translation appeared. The Weymouth NT was published in two forms, one with footnotes, one without. If you are going to read this NT, be sure to get a copy with the footnotes. It is not hard to find used copies. You can download a copy here for free (9.7 MB), complete with the footnotes. (It is available in the MyBible app, but without the footnotes.) A prettier copy, evidently in higher resolution is found here (48.2 MB). Recordings of ten books of the Weymouth NT are read quite dramatically and available for free download through LibreVox. Now turning to news about the NLT side of the Daily Bible Reading Podcast: Tyndale House Foundation changed their years-old copyright policies, so that they now have a policy for podcasts. I am thrilled that they have granted permission for my NLT Daily Bible Readings to still be made available. As per their request, the complete copyright notice has been placed at the end of the episode notes for every podcast. I will read it here: Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in these podcasts are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. I will be slowly adding brief audio summaries of the notice to every podcast. I give a shout out to my volunteer secretary, Vicky Pool, who has done the job of putting that copyright notice at the end of 365 episode notes. She's also the one who makes sure that episodes are published every single day. So thank you to Vicky! I have been thinking about the wonderful privilege God gives us in listening to our prayers. Here are some verses that I have been thinking about: Hebrews 11:6 Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for anyone who approaches Himmust believe that He existsand that he rewards those who seek Him. Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call out to Him,to all who call out to Him sincerely. Matthew 6:6 When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Psalm 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! The Bible also tells us to “pray without ceasing.” So we can't always be praying in our secret room and can't always be kneeling while praying. However, when we have important things to pray about, I think it is a good idea to do just what these verses say. Our God is awesome, and we should approach Him in full reverence and with the utmost honor and respect.  Gale and I send our greetings to you and say:May the Lord bless YOU ‘real good'!

I have been back from Indonesia for over a month now, and my life has slowly calmed down to the point where I can make a podcast again. If you listened to my last update, sent from my hotel room in Jakarta, and prayed for me, I want to say Thank You! The Lord answers prayers! If you would like to see a follow-up to my prayer requests from my last update, a link to our recent prayer letter is here in the episode notes. LINK Heads up, people: I have some cool downloads for this episode. You can see all the links to those in the episode notes. In my last update, I mentioned that I would share something about my article in Indonesian which started out with the title, The Heritage of the King James Version. After John Wycliffe, the first famous English Bible translator, I learned a bit more about William Tyndale. He fled for his life, and finally was betrayed and cruelly martyred in 1536. But his work greatly influenced Bible translations after him. One estimate says that 84% of the KJV shows influence from Tyndale. Beyond that, through subsequent translations, Tyndale's influence is still felt. Bringing this home to the present day, if you read the ESV, Tyndale's influence is discernible in that Bible. How amazing and I think this shows God's fingerprints: The first Bible translator martyred is still influencing our Bible translations. Before the KJV, there were two English translations of note: The first is the Great Bible, authorized by Henry the VIII. This was translated by Miles Coverdale. It was called ‘great' because of its size. King Henry's Secretary of State, Thomas Cromwell, directed the clergy to provide “one book of the Bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it.” Note that this means that Cromwell and the king did not consider that parishioners might want their own copy! Coming only three years after Tyndale's incomplete translation, Coverdale primarily revised and corrected Tyndale's work. Coverdale translated the remaining books of the OT from the Latin Vulgate, not from the Hebrew. The second precursor to the KJV that I want to mention is the Geneva Bible. It was published in 1560, 51 years before the KJV. Under the reign of Mary Queen of Scotts, when protestants were persecuted and more than 300 were martyred, many protestant theologians fled to various places in Europe. In particular, many fled to Geneva, where John Calvin was in the later years of his life. In 1557 they formed a committee to translate the Bible. Just a year later, Queen Elizabeth I gained the throne of England, and the dedication of the Geneva Bible was addressed to her. The Geneva Bible scored an amazing number of FIRSTS: It was the first English Bible translation that was translated entirely from the original languages, Hebrew and Greek. It was the first Bible translated by a committee instead of by a lone individual. The Geneva Bible was the first to be printed in an easy to read Roman font. The Geneva Bible was the first study Bible, with Bible maps, and explanatory notes on every page. Note also that these notes were written by leading scholars of the Reformation. This was the first printed Bible with chapter and verse numbers. The Geneva Bible was the first one to use italic font for words that were added to complete English grammar, differentiating those words from all those that were direct translations of the source text. This Bible was printed in versions that were small enough to be easily carried and inexpensive enough that ordinary believers could own a copy. The Geneva Bible (and not the KJV) is the Bible that was used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John Knox, John Donne, and John Bunyan (the writer of The Pilgrim's Progress, 1678). This is the Bible that in 1620 was carried to America on the Mayflower. Twenty-four copies of this Bible are housed in libraries and museums in America. If you are interested in the Puritans and what the protestant reformers believed, get the Geneva Bible. Facsimile copies of the Geneva Bible are available to buy, one of the 1560 edition, and the second of the 1591 edition. I have already given away my facsimile of the 1560 edition. However I have found a complete PDF that contains the complete 1560 edition, and the link for downloading it is here in the episode notes. (This PDF is only 259 MB because it is a black and white scan.) If you don't want to learn to read the antique font in the PDF, Biblegateway displays the Geneva Bible complete with its footnotes. However, when King James came to the throne of England, he did not like the Geneva Bible. One of the issues was those excellent study notes I mentioned above. You see, some of the notes contain critical remarks about what ‘kings or queens shouldn't do'. (This is no wonder, seeing what the authors had been through!) James decreed that the new translation would not have any study notes.  It is an odd quirk of history, that the KJV has so dominated in its influence, because in its time it was  not considered the most exact translation, not considered poetic in its style, not considered as the only authoritative Bible. But it became the dominant Bible in England and eventually in the USA partly because its printing was authorized by the Crown, thereby suppressing the printing of the Geneva Bible. However, beyond doubt, the King James Bible has been, and still is, the world's most influential book. I will not take the time here to list its many influences over our English language and culture (as such praises can be found all over the Internet), but I highlight one influence not normally mentioned: The KJV has exerted a huge influence over Bible translations into the world's languages. Most of the time, Bible readers of this time do not realize that what is sold as a King James Version they use is not really the same as the original KJV. That is why a better name for the modern editions of the KJV is the Authorized Version. You can download a PDF of the whole KJV 1611 first edition here. (The whole Bible is 1.8 GB because this scan is in color.) [naked link: https://archive.org/details/1611TheAuthorizedKingJamesBible/page/n5/mode/2up] One of the differences between the normal Authorized Version and the real 1611 KJV is that the Authorized Version won't contain the Preface entitled The Translators to the Reader. If you think that you're good at understanding King James English, I challenge you to read the original Preface. To make it easier to download, I have linked a copy of just the preface HERE. When you discover how difficult it is to read the original font and spelling, I have linked a PDF that contains the KJV Preface with modern spelling HERE. Unfortunately, what we need is a modern language translation of this important document, with footnotes explaining references to events, literary figures, or customs common to that era that leave modern readers in the dark. Back in the 1980s, I wrote a letter to a special friend and supporter because he and his family had joined the King James Only movement. My short article with quotes from the Preface was later reprinted and used by Wycliffe Bible Translators. The letter is linked HERE, and it explains why the King James translators themselves would not have agreed with the King James Only movement. There is so much more to discuss about the history of Bible translation up to our times, which will someday be in the article I was writing in Indonesian. For now I want to jump to a notable Bible translator who is now largely forgotten. His name is Richard Francis Weymouth (1822-1902). Weymouth was a school teacher, an authority on literature, a published linguist, and a published Greek scholar. His NT in Modern Speech was published posthumously by his secretary in 1903. Weymouth was WAY ahead of his time. He realized that all the English translations published up to 1900 retained the wooden literalisms of Tyndale, making them hard to understand. He set out to make the first ever natural-sounding English translation, that is a translation that would make it sound like Paul and other NT writers had written in English, instead of Greek.  So Weymouth made the first ‘meaning based translation', although that term and terms like ‘dynamic equivalence' had not yet been coined. His NT in Modern Speech is wonderfully accurate and still sounds amazingly modern, given that it was first published in 1903. It was not until 1966 that the Good News Translation appeared. The Weymouth NT was published in two forms, one with footnotes, one without. If you are going to read this NT, be sure to get a copy with the footnotes. It is not hard to find used copies. You can download a copy here for free (9.7 MB), complete with the footnotes. (It is available in the MyBible app, but without the footnotes.) A prettier copy, evidently in higher resolution is found here (48.2 MB). Recordings of ten books of the Weymouth NT are read quite dramatically and available for free download through LibreVox. Now turning to news about the NLT side of the Daily Bible Reading Podcast: Tyndale House Foundation changed their years-old copyright policies, so that they now have a policy for podcasts. I am thrilled that they have granted permission for my NLT Daily Bible Readings to still be made available. As per their request, the complete copyright notice has been placed at the end of the episode notes for every podcast. I will read it here: Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in these podcasts are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. I will be slowly adding brief audio summaries of the notice to every podcast. I give a shout out to my volunteer secretary, Vicky Pool, who has done the job of putting that copyright notice at the end of 365 episode notes. She's also the one who makes sure that episodes are published every single day. So thank you to Vicky! I have been thinking about the wonderful privilege God gives us in listening to our prayers. Here are some verses that I have been thinking about: Hebrews 11:6 Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for anyone who approaches Himmust believe that He existsand that he rewards those who seek Him. Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call out to Him,to all who call out to Him sincerely. Matthew 6:6 When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Psalm 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! The Bible also tells us to “pray without ceasing.” So we can't always be praying in our secret room and can't always be kneeling while praying. However, when we have important things to pray about, I think it is a good idea to do just what these verses say. Our God is awesome, and we should approach Him in full reverence and with the utmost honor and respect.  Gale and I send our greetings to you and say:May the Lord bless YOU ‘real good'!

Episode 118 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 4 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: "Some years later an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be abandoned along with her supporters. But when one of her relatives becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him." Daniel, chapter 11, verses 6 and 7, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hello. I'm Victoria K. Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth. Today we are continuing our look at "The Intertestamental Period" - the 400-plus year period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. I'm in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, today we're going into our 4th episode in this series. Can you give us a brief recap of where we are and why we are talking about a period of history when no new books were being added to the Bible? RD: Greetings to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. Let's start with the second question first. The reason we thought it was important to take a close look at the intertestamental period is the same reason we do everything on Anchored by Truth – to help increase listeners' understanding and confidence in the Bible. The Bible contains the content of the Christian faith. The Bible contains God's special revelation to the world. We can know that God exists and that God is a God of immeasurable power and wisdom by looking at the created order but the amount of information we can derive about God just by looking at the created order is going to, of necessity, be limited. VK: Theologians call the knowledge we get about God by our observations of the created order "general revelation." This knowledge is general in that is available to everybody but it also general in its content. By looking at galaxies and stars we can know that Whoever created them is a being of immense power and strength. We can look at the unmatched complexity of a cell and see that the Creator must have unimaginable wisdom and precision. But we won't know that God sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins just by staring at the stars or looking through a microscope. In order to know that God has a special plan and purpose for His creation we need His special revelation – and that is contained in the Bible. RD: Right. It's not too strong a statement to say that if someone doesn't know what the Bible says any faith they possess is going to be incomplete. At a minimum it will not be the faith that God wants His children to have. VK: The Good News Translation of the Bible says," faith comes from … hearing the Good News about Christ." Today, we only hear the Good News about Christ by either reading or listening to the revelation that comes from the Bible. RD: Yes. So, we need to read and meditate on the Bible in order to develop our faith. But just about any honest reader will tell you that the first time they read the Bible there were lots of things that they read that they didn't understand. VK: Quite possibly things such as our opening scripture. In our opening scripture we heard about the king of the north and the king of the south and them trying to form an alliance. We also heard about the king of the south sending his daughter to marry the king of the north but then the daughter gets abandoned. I don't think it's much of a stretch for many of us to wonder what all that has to do with coming to salvation through Christ. I'm sure you're going to say that's why we're doing this series. RD: I don't have to say it because you just did. We're doing this series on the intertestamental period for two reasons. First, because studying that period helps us make sense of scripture passages like the one we heard from Daniel, chapter 11. Let's remember that the Bible is all about the grand saga of creation, fall, and redemption. In the Bible creation and the fall occur within the first 3 chapters of Genesis which is the first book of the Bible. So, the rest of the Bible is about the unfolding saga of redemption. And because that saga occurred during the real history of the world, to understand the saga we need to understand some of that history. Second, studying the history of the intertestamental period can actually help increase our confidence that the Bible is the word of God because many of the prophecies that were made in the Old Testament were actually fulfilled during the intertestamental period. VK: Fulfilled prophecy helps demonstrate that the Bible truly has a supernatural origin. So, that's part of what we want to do during this study of the intertestamental period. We want to show that there were numerous prophecies made in the Old Testament period that were fulfilled during this time. We believe that seeing the precision of the prophecies and the precision of the fulfillment should increase our confidence in the fact that the Bible is the Word of God. RD: Correct. The seemingly mundane facts of history connect to the Bible's spiritual messages about salvation and heaven in a very direct way. By reading the Bible and studying history we can see that the Bible contains a large volume of prophecies, hundreds of which have been fulfilled. This solidifies our confidence that the Bible is God's word so that it can be trusted in matters that are supernatural. VK: So, where are we then in our intertestamental series? Obviously, today you want to talk about the specific prophecy that's contained in Daniel 11:6 and 7. How does that fit it with what we have covered so far in our series? RD: Well, in our first episode in this series we saw that there is a gap of hundreds of years between the close of Old Testament canon and the writing of the first book of the New Testament. In our second episode, we saw that at the start of the intertestamental period the Jews had returned to their ancestral homeland after an extended period of exile. But we also saw that at that time they were not an independent kingdom. At the start of the intertestamental period the Jews were a vassal state of the Persian Empire. Notwithstanding that they weren't truly independent though, we saw that the Jews had considerable reasons for hope because everything they had experienced had been consistent with prophecies they had been given. Therefore, they had reason to be hopeful because they also had prophecies of coming deliverance. In our third episode we saw as the intertestamental period progressed more and more prophecies they had been given also continued to come true. VK: Now during the intertestamental period they Jews did not know that that was the period they were in. At that point the Jews had no idea that someday the arrival of the Messiah would inaugurate an entirely new part of God's special revelation. But what you're saying is that the Jews could still continue to maintain a hopeful expectancy. Because even though there were no new prophets giving them additional messages from God, they could still see that God was active in their nation fulfilling prophecies He had already given. So, what is the significance of the discussion in Daniel, chapter 11 of the kings of the north and the south? RD: We covered last time that the Jews had been in exile at Babylon but they were allowed to return back to Palestine after the Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Medes and the Persians. The Persian Empire, in turn, fell to the Greeks who were led by Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great died fairly young at age 32. He had sons but they were far too young to take over for him and in the ensuing power struggle none of Alexander's relatives took power. After 20 years or so, 4 of Alexander's former generals divided his empire: Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander, and Lysimachus. The Bible is really only concerned with Ptolemy and Seleucus. VK: Because Ptolemy took over Egypt and Seleucus took over Syria – and Palestine of course lies between Egypt and Syria. Because the Bible always designates its directions using Israel as the point of reference Ptolemy and his successors would become the kings of the south. Egypt is south of Israel. Seleucus and his successors would become the kings of the north. Syria is north of Israel. So, in our passage when it refers to the king of the south we're really talking about an Egyptian ruler. And when it refers to the king of the north we're talking about a Syrian ruler. Right? RD: Right. So, chapter 11 of Daniel is devoted to a description of the struggle that would occur between Egyptian rulers and Syrian rulers over the territory of Israel. And all of chapter 11 of Daniel occurs chronologically during the intertestamental period. VK: Again, just as a quick refresher the last book of the Old Testament Malachi was written around 450 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire in 334 B.C. So, it was more than 100 years after Malachi wrote that the Jews saw many of the events of the prophecies of the book of Daniel come true. RD: And, since Daniel had written his book about 100 years earlier than Malachi wrote, a total of more than 200 years elapsed between Daniel receiving his prophecy and the inauguration of the events that are described in chapter 11. But as we're going to see the precision of the prophecy is amazing and it would certainly defy the ability of any human being to make it unless that human had received a supernatural revelation from God. VK: Ok. Let's get started and see how our amazingly God is able to act sovereignly through both prophecy and history. For purposes of this exposition we're going to use the Good News Translation version of the same scripture. In the Good News Translation Version the first line of verse 6 says "After a number of years the king of Egypt will make an alliance with the king of Syria…" What is this all about? RD: The "after a number of years" means that the events of verses 6 and 7 did not occur during the lives of Ptolemy or Seleucus who had taken over immediately after Alexander, but during the reign of their successors: Ptolemy Philadelphus and Seleucus's successor, Antiochus Theos. "An alliance will be formed" means that these two successor kings would make an attempt to unite the two kingdoms more closely by a marriage between the royal families. All of Alexander's former generals had seen a bitter power struggle in the wake of Alexander's death and there were already tensions between these two royal families over which would control the boundary territory between the two kingdoms. VK: And that boundary territory included the territory of Israel. So, in an attempt to head off a protracted war these two kings decided to try to form an alliance. It was and is common among monarchies to try to create such alliances by intermarrying with one another. There have been some pretty famous attempts at such alliances – Henry the VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon springs to mind. Those attempts didn't always turn out so well. It certainly didn't for Catherine. RD: Yes. And as we will see it didn't turn out all that well in this case for the bride either. VK: In this case the bride was the daughter of the king of Egypt. Our text says the king of Egypt will give the king of Syria "his daughter in marriage." Who was the daughter? RD: The daughter was Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt. Philadelphus agreed that Berenice would marry Antiochus Theos, king of Syria. Ptolemy agreed to the marriage in order to bring a war in which they were engaged to an end. Philadelphus not only hoped to restore immediate but also hoped to establish a permanent peace and an alliance between the two kingdoms. One of the conditions of this alliance was, that Antiochus would divorce his former wife Laodice, and that the children of that former wife would be excluded from the line of succession. Ptolemy hoped that the kingdom of Syria might become part of Egypt, if Berenice had any children with Antiochus. VK: But that didn't work out, did it? Our scripture goes on to say "But the alliance will not last, and she, her husband, her child, and the servants who went with her will all be killed." This is starting to sound an awful lot like Henry's marriage to Catherine. Henry abandoned Catherine for Anne Boleyn. RD: And in the case of our scripture Ptolemy Philadelphus died two years after this marriage. When Philadelphus died, Antiochus returned to his former wife, Laodice, and put Berenice away. But that didn't work out so well for Antiochus because after he returned to Laodice she murdered him because she didn't want to risk being dismissed again. By then she obviously knew Antiochus was a fickle husband. VK: Let me guess what happened next. Laodice wasn't all that fond of the woman who had replaced her so she decided to get rid of her as well. RD: As they say, "Bingo!" The Syrian court officers conspired to plan the death of Berenice and her children. But Berenice got wind of the plan and fled with her children to the city of Daphne. But the officers caught up with her there and killed her and her children. And notice that the text also says that the servants who went with her will all be killed. It was common when a bride was sent from one royal family to marry into another that the bride would take along the servants who had been taking care of her. In some cases they had cared for her almost since birth. Not only would these familiar faces make settling into the new life and country easier but the bride knew she could trust them. VK: And sometimes those servants included one or more who would send reports back to the king or royal family of the country she had left. A set of highly placed eyes and ears in the country to which the bride had been sent. And, of course, as we will see next the old queen killing the new queen, her child, and her servants didn't end of the matter. Verse 7 of Daniel 11 says, "Soon afterward one of her relatives will become king. He will attack the army of the king of Syria, enter their fortress, and defeat them." So, what is this verse about? RD: Berenice was not the only child of Ptolemy Philadelphus. She had a brother called Ptolemy Euergetes. As soon as he heard of what was happening to his sister, he gathered an army together and went north to rescue her. Euergetes was too late to save he, but, in connection with an army which he had recruited from Asia Minor as part of the rescue, he decided to avenge her death. He not only conquered Syria but he also took over other territories that had been under Seleucid control including Israel. In fact, if Euergetes had not had to return home to put down a revolt he probably would have conquered all of the Seleucid controlled territory. VK: But he didn't and the war between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids would continue for another hundred or so years with Israel caught in between. Ultimately, a particularly evil Syrian king would come to throne who would desecrate the Jewish temple which is sometimes referred to as the "abomination that causes desolation." Some commentators believe this "Abomination of Desolation" might pre-figure the anti-Christ who will appear just before Jesus' return. RD: Yes. This Syrian king is known in history as Antiochus Epiphanes. Epiphanes means "god manifest" Well, the Jews were so outraged by the behavior of Antiochus Epiphanes that they revolted and eventually were able to throw off all foreign rule for a period of several decades. But despite this period of self-rule it's important to note that by that time Israel had been under Greek control for almost 2 centuries. Remember that even though the Ptolemies and Seleucids were warring for control both sides in the war were Greek. When Alexander had conquered the Mideast he didn't just bring his soldiers he also had brought the Greek language and culture. You will often hear people refer to "Hellenism" or "Hellenization." During this period while these struggles were going on the Greek culture and language were being spread throughout the Mideast and western Asia. VK: And this Hellenization dramatically affected life within Israel didn't it? So, that's part of what we would like to talk about in our next episode of Anchored by Truth. But what do you want to emphasize as we close out for today? RD: In our previous episodes on Anchored by Truth in this series we have seen some important truths. God wasn't providing additional special revelation during the intertestamental period but that doesn't mean that God wasn't active in superintending the unfolding of history to achieve His purposes. VK: So, this tells us that even during the seasons of our lives when we may feel like we don't see a lot happening God is still in control. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 1:6 "I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus." God continues to work with us, in us, for us even in those times it seems like He is being very quiet in our lives. RD: Exactly. God never sleeps or slumbers and He never leaves His children. During the intertestamental period there was a lot going on that affected the Jews and most of it was beyond their control. Empires were changing. Kings were coming and going. Palace intrigues were transpiring that would affect their lives. But God was directing it all in such a way that He preserved His people. The Jews during the intertestamental period could be assured of this because they could continue to see that prophecies that had been given to them uniquely were still coming true. Decades, even centuries, had passed but then they saw another prophecy fulfilled exactly as it had been given. VK: In our last episode of Anchored by Truth we saw that God sometimes gave prophecies that affected entire empires and regions of the world. God is the God of the seemingly big and important. But today we saw that God also gave prophecies that pertained to specific individuals – in this case the daughter of an ambitious king and her brother. God isn't just the God of empires and world history. He is also the God for individual people and individual destinies. RD: Yes. God knows each of us personally and, even though it seems trite to say it, He has a plan for each of us personally. God can work through anybody regardless of their station, status, age, or place. The key is whether we want to see God's will come to fruition in our lives – or be like Adam and Eve in the garden when the Bible tells us the first sin occurred because they desired to be like God. There can only be one Lord in anyone's life. It can be God Almighty or it can be a lesser being like us. That's one of the lessons that comes to us powerfully by watching prophecies continuing to be fulfilled during the intertestamental period. VK: God can rule in our lives or we can. God is not going to share His throne with anyone. The tragic part is when we think that we can do a better job than God. And it's not that God wants to take away our free will. Far from it. God wants to enable us to experience His best. But as you say in our Christmas epic poem The Golden Tree: Komari's Quest God can only help us when we set our own power aside. The question ultimately is whether we want to experience all that we can provide or all that God can provide. RD: Absolutely. And that's what we see so clearly as we study the Bible and history. The Jews went into captivity because they refused to honor God's commandments especially the first commandment to have no other gods before Him. During captivity a great many faithful Jews learned the lesson and, as promised, God returned them to their homeland. Also as God promised, God punished the nation that had exiled the Jews and ultimately God used a succession of world powers to continue to prepare the world for the arrival of Jesus. Chapter 11 of the book of Daniel was written about 200 years before any of the events it describes occurred. But in time they did occur exactly as prophesied. God, as only God can do, just recorded them 200 years ahead of time. This is a powerful confirmation of the supernatural origin of the Bible. The Bible's character is no different today than it was when any of the various human authors first prepared their records. It's just that today we have a complete revelation and that revelation clearly tells us that just as Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago, He is coming again. It's just that the first time He came as the suffering servant. Next time He is coming as the conquering lion. VK: Amen. This sounds like a great time for a prayer. Since all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's perfect plan for our lives, today let's listen to a prayer of corporate confession – knowing that God has promised that as we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive them: ---- PRAYER OF CORPORATE CONFESSION (MARCUS). We hope you'll be with us next time and we hope you'll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show. If you'd like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where "We're not famous but our Boss is!" (Bible Quote from the New International Version) Daniel, chapter 8, verses 5 through 8 and 20 and 21, New International Version

Episode 117 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 3 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: … a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. … I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. … at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. … The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.” Daniel, chapter 8, verses 5 through 8 and 20 and 21, New International Version ******** VK: Hello. I'm Victoria K and today on Anchored by Truth we are continuing our look at “The Intertestamental Period.” This is the period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Many people don't realize that there is a gap of 400 to 450 years that elapsed between the close of the Old Testament canon and the start of the New. I'm in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, how about reminding us about why you thought it was important for us to do a series focused on a time period in history when books of the Bible weren't being produced? RD: As we mentioned in our first couple of episodes in this series knowing what happened between the two testaments helps us improve our understanding of both the Old and New Testaments. You might think that the events of the intertestamental period would primarily benefit our understanding of what was recorded in the New Testament. After all, history only unfolds in one direction. So, it would be natural to think that the events of the intertestamental period were primarily important to a student of the Bible because of the historical background they would provide for New Testament events. But actually the intertestamental period provides us with a wealth of insight into the Old Testament, in part because a number of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled during the intertestamental period. If we don't know what happened during that period we would lose important evidence that demonstrates that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. VK: Well, maybe you should take a moment and connect the dots for us about how Biblical history helps us improve our confidence in the inspiration of scripture. I think a lot of people tend to view history as one of those subjects we could leave behind when we finished school. I mean many people might think that the Bible is important in that it gives us moral and ethical instruction. And they would acknowledge the Bible contains information on spiritual topics like salvation, heaven, and how to have better lives. But I think that many Christians don't understand the link between the topics that affect our daily lives, or our future in heaven, with knowing something about history. RD: Well, let's start with a refresher. Here on Anchored by Truth we start every show by reminding everyone that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. But how can we know that? How can we be sure of that? Well, one way we can be sure the Bible is the Word of God is by examining evidence that supports this contention. We often talk about 4 lines of evidence that demonstrate that the Bible is inspired: reliable history, remarkable unity, fulfilled prophecy, and redeemed destinies. Redeemed destinies occur when people learn and accept the Bible's spiritual and moral truths. The Bible has helped untold millions discover the truth that Jesus died to save us from our sin and assures us that we can spend eternity with Him in heaven. But of course redeeming destinies doesn't stop there. VK: Besides just leading people into a saving relationship with Christ, the Bible has also helped millions give up addictions to drugs, alcohol, and pornography. The Bible has also helped families be reunited and it has led people to found hospitals, missions, and schools. When we talk about redeeming destinies we're not just talking about redeeming eternal destinies. The Bible has also helped millions and their families have far better lives here on this earth. RD: That's all very true. So, the fact that one book has had such a positive impact on so many lives is evidence that that book is special or remarkable. And it's important that the Bible has been able to do that across times, places, and cultures. But, as important as that line of evidence is, those redeemed destinies alone don't demonstrate that the Bible is God's word. We also need those other lines of evidence to complete the demonstration. VK: The reliable history the Bible contains shows that the Bible is consistent with what we can see around us, not only in our day and time but in the days and times that have gone before. A book claiming divine inspiration that is manifestly inconsistent with observations of our world and its history automatically surrenders much of the validity of its claim. When we speak of remarkable unity we're referring to the fact that the books of our Bible were written by over 3 dozen human authors over a period of fifteen hundred years. Yet, despite this variety of human authors and times in which it was written, the Bible is unified. It contains one message about one plan centered on one person for one purpose. This consistency is strong evidence that there is one single Mind behind all the books. And, obviously, that Mind would have to be eternal. Otherwise, it could not have kept that singular focus for fifteen hundred years. RD: Right. Those three lines of evidence – redeemed destinies, reliable history, and remarkable unity – are all very compelling in demonstrating that the Bible is a remarkable book. But, it is not impossible that a really determined group of people might have crafted a sort of pious fraud that possessed those attributes. It's highly unlikely but none of those things are beyond the realm of human ability. But one thing that is beyond the realm of human possibility is to accurately predict the future – and not just the near term future – weeks, days, or months – but centuries. And not predict the future in a vague or non-descript kind of way like Nostradamus, Edward Cayce, or the other so-called human prophets. Biblical prophecies name names, give places, describe events, and even designate times with such precision that it would be beyond the ability of any human or group of humans to predict or even arrange. VK: Fulfilled prophecy helps demonstrate that the Bible truly has a supernatural origin. And to go back to our point – there is no way for us to know about prophecies that were made and fulfilled without knowing a little history. So, that's part of what we want to do during this study of the intertestamental period. We want to show that there were numerous prophecies made in the Old Testament period that were fulfilled during this time. New prophecies were not being made during the intertestamental period. But old prophecies were being fulfilled. RD: Correct. So, the mundane facts of history connect to the Bible's spiritual messages about salvation and heaven in a very direct way. By reading the Bible and studying history we can see that the Bible contains a large volume of prophecies, hundreds of which have been fulfilled. This solidifies our confidence that the Bible is God's word so that it can be trusted in matters that are supernatural. And in case anyone thinks that this connection is new or novel, even Jesus made the same point in his conversation with Nicodemus. VK: You're thinking about the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 11 and 12 where Jesus said: I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message. You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven? So, Jesus himself connected the things of this world – like historical events - to the things of heaven. RD: Right. Nicodemus had gone to Jesus secretly at night because Nicodemus was an important man in Jewish society. Now, Nicodemus may have gone to Jesus at night because he didn't want to ruin his reputation. But, it's possible Nicodemus just wanted to be able to speak candidly with Jesus because Nicodemus had become convinced Jesus might be the Messiah. Nicodemus would have had a mastery of the Jewish scriptures, the Old Testament. He also would have been very familiar with the immediate history of his people. Nicodemus' study of history and scripture could easily have led him to believe Jesus was the one the Jews had been expecting for hundreds of years. VK: I see what you're saying. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Now, most of the Pharisees were skeptical or opposed to Jesus because Jesus was a threat to their power and influence. But Nicodemus was an exception. He wanted to know the truth about Jesus regardless of what it meant for him personally. As a Pharisee Nicodemus would have been an expert in the Old Testament. He certainly would have been familiar with those prophecies that had been fulfilled during the intertestamental period. That would have included the prophecy we heard in our opening scripture. RD: Right. So, it's possible Nicodemus went to Jesus because Nicodemus was just trying to find out the truth about Jesus for himself so he wanted some undisturbed time with Jesus. At any rate during their conversation Jesus apparently felt the need to correct Nicodemus' understanding about some spiritual matters. When he did so it appears Jesus encountered either skepticism or Jesus just hit some gaps in Nicodemus' understanding. But notice, as he was addressing Nicodemus's questions about spiritual matters, Jesus plainly connected his teaching about matters of this world with the Jews' willingness to accept his teaching about spiritual truth. I personally think this is one of the most profound truths we learn from scripture. A lot of people today become very enamored with the esoteric elements of the Bible – eschatology, the operation of spiritual gifts, supposedly hidden messages and Bible codes, and more. Yet, too often these same people have ignored the most basic teachings of the Bible and plain facts about the Bible. The point is that it's a good idea for every Christian to know enough about Biblical history to be able to answer some basic questions. The question, “how can you be confident the Bible is God's word,” is not an unreasonable question. As believers, we should be prepared to answer reasonable questions. Good evangelism includes not just proclamation but sometimes explanation. VK: Well, let's get back to our discussion about the intertestamental period. As we've been discussing fulfilled prophecy is one of the strongest lines of evidence that the Bible is the word of God. And there were a lot of prophecies fulfilled during the intertestamental period such as the ones in our opening scripture. So, let's focus on it. Our opening scripture came from Daniel, chapter 8. Verse 1 of chapter 8 tells us that Daniel received his vision in the “third year of King Belshazzar's reign.” Belshazzar was a Babylonian king. When did Belshazzar rule? RD: Around the middle to latter part of the 6th century B.C. – from about 556 B.C. to 539 B.C. And the mere fact that Daniel dates his vision using Belshazzar is itself significant. At one time Belshazzar was thought to be legendary because many of the well-known ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus made no mention of him as king of Babylon. The last king of Babylon was thought to be Nabonidus who some scholars think had married a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. But thanks to excavations at Ur we now know that Belshazzar was a co-regent with Nabonidus who was his father. Nabonidus spent a lot of time in another part of the empire so Belshazzar actually ruled in Babylon. VK: So, the fact that Daniel even dates his vision by Belshazzar is significant evidence of the historicity of the book of Daniel. Herodotus wrote around 450 B.C. Apparently, Belshazzar's name had disappeared from common historical knowledge by that time. That's just decades after Belshazzar's death in 539 B.C. The fact that Daniel correctly identified Belshazzar's role in Babylon means the book of Daniel must have been written earlier that 450 B.C. Again, this is solid evidence the book of Daniel was written in the 6th century B.C. Right? RD: Right. In terms of our calendar, chapter 8 of Daniel can be reliably dated to around 550 or so B.C. At that point the Babylonian empire is still intact. But it would only remain that way for another 20 years or so. In our opening scripture we heard about 2 empires that would follow the Babylonian empire – the Medes and Persians and the Greeks. Well, the Medes and Persians actually conquered Babylon during Daniel's lifetime (539 B.C.). VK: So, Daniel lived to see a partial fulfillment of some of his own prophecies. Daniel lived to see the Medes and Persians replace the Babylonians. In Daniel's vision the two-horned ram represented the Medes and Persians. That image made perfect sense because it was a confederation of the Medes and the Persians that actually conquered Babylon. Ultimately, the Persian side of the alliance became dominant but initially both sides were part of the conquests. The two horns of the ram should be contrasted with the single horn of the shaggy goat. The goat represented the Greeks and the Greek empire was led by Alexander the Great who was unmatched in the speed and scope of his conquests. RD: Exactly. And we're going to talk more in a moment about why the goat was used as a symbol for the Greeks. But let's focus for just a second on the remarkable speed and scope of Alexander's conquests. Alexander the Great conquered all the territory from Greece to India including Egypt and the Mideast and he did it in just over a decade. No other single person in history has ever been as successful as a military leader. That's why in Daniel's vision it makes perfect sense that the shaggy goat is said to cross the whole earth without touching the ground. That's a poetic way of talking about the speed with which Alexander's conquests would occur. He moved so fast it's as if he wasn't touching the ground. But notice that it says that at the height of his power the “prominent horn” – Alexander - would be broken off and replaced by four other horns that would grow up toward the four winds of heaven. VK: And we know from history that that is exactly what happened. After Alexander died his brother was declared king. But the unity of the Greek power died with Alexander. Alexander died 323 B.C. For about the next 20 years there was a power struggle among Alexander's generals but in 300 B.C. there was a formal division of Alexander's empire between four of his generals who had taken to calling themselves kings. RD: Yes. The four former generals who emerged as the “four other horns” (in the Bible a horn is a symbol of power) were Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander, and Lysimachus. The Bible is primarily concerned with Ptolemy and Seleucus because Ptolemy became the ruler of Egypt and Seleucus became the ruler of Syria. Of course, geographically Israel is between Egypt and Syria. So, for the next 200 plus years those two powers would struggle for control of Israel. VK: But the Bible doesn't refer to these two kingdoms by the names of the generals – Ptolemy or Seleucus. The Bible just calls them the King of the South and the King of the North. The Bible always uses directions using Israel as the point of reference. So, when the Bible says the King of the South it's referring to a kingdom south of Israel. Same for King of the North. That's referring to a kingdom that would be north of Israel. RD: Yes. And we're going to talk more about the struggle between the King of the North and the King of South in our next episode of Anchored by Truth. But for today we want to just focus on the amazing nature of the prophecies in our opening scripture. We've already seen that the speed of Alexander the Great's conquests is a fitting fulfillment of the prophecy's description of a shaggy goat crossing the earth that doesn't touch the ground. Alexander's conquests were amazingly fast just a running goat not touching the ground would be. VK: And you've also said that using the goat as a symbol for Greece also makes good sense in a couple of different ways. In ancient times Macedonia and Greece were separate states until they were unified under Philip of Macedon, Alexander's father. So, why would it make sense to use a goat as a symbol for Alexander? RD: The first king of the Macedonians was thought to be Caranus who began his reign about 800 years before the Christ. There's a story that Caranus was led to establish the city of Edessa as his capital when he was led to the city by a herd of goats. As such, the goat became associated with Macedonia and subsequently the unified Greece and Macedonia. Bronze figures and architectural elements have been found that showed the goat as a symbol of Macedon. There's a particularly fascinating pilaster, which is essentially a decorative framework for a building, which shows a man in Persian dress holding the single, large horn of a goat. The pilaster seems to depict the time when Cyrus the Great conquered Ionia, a territory that had been colonized by the Macedonians. That kicked off a year conflict between the Persians and the Greeks that lasted more than 200 years. And some of the battles in that conflict have made it into our popular culture of today. VK: The Battle of Marathon is a good example. It occurred during the first Persian invasion of Greece in 490 B.C. The Greeks, principally the Athenians, defeated the Persians on the Plain of Marathon. Then various accounts say a Greek runner ran the entire distance to Athens to tell of victory so the Persians could not falsely claim they had won. The name of the Greek runner varies in different accounts and some say he died. Marathon is 26.1 miles from Athens and that's why today's marathon running event is 26.1 miles. RD: That's a good example. So, is the legendary stand of the Greeks at the pass of Thermopylae. According to popular movie versions there were only 300 Spartans who blocked a huge invasion force of Persians, but in actuality there were probably around 7,000 Greeks from Sparta and a variety of other city-states. It is true, though, that the Spartans and about 1,000 other Greeks remained guarding the pass when the rest of the Greek army retreated. At any rate, the Persians repeated incursions into Greece between 490 B.C. and around 450 B.C. obviously branded them as enemies of the Greeks. So, when Alexander the Great became king at the age of 20 after his father, Philip, was murdered Alexander was determined to get revenge. At the time Daniel received his prophecy in Chapter 8 all of that was still in the future. It would be almost 20 years after Daniel received the vision before the Babylonians would fall to the Medes and the Persians. It would be another 200 years after that before the Persian Empire would fall to Alexander the Great. VK: And it was 13 years after Alexander conquered Persia that he died – or as the scripture says “at the height of its power the large horn was broken off.” And it would be another 23 years after Alexander's death before the formal division of the Greek empire – or as the scripture put it “in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.” You know, that is a lot of unfamiliar names, dates, and places. RD: True enough. And I understand why it can be daunting for someone who has never investigated Biblical history to begin to understand it. VK: It can seem very far away from the things that we usually think about when it comes to our faith – salvation, heaven, living better lives, overcoming bad habits. RD: Yes. And I get that. And I wouldn't want to suggest that we can't live lives that are individually pleasing to God without mastering the dates and places of the Greco-Persian wars. But I would suggest that the church collectively won't fulfill its mission if we don't reclaim the idea that the Bible and Christianity aren't just subjectively comforting but objectively true? VK: And you would say that the current state of our culture is ample evidence that when the church tried to become popular it lost some or much of its preservative character? RD: Exactly. The church is supposed to be salt and light to the culture. Salt is a preservative. Light is necessary for clear direction. But we lose those attributes if allow the Bible to be treated as just another interesting book – entertaining at times but ultimately a book that we can leave or take. That's certainly not how Jesus treated the scriptures. VK: In Matthew, chapter 5, verses 17 and 18 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true. Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with—not until the end of all things.” That's the Good News Translation. RD: Exactly. Well, one of the teachings of the prophets Jesus referred to are the prophecies found in Daniel. So, we honor Jesus' words when we take the time to develop a solid understanding of the truth contained in the prophets. And, at our point in the grand plan of redemption, that means understanding enough about Biblical history to be able to confidently communicate at least a few basics. VK: And we want to make that easier on our listeners. So, one way listeners can help others develop a better understanding is just by informing others about the availability of Anchored by Truth. Anchored by Truth can be a simple way for listeners to help other believers, or unbelievers, begin to strengthen their faith and communicate the message that the Bible really is the inspired word of God. RD: Yes. Knowing something about Biblical history not only helps increase our confidence in the Bible itself but helps us get a better understanding of our own times. We see from history that the Jews persistent refusal to accept warnings and correction from the Lord caused them to go into captivity. They were later given permission to return to their homeland but how much better it would have been to listen to the Lord in the first place. I think that message is just as important today as it was 2,500 years ago. VK: This sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today's prayer is a prayer for our young children. We not only want them to grow up healthy and strong but also in the love, nurture, and admonition of the Lord: ---- PRAYER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. We hope you'll be with us next time and we hope you'll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show. If you'd like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We're not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the New International Version) Daniel, chapter 8, verses 5 through 8 and 20 and 21, New International Version

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/07/02/numbers-7-commentary/ Numbers 7 Commentary www.lovingscripture.com After dedication of the sanctuary, leaders of the people - the same that were selected to help with the census, presented their gifts. The gifts consisted of wagons for the transportation of the tabernacle articles. However, the sacred items were to be carried on people's shoulders. The LORD desires a personal relationship. The items that represented the LORD and were considered sacred (all made of pure gold) were carried by people. Even now the LORD still desires a personal relationship with His people. Our prayers need not be recorded. The meaning of a 'closet time' with one's Creator can be expanded to include effort aimed at prioritizing God in our lives. As the young rich ruler discovered, wagons, riches, gifts...are not enough for a healthy relationship with the LORD. The LORD desires 'the person'. Other gifts were presented by the leaders. The gift list is long. There are a couple of notes on the gifts. The items presented were of value and could be used in ministry at the sanctuary. Secondly, the items were similar. It points to the fact that Moses instructed them on what to bring to the sanctuary. So we can learn two things: our giving should be of value and usable in the ministry and secondly our church leaders can provide guidance on items to be given. Thanks for reading one of the longest chapters in the Bible - among the top 10. I'm grateful to the Good News Translation for its summarized format! At the same time I know just how much I miss by going that route. Each leader presents a prayer before the LORD by their gifts. Each leader's gift is special to the LORD and is treated like that. It's a lesson we draw from these repetitions. One cannot simply record a prayer and schedule it to play every morning and call it morning devotion! Same prayer or not, prayer must be said by the worshipper, as many times as may be necessary without being bothered about repetitions. More resources visit www.bibleproject.com

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/30/numbers-5-commentary/ Numbers 5 Commentary www.lovingscripture.com The LORD orders Moses to expel any individual who is ritually unclean from the community of God's people. Now we fully understand the reason - it's because the LORD is present among the people. He detests sickness of this kind. Man was made in God's image but now this disease is truly a misrepresentation of God's glory. It is representing the otherness that is detestable before the LORD. This LORD here is very different from the LORD of the New Testament who didn't expel lepers but bent backwards and healed them. Isn't there something in the contrast that reminds us of the declaration below? The Lord then passed in front of him and called out, “I, the Lord, am a God who is full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness. I keep my promise for thousands of generations and forgive evil and sin; but I will not fail to punish children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their parents.” Exodus 34:6-7 Good News Translation. We have a repeat of laws on restitution. After this we get some very strange instructions on testing a wife's faithfulness or proving a wife's unfaithfulness. While this law appears harsh it really is very cool. In a culture where women stood disadvantaged a possibility existed for injustice against women, even on mere accusation. This law is not meant to suppress women, but rather meant to protect them from unscrupulous male activity. As a test for a wife's faithfulness, this strange law protected women from unjustifiable 'sending away with a certificate', even on mere suspicion. As a test for unfaithfulness it protected the sanctity of marriage. Chapter 5 is very strange! Men and women with defiling skin diseases are expelled from the camp. Strange and rough. The Old Testament does have good words like self-isolation that we have today – with Covid-19 pandemic. Expulsion here shouldn't surprise us. In fact it helps us understand the expulsion of man in Genesis 3 by the same God because of impurity. The God of the Old Testament expels while the God of the New Testament embraces and heals. This is the gospel. More resources visit www.lovingscripture.com

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/25/leviticus-27-commentary/ Leviticus 27 Commentary www.lovingscripture.com The practice of redemption as presented here is difficult to read and actually understand. Many Bible translations offer very little help. GNT and its modern approach is a good resource for understanding chapter 27. Many saints have gone to God offering to dedicate their lives to the LORD. What isn't clear to them is that there is a cost when you dedicate your life to the LORD. Chapter 27 is like a cost sheet for dedication or consecration. It's a fee chart. There is a different fee depending on age and gender. Females generally get lower fees than their male counterparts. This may reflect men's role as family heads. We may also suspect that a man's given role in prosperity (fruitfulness) renders them liable to hefty fees. Some may even be tempted to think of man's counter-blessing of 'sweat' for the difference in fees. He shouldn't get anything easily. Fees. Yes, fees but only in name. The system had the poor in mind. A fee was meant to fit the budget for the very poorest of God's people. It reminds us of the LORD Jesus who invites all to the party, regardless. Importantly the chapter highlights the need to appreciate that there is a cost attached to the Christian walk. Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples. Luke 14 verse 27. According to Good News Translation. Many physical items could be dedicated to the LORD: land, property and animals, among many other things. Different fees are defined for different items. Even in the immediate context the system resembled a tax system for various certifications. Presenting this view makes this chapter less attractive, indeed much of Leviticus is like that. But in truth the system represented value in the worship system. There is a cost to following Christ. You don't just dedicate your life to Christ without losing something of human value. Today the calling may make you lose friends, popularity, and family closeness, among many other things. You may have to give up certain desires, opportunities and certain appetites. Leviticus ends here. The book has been a long instruction book for the priest. The saint as the priest of today has been instructed on means of worship. The symbols we find here are a constant reminder of the need for holiness before the LORD. Chapter 26 seems to summarize the effort of the book in its reference to fruitfulness and increase as a result of obedience. It is the repeat of the history-long blessing that the LORD has faithfully maintained. It is the adamic blessing of Genesis 1 verse 28, the noahic blessing of Genesis 9 verse 1 and the abrahamic blessing of Genesis 12. The LORD had repeated the blessing to Isaac, then to Jacob and his 12 sons and now the nation in transit to the Promised Land hears it. Leviticus closes with rules on dedication. Israel will follow the LORD but it will be at a cost. They have to give up something. In the closing lines of Leviticus we hear the LORD Jesus calling out: Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples. Luke 14 verse 27. If we decided to select one word to describe Leviticus, then the word ‘sacrifice' would be the best. It would make the last chapter of Leviticus the highlight of the book as it talks about dedication and the cost or sacrifice required for a close and intimate relationship with the LORD. Stay blessed.

Listen to the Bible read in the Good News Translation. These Scriptures were the inspiration for the audio drama episodes. All Scriptures Narrated by Ebonie Ellington Sound Design by GazzaSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgiven)

First and foremost, there is a grace to overcome the difficult times in life. Thus, before going any further, let's look at two definitions of grace. 1) grace is a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior, and 2) to favor or honor.   Of course, as a Christian, I am talking about the grace of God. You see, God's grace is not earned. In fact, God gives His grace because He loves us. As a result, has made ‘grace to overcome' readily available through His son Jesus Christ. You might ask, “But, what does Jesus have to do with grace to overcome?” Well, I am glad you want to know.  John 1:16-17 Good News Translation says, “16 Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. 17 God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”  Grace and truth through Jesus — Grace to Overcome   To put it simply, Jesus Christ is the person of grace. And when one receives Him as Lord and Savior, God's grace is a guarantee. Ephesians 2:8 English Standard Version says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God...”  In the definitions mentioned earlier, grace also means favor. Therefore, When you accept His Son, God's grace is the foundation on which the salvation package stands. Know this, God always honors His word. 2 Corinthians 1:20 New Living Translation says, “For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”  Psalm 5:12 New King James Version says, “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.”   God's grace is the Grace to Overcome  Now let me be very clear, God's grace is the only grace that will help you truly overcome life's struggles. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Modern English Version says, “9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.””  So, no matter the problem, just trust God's grace to overcome it. You know what 'it' is [addiction, depression, illness, finances, relationships, etc.].   Conclusion  In closing, if you feel as if you can't make it over the hurdles of life, then this podcast episode is for you. Use the player at the top of this blog post or subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast platform. Then join Lady V and me in our discussion—Grace to Overcome.  Look No Further by Evvie McKinney  I love some praise and worship music so, do check out the following video. This song is an excellent reminder that Jesus is the provider of Grace to Overcome. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Scriptures Referenced in Episode Discussion  2 Corinthians 12:9 2 Timothy 2:1-10 TPT Acts 17:28 Hebrews 4:16 1 Peter 5:10 Titus 2:11-12 John 3:16 Ephesians 4:7  Listen to We R S.H.E.Talks Podcast  Use web player above blog post to listen or subscribe and listen via your favorite podcast platform.   Bible Study Resources  Holy Bible [NKJV, NLT, Amplified, TPT, MEV, ESV] Get the Bible App by YouVersion NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible  Christ-Centered Grace Ministries  Check out the following grace-based teaching from a Christ-centered perspective:  Dr. Creflo Dollar - creflodollarministries.org Pastor Gregory Dickow - gregorydickow.com Pastor Joseph Prince - josephprince.org  Helpful Information  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  The Coronavirus (COVID-19)  Let's do our part:  Wear a mask or cloth face covering Wait six feet or more apart Wash hands frequently Pray about getting vaccinated  We R S.H.E.Talks Podcast episodes you may enjoy 

Listen to the Bible read in the Good News Translation. These Scriptures were the inspiration for the audio drama episodes. All Scriptures Narrated by Ebonie Ellington Sound Design by GazzaSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgiven)

Listen to the Bible read in the Good News Translation. These Scriptures were the inspiration for the audio drama episodes. All Scriptures Narrated by Ebonie Ellington Follow her on IG : https://instagram.com/ebbie_speaks?utm_medium=copy_linkSound Design by GazzaSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgiven)

Listen to the Bible read in the Good News Translation. These Scriptures were the inspiration for the audio drama episodes. All Scriptures Narrated by Ebonie Ellington Sound Design by GazzaSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgiven)

Listen to the Bible read in the Good News Translation. These Scriptures were the inspiration for the audio drama episodes. All Scriptures Narrated by Ebonie Ellington https://instagram.com/ebbie_speaks?utm_medium=copy_linkSound Design by GazzaSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgiven)

Listen to the Bible read in the Good News Translation. These Scriptures were the inspiration for the audio drama episodes. All Scriptures Narrated by Ebonie Ellington https://instagram.com/ebbie_speaks?igshid=n40ziea4tp1vCheck us out!https://linktr.ee/TheforgivenSound Design by GazzaSupport the show

Listen to the Bible read in the Good News Translation. These Scriptures were the inspiration for the audio drama episodes.  All Scriptures Narrated by Ebonie EllingtonFollow on Instagram: Ebonie Ellington Voice Actor (@ebbie_speaks) • Instagram photos and videos Sound Design by GazzaSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgiven)

Romans 7-9 We are in the Church Stream today reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis 7 - Why is there The Law? Whether nonChristian religions want to admit it or not, something is wrong.  It is not a perfect world and there is especially something wrong with us. The deficit created between what we are are and what we ought to be is not caused by diet, lack of inner essence-ness, poor wifi with our mobile device. And more/enough money isn't going to take our sin away. The world descended into sin since Genesis 3 occurred and a Savior is needed. We violated God's Law and only a solution from God will remedy the matter. Without Law humanity remains oblivious that a Savior is needed and that there is a vast gap between where we are spiritually and where we ought to be.   God doesn't want our reaction to a Savior to be, "Savior? I don't need a Savior. That merely proves human oblivion.  We are helpless to save ourselves and God's Law proves this to us. Paul uses an illustration of marriage for us to help start the realization process. The fact of Law and what it reveals about us proves that we as humans come up short regardless. Our nature is divided. What we know, what we wish we did, and what we do, fails to line up again and again. We embody the conflict. We live the conflict. The conflict lives in us. Except for Jesus, and haleluia, we have Jesus...provided we let Jesus have us. 8 - In Jesus, we have Life abundant, full and free, in the Holy Spirit. Condemnation is overwith.  This Holy Spirit lives in us.  The Holy Spirit enables us to do and be and become all that God designed us for in this life. Our obligation now is not to an exhausting Law but to the Holy Spirit - to remain in Him and yielded to Him; to be listening to His promptings and not selfishness anymore. And Jesus, through the Holy Spirit in us, allows this to happen in us. What we truly crave in our soul is for Christ to reign in our lives and all that is explained in this chapter allows this to happen. The suffering that creation is under is universal suffering, but this hope in Christ carries us through to attach to the ultimate freedom that is coming. The Spirit is praying for us. We need never be in dismay or defeated for God can be trusted.  We have Christ. We will always have Christ. Christ Himself will not allow something to come between us. We are never separated from Him. Romans 8 is magnificent and has given comfort to Believers in the most bleak of settings for 19+ centuries. 9 - Paul, not one to duck from issues, brings up the pain he has over the fact that many of the Jewish people, for whom the promises of God were first granted, are not in the Covenant - and it is their rejecting God [not the vice versa] that is the problem. God did not reject the Jews so to discard them. God used the occasion of their smugness to Him and the New Covenant in Christ's blood to open the invitation to the nations of the whole world. This all hinges on God's mercy and grace. Remember that every false religion errs in the realm of grace. They mess it up. They do not understand it. This chapter is an exposition of another factor of God's grace. He has opened the Kingdom of Himself to more people who do not deserve it.  He is just good.  That is the issue here.  It was foretold that the Kingdom of heaven and access to it would be opened to all people's and not just "a door held open" for one race of people for all time. The motif that came forward day after day this week was, "God is Sovereign. Will we accept this and trust Him?" Pharaoh's heart was hard as stone in the first 5 plagues.  God made sure Pharaoh remained so plagues 6ff. - so that all 10 plagues could be executed to testify to the world for all time.  God's sovereignty is the only explanation for this.   David is going through a cauldron of events and stresses that could have shook His faith and had him question his destiny. He knew God enough to trust Him through it all.  Psalms this week was an alpine journey through frantic cries, through turbulence, thanksgiving, trust, and forgiveness. Trust in His Sovereignty is what sustains David - AGAIN. Isaiah prophesies of astounding things that are going to happen in Israel in the future. It is talk like this that will sustain Israel as they are going to walk through some painful things brought on by their rebellion. Understanding sovereignty is what helps us rise to see the big picture.  We see sovereignty in Hosea's words, "I will abandon my people until they have suffered enough for their sins, and come looking for me ..." God isn't mean. He is sovereign and only He knows what is going to work.  We see God's sovereignty in Jesus showing Lordship over the Sabbath, and demons, and illness and nature.  Paul describes a part of God's sovereignty in His opening Himself to the world and the world to Him when, by default, Israel (especially leadership) rejects God.  This is enough different ways God has shown His graciousness and sovereignty for us to realize that His sovereignty will prove true in our lives as well.  For nothing can separate us from the love of God. Amen.

Mark 2:23-4:41 We are in the Christ Stream reading from the Good News Translation this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis.com | #7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord Jesus, you are Lord over the Sabbath, over nature, over diseases and Lord over the Law.  May you be The Lord in our lives too.  Amen. The Sabbath Laws were so detailed and extreme that they were stifling for people. The trend went to these ends after the Babylon Captivity.  The leadership in Israel had been so wretched from ca. 920 - 722 A.D. that they figured that swinging to the other extreme of feigned obedience would be proper.  On the Sabbath no one could walk more than a few minutes. Food had to be prepared the day before and eaten cold. Even today there are some of this same brand of faith who will not flush their toilets on the Sabbath because pushing the handle down that painful one inch constitutes work (this is true!). Yes, Jesus used the occasion to highlight the sillyness of manmade rules.  He was also addressing the leaderships penchant for majoring on the minor and minoring on the major.  And for what it's worth, it was Jesus' teaching and His life lessons about the Sabbath that put the Sanhedrin, Pharisees and Scribes over the edge and their reaction steeled their resolve to eventually crucify him. 3 - Imagine these jokers being so cold that a man getting his hand healed [on THEIR wrong day!] angers them. What a sorry bunch.  He is healing and cleansing people of evil spirits and a stampede to Galilee had erupted from even neighboring lands. It be difficult to film such a scene for it requires tens of thousands of people to film it accurately so we've not really seen this scene duplicated for what it really was.  The crowds could have easily exceeded 100,000.  The biggest of sporting or music events worldwide rarely reach this size. Jesus is creating a rage of this size in a country outpost!  He tells the demons that he is expelling to keep quiet for he was trying to delay the people rising up to make him King/Messiah of Israel.  He was able to delay it until Palm Sunday a couple years later. Next Jesus is calling the 12 Disciples. This is also in Mt. 10:2ff, Lk 6:12ff, and Acts 1:13. The order of these vary per list but it's the same men - that's a discussion for another day. Jesus is being accused of having an evil spirit by the teachers of the Law. They were angry that there was so much attention shifting away from them and going to Jesus. It was jeopardizing their income. Jesus warned that calling his work to be of the Devil was a dangerous deed that would not be forgiven. We need to hear this today. Too much of this happens now anytime someone has a ministry style that seems "out there" to us. I've heard people call a minister a demon or some such label. Take it easy, that puts US in dangerous territory. We don't know and need to watch our words here. Jesus responding that whoever obeys him is His family; his mother and brothers. Some branches of Christendom bristle at Jesus saying this for Jesus' mother is so revered in some churches. But Jesus said what He said.  We need to make sure WE are in Jesus family through obeying Him and leave complex theologizing alone. 4 - The Parable of he Sower is a clear memo to us.  We are to be fruitful soil. We are not to be paper thin characters, or distracted by thorny concerns, or lacking substance like rocky soil. We are called to be rich in Him - like nutrients; growing and helping others grow. And we are to be productive. We are to draw others to God like a lamp in the dark. Too many hide their faith. Today people all over the world are being told to put their Crosses away. NEVER. Broadcast the Faith in Our Jesus that saves. Our faith is a growing enterprise. It engulfs more of humanity than any creed or business or movement ever has. It was small once - 12 guys; rather ruffian in nature, and billions have joined since. We can learn from the mustard seed, can we not?  We've been living it for near 2000 years.  And one last lesson about nature - when he orders a storm to be calmed: He has control over nature.

Hosea 5:1-6:10 We are in the Exile Stream today reading from the Good News Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord, we find ourselves in a world today that is increasingly ungodly; ungodly just like the people we hear people Hosea addressing.  Teach us how to reach out to a population that is encouraged to go bad.  Let us be Light in the darkness and live effectively to see people come to you.  Amen. 5 - The people of Israel; the northern kingdom are intent on doing wrong all of them top to bottom Priests, the king, the population and I mean ALL the people are in sin.  The leaders are particularly culpable for leading the nation into idolatrous rebellion and God is going to punish the whole lot of them. They're so ill-bent on doing wrong God talks that He doesn't even want them to come and worship in the state they are in.  They are in such a bad way they are unable to repent.  This is bad; really bad. God has had enough of these people.  God is also disturbed how Israel and Judah have turned on one another. God is about to abandon them and let them suffer for awhile.  Maybe they will "listen" to the suffering and repent ....? 6 - The people are utterly dark and seem to have no idea how far they have fallen, nor how idolatrous they are, nor how disobedient they are.  They have been aggressively idolatrous for about two centuries and they think that acting religious and making sacrifices is going to cover for all the wretchedness and murder and their national commitment to stay this way; phony, double-minded and sinful.  Think of this: these people are more interested in managing [and feeding] their sin than finding their God and walking with him.  It's astonishing.

Isaiah 60-64 We are in the Prophetic Stream today getting close to the end of the book of Isaiah. We are using the Good News Translation this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis The section today bursts forth as a song of the Messianic Age.  The Lord is here and in full and good news is spreading over all the earth and the illustration spills right into being the glory of heaven. 60 - Isaiah is one of the greatest writers that ever lived and this is certainly among Isaiah's sections. It's even among the most wonder-filled chapters in the whole Bible.  It talks of a grand gathering, people and wealth are coming to Jerusalem, the testifying, the sacrifices, it's the homecoming of history and "the LORD will make His Temple more glorious than ever " v. 7. There will be great service in Jerusalem. When the chapter morphs into talk that can only be interpreted as paradise itself with unimpeded access to God it is altogether a marvel. 61 - What we read in the first three verses of 61 is Isaiah talking of Jesus.  Jesus knows it is Him and quotes this when He is speaking in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:18f).  This is prophecy fulfilled 700 years later.  This is a time of great restoration.  The Messianic theme that actually started in Isaiah 59:20 is still proceeding.  Israel will have servants, and wealth, and joy.  The praises to the LORD will be coming from all nations - the testimony of what God has done in this one nation will amaze the whole earth that much. 62 - The splendor here is the imagery of a wedding.  It is enchanting as a wedding also. The symbolism is matched in ways by John's writing at the end of Revelation when "the New Jerusalem" is coming down like a bride preparing to meet her husband. The surprises and excitement of a reunion also come into play too. There is food; bread and wine in abundance and phenomenal worship.  Is it fine to call this a dinner/theater gone into a colossal mode?!  And most of all the LORD is coming to save. 63 - there is a peculiar insertion here - a mentioning of Edom; it could be a reference to all the enemies of God and Jerusalem who will be trampled and defeated permanently. It is certainly a break in the literature to interrupt all the glory and worship and celebration to put this in such a run of wonderful things.  However it is part of celebrating to defeat an enemy, and revel with our victorious LORD.  Isaiah resumes abruptly; talking of the goodness and love of the LORD and his precise care and provision. The chapter ends with a prayer for mercy; beseeching God to treat them according to God's goodness v.s. their character and lack thereof. This is a theme we have seen before in Isaiah. 64 - and Shazzam, 64 arrives and we are not looking way forward to glorious things and themes and events. Isaiah just wants God to show and make himself known.  Things are difficult; attitudes across the nation are crass, the city is in ruins, beautiful places have been deserted and Isaiah is pleading for the LORD to come to them.

Psalm 28-33 We are in the Wisdom Stream reading through the psalms. We are using the Good News Translation this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis |#7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis 28 - "give praise to the Lord for he has heard my cry for help." is the core of this Psalm.  It is a prayer. It is thanksgiving for God answering prayer. David is urging people to be grateful and devoted to God. God saves and protects and David is blessed by this. 29 - is a very audio centered Psalm, it is filled with reminders of the sounds that God makes through what He has created: seas, thundering, echoes, lightning, trees in the wind.  Many are not drawn to God by such things, perhaps.  But David is so focused on God that any sound has David pause to reflect, "wow, listen to what God is doing now!" He has a childlike faith and wonder about him that shows up all the time in David's life and pilgrimage. 30 - David has come through so much turmoil and brushes with death and battles and chaos and treachery.  And it all comes back to him as he has just taken Jerusalem and made it the capitol.  His palace will be there in Jerusalem.  This event happens early in II Samuel.  But the decision to settle and make this the center of the young nation - that and the dedication of David's palace was the occasion of Psalm 30 being written. [Don't confuse this with the Temple - his son Solomon did that a few decades later] 31 - This issue here is prayer, trust and looking to God for protection.  It has been said of David, and for many reasons, that he learned better than probably anyone that he knew best that when God was all you had, you then realized that God is all you need. God was David's Savior, defense, refuge, and shelter. David turned to God in the midst of any and every event or emotion he was going through.  He saw God as his caregiver.  None of the "if it's to be, it's up to me" touting.  David's hymn was "I did it Thy Way" v.s. the American tune that was popular in the 1900's.  The Lord is faithful and deserves our response of love for Him. 32 - David's sin with Bathsheba and the full realization of the gravity that David had descended to is what prompted him to write Psalm 51.  David going through the confession process and finding restoration and relief and healing prompted him to write this one; Psalm 32.  David's remorse had run its course and David realized the full depth and height of God's forgiveness by now.  His joy in the Lord was returning. 33 - This is a song of joy and praise and thanksgiving that seems to ring clear up to heaven.  The joy of walking with God makes each step a wonder.  The joy of the Lord spreads to everything everywhere.  All nature and the sky too brings out the praise.  God is such a marvel! Lord God of Heaven, you truly are good to us. You give us your righteousness and you strengthen us to live in joy and with that strength we can praise you more and more and praising you gives us joy to praise you yet more.  You a our marvelous God.  Amen.

I Samuel 26-31 We are in The Nation Stream today finishing the book of I Samuel. We are reading from the Good News Translation this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams David is such a man of upstanding character.  His years of solitude with God when he was young reflect in his behavior again and again. He is a skilled musician, a worshipper, a warrior who kills lions and bears and giants, he leads and rallies and inspires, he has cunning logic and people skills, and when he has a chance at killing someone who hates him with a vengeance ... he doesn't kill him!  Twice he opts not to kill his would-if he-could executioner. The fact that such a fighter is so gracious  and statesman-like is astonishing to anyone who understands human nature. 26 - Again, David is peering over a sleeping Saul and, with weapon in hand, he just walks away with the spear as evidence.  This is scarier than one might think.  David and friends have snuck in at night and walked through a filled camp. One man waking and shouting would have David killed without question. 'Guts and daring' could be added to the list of superlative traits that can be attached to David. The results following the revelation are similar. Saul talks admiringly and penitent as possible amid the embarrassment. Saul is such an obviously hollow soul. And there he is talking solicitous - surrounded by the soldiers he roused to help him go and kill a young man who could have killed him but didn't. The difference between Israel's current king that they chose, and the future one that God directed Samuel to anoint are as different as night and day to put it lightly. 27 - David was never again pursued by Saul after Saul was humiliated by David's kindness a second time.  But he doesn't know that Saul will never seek him again. Any time that Saul had ever been kind to David, it was a total lie. Saul was plotting. David, not knowing that Saul had resigned to leave David be, thought there was still a threat and he left for Philistia. He remained in that region until Saul was gone and he was enthroned king. During his years there he was a raider. Perhaps this was practice for when it was his assignment to expand the borders of Israel to the largest they would ever be. The Philistine king ended up trusting David. This is strange stuff but it is what is going on at this time. 28 - Meanwhile Saul makes his final pathetic error and it turns out to be what seals his doom. He goes to see a witch. He is terrified because warriors of Philistia have gathered against him. Samuel is gone, God isn't answering and he is wondering what is next. He knew witchcraft was wrong and had expelled them from the country. Yet Saul himself goes to see one. It's a fatal transgression and he will end up being killed in a day for his disobedience.  Saul never was one to obey the Lord. 29 - And back among the Philistines, David is endeared to Achish the Philistine king by now. Achish wants David to go with him to the next battle. He practically sees David as a token of good fortune and could use him. This is all convenient in Achish's mind, but the other Philistine Kings don't really know David except that he is an Israelite in hiding and therefore they don't trust him. The issue of loyalty is an undying matter for all time isn't it? David and Achish talk and realize it's the better part of wisdom for David to return back to the coast of Philistia and sit this one out. 30 - David returned home after his conversation two days prior with Achish and his refuge town of Ziklag had been razed to the ground. Everything was stolen, all people had been kidnapped, possessions gone, anything left was burned. There was panic and grief among his 600 men who were planning to kill him.  It was the worst day of David's life and y'might want to read the book by this similar title. David went straight to God as he had spent his whole life training himself to do and v. 6 says, "...but the Lord his God gave him great courage."  David acts properly and quickly and recovers everything.  He again is humble and gracious amid great victory - and he shares all that is recovered from the Amalekites who had plundered his residence of Ziklag.  Keep in mind these are the Amalekites of whom Saul was ordered to rid from the earth - but as has been well established, Saul just can't seem to obey. 31 - Saul is drawn into his final battle. Think: Who killed Saul? God? Philistines? The Philistines did wound him physically to the point of no return. But it was Saul's disobedience and refusal to be anchored in God his savior - that's what wounded him. And it was only a matter of time to where Saul killed himself. God brought him up and provided for him over and over. God spared him via David's graciousness. Saul just outright could not do what he was told to do. He would not stand in for God and be a responsible King. Saul only looked out for himself and sought legitimacy through man's approval.  We need to come to the end of observing Saul's life and ask, "where does disobedience take us." Dear Holy Spirit, may we be shepherded by you and be found with a soul that is yielded and listening to you for our next step and our every move.  Amen.

Exodus 8-11 We are in The World Stream reading through the plagues on Egypt. We are reading from the Good News Translation this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7Streams Method | @serenatravis | #7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis "Lord God, we want to be on your side. It is clear that there are those who are for you and those who are against you.  The resolve is contrasting and stark. The results of obeying you v.s. fighting you are again, contrasting and stark. It reminds of the lyric of the old hymn, "Savior, we are thine."   May it be so.   Amen" The Reading today covers plagues 2-9. We saw the Nile turning to blood and will read of the death of all the firstborn next week (1 and 10).  It is the bulk of the showdown with the Pharaoh today. The plagues we read about today are frogs, gnats, flies, plague on cattle, boils, hail, locusts, darkness. God used so many plagues and persisted through all ten of them for He wanted to fully prove the haplessness of the gods of Egypt.  In last week's reading, the Nile turning to blood, this was God showing supremacy over the Egyptian gods; Khnum- guardian of the Nile, Hopi- spirit of the Nile, and Osiris- the giver of life, whose bloodstream was the Nile. The Egyptians even today confess that the Nile is their life. No Nile => no Egypt. ch. 8 - Today the Frogs plague was a direct insult to the god Heqt ["h-e-q-t"]. Frogs come up out of the Nile for the next seven-day long plague. Egyptians worshiped frogs. Their croaking each spring as the Nile began to recede signified it was time to plant crops. Since the events each year were coincidental, this led to frogs being worshiped. It was springtime and just as rabbits in spring were revered in Rome (thus the persistence of the "Easter bunny"  with seculars hoping it overshadows the import of the Easter Holiday itself), so too frogs were worshiped and even associated with fertility.   So God had frogs even cover their beds. "So you still want to worship frogs, eh?" God seems to be asking this of the Egyptians.  The magicians were able to bring up some frogs. Was that supposed to impress someone?  You can make the plague worse, ok, but can you make it better?  Note that Pharaoh asked Moses to pray to God to remove the frogs ... tomorrow.  Maybe if he had another day, he could solve the problem via his magicians. ? The gnats (mosquitos?) plague is not a direct insult of a god for none were associated with gnats, but it is the first plague that comes without a warning preceding it where Moses and Pharaoh talk first. Did Pharaoh deserve a warning? He had just lied to God/Moses/Aaron... Notice that God had told both Abraham and Jacob that their offspring would be innumerable; like the sand. Well the gnats here are going to be that thick, that innumberable, and plague starts when Moses strikes the ground.  Think of trying to get a night's sleep, especially when camping, and there is even one gnat buzzing around your ears. Alone it will keep you awake. Well the Egyptians were immersed in trillions of them.  And the magicians confess that it's God's doing. The flies strike next. It is going to be so bad that Moses goes to warn Pharaoh this time. We read "flies" but these are not what we think. We envision 'house-flies'. These are/were what are referred to as 'dog-flies'. Many have heard of 'horse-flies'. Those things bite and leave a mark!  The kind they had in Egypt were as angry as hornets. They dive and bite/sting. That is why the Israelites in Goshen are protected. The plague soon brings Egypt to ruin and it's understandable. Biologically, the Frogs, gnats, and flies happening in succession are linked matters but that can be discussed elsewhere. 9 - The plague on the cattle is a direct assault on Egypt's well being and economy and religion. They loved cows. It was entrenched in their minds. (Even Israelites falter in this come Exodus 32 when they make golden calves as idols). hundreds of millions in India worship cows to this day. "Hathor" was the Egyptian mother goddess in shape of a cow, and Apis (ah-PEACE) was the bull-god. He personified "Ptah" ; a creator-god who gave fertility.  The Egyptians worshiped cattle --> and God struck the cattle. Don't anyone get mad at God, it was Pharaoh who wouldn't bend here. All the animals in Egypt that belonged to the Egyptians died. The Israelites suffered no loss here. -Soon the boils come on the bodies of the Egyptian people and the animals. They had to have acquired more from neighboring countries and from Israelites since their's had all just died. So they have new cattle, they've just recovered from the biting flies and now ALL cows and people get boils.  Perhaps the fly bites are medically linked to getting the boils but it is bad and painful and the magicians would have conjured something except that they are covered with boils too. It is a national mess that is disgusting and beyond. "Imhotep" their impotent god of medicine was proving to be of no use and no contest against the God whom Moses served. -there is no recovery spoken of from the boils and soon the warning of hail coming is delivered to Pharaoh. Egypt had the sky goddess; Nut {"newt"}, Isis; the goddess of life, and Seth; the protector of crops.  These gods would prove useless like the others.  The warning is given because anything that is left out; slave or animal is going to get pelted to death. Some listen, some don't. The horror of the magnitude of the hail storm drives Pharaoh to a confession to Moses but there is not repentance. 10 - The Locust plague is again a clear statement against the gods Isis and Seth. This time God was determined to finish the contest with all the gods of Egypt. Pharaoh was beyond repenting. God would see to it that the oppressors of Israel were devastated.  Pharaoh tries some half measures to negotiate but is stubborn to the bone in the end, again. But it's God's doing and the locusts come and devour everything green that was left in the land from the hail storm. A vast cloud of them swarmed in. Some historians and entymologists (buggie-dudes) said that at night the locusts would rest on the ground in the dark and be 4-5" inches deep squishing under feet.  Pharaoh is crushed and comes to ask for prayer but he won't let the Israelites depart.  The loss of labor of millions would be even worse to him. The darkness, plague 9, came without warning as did the plagues of boils and gnats. The Egyptian sun gods, Re, Aten, Atum, and Horus were all shown as empty idols. The god Horus is still used as the logo on EgyptAir lines today. He is the falcon head.  Well darkness descended and it is a spooky darkness. It's a different type of horror than what the others had brought on. There was no darkness over the Israelites. They had asked to go worship for three days. Pharaoh had said "no" too many times before, so they got darkness for three days.  Pharaoh is unbending. 11 - Moses, under God's instruction, goes to Pharaoh and spells out in detail the 10th plague. It will be horrifying and be the greatest blow ever dealt to Egypt in its history. It will affect Pharaoh; the personified god of Egypt. This one will also strike the palace and will leave every home in the country with a lifeless hole in their soul. Pharaoh has been warned thoroughly, and as God has it, Pharaoh will not let the Israelites go.  They better brace themselves.

In this Biblical devotional for Christian women, let's ponder 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - how to pray without ceasing. If you've ever asked yourself: "What does pray without ceasing mean?" this Christian podcast is for you. I'll share with you how and why I myself pray unceasingly AnnaSzabo.com/pray-without-ceasing-1-thessalonians-5-17 1 Thessalonians 5:17 New International Version says: pray continually.   Why should we pray continually? I can speak for myself and share my testimony in hopes that it will help you reflect on your life and your relationship with God and your own faith. I'll explain from my own experience how to pray without ceasing. I am pursuing intimacy with God. I want to know Jesus, not only be known by Him. I talk to God. I hear God's voice. And all this happens through prayer. I pray unceasingly. Because life is continuous and ongoing, my questions about life are also ongoing. That's why I never stop praying. I want God to know that I am intentionally reaching out for Him, every single say, in every situation.   1 Thessalonians 5:17 New Living Translation says: never stop praying.   I believe that the Bible is God-breathed word. I believe that 100% of the Bible is accurate and was created through the Holy Spirit in believers who manifested it physically, exactly how this Biblical devotional for Christian women is manifesting physically right now through the power of the Holy Spirit in me. To continue being guided by God's spirit, I cherish and leverage my direct communication line with him, which is prayer. That's why I never stop praying.   1 Thessalonians 5:17 Amplified Bible version says: be unceasing and persistent in prayer.   In everyday life, most Christian women have a habit of calling a mom or a sister or an aunt or a boyfriend or a husband or a grandma when things happen, when they have questions about something, or when they want to share their heart.  I don't have a mother. I don't have a father. I have no sisters, aunts, uncles, or grandma. I've been single and celibate for years, so I don't have boyfriends, husbands, or any mortal human to whom I'm reaching out on a regular basis to share my heart or to seek wisdom.  I reach out to God, and that's why in my prayer, I'm unceasing and persistent. I pray unceasingly. Next, I'll explain from my own experience how to pray without ceasing.   1 Thessalonians 5:17 Holman Christian Standard Bible version says: pray constantly.    If I'm deciding how to best structure my day, I pray. When I wake up in the morning, I smile and pray for the day ahead. As I lie down to go to sleep, I pray and thank Jesus for a productive day and for keeping me safe. I pray constantly.  In my work, I reach out for God regarding the topics I need to bring to your attention through my ministry for Christian women via my Christian podcast The Anna Szabo Show or my Christian YouTube channel or my Christian blog. I pray without ceasing: for guidance and wisdom.   1 Thessalonians 5:17 Good News Translation version says: pray at all times.    When I was going through a divorce years ago with my narcissistic husband who abused me, I prayed at that time, continually. And God blessed me with beauty for my ashes and my heartbreak. I pray without ceasing. When I was looking for a new home to reestablish my life, I prayed at that time, continually. God blessed me with a beautiful home where I still live today, enjoy my life here very much, and heal. I pray without ceasing. When I was looking for a new marketing job, I prayed at that time, continually. Gods gave me a new job, but it wasn't meaningful. While working that job, I prayed at that time, continually, about a meaningful career, and God blessed me with this ministry – Online Discipleship for Women. I pray without ceasing. When I was trying to lose 22 lb to get healthy and improve my health and quality of life, I prayed at that time, continually, and God led me to discover water fasting and dry fasting. I've lived a fasting lifestyle for years now, being the healthiest I've ever been in my life, maintaining my perfect weight, staying active, and having lots of energy. I pray without ceasing. I pray at ALL times. I pray unceasingly.   1 Thessalonians 5:17 International Standard Version says: continually be prayerful.    Being playful means that praying to God is so much a part of your lifestyle and mental habits that praying to God is not only something you do, it's also who you are. I am prayerful. It's who I am. I've shared dozens of my personal prayers on my Christian blog and on my YouTube channel. Also, people leave me their personal prayer requests in the comments both in my blog and on my YouTube videos. I always respond with a personalized genuine prayer from the bottom of my heart. I pray without ceasing. If you'd like me to pray for you, leave a comment.  Before I pray for you, I want to invite you to support my ministry by making a donation. Click here to donate now. Also, I created a beautiful collection of Biblical apparel for Christian women to encourage and empower you. Shop here now.   Donate to support my Christian ministry: http://bit.ly/EncourageAndEmpowerWomen Enjoy my other Biblical devotionals for Christian women: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKT7YZbpKzZ-SjtKfqM7LHYs8lP8eYHU Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8HrGuEZ26l5Oq7fjWY5x5Q?sub_confirmation=1 Watch my Christian podcast for women The Anna Szabo Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ZKSvAWdZw&list=PLPKT7YZbpKzb7f5NVuDxZtUqCiK4KQnIQ Get my free ebook about Christian identity: http://bit.ly/52DEVOTIONALS Buy my merch on TeeSpring: https://annaszaboart.myteespring.co Shop my Christian apparel on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Jwh8hL Visit my Christian art store on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnaSzaboArt Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/annaszabo   Let me pray for you. Father God, I thank you for leading the woman listening to this Biblical devotional right now to my Christian podcast, The Anna Szabo Show. God, I believe that prayer is the most essential communication tool you gave us to talk to you and to hear from you.  God, I ask that you lead and guide the woman, who's listening to my Biblical devotional right now, into a more intimate and meaningful relationship with you when she can talk to you and hear from you by praying continually at all times.  In the name of Jesus I ask this. Amen.

I remember this cover from when I was a boy. The artist of all the drawings I enjoyed was Annie Vallotton and you can see some of them in this article about her work. I read the Good News Translation of Psalm 11.

Thank you for joining us. This is an excerpt from our worship on Sunday, September 6, 2020. Scriptures: Hosea 1:2, and 2:8-20 Good News Translation (read by Marty Hawkins. Sermon: Love Undeterred by Rev. Ken Onstot.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 47 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  In this story, Joseph's leadership saves Egypt during a time of famine.  History and archaeology give us an in-depth look at the culture of ancient Egypt.  Central to this culture was the religious concept of Ma'at.  Ma'at taught that male authority was part of the "order of nature" ordained by the gods.  It was believed that observing Ma'at would bring prosperity to the land.  We trace the influence of this belief from ancient Egypt to Greece, and finally to the Roman church of the 4th century AD.  Borrowing from these ancient sources, today's complementarian leaders continue to confuse the core beliefs of an idolatrous religion with the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Episode 22 Life is full of "things" that slow us down and/or keep us from moving forward towards a goal. This is true for pretty much everything in life...school, sports, relationships, career, business, health, and of course spiritual. Heb 12:1-2 12 As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. 2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne. (Good News Translation) 12 Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. 2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God. (Living Bible) 12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Message) We have to learn to recognize and then get rid of the things that slow us down and hold us back spiritually. Sin tends to grab hold of us and doesn't want to let go! But it can ultimately keep us from finishing our race of faith! If you found this podcast beneficial, please take a minute to leave a review and then share it with someone whom you think can benefit from it. Follow on Instagram: Reel Life Student Ministry - https://www.instagram.com/reellifestudents/ Micah - https://www.instagram.com/micahmurphree Facebook: Reel Life Student Ministry - https://www.facebook.com/ReelLifeStudents/ Micah - https://www.facebook.com/MicahSr You can contact me by email: micahmurphree@gmail.com If you would rather watch the podcast, you can watch them on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FShL4iZqwVQDBLxPy0MVg/ If you want to see more about me and my crazy family, check out our family vlog here (Murph Squad Family): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUFDPTST6acOMcFqdWO51KQ

Join us at http://ubcreal.org. Brother Bob Eschemann provides God's Word today in the sermon "How Does God See People vs How Do We See People". Scripture Passages Gen 1:26,27,31 Psalm 86:9 Psalm 117:1 Psalm 66:1 Rev 5:9 Is 55:8,9 1 Sam 16:6,7 Acts 10:28,34-36 Acts 11:15,17,18 Gal 2:11-13 James 2:9 (Good News Translation) 1 John 4:18 2 Cor 5:16 (New Living Transaction) Eph 5:2 Matt 22:19 1 John 4:16

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis chapter 45 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  In this passage, Joseph reveals his true identify to his brothers.  He also makes provision for his whole family to be cared for in Egypt, during a time of famine.  Certain English translations of this passage modify the text to support a deterministic view of God.  These modifications are absent from our oldest available Bible manuscripts.  Theologians who held these deterministic views also insisted that women must be subject to the will of men.  Through this podcast, the errors of these men are highlighted and corrected.

Greetings from The Salvation Army. Today is Saturday, June 6, and this is your Daily Word of Peace.For today's Bible verse, I selected one of my own all time favorites. I have it memorized in the Old English version of the Bible, which was published over 400 years ago. And since we don't speak that way anymore, I'll read you Isaiah 26:3 from both the King James Version and the Good News Translation, and then we'll pray.Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.And God, we ask for your help in keeping our hearts and minds focused on the meaning of our lives and our eternal connection to our Creator. Those of us who do the work of setting our thoughts on things above have discovered this promise of peace is real. Please help us with our anxieties and worries. Please help us with our panic attacks. Please give us peace of mind and strength of will to live the lives we know we should live. Amen.And if you have a prayer request or other comment, just press 1 during a live phone call or call us back at (855) 697-4570. We do get quite a few of these calls, and we again want to thank you for trusting in us to be there for you. Have a great weekend!Support the show (https://praycall.com/about/)

During uncertain times, we can put our trust in our God, Our Protector

In the first ever episode of the 60-Second Devotional Podcast, we want to encourage you with a brief message about facing trials, from James 1:2-4. The scripture reading comes from the Good News Translation.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 43 from the Good News Translation of the Bible, Today's English Version.  In this story, we see Joseph finally reunited with his family.  Unfortunately, the Good News Bible makes an error in the translation of an important verse in this passage.  This error, and others like it, stem from Latin translations of the Bible in the 4th century AD that began to marginalize the Jewish People.  Similar translation errors, made by theologians of the same era, also began to marginalize women.  At this time in history, the church had newly become an arm of the Roman state--a state that was prejudiced against women and Jews.  In this episode, we restore the original meaning of the passage, as found in ancient Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic manuscripts--all of which were written long before the 4th century AD.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 41:1-41 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  In this story, God warns the King of Egypt through his dreams that a famine is coming.  Joseph correctly interprets these dreams, and then helps Egypt prepare for the coming hardship.  As a result, Joseph is elevated to a position of power in Egypt.  As strange as it may seem, influential patriarchal theologians--past and present--make an inaccurate assumption about God, based on this story.  This faulty assumption is then used to justify the subjugation of women to male authority.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 39 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  In this story, Potiphar's wife attempts to commit adultery with Joseph, and then falsely accuses him of rape.  In almost every English translation of the Bible Joseph is described as "well-built and good looking."  Two English Bibles, however, omit this information.  They are the Geneva Bible and the King James Version.  Written during the rise of the Puritan movement, it seems their translators were concerned that it might be sinful to draw attention to someone's physical appearance.  Doing so, it was believed, might even "cause others to stumble."  For centuries, this way of thinking has made women feel responsible for the sexual conduct of men.  Joseph's appearance, however, did not cause Potiphar's wife to make her sinful choices.  Similarly, a woman's appearance is never responsible for the sexual behavior of men.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis chapter 37 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version. This story tells us how Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Envy and strife were connected to Jacob's practice of polygamy. It was a longstanding ancient custom for Jewish men to have either more than one wife at a time, or more than one wife in succession. In the New Testament, both Jesus and the apostle Paul confronted these practices. Sadly, some patriarchal theologians take Paul's words out of context, in an attempt to prevent women from sharing leadership positions in the church.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 35:16-21 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  We read about the death of Rachel in childbirth, and how God responds to her tears with a promise of redemption for her children.

In this episode, we read Genesis 35:1-15 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  Jacob and his family turn from idolatry.  This entails leaving behind jewelry that was engraved with the images of Canaanite gods.  This does not mean that women may not wear jewelry.  It also does not suggest that the outward beauty of women will "cause men to stumble."  In addition to examining the original meaning of Genesis 35, we also investigate the meaning of other biblical "modesty" passages, in their original languages and contexts. 

In this episode, we read Genesis chapters 32 and 33 from the Good News Translation of the Bible, Today's English Version. In this story, Jacob humbles himself before his brother Esau, hoping that Esau will not seek revenge for being tricked out of his birthright. The language of this passage in the Greek Septuagint helps us to accurately translate 1 Peter 3:1-6. In this New Testament passage, when properly translated, wives are not told to “accept the authority” of their husbands; nor does Sarah “obey” Abraham, calling him “master.”

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 30:25 to 31:55 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  In this story, Laban tries to control Jacob through divination and deceit.  Jacob is delivered when he has faith in God's promise to him.  When fleeing from Laban, Rachel does something that could symbolize an important truth.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 29:31 - Genesis 30:24 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version.  This story tells us how two sisters sought love or social standing by giving birth to male children.  Sadly, some movements claiming to be "Christian" have twisted passages from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible in an attempt to portray marriage, motherhood and housekeeping as "God's will" for all women.

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis 29:1-30 from the Good News Translation, Today's English Version. Many English translations of this passage do not accurately reflect what ancient Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts say about Leah. Also, though this passage contains historical examples of polygamy, slavery and patriarchy; none of these ancient customs are depicted as “God's will.”

Romans 12:1 NIVRomans 11:32-36 Good News TranslationPresent your body to God.Romans 6:13 NIVRomans 12:2 NIVBe transformed by renewing your mind.Romans 7:22-23 NLT Romans 8:5-6 NLTTitus 3:5 NIV2 Corinthians 3:18 NIVRomans 12:1-2 The Message