The House of Judas

There is hardly a more infamous person in Holy Writ than Judas. He is even more notorious than ‘Jezebel,’ wife of King Ahab or the lovely and seductive ‘Delilah.’ The name, ‘Judas’ will be known throughout the annals of history and time as the ultimate act of ‘betrayal,’ selling out his Master and companions in the ministry for thirty pieces of silver. The bittersweet irony is that the expression of a ‘kiss,’ the usual sign of respect love, affection, and caring became the twisted act of the darkness of his heart in setting in motion a series of events, which ultimately brought Jesus to the Cross of Crucifixion. Nothing more is heard about Judas after Jesus was arrested and only in the book of MATTHEW is the fate which befell Judas finally revealed, but is that the whole story?

The following is of course conjecture, but let’s look at a brief alternative scenario. Because of what Judas did, it would certainly not be safe for him to remain within the environs of Galilee or Judea [‘Jerusalem’], so instead he leaves the region and settles in nearby Syria. Over the intervening years the followers of “Jesus the Nazarene” continue to grow and spread outside the area into neighboring countries, including Syria. There are Jewish communities throughout the land who are descendants of the original captives from the land of Israel who have been exiled there in Damascus, Syria (Cp. II Chronicles 28: 5a). The followers of the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ say that they are of “The Way” [‘Ha-Derekh’] and their faith practices come to the attention of a very zealous Jew who is also a Roman citizen, named ‘Saul.’

This person launches a one-man crusade almost to the level of an obsessive madness to stamp out this perceived menace to the purity of the Jewish traditions, Law of Moses, and the teachings of the elders and rabbis. This vigilante pronounces a ‘Jihad’ [‘Holy war’] on the new religion and essentially all those faithful believers are under a ‘fatwa’ [‘Death sentence’], where they will be caught, sent to prison in Jerusalem, and even killed/murdered. Saul received documentation [authorization]from the high priest in Jerusalem giving him the authority to carry out this edict, and on the way to Damascus [‘Syria’]; he had a life-changing experience where the Lord Jesus Christ was reveled to him in a burst of celestial radiance [light]. A now blinded Saul was led into the city by his companions [‘enforcers’] and came to lodge at ‘the house of Judas.’ There was a disciple there in Damascus by the name of Ananias whom the Lord told, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the “house of Judas” for one called Saul of Tarsus [in ‘Cilicia’], for behold he is praying.”(Cp. Acts 9: 11)

Now the million dollar question is, could this be the ‘One’ of the “Twelve” and son of perdition [‘destruction’], Judas Iscariot? Well, there are some interesting clues, nonetheless. Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon (Cp. John 6: 71a; 12: 4; 13: 26) is mentioned but which Simon is his father? MATTHEW and MARK refer to one of Jesus’ disciples as Simon the Canaanite, which doesn’t reveal much, but LUKE correctly identifies one of Jesus’ disciples as Simon the Zealot (6: 15). Also, it might not be apparent at first, but “Iscariot” is derivative of ‘sicari’/[‘Assassin’] and is a title, not a name as such. Remember that Jesus named James and John the sons of Zebedee, ‘Boanerges’ [“Sons of Thunder”], which was well deserved (Cp. Luke 9: 52-56). Jesus called Simon Peter, ‘Cephas’[“Rock”] in John 1: 42.

The Zealots and Sicarii vehemently opposed Roman rule in the region and waged war and instigated insurrection against their foreign overlords by either; brandishing swords in open combat or using small daggers to kill their victims by stealth. Now, putting all this together might result in the following: After this man [‘Theudas’], Judas of Galilee (??) rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered
(Cp. Acts 5: 37).

Judas was doubtless a native Galilean or at the very least, Judean; and it is doubtful that he or any of the disciples had any great love for the Romans. Matthew 11: 12 reads: And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. To whom or what aspect of the kingdom is Jesus referring to? Is it possible that there were some among His followers who were seeking to usher in an ‘apocalyptic’ “end-of-days battle between the forces of Darkness and Light” [‘Good vs. Evil’] rather than bearing the olive branch or turning the other cheek?

In John 18: 10a it states: Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant. It is only in this account that the assailant is named whereas in the other versions the person is unknown or not revealed (??). In Peter’s defense, there doesn’t seem to be anything in his character as revealed in the Scriptures to indicate he would take this sort of action. James and John would be better candidates but Simon Peter is rather doubtful. One person who might be one of the sword-wielding disciples is of course, Simon the Zealot (John 6: 15; 18: 10-11; Matthew 26: 51-52; Mark 14: 47; Luke 22: 36-38). In this instance, the source used for the narrative in JOHN might have gotten it all wrong.

It seems that Simon Peter’s interest centered on fishing(Cp. 5: 1-11; John 21: 1-11; esp. 15, “Simon do you love Me more than these {‘fish’??}?”) and not on becoming a revolutionary or insurrectionist. MATTHEW is the only narrative to record Judas’ death by hanging for his act (Cp. Matthew 27: 3-10), and while he may have indeed hung himself, but it might not be for that reason. If he were indeed the leader of a revolt against Rome then taking his own life through hanging might have been the preferable way to die than endure the agony of crucifixion; which was the fate for criminals that Rome deemed a threat to her imperial power, which ‘Barabbas’ was sentenced to (Cp. Matthew 21: 16; Mark 15: 6-7; Luke 23: 18-19; John 18: 39-40).

It must be kept in mind that MATTHEW has a tendency to embellish or inflate some of his details with literary flourishes (Cp. Matthew 27: 51b-53; 28: 1-2). Lastly, whether the Judas in the Gospels is the same one in ACTS in purely hypothetical, but considering that these accounts were written at different times based upon the sources used, one should not necessarily dismiss it outright. Both could be right but it is just the placement in MATTHEW that seems to be a little odd and it would be interesting to read through the narrative without the passages being there. It just might be the editor’s way to explain a most important concern for believers in future generations and where he placed the explanation of Judas’ fate in the book was where he deemed it would fit best.

Adding this last point to the mystery of Judas Iscariot is the curiously revealing reference by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15: 5, where he states: And that He ['Jesus'] was seen of Cephas ['Simon Peter'], then of the "Twelve." Judas was always numbered among the Twelve Disciples, so if he killed himself during the immediate time period after Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection, there would only be eleven. Since the book of FIRST CORINTHIANS was dated around A.D. 50-55, earlier than any of the Gospels, then at least during this time Jesus appeared to the "Twelve" (including 'Judas'??) after His Resurrection and before His ascension back to heaven; and not just to eleven disciples as reported in the latter version contained within the Gospels.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 31, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Book of JOHN: A Radically Different GOSPEL

One of the things that stand out in the Gospel of JOHN is the silence on “Hell” [‘gehenna’] or unquenchable/eternal fire, of which Matthew is abundant with, and all the other writers refer to it at least twice. There are almost no Parables, very few miracles/healings as compared to the other narratives, and scant mention about the Kingdom of God/Heaven or Son of Man. In quite a few instances the setting is in the region of Judea instead of Galilee. The Samaritans are to be avoided
(Cp. Matthew 10: 5-6, 21-28 [esp. 24]; Mark 7: 20), but in this book the hated ‘Samaritans’ are the very first ones to accept Jesus as the Christ [‘Messiah’] in the fourth chapter.

In the “Synoptic Gospels” (MATTHEW-MARK-LUKE), Peter, James & John the sons of Zebedee form the nucleus of Jesus’ inner circle among the ‘Twelve,’ but in JOHN’s version there doesn’t appear to be any central person, group or trio among His disciples. Another observation is the frequent reference to ‘the Jews;’ either as a social/religious class or race, which includes their religious observances such as the Feast days. Outside of the book of ACTS which mentions the word, ‘Jew,’ a total of 66 times; of which 36 is in a negative context (54.5%). JOHN uses the word 57 times; 23 out of that total is also negative (40%). He uses the term, “for fear of the Jews” 4 times (Cp. 7: 13; 9: 22; 19: 38; 20: 19). The last reference is most intriguing for two reasons, namely: 1) The is no reason suggested to explain why the disciples are hiding behind shut doors in fear of the Jews after Jesus Crucifixion/Resurrection, and, 2) None of the other gospel writers mention this state of mind by Jesus’ disciples.

The following is a list of Significant Omissions:

The Temptation in the Wilderness (Cp. Matthew 1: 4-11; Mark 1: 12-13; Luke 4: 1-13)
John the Baptist taken into Custody (Cp. Matthew 4: 12-27; Luke 3: 20)
John the Baptist in Prison (Cp. Matthew 11: 1-5; Luke 7: 18-22)
Jesus Choosing His Twelve Disciples/Apostles and their Names (Cp. Matthew 10: 1-8; Mark 6: 7-11; Luke 9: 1-6) NOTE: It is only near the end of JOHN that ‘Twelve,’ as in the number of Apostles/Disciples, is mentioned (20: 24).
Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration
(Cp. Matthew 17: 1-9; Mark 9: 2-10; Luke 9: 28-36)
The Sign of the Times/ Destruction of the Temple/End of the Age
(Cp. Matthew 24: 1-31; Mark 13: 1-33; Luke 21: 5-36)
The Lord’s Supper (Cp. Matthew 26: 26-30; Mark 14: 22-26; Luke 22: 14-20)
NOTE: Instead, Jesus institutes the rite of ‘Foot washing.’ (13: 3-15)

JOHN does present several major themes such as: Believe (66 times); Jesus as the Son of God (38 times); Everlasting/ Eternal Life (22 times) in contrast to Condemnation (4 times); Water/wash/baptizing (20 times); Light/Darkness (13 times); The ‘Spirit’
(13 times); Glorifying God (13 times); and Jesus as the King of Israel/Messiah [‘Christ’](11 times). Even in 1: 1; it starts out like the book of GENESIS and not some list of Jewish genealogy and although MARK uses the introductory phrase, “The Gospel of the Son of God,” that theme is not expanded upon to its fullest extent; and even then it is only mentioned 7 times.

In JOHN, the author seems a firsthand witness because of the use of ‘the next day; again the next day; the following day; on the third day,’ etc. (1: 29, 35, 43; 2: 1). MATTHEW thru LUKE indicate that Jesus presumably started His public ministry after the arrest of John the Baptist (Cp. Matthew 4: 12; Mark 1: 14; Luke 3: 20, 23), but there was a period of time when their ministries were concurrent (3: 22-25; 4; 1; 9: 14). In fact, some of the first and earliest followers of Jesus were disciples of John the Baptist (1: 35-37).

A little attention should be reserved for one of the more interesting of the followers of Jesus at the start, and that is Nathanael. He is told by Jesus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ‘hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man (1: 51).’” This is quite similar to what Jesus told some of the ‘Disciples’ [Peter, James, and John??], “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.”
(Cp. Matthew 16: 28; Mark 9: 1; Luke 9: 27)

Also, if this is not enough of a mystery, remember the wedding in ‘Cana’ (2: 1-5, 12) where Jesus, His disciples, mother, and brothers were invited? It seems that Mother Mary was actively involved and participated in the celebration which would be quite unusual if it were not some very close friends or a relative; not to mention that the identity of the bride and bridegroom is not revealed. It is only in the very last chapter of the book is Nathanael’s city finally disclosed, but why wasn’t it earlier as with his other acquaintances,Philip, Andrew, and Peter
(‘Bethsaida;’ 1: 43??).

This will serve as a nice transition to introduce the “Beloved” Disciple, who, as it is recorded: Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on His breast at the supper. Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me (21: 21-23).” Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” JOHN reveals the close intimate social relationship that Jesus had with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary and His ‘love’ for them
(11: 3, 5, {‘Lazarus’} in particular; esp. 35-36). LUKE mentions a little bit about this special bond also.

While Jesus hung on the Cross of Crucifixion, He seemed to entrust the care of His mother to one of His followers, where the Scripture says: And from that very hour he took her to his own home (19: 27). This would seem to be an egregious violation of the social and religious customs of the Jews to allow a woman to be taken into the home of a man who is not her relative or betrothed husband. Not only that, but Jesus had brothers (Cp. Matthew 13: 55 {James, Joses [‘Joseph’], Simon, and Judas}, and sisters {v. 56}, but JOHN mentions only brothers (2: 12). It is of course a long shot, but entirely plausible that the ‘other’ Judas [‘not Iscariot’] in John 14: 22a, could be Jesus’ younger brother; solving the riddle rather nicely of the disciple leaning on Jesus’ breast and of His words to the onlookers at the Cross to whom were told, “Mother behold thy son, Son behold the mother.” Interestingly, in the last chapter (21: 1-2, 7-8), ‘Nathanael’ is mentioned but ‘Judas’ is not listed.

Continuing further:
Let’s finalize one last little bit of information regarding the disciples. Besides the ones already mentioned, Philip, Andrew, Peter, and Nathanael
(1: 40-41, 43-44, 45); there is Judas Iscariot son of Simon (6: 71); Thomas who is called ‘Twin’ {‘whose’??} (11: 16a); and Judas [‘not Iscariot’] (14: 22a). It is only in the 20th chapter is the number of Jesus’ inner circle of Apostles numbered as twelve, and even the last chapter only mentions the sons of Zebedee (‘unnamed’??), ‘two’ other of His disciples were together, and the ‘other’ disciples came in the little boat (21: 2, 8).

Now it is time to identify the disciple who was known to the high priest, accompanying Jesus into the courtyard; and also afterward, brought in Peter who had been waiting by the door outside. (18: 15-16). This person in all probably was not ‘Galilean,’ and the stronger internal evidence seems to point in the direction of ‘Joseph of Arimathea,’ who was a “secret” disciple and member of the ‘Sanhedrin’ [“Jewish Supreme Court”].
(Cp. Matthew 27: 57: Mark 15: 43; Luke 23: 50-51; John 19: 38)

Lastly, where John the Baptist did his preaching and baptizing was located in the vicinity of ‘Qumran,’ where a Bedouin youth found the “Dead Sea Scrolls” in the 1940’s; and coincidentally, this is the place where the community of ascetic Jews called ‘Essenes’ practiced their religious observances and rituals. It would not be a stretch of the imagination to envision John the Baptist as a member of this radical ‘sect’ of Judaism. Even John the Baptist had some doubts about Jesus as the ‘Messiah’ because it is recorded in Matthew 11: 2-3: And when John in prison heard about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him [‘Jesus’], “Are You the ‘One’ or should we look for ‘Another’?”

Be that as it may, this Gospel is so different from the others in style, content, and meaning. JOHN explores much richer and deeper themes, and the deity of Jesus is in full view. In this account, Jesus is not just a miracle-working rabbi who heals the sick and casts out demons, but rather, He is the very Son of God.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 28, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Captivity and Exile of the Children of Israel

In studying the religious history of the Jewish people, namely, the children of Israel, one never quite fully comprehends the rebellion of their ancestors, nor the severity and extent to which God punished them for their disobedience. The Babylonian captivity under Nebuchadnezzar is the most well known one to have occurred wherein the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah were taken away; but there were also two other ones which happened to those who lived in the territory of the ten tribes of Israel when they were taken captive to Assyria and Damascus, Syria.

I Kings 17: 13
Yet the Lord testified against Israel and Judah, by all His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

18, 20, 23b
Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah. And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He cast them from his sight. So Israel was carried away from their land to Assyria, “as it is to this day.”

II Kings 15: 29
In the days of Pekah King of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser (‘Pul;’ v. 19) King of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoch, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali; and he (1) carried them captive to Assyria.

17: 5-6; 18: 9-11, 18, 23b-24
Now the King of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the King of Assyria [‘Shalmeneser’] (2) took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River Gozam, and in the cities of the “Medes” [‘Iranians’]. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel. And removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone [Cp. Ezra 4: 1a; ‘Judah and Benjamin??]. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day. Then the King of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath,, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of [‘in place of’] the children of Israel [Cp. Ezra 4: 9-10??]; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in their cities. NOTE: This perhaps explains the disdain that the Jews had for the Samaritans during Jesus’ day because they were neither Israelites nor the original inhabitants of the land, but rather, deportees from other foreign [‘Gentile’] nations.

24: 11, 14, 20
And Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. Also he (3) carried into captivity all Jerusalem; All the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives [v. 16 says, “seven thousand”??], and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally [‘not permanently’??] cast them from His presence.

II Chronicles 28: 5a
Therefore the Lord God delivered him [‘King Ahaz;’ v. 1] into the hand of the King of Syria [‘who was he’??]. They defeated him, and (4) carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus.

Ezra 4: 1-2, 9-10
Now when the adversaries [‘enemies’] of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity [‘Babylonian’] were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon King of Assyria who brought us here. The Dinaites, Apharsathchites, Tarpelites, the people of Persia, Erech, Babylon, Shushan, Dehavites, Elamites, and the rest of the nations that noble ‘Osnapper’ settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River [‘Euphrates’]’ and so forth.

6: 21-22
Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel. And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful and turned the heart of the King of Assyria toward them (??), to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

NOTE: The King of Assyria was not involved in this endeavor to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, but rather it was Artaxerxes, King of Persia (Cp. Ezra 7: 1a).


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 24, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Jewish People's debt to the Persians ['Iranians']

It has been quite sometime since the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmed Ahmadinejad, has spewed venomous anti-Semitic denunciations against Israel; denying the historical evidence of the ‘Holocaust’ while at the same time calling for her destruction. Unlike Iran’s neighbors; the Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Saudis, and other Arabs, the Iranians are not only have the unique distinction of sharing the religious tradition of “Islam," but they are racially and culturally ‘Farsi’-speaking Persians.

There is an ancient tie that binds these two great people in a way that is rarely spoken of, vigorously denied, and nearly ignored; but it is recorded in the Jewish sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament. In fact, were it not for the Iranians [‘Persians’], the Jewish people might not even exist, or at least in the numbers that they do as far as population; not to mention the existence of modern Israel as a free and independent State.

In a far distant past the great King Ahaseurus, ruler of Media and Persia [‘Iran’] unwittingly passed a royal decree through an act of deceit and subterfuge by one of his court officials which amounted to essentially, a death sentence for any ‘Jew’ living throughout the kingdom. However, because of the king’s great affection and love for a beautiful Jewish female named “Esther” [‘Hadassah’] who became his Queen in place of ‘Vashti,’ he issued another royal edict which gave the Jewish people the right not only to defend themselves against their enemies, but that they could locate, pursue [‘hunt down’] and destroy them as well; which they convincingly and ultimately did. The following is a brief highlight of this remarkable historic event.

ESTHER
3: 2, 4, 5-6
And all the King’s servants who were within the King’s gate bowed and paid homage to ‘Haman,’ for so the King had commanded concerning him. But ‘Mordecai’ would not bow down or pay homage. Then the King’s servants who were within the King’s gate said to see if Mordecai’s words would stand; for Mordecai told them that he was a “Jew.” When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay homage, Haman was filled with wrath. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of “the people of Mordecai.” Instead, Haman sought to destroy ‘all’ the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahaseurus- “the people of Mordecai.”

8, 9a, 13a
Then Haman said to King Ahaseurus, “There is a ‘people’ scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other peoples, and they do not keep the King’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the King to let them remain [‘live’]. If it pleases the King, let a decree be written that they be destroyed. And the letters were sent by couriers into all the King’s provinces to destroy, to kill, and to ‘annihilate’ all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women.

7: 3-4a
Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O King, and if it pleases the King, let my life be given to me at my petition, and ‘my people’ at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be ‘annihilated.’

8: 11a
By the letters the King permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives- to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them; both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions (??).

9: 1b
On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overcome them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them.

So, after this reading, it is a little strange to hear a Persian [‘Iranian’] leader or people speak with such hatred about exterminating the Jews when three of their ancient kings (Cp. Ezra 6: 14b; Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes) were their benefactors; not only allowing them to return to their homeland but provided the resources to help the returning Jewish exiles to rebuild the Temple as well as the walls of Jerusalem that had fallen down.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 20, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Major Jewish Feasts of Antiquity

EXODUS
12: 1-11
The (1) Feast of the Passover [vs. 2-3; the 1st month, the 10th day; v. 6; at ‘twilight’].
14-20
The (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread [vs. 17-18; 1st month, the 14th day].

23: 14, 15a, 16
Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year.
The (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread [v. 15; month of ‘Abib’], the (3) Feast of Harvest [including Firstfruits??], and the (4) Feast of Ingathering.
NOTE: It is possible that the feasts of Harvest, Firstfruits, and Ingathering might have been combined in later periods.

34: 18
The (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread, as I command you in the appointed time of the month of ‘Abib;’ for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.
22-23
And you shall observe the (5) Feast of Weeks [‘Pentecost;’ Leviticus 23: 15-16; Acts 2: 1], of the (3) Firstfruits of wheat (??) Harvest, and the (4) Feast of Ingathering at the years end. Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel.
NOTE: This is the first time the ‘Feast of Weeks’ is mentioned, and is not part of the original three or four feasts.

LEVITICUS
16: 1-34
The (6) Day of Atonement [v. 29; 7th month and 10th day].

23: 1-2
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts:
3
The Sabbath [v. 38; ‘Sabbaths’].
5
The (1) Feast of Passover [1st month and 14th day].
6
The (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread [1st month and 15th day].
9-14
The (3) Feast of Firstfruits [Cp. Joshua 5: 11a]
15-22
The (5) Feast of Weeks [‘Pentecost;’ Leviticus 23: 15-16; Acts 2: 1].
23-25
The (7) Feast of Trumpets [v. 24; 7th month and 1st day].
26-32
The (6) Day of Atonement [v.27; 7th month and 10th day].

33-44
The (8) Feast of Tabernacles/Booths [vs. 34 & 39; 7th month and 15th day]. So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

25: 1-7
The (9) Seven Year Sabbath [v. 4].
8-10
The (10) Year of Jubilee/Release [v. 8; seven Sabbaths of 49 years; vs. 9a &10, add 1year and it is celebrated on “The Day of Atonement” {Cp. 23: 27}.

NUMBERS
9: 1-2
Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the first month (‘Abib’) of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: “Let the children of Israel keep the (1) Passover at its appointed time. And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, “at twilight” (Cp. Exodus 12: 6b; ‘after sunset’)
EXCEPTION:
6-12
Certain men were defiled because they came in contact with a human corpse and could not partake of the Passover. They were allowed to do so at the same day and time in the second month. This grace based upon exigent circumstances applied also to someone who was on a faraway journey during this time and included their posterity as well.

28: 9-10
(11) Sabbath Offerings.
11-15
(12) Monthly (‘New Moon’??) Offerings.
16-25
Offerings at (1) Passover [14th day of 1st month].
26-31
Offerings at the (5) Feast of Weeks [‘Pentecost;’ Leviticus 23: 15-16; Acts 2: 1]

29: 1-6
Offerings at the (7) Feast of Trumpets [1st day of the 7th month].
7-11
Offerings at the (6) Day of Atonement [10th day of the 7th month].
12-40
Offering at the (8) Feast of Tabernacles/Booths [v. 12; 15th day of the 7th month].

DEUTERONOMY
1-8
The (1) Feast of Passover Reviewed [v. 1; month of ‘Abib;’ v. 6b; at “twilight or sunset”].
9-12
The (5) Feast of Weeks Reviewed [‘Pentecost;’ Leviticus 23: 15-16; Acts 2: 1].
13-15
The (8) Feast of Tabernacles/Booths Reviewed (Cp. Numbers 29: 12).

16
Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place where He chooses; at the (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread, the (5) Feast of Weeks [‘Pentecost;’ Leviticus 23: 15-16; Acts 2: 1], and the (8) Feast of Tabernacles/Booths; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

I KINGS
8: 63-65; 9: 3
The (13) Dedication of the [‘first’]Temple.

II KINGS
22: 21; 23: 19, 21-23
The (1) Feast of the Passover.

I CHRONICLES
23: 31
(11) Sabbaths, (12) New Moons, and the set [‘appointed’??] feasts.

II CHRONICLES
2: 4b
(11) Sabbaths, (12) New Moons, and on the ‘set’ feasts of the Lord our God.

7: 5b, 8-11
The (13) Dedication of the [‘first’]Temple [v. 5].

8: 13b
(11) Sabbaths, (12) New Moons, and the three appointed [‘set’] yearly feasts- the (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread, the (5) Feast of Weeks/Pentecost [‘Pentecost;’ Leviticus 23: 15-16; Acts 2: 1], and the (8) Feast of Booths/Tabernacles.

30: 5, 13-18
The (1) Feast of the Passover to the Lord. The (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread.
NOTE: These ‘feasts’ were celebrated on the wrong date (Cp. Exodus 12: 1-6, 17-18).

31: 3b
(11) Sabbaths (??), (12) New Moons (??), and the ‘fixed’ festivals.

35: 1-19
King Josiah celebrated the (1) Feast of the Passover.
NOTE: No ‘Passover’ celebrated since the time of Samuel the Prophet (v. 18a).

EZRA
3: 2, 4-5a
Then Jeshua the son of Jehozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. They also kept the(8) Feast of Tabernacles/Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for (12) New Moons and for all the ‘appointed’ feasts of the Lord that were consecrated. NOTE: Nowhere does it mention that God accepted these sacrifices, but the narrative is silent on the Divine acknowledgement.

5: 13, 15-16
The (13) Dedication of the [‘second’] Temple [v.15; 3rd day of the month ‘Adar’] was completed, and the descendants of the captivity of the children of Israel kept the
(1) Passover.

6: 19, 22
And the descendants of the captivity kept the (1) Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month [‘Abib’]. And they kept the (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy.

NEHEMIAH
8: 1b, 14b,
Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. And they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths [‘temporary shelters’] during the ‘feast’ of the seventh month. NOTE: The particular celebration is the (8) Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Cp. Leviticus 23: 39-43)
17b
The children of Israel had not sat under booths ‘since the days of Joshua the son of
Nun ’ (Cp. Joshua 5: 9a, 10-11). And they kept the ‘Feast’ of [(8) Tabernacles/Booths] for seven days.

10: 33a, 35, 37
(11) Sabbaths, the (12) New Moons, and the (3) Feasts of Firstfruits.

ESTHER
2: 16
The tenth month, which is the month of 'Tebeth.'

3: 7a&b
The first month, the month of 'Nisan.'The twelfth month, which is the month 'Adar.'

8: 9
The third month, which is the month of 'Sivan.'

9: 18-24
The (14) Feast of Purim [v. 19b; on the 14th day of the month ‘Adar’]

Of the many Sabbaths, feast and days of offerings commanded by the Lord God for the Israelites to observe, only the Dedication of the [‘second’] Temple and Purim stand out as not having received a ‘Divine’ response; and often times, silence speaks volumes. Although God did not command King Solomon to build Him a House, but rather Solomon devotion and commitment fulfilled the wish of His father, King David; and God promised him that his descendant would complete what David wanted (Cp. II Samuel 7: 12b-13). Nevertheless, I Kings 9: 3 and II Chronicles 7: 5 attest to unfailing promise by God of what his heir finally accomplished.

It is interesting that in the Gospel narratives, Matthew through Luke [Matthew 26: 17-20; Mark 14: 1-2, 12; Luke 22: 1, 7-8, 11, 14] mention the Lord Jesus Christ celebrating the (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread and the (1) Passover; but the order is reversed (Cp. Exodus 12: 2-3, 6, 17-18??). Only in John’s account is the Dedication of the Temple mentioned [NOTE: Presumably the ‘first’ Temple built by King Solomon; Cp. I Kings 8: 63-65; 9: 3; II Chronicles 7: 5b, 6-11]. The author also states that “it was during ‘winter’ (Cp. John 10: 22),” which is in accord with the traditional Jewish Religious Calendar of happening September-October, on the first day of the month. Coincidentally, this is the same time as the (7) Feast of Trumpets (Cp. Leviticus 23: 4). This interval of months would be considered the ‘fall’ season for those of us living in America or the Western Hemisphere.

The apostle John also includes the (1) Passover, but he leaves out the (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread. Additionally, there is a reference to there being Greeks among those who came up to worship at the ‘feast’ [again, presumably the (1) Passover; Cp. John12: 20??], in violation of the prohibition in the Law of Moses that ‘foreigners’ are not to partake of it (Cp. Exodus 12: 43). Outside of the Gospels, the book of Acts mentions the Day of (5) Pentecost (Cp. 2: 1), which is essentially the (5) Feast of Weeks (Cp. Leviticus 23: 15-16). The (2) Days of Unleavened Bread is mentioned in Acts 12: 3; 20: 6, and in Acts18: 21; 20: 16, the writer says the apostle Paul wanted to keep the coming ‘feast’ in Jerusalem, which in all likelihood is the (5) Day Pentecost/the Feast of Weeks (Cp. Acts 2: 1; Leviticus 23: 15-16).

ONE FINAL THOUGHT:
The Gospel account of Jesus celebrating the (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread and
the (1) Passover for the last time with His disciples before His betrayal and evening before the ‘Crucifixion’ might be misunderstood. The aforementioned ‘feast’ represents the male [‘Paschal’] lamb, without spot or blemish that was to be slain and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a ‘Memorial’ to the children of Israel being delivered from Egyptian bondage by the Mighty hand of the Lord God
(Cp. Exodus 12: 12-13, 26-27). A more solemn occasion might have been the symbolism of the (6) Day of Atonement (Cp. Leviticus 16: 1-34; 23: 26-32), where two goats were chosen as redemption for the sins of the people. The lot of one was freedom as the scapegoat and was sent away into the wilderness, but the other one had to be ritually sacrificed by the shedding of blood as a vicarious atonement for the sins of the Children of Israel.

Lastly, there is a curious passage in Jeremiah 7: 22-23: “For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices (??).” “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be Your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in the ways that I commanded you that it may be well with you.’


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 14, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Book of the Law of God

It is probably without much dispute or controversy among the three major World religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that the prophet Moses received the Law of God on Mount Sinai, the “Ten Commandments” (‘Decalogue’), which he wrote down on stone tablets. This simple method for recording legal contracts and commercial transactions was widely practiced throughout the Mesopotamian Valley at that time. The various materials used during the Fourth Century B.C. consisted of wax-covered and soft clay or stone tablets hardened in the sun. Perhaps the earliest known script or alphabet was Phoenician, followed by cuneiform, and then, by the pictorial representation of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Letters or symbols were impressed into the softened clay or stone using an instrument called a ‘stylus.’

The brief historical overview will serve as a basis for the query as to how were these very sacred commandments of God written in a book (??) at such an early time period. Exodus 24: 7 is the first mention of ‘book,’ and right after that, ‘tablets of stone’ is recorded in Exodus 31: 18. It would be quite amazing for a book to have been manufactured or developed back then; at least in the sense of the way that such an item is produced since the invention of the modern printing press.
Exodus 24: 3-4, 7
Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances (Exodus 20: 1 - 23: 19); and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord [on what??]. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he took the book of the covenant (??) and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”

24:12, 18; 31: 18
Now the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandments which I have written for their instruction.” And Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. [See Exodus 25: 1 – 31: 17] And when He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

31:18
And when He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

32: 15-16
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides, they were written on one side and the other. And the tablets were God's work, and the writing was God's writing engraved on the tablets

34.1-2 Now the Lord said to Moses, "Cut out for you two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered". “So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai (Cp. 3:6??), and present yourself to Me on the top of the mountain.

27
The Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words. . .”

40: 20
He took ‘the Testimony’ [“Ten Commandments”] and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.

Deuteronomy 4: 44-45
Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel. These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt.

10: 1-5
“At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. ‘And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark.’ “So I made an ark of acacia wood (‘Bezalel’ made; Cp. Exodus 35: 30, 31, 37: 1??) and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. “And he wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. “Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the Lord had commanded me.”

27: 2-3, 8
”So it shall be on the day when you shall cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones, and coat them with lime and write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over, in order that you may enter the land which the lord your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. “And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very distinctly.”

28: 58
“If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear the honored and awesome name, the Lord your God.

29: 27
Therefore, the anger of the Lord burned against that land, to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book.

31:19, 21-22, 24-26
“Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, in order that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. “Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.” So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel. And it came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, “Take this book of the law and place it beside (??) the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you.

32: 46
And he said to them: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe; all the words of this law.”

Joshua 1: 8
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

8: 31-32
As it is written in the book of the law of Moses.

24: 26
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up under the oak that is by the sanctuary of the Lord (where??)

I Samuel 10: 25a
Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and he wrote them in the book and placed it before (??) the Lord.

I Kings 8: 1, 3-4, 9 (Cp. II Chronicles 5: 1-14)
Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. Then they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

II Kings 22: 8, 10, 14 (Cp. II Chronicles 34: 8-24)
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord". And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. Morever, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book". And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.

23: 1, 2
Then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord.

23.21-22, 24-25
Then the king commanded all the people saying, "Celebrate the Passover to the Lord God as it is written in this book of the covenant". Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah. Moreover, Josiah removed the mediums and the spirits and the teraphim and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. And before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

II Chronicles 17: 1-3
Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah to teach in the cities of Judah, and with them he sent Levites: Shemiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Ashael, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; the Levites, and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. So they taught in Judah, and had the book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

Ezra 3: 2, 4-5a
Then Jeshua the son of Jehozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. They also kept the ‘Feast of Tabernacles,’ as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for ‘New Moons’ and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated. NOTE: Nowhere does it mention that God accepted these sacrifices, but the narrative is silent on the Divine acknowledgement.

Nehemiah 8: 1, 14
Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. And they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths [‘temporary shelters’] during the feast of the seventh month.

Oral narrative accounts and histories preceded the science of writing by hundreds of years, and considering the sheer volume as well as the detailed information contained within the Laws, Statutes, and Ordinances of the “Torah” (Heb. ‘Law;’ Genesis-Deuteronomy), not to mention the other sacred ‘Writings,’ it is certainly worth consideration to inquire if it would be possible that everything was written down in a ‘book’ as such, in that contemporary situation. Some of the later prophets also use words like ‘tablet’ or ‘scroll’ (Cp. Isaiah 30: 8a), and Habakkuk has ‘tablet’ also (Cp. Habakkuk 2: 2b). The prophet Jeremiah might help shed some light on this matter because he uses the phrase, “scroll of a book” (Cp. Jeremiah 36: 2a; 4a, 8b, 10a). He also mentions the scribe’s chamber (Cp. 36: 20-21), which could possibly have reference to a library of sorts. In that same chapter, verse 32 mentions that King Jehoiakim, after hearing a few lines from the book, cut it up and threw it in the fire.

Doubtless, pious Jewish scribes, to include perhaps, scholars of rabbinic schools, prophets, and those who descend from the Levites (Aaron and Moses) or priests, might have had a hand in composing, revising, and editing whole sections over many generations, centuries even, to preserve the cultural, historical, and religious legacy of the Jewish people, whether living within their homeland or as captives in foreign nations, about their relationship with the One True God, the God of Israel.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 11, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Ark of the Covenant

In studying the history of the beginnings of the Jewish religion as presented in the Old Testament, one cannot help but notice the importance placed upon the most sacred of furnishings contained within the tabernacle or temple, the ‘Holiest of Holies,’ and that is the ark of the Covenant of the Lord. The journey of this special representation of deity, began from the wilderness of Sinai behind a tent curtain, later to be hoisted upon the shoulders of the Levites as the children of Israel cross the Jordan River to enter the land of promise. The ark of God stays at Bethel in Shiloh until the Philistines take it as a prize in battle for defeating the Israelites and return with it to Ashdod and place it in the temple of their god, Dagon.

The God of Israel punishes the Philistines and they place it on an ox cart with the proper sacrifices to atone for their deeds. The ark of the Lord is returned back to the territory of the land of Israel but it eventually ends up to dwell permanently in the land of Judah where King Solomon finally completes his father David’s heartfelt desire to build the Lord’s house where the ark will be placed within. Solomon does indeed finish building and dedicating the temple with the Ark of the Covenant and all the holy furnishings (Cp. I Kings 5 and II Chronicles 5). This is the last time that the ark is mentioned in Holy Writ except in the book of Revelation (Cp. Revelation 11: 19).

Exodus 25: 8, 10, 16, 21b
“And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” And they shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long (3. 75 feet) and one and a half cubits wide (2. 25 feet), and one and a half cubits high [2. 25 feet].” “And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.”

21a, 22
“And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark. “And there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, and from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony; I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

40: 20
He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.

Deuteronomy 10: 1-5
“At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. ‘And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark.’ “So I made an ark of acacia wood (NOTE: actually,‘Bezalel’ made it; Cp. Exodus 35: 30, 31, 37: 1??) and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. “And he wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. “Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the Lord had commanded me.”

31: 9
So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and to all the elders of Israel.

19, 26
Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you.

Joshua 7: 6
The ark of the covenant of the Lord.

I Samuel 3: 1, 4
Word from the Lord was rare in those days and visions were infrequent. The temple of the Lord, where the ark was.

4: 3, 10
The ark of the covenant was at Shiloh and the Philistines defeated Israel and took the ark of God.

5: 1-2
The Philistines took the ark [of the Covenant] from Ebenezer (territory of Benjamin and the land of Judah) and brought it to Ashdod, placing it in the house of Dagon.

6: 18
Even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they sat the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

15, 19
The Levites took down the ark of the Lord. Some of the men of Beth-Shemesh (territory and tribe of Judah) looked into the ark of the Lord and He struck down
50, 070 men of the people.

NOTE: This is like what happened to those Nazi soldiers and other government officials from Germany in the “Indiana Jones” movie.

7: 1-2
In Kiriath-jaarim (“Hebron;” tribe of ‘Dan’ in Judea??) the ark was brought to the house of Abinadab on the hill, and his son Eleazar was consecrated to keep the ark of the Lord.

14: 3, 18
And Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli (Cp. I Samuel 1: 3), the priest of the Lord at Shiloh. . . Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here [Gibneah of Benjamin].” For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel [at‘Shiloh’??].

II Samuel 6: 2-3a, 11a, 12a (Cp. I Chronicles 13: 1-14; 15 – 16)
And David arose and went with all the people from Baale Judah (“Kiriath-jearim”) to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the Lord of Hosts (YHVH Sabaoth), who dwells between the cherubim. So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with gladness.

7: 2
The king [David] said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark dwells inside tent curtains.”

I Kings 8: 1, 3-4, 9 (Cp. II Chronicles 5: 1-14)
Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. Then they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

36: 7, 10a, 17-19
Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him [‘Jehoiachin’] and took him to Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the Lord [which ones??]. . . Therefore, He [“God’] brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on the young man or virgin, on the aged or on the weak; He gave them all into his hand. And all the articles from the house of God, great and small (Cp. v. 7; Daniel 1: 1-2??), and the treasures of the king and his leaders, these entire he took to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions.

NOTE: There is no mention of the ark of the Covenant, the Mercy seat with the golden cherubim, the Table of Showbread, the golden Lamp stand, the Altar of Incense or other precious items of having been taken to Babylon.

Ezra 1: 7, 11a
King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods. All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred.

NOTE: When the Philistines captured the ark of God and placed it in the temple of their god ‘Dagon,’ the people were plagued to such an extent that they were compelled to return it with an appropriate offering of golden tumors (??) to appease the wrath of the Lord; but such is not the case with God punishing the Babylonians and Chaldeans because at this time God used these nations to chastise rebellious Israel and Judah.

Finally, there is the curious passage in Jeremiah 3: 16, which states, “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days, “says the Lord, ‘that they shall say no more ‘the ark of the covenant of the Lord,’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.”


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 11, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Two Accounts of Creation (Part II)

The Two Accounts of Creation
PART II

In an earlier study (Part I), the synopsis of the Creation story seemed like an cataclysmic event of incomprehensible magnitude with: formless matter, order out of chaos, separation of Light from Darkness, the “Spirit” or ‘wind’ of God stirring up the unseen, invisible, and swirling cosmic energies, indefinite time periods called ‘Days’ or epochs, the creation of Heaven and Earth, vegetation, primeval life forms (fish, birds, cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the field); the creation of ‘Man’ (“them”) in God’s image and likeness; not a man called “Adam” and a woman who was his helper called “Eve,” but rather male and female who were told to replenish the entire Earth over which they have the dominion. This account in GENESIS should not be read as a continuous narrative but rather as an interwoven and sophisticated portrayal that might have had several authors, revisions, sources, and which may have been written at different time periods by Jewish scribes, including possibly, during the Assyrian and Babylonian captivity of the inhabitants living within the lands of Israel and Judah, respectively.

GENESIS 2: 4
The history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the ‘Day’ that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens:

NOTE: This is the ‘Title’ and in the following story, the ‘Creator’ is the Lord God (‘YHVH’) who creates everything in an indefinite period called ‘Day’ with the ‘Earth’ seeming to get preeminence because it is mentioned before the ‘heavens’ in the latter phrase.

5
Before any plant of the field or any herb had grown (??). It had not rained on the earth and there was no ‘man’ to till the ground.

NOTE: Man was given a very mundane occupation as opposed to having dominion over the Earth in the other version.

7
The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the ‘breath of life’ and man became a living ‘soul’ (Heb. “Nephesh;” the same word applied to animals??)

NOTE: This differs from being created in God’s image and likeness (Cp.1: 26-27)

8
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and in there He put the man.

9
The Lord God made every tree to grow out of the ground that is (a) pleasant to the sight, and (b) good for food. The ‘Tree of Life’ was also in the midst of the garden, and also the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.’

16
And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat of it, for in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die [‘dying, you shall die’??].

19
Out of the ground the Lord God formed every (5) beast of the field, and every (2) bird of the air.

NOTE: (1) sea creatures and (4) creeping things are not mentioned yet as in the First Chapter.

20
So Adam [not the ‘man’??] gave names to all (3) cattle, to all (2) birds of the air, and to every (5) beast of the field. The Lord created Eve from one of Adam’s ribs [Heb. ‘tsala;’ side or rib] where he [Adam] names her “Woman” [‘Ishah’] because she was taken out of “Man” [‘Ish’].

24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.

NOTE: Did Adam really say this? Nevertheless, this statement is quoted in the Gospels by Jesus (Cp. Matthew 19: 5; Mark 10: 7-8a) and the Apostle Paul (Cp. Ephesians 5: 31).

25
And they were both ‘naked,’ the man and his wife and they were not ‘ashamed.’

NOTE: Why is this point even mentioned??

3: 1
The ‘Serpent’ was more cunning [‘subtil’??] than any (5) beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

NOTE: Did Adam name the serpent (v. 20), and wouldn’t the classification necessarily be that of a (4) creeping thing?

3
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the ‘midst’ of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”

NOTE: Several things are worth noting here, namely, that the “Tree of Life” was in the midst of the garden as well as the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” and there was no such prohibition against ‘touching’ the forbidden tree; although it is quite possible that the injunction was so dire that even to brush up against it was a violation of God’s Law as far as Adam and Eve were concerned. Also, there is quite a distinction between ‘lest you die’ as opposed to ‘you shall surely die;’ even if it is just a matter of semantics.

4-5
The serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die [which is actually what the Lord God said, except for that little added word, 'NOT'].” For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing ‘Good and Evil.’

6
So when the woman saw the tree was (a) good for food, and that it was (b) pleasant to the sight, and a tree (c) desirable to make one wise, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

NOTE: When the serpent was having this conversation with Eve, was Adam just standing there next to her and didn’t interrupt? After Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, were her eyes opened at that instant and why did she not react differently after becoming aware of her “nakedness” before Adam and the ‘Serpent’? Lastly, one of the qualities for which the Lord God did not imbue the trees with was (c)“desirable to make one wise.”

7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked [and they knew good and evil??]

NOTE: It seems the ‘Serpent’ was right after all. This could be like the the metaphysical or occult Egyptian "EYE OF HORUS" which has to do with the pineal gland at the base of the brain stem which awakens one to the higher consciousness of divine knowledge.

8b
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden.

10-11
So he [Adam] said, “I heard Your Voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And the Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree which I commanded that you should not eat?”

20
And Adam called his wife’s name “Eve” [‘Life’] because she was the mother of all living (??).

NOTE: Who else was there besides the primordial human pair, the animals and vegetation?

21
The Lord made tunics [‘coats’??] of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
NOTE: What kind of animal was skinned and the fur used to cover their nakedness or was it ‘skin’ itself that Adam and Eve were clothed with? Adam and Eve were never told to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the Earth [in this account].

22
The Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (vs. 5b, 7), to know ‘Good and Evil.’ And now, lest he put out his hand and also take from the ‘Tree of Life’ and eat, and live forever.

NOTE: Why does it not say the man and woman or Adam and Eve has become like deity, as well as the next thing that the fallen couple wanted to do was to obtain immortality and was prevented from doing so?

23-24
The Lord God sent him [Adam] out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He [the Lord God] drove out the man.

NOTE: Nothing is mentioned about Eve being driven from the garden at this time.

QUESTION:
When the Lord God said in the very day that the forbidden tree was eaten from that Adam would die, what kind of “death” is it, or rather, what is the particular character or nature of this death? Adam and Eve did not die that ‘day’ in the physical sense because they had Cain, Abel, Seth, and Adam in fact lived about 950 years; although how long Eve lived is not mentioned in Scripture, which is surprising. Perhaps the death which Adam and Eve experienced had something to do with fear of God, separation and hiding from God, shame, and most importantly, the word "sin" was not used.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 7, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

The Two Accounts of Creation (PART I)

PART I

Genesis 1: 1
In the beginning God (‘Elohim’) created the heavens and the earth:

2
The earth was without form and void (Cp. Jeremiah 4: 23), darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. NOTE: Like the Hindu deity ‘Vishnu’ as well as the existence of ‘matter’ without form; the Hindu ‘Absolute,’ Dark Matter and cosmic or ‘dark’ energy.

3
And God said, “Let Light become.”

4
God divided the Light from the Darkness.

5
The Light called ‘DAY’ and the Darkness called ‘NIGHT.’ Evening and morning was the FIRST DAY.

NOTE: The Days and Nights of Creation comparable to the Hindu religion version by the god ‘Brahma’??

6
God said, “Let there be a firmament (‘expanse’) in the midst of the waters, let it divide the waters from the waters.

7
God divided the waters under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.

8
God called the firmament [above] Heaven. Evening and morning was the SECOND DAY.

9
God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together in one place; let the dry land appear.

10
God called the dry land Earth and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas.

11
God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, the fruit tree that yields fruit in itself.
NOTE: All of this before sunlight or rain??

13
Evening and morning was the THIRD DAY.

14
God said, “Let Light become in the firmament of the heavens to divide the Day from the Night, and let them (??) become for signs, seasons, days, and years.

NOTE: The chronology for the Earth seems to be a ‘Lunar’ (Night to Day) one, according to the cosmic cycle.

16
God made two great Lights: The greater Light to rule the Day and the lesser Light to rule the Night; He made the stars also.

17-18
God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the Day and the Night; and to divide the Light from the Darkness (v. 4).

19
The evening and morning was the FOURTH DAY.

20
God said, “Let the waters abound with (1) living creatures, (2) birds flying across the firmament of the heavens.

21
God created great (1) sea creatures [‘Leviathan’??], every (2) winged bird.

NOTE: It is to be stated that not all birds have wings or can fly.

23
Evening and morning was the FIFTH DAY.

24
God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creatures: (3) cattle, (4) creeping things and (5) beasts of the earth.

NOTE: Does this include the ‘Serpent’ (Cp. 2: 17-18)??

26
God said, “Let Us create ‘Man’ in Our Image, according to Our likeness; Let ‘them’
have dominion over (1) fish, (2) birds, (3) cattle, every (4) creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

NOTE: Man was not given dominion over the (5) beasts of the earth??

27
God created ‘Man’ in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created ‘them.’

28a
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful; fill (‘replenish;’ “KJV, ASV”) the earth and subdue it.

Replenish 2 a; to fill something that had been previously emptied.

29
God said to them, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed, every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.

NOTE: The original diet of primordial humankind was that of being ‘omnivores.’

31
Then God saw everything that He had made; and indeed it was very good. The evening and morning was the SIXTH DAY.

Genesis 2: 1
Thus the Heavens and the Earth, and all the host of them were finished.

PART I
(End)

Postscript:
2: 2
God ended His work of the SEVENTH DAY AND RESTED FROM ALL His work which He had done.

3
God blessed the ‘seventh day’ and sanctified it because in “it” He rested from all His work which God created and made.

NOTE: There is no mention of a garden of Eden, talking Serpent, Tree of Life, Tree of Good and Evil, or anything about being ‘naked,’ sword-wielding cherubim, hearing the sound [‘Logos;’ “Word”] of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, or any curse, whatsoever.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 4, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com

Are Christian Religious Symbols a Form of Idolatry?

There is hardly a more universally recognizable sign associated with the Lord Jesus Christ than the ‘Cross.’ The sight of it evokes deep solemnity, reverence, guilt, and shame as believers the world over reflect on the agonizing suffering, shame, humiliation, and death by crucifixion that Jesus endured for sinful humanity. Be that as it may, is the most sacred symbol of ‘Christendom’ acceptable in the sight of God? The problem is, it doesn’t just stop with this one symbol because dozens of icons have been created by man’s imagination over the centuries to include animals, numbers, letters, and presumably inspired religious paintings and sculptures. The steeples and spires of Christian houses of worship and cathedrals are so lofty and stained-glass windows are adorned with ornate pictures of angels or a European concept of divinity, as to give witness to true holiness; but is there any Biblical guideline to such a practice, whether implied or directly stated?

Exodus 20: 22a(i), 23
Then the Lord said to Moses, “You shall not make anything to be with Me- gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

Deuteronomy 4: 15-18
Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or any bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.

One of the drawbacks with the veneration of Christian iconography is that it may tend to draw attention away from the devotion and honor due solely to the ‘Creator’ by vicariously imbuing the object with a sort of “specialness” and rob God of the glory which He is due. Remember Exodus 20: 5a, where it reads: You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. Were all these emblems not associated with God in some way or another, they would not hold the value that they do and not draw our attention, interest, nor would we cherish them the way that we do.

Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that God is invisible, transcendent, immortal and incorporeal, which poses difficulty for a human who is by nature physical and finite. Our mind cannot conceptualize the Divine nature (“immateriality”) in any objective and tangible way and it leaves us feeling unconnected and incomplete; especially considering the Scriptural revelation that God created ‘Man’ in His image and likeness. Although one can be critical of the pagan religions as being superstitious but are we any more enlightened than they were? Take as an example, the people’s EXHIBIT A against the ancients:

Numbers 21: 8
The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

II Kings 18: 4
He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called[a] Or He called it Nehushtan. [b] Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for bronze and snake and unclean thing. ).

The Israelites had forgotten the true purpose and meaning of the brass snake over their subsequent generations and began to worship it as a ‘god.’ Of course it is easy to condemn the people of old for their ignorance and traditions while at the same time Christianity today is incorporated with pagan Western European, Anglo-Saxon, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, etc. religious symbols, practices or holidays and many believers don’t even realize it. If one really wants to see a symbol of God, then look in the mirror of the eyes of your neighbor and you will be able to see God very distinctly and clearly.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 3, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com