Luke 18: 31-33
Then He took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the Prophets concerning the Son of Man, shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully treated, and spit upon. And they shall scourge (torture) Him, and put Him to death, and the third day He shall rise again.”
Luke 22: 37
For I say unto you that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me, “AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS (Cp. Isaiah 53: 12b).”
NOTE: Jesus specifically cited this reference from the Isaiah scroll referring to Him.
Luke 24: 25-27, 44, 46
And He said unto them, “O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses, and all the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Him. And He said unto them, “These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you; all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses [Torah], & in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Me.” And He said unto them, “Thus it is written, & thus it behooved Christ to suffer & rise from the dead the third day.”
John 2: 49
Nathanael answered, and said unto Him, “Rabbi you are the Son of God and You are the King of Israel.”
John 7: 40, 42
After some in the crowd heard Jesus say these words, they said, “This man is certainly the prophet. Doesn’t Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David and from the village of Bethlehem, where David lived?”
John 12: 32-34
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me [Cp. John 3: 14]. (This He said, signifying what death He should die). The people answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law [or is it the Prophets], that Christ abides forever (Cp. Micah 5: 2); and how do you say, the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
COMMENTARY: The gospel narratives portray Jesus telling the disciples at least three times about His death, burial and subsequent resurrection. He goes on to say that this event is written or in fulfillment of Scripture (Law of Moses, Prophets and Psalms) but there in only one place where He is using as a reference (Luke 22: 37 [Isaiah 53: 12b]). Of course there are study aids and references in the margins of modern bibles that translators and editors place in the page column or at the page bottom to help the reader, but outside of that, it is interesting that Jesus did not supply more direct quotations from the Old Testament to better substantiate His fate as preordained of God. Not only that, but did the Jewish mindset at the time consider that their long-awaited Messiah would suffer such cruelty and be killed, especially when the Coming One would be a person that lives forever-not be put to death?
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 27, 2012
randle51@yahoo.com
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The secret teachings of Jesus
Matthew 1: 16
And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called the Christ.
Mark 1: 22
And they were astonished at His doctrine; for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Matthew 13: 10-12, 13, 16-17
And the disciples came, and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” he answered, and said to them, “Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because they seeing see not: and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand.” “And in them is fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah, which says: ‘BY HEARING YOU SHALL HEAR, AND SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND: AND SEEING YOU SHALL SEE, AND SHALL NOT PERCEIVE (Cp. Isaiah 6: 9).’ ” But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your eyes, for they hear. “For verily I say to you, that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see and have not seen them; and to hear the things which you have, and have not heard them.”
Matthew 13: 34-35
And these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spoke He not unto them; that it might be fulfilled by the Prophet, saying, “I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES, I WILL UTTER THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN KEPT SECRET FROM THE FOUNDATON OF THE WORLD (Cp. Psalms 78: 2).”
John 3: 3, 6-7, 9-10, 12
Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily I say unto you, except a man be born again [from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” That which is borne of flesh is flesh and that which is born of spirit, is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again. Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you a Master teacher [Rabboni] of Israel and don’t know these things?” If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not: how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?”
1 Kings 4: 29, 34
God gave Solomon wisdom-keen insight and a mind as limited as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was wiser than anyone, than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Herman, Calcol, or Darda, Mahol’s sons. His fame spread to all the nations surrounding him. People came from every nation to hear his wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom.
NOTE: That Solomon was very wise is the stuff of legend-but how do other men compare, such as Daniel (Ezekiel 28: 3); Job (Job 2: 11: 42: 1-6) and Job’s friends, Eliphaz (Job 4: 1); Bildad (Job 8: 1); Zophar (Job 11: 1) and Elihu (Job 32: 1)? There is however, one person who possessed the greatest wisdom of all, as in the following:
Matthew 12: 42
The Queen of the south will stand up at the time of judgment with you. She will condemn you, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here.
Luke 13: 23-24
Then said one unto Him, “LORD, are there few that be saved?” And He said unto him, “Strive to enter in at the straight gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”
Matthew 23: 13
But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: For you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them who are entering to go in (Cp. Luke 11: 52).
Luke 6: 39
And He spoke a parable unto them, “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”
Luke 17: 20-21
And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation. Neither shall they say, Lo here, or lo there: for behold, the kingdom of heaven is within you.”
COMMENTARY: Outside of Christianity Jesus is accepted as a great teacher of wisdom like Confucius, Lao-Tzu, Pythagoras, Solomon, Buddha, Aristotle and others, but not as the Son of God or Jewish Messiah. The Church, on the other hand has contributed to an over-emphasis on the miraculous or supernatural (exorcisms, signs, wonders, healings, resurrection, etc) and not as much on what Jesus taught. This is not to suggest that these elements are unnecessary but to focus so much attention on the extraordinary causes us not to see what is before our eyes and hiding in plain sight. Jesus is called the “Christ” which means ‘anointed’ in the special sense of the word but I would like to offer another thought here. Jesus as the Son of God who came down to this earth from the highest Heavenly realm to teach us how to find our way back to God, offers this gift of esoteric knowledge wrapped up in the garment of mundane everyday sayings which obscure greater spiritual truth. The parables He delivered most likely have a double meaning which might be difficult to discern at first, and while it might not be the case for all of them all of them, doubtless, some of them probably do.
I remember reading a little bit about Zen Buddhism where the student or pupil is taught a simple Koan (riddle, parable or proverb) by the Master and not instructed as to what it means or how to interpret it. It is only after diligent reflection, contemplation or meditation without external distraction that the mental discipline and sometimes rigorous physical training and sacrifice pays off and the novice (disciple) understands. This person has just experienced an epiphany [Def. – A sudden rush of intuitive insight into the essential nature or meaning of a thing]. So, what does all of this have to do with Jesus and His teaching or Christianity, for that matter? Most of the time, whether in pulpits or Bible classes on Wednesday night or Sunday School, parables are rarely taught, and when they are it is usually interpreted in a very literal way because this how the meaning appears on the surface. It all seems so simple and perhaps that is just the point. Jesus said that the purpose is to obscure to truth and not make it plainly clear. If the audience to whom He spoke these words to didn’t grasp the hidden meaning, even within the context of their social and religious environment with terms that they would have been most familiar with, then what are our chances today that we could? Even some of Jesus’ followers found it difficult to fully comprehend or understand His message (Cp. John 6: 60).
It must be remembered that Jesus spoke many parables but He only gave answers to but just a few as recorded in the gospels, and even then there might have been a deeper meaning or layer underneath. Keep in mind that the times that Jesus disclosed the meaning of the parables to His disciples [The Twelve] was when they were in a private setting, away from the crowd. There were a couple of occasions when Jesus asked the disciples if they understood the parables and they said they did. I am not so sure they did, and certainly not all of them because Jesus rebuked “the twelve” several times for their unbelief and being dull if hearing; not to mention their embarrassing behavior from time to time. Outside the miracles and the few instances of social interaction, parables are the crown jewel of Jesus’ teaching and it would benefit us greatly to ask God to open up our understanding to these sacred words that have been hidden from the foundation of the world.
To wrap this up then, I am starting to think of Jesus in a slightly different way now. The Son of God, yes, that’s a given but when I read about Jesus who is called “Christ” to me it is like this: Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and as a result of the mystical experience that He had, the Holy Spirit descending upon Him and hearing God’s voice from heaven seems to me that He become a ‘Bodhisattva’ [attaining “Enlightenment”], which is also having an epiphany. As a divine being who took on the mantle of human flesh, Jesus set aside His divine prerogatives of godhood. The experience in the Jordan awakened Him to the higher spiritual realm [in its fullness??] at that moment in time and what had been forgotten was now restored to His memory and He knew what the end of His mission was- to teach us how to find our way back to the Source (God) through His teachings, and to ultimately, die for the sins of the world.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 19, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called the Christ.
Mark 1: 22
And they were astonished at His doctrine; for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Matthew 13: 10-12, 13, 16-17
And the disciples came, and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” he answered, and said to them, “Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because they seeing see not: and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand.” “And in them is fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah, which says: ‘BY HEARING YOU SHALL HEAR, AND SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND: AND SEEING YOU SHALL SEE, AND SHALL NOT PERCEIVE (Cp. Isaiah 6: 9).’ ” But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your eyes, for they hear. “For verily I say to you, that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see and have not seen them; and to hear the things which you have, and have not heard them.”
Matthew 13: 34-35
And these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spoke He not unto them; that it might be fulfilled by the Prophet, saying, “I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES, I WILL UTTER THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN KEPT SECRET FROM THE FOUNDATON OF THE WORLD (Cp. Psalms 78: 2).”
John 3: 3, 6-7, 9-10, 12
Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily I say unto you, except a man be born again [from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” That which is borne of flesh is flesh and that which is born of spirit, is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again. Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you a Master teacher [Rabboni] of Israel and don’t know these things?” If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not: how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?”
1 Kings 4: 29, 34
God gave Solomon wisdom-keen insight and a mind as limited as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was wiser than anyone, than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Herman, Calcol, or Darda, Mahol’s sons. His fame spread to all the nations surrounding him. People came from every nation to hear his wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom.
NOTE: That Solomon was very wise is the stuff of legend-but how do other men compare, such as Daniel (Ezekiel 28: 3); Job (Job 2: 11: 42: 1-6) and Job’s friends, Eliphaz (Job 4: 1); Bildad (Job 8: 1); Zophar (Job 11: 1) and Elihu (Job 32: 1)? There is however, one person who possessed the greatest wisdom of all, as in the following:
Matthew 12: 42
The Queen of the south will stand up at the time of judgment with you. She will condemn you, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here.
Luke 13: 23-24
Then said one unto Him, “LORD, are there few that be saved?” And He said unto him, “Strive to enter in at the straight gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”
Matthew 23: 13
But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: For you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them who are entering to go in (Cp. Luke 11: 52).
Luke 6: 39
And He spoke a parable unto them, “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”
Luke 17: 20-21
And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation. Neither shall they say, Lo here, or lo there: for behold, the kingdom of heaven is within you.”
COMMENTARY: Outside of Christianity Jesus is accepted as a great teacher of wisdom like Confucius, Lao-Tzu, Pythagoras, Solomon, Buddha, Aristotle and others, but not as the Son of God or Jewish Messiah. The Church, on the other hand has contributed to an over-emphasis on the miraculous or supernatural (exorcisms, signs, wonders, healings, resurrection, etc) and not as much on what Jesus taught. This is not to suggest that these elements are unnecessary but to focus so much attention on the extraordinary causes us not to see what is before our eyes and hiding in plain sight. Jesus is called the “Christ” which means ‘anointed’ in the special sense of the word but I would like to offer another thought here. Jesus as the Son of God who came down to this earth from the highest Heavenly realm to teach us how to find our way back to God, offers this gift of esoteric knowledge wrapped up in the garment of mundane everyday sayings which obscure greater spiritual truth. The parables He delivered most likely have a double meaning which might be difficult to discern at first, and while it might not be the case for all of them all of them, doubtless, some of them probably do.
I remember reading a little bit about Zen Buddhism where the student or pupil is taught a simple Koan (riddle, parable or proverb) by the Master and not instructed as to what it means or how to interpret it. It is only after diligent reflection, contemplation or meditation without external distraction that the mental discipline and sometimes rigorous physical training and sacrifice pays off and the novice (disciple) understands. This person has just experienced an epiphany [Def. – A sudden rush of intuitive insight into the essential nature or meaning of a thing]. So, what does all of this have to do with Jesus and His teaching or Christianity, for that matter? Most of the time, whether in pulpits or Bible classes on Wednesday night or Sunday School, parables are rarely taught, and when they are it is usually interpreted in a very literal way because this how the meaning appears on the surface. It all seems so simple and perhaps that is just the point. Jesus said that the purpose is to obscure to truth and not make it plainly clear. If the audience to whom He spoke these words to didn’t grasp the hidden meaning, even within the context of their social and religious environment with terms that they would have been most familiar with, then what are our chances today that we could? Even some of Jesus’ followers found it difficult to fully comprehend or understand His message (Cp. John 6: 60).
It must be remembered that Jesus spoke many parables but He only gave answers to but just a few as recorded in the gospels, and even then there might have been a deeper meaning or layer underneath. Keep in mind that the times that Jesus disclosed the meaning of the parables to His disciples [The Twelve] was when they were in a private setting, away from the crowd. There were a couple of occasions when Jesus asked the disciples if they understood the parables and they said they did. I am not so sure they did, and certainly not all of them because Jesus rebuked “the twelve” several times for their unbelief and being dull if hearing; not to mention their embarrassing behavior from time to time. Outside the miracles and the few instances of social interaction, parables are the crown jewel of Jesus’ teaching and it would benefit us greatly to ask God to open up our understanding to these sacred words that have been hidden from the foundation of the world.
To wrap this up then, I am starting to think of Jesus in a slightly different way now. The Son of God, yes, that’s a given but when I read about Jesus who is called “Christ” to me it is like this: Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and as a result of the mystical experience that He had, the Holy Spirit descending upon Him and hearing God’s voice from heaven seems to me that He become a ‘Bodhisattva’ [attaining “Enlightenment”], which is also having an epiphany. As a divine being who took on the mantle of human flesh, Jesus set aside His divine prerogatives of godhood. The experience in the Jordan awakened Him to the higher spiritual realm [in its fullness??] at that moment in time and what had been forgotten was now restored to His memory and He knew what the end of His mission was- to teach us how to find our way back to the Source (God) through His teachings, and to ultimately, die for the sins of the world.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 19, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
Let there be Light
Jeremiah 4: 23
I beheld the earth, and behold, it was chaos and disorder (tohu vavohu).
NOTE: Another possible translation of this verse is: “I beheld the earth, and behold, it was without Light.”
Genesis 1: 2
And the earth was without form and void (tohu vavohu), and “darkness” was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering (“vibrating”) upon the face of the waters (mayim).
NOTE: Is the deep referred to here “The Absolute” in Hindu and “Tao” in Daoism?
Genesis 1: 3a
And Elohim (God) said, “Let there be light (ohr).”
Genesis 1: 4b
And Elohim separated divided the light (Yang) from the darkness (Yin).
NOTE: On the “face of the deep” where darkness was, Elohim separated light (Yang) from darkness (Yin).
Genesis 1: 5
And Elohim called the light Day and the darkness is called Night.
NOTE: Now on the “face of the deep” where there was perpetual or eternal Night exists Day now, too.
Genesis 1: 6
And Elohim said, “Let there be a “rakia” (expanse, dome, firmament) in the midst of the waters, dividing the waters from the waters.
Genesis 1: 7
And Elohim made the rakia, and divided the waters under the rakia from the waters which were above the rakia; and it was so.
Genesis 1: 8a
And Elohim called the “rakia,” Heaven.
NOTE: “Heaven” is what separates the waters into regions; one above and another below. These ‘waters’ are probably heavier or lighter as far as mass from the other and their cosmic nothingness [visible/invisible??] and vibratory frequency probably differs, too.
Genesis 1: 9-10a
And Elohim said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And Elohim called the dry ground (yahabashah) Earth.
2 Peter 3: 5
They are deliberately ignoring one fact: Because of God’s word, heaven and earth existed a long time ago. The earth appeared out of water and was kept alive by water.
NOTE: Since earth appeared “out of” the Seas/Oceans (water) and all the biologic forms which later adapted and survived on land from the amphibian prototypes of marine life, doesn’t this support Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? How the material that makes up soil, rocks, hills and mountains can emerge from water (H2O) is quite a mystery. Life cannot exist without that precious element, of which precisely seven-tenths cover the planet and it is the same ratio of fluids [blood, lymph, fats, etc.] that exist in the human body.
Genesis 1: 11
And Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, after its kind whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so.
Genesis 1: 12
And the earth brought forth vegetation, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, after its kind whose seed is in itself.
NOTE: This is the Earth beginning to become a living, self-sustaining ecosystem; quite literally, bringing forth the ‘first-fruits’ of Creation and it takes place on The Third Day.
DIGRESSION:
Hosea 6: 2b
On the “third day” He will raise us so that we may live in His presence.
Luke 24: 7
He said, “The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people to be crucified, and come back to life on the third day.”
1 Corinthians 15: 20
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and has become the first-fruits of them that have died.
Genesis 1: 14
And Elohim said, “Let there be lights in the rakia (expanse, dome, firmament) of the heaven (outer space) to divide the day from the night (vs. 18b), and let them be for signs, seasons, days and years.
NOTE: This is different from Genesis 1: 3-5. The signs could be astrology or astronomy, and used in interpreting prophesy or some unfavorable omen. The rest could pertain to the later Jewish religious celebrations.
Genesis 1: 16-17
And Elohim made two great lights, the greater light (the Sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the Moon) to rule the night; Elohim made the stars (kokhavim) also. And Elohim set them in the ‘rakia’ of the heaven to give light upon the earth.
NOTE: This is very interesting because it contradicts Cosmology, Astrophysics and Astronomy because it means the Earth is older than the Sun, Moon or stars in this Solar System or even Milky Way Galaxy; which scientific research has ample evidence to the contrary. The only way this could be even remotely possible is if the picture being painted here is of a pre-physical Earth, and if so, then order doesn’t really matter.
Genesis 1: 20-21a
Elohim said, “Let the waters bring forth an abundance of living creatures, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open ‘rakia’ (expanse, dome, firmament) of heaven. Elohim created great sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth in abundance, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind. . .
NOTE: Could this great sea creature be the legendary prehistoric Loch Ness dinosaur and also it seems that birds or fowl with wings came from the waters or an aquatic environment as opposed to from the land or ground (??).
Job 41: 1-2, 7
Can you draw Leviathan (Cp. Psalms 104: 25-26) with a hook or his tongue with a cord that you let down? Can you put a hook in his nose or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Can you fill his skin with barbed irons or his head with fishhooks?
Genesis 1: 24
Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind; and it was so.
Job 40: 15-16-17a,
Behold now Behemoth which I made with you, he eats grass as oxen. His strength is in his loins and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moves his tail like a cedar. His bones are as strong pieces of brass. His bones are like bars of iron. Surely the mountains bring him forth food; where all the beasts of the field play.
Genesis 1: 26
And God said, “Let Us make man [Adam] in Our image and after Our likeness, and let them [Adam] have dominion. . .
Genesis 1: 29-30
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the entire earth [nothing poisonous or inedible] and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps on the earth wherein there in life, I have given every “green” herb for food; and it was so.
NOTE: The “original” diet of humankind was vegetarian and as herbivores. Animals did not eat the flesh of its prey as such an instinct had not been activated to kill for survival. This state however, changed after the Flood, as in the following below:
Genesis 6: 11-13
The earth also was corrupt before God; and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt: for all flesh (including animals??) had corrupted His way upon the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth (Cp. 2 Peter 3: 5-6).”
Genesis 9: 2
And the fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every fowl of the air and all [the creatures] that move upon the face of the earth and upon all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; even as the green herb I have given you all things [including poisonous roots, too??].
COMMENTARY: Aside from all the rocket scientist stuff regarding Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Muons, Leptons, Quarks, particle string theory, the Atomic Table, multiple universes and dimensions, the Higgs boson “God particle” or exploding Super Novas and matter without form-how everything works is still a mystery. Don’t even let me get started on Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) because I would just confuse all of us. The thing is though, and I think appropriate in this instance is taken from the Koran where the ‘light’ mentioned in Genesis 1: 3 and translated from Arabic means “understanding.” Now the word could be more of a spiritual than literal translation but it is worth consideration because so often the Bible is usually interpreted in a fundamental or literal way.
Just as the cycle of violence started with Cain and then Lamech (Noah’s father), this set off a chain-of-events that affected even the animal kingdom and probably the plant kingdom as well [maybe not in this case] and the Creator had no choice but to purge the earth of this corruption/sin through the overwhelming deluge (“baptism”) of water which engulfed the entire planet [or Mesopotamian Basin at the very least]. Although animals were taken aboard the ark their natures changed after tasting blood and mankind was no longer in communion with them as before, and now part of the food chain includes the ones who are at the very top of it. Doubtless, becoming carnivores changed the structure of our teeth and maybe even our very appearance. It might not be such a stretch to link the new fleshy diet with disease, a shortened lifespan [the medical Messiahs would vigorously disagree] or other psychological problems, and in spite of technological advancements along with the Internet and smart phones we still don’t even know how to solve our solid waste problem.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 18, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
I beheld the earth, and behold, it was chaos and disorder (tohu vavohu).
NOTE: Another possible translation of this verse is: “I beheld the earth, and behold, it was without Light.”
Genesis 1: 2
And the earth was without form and void (tohu vavohu), and “darkness” was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering (“vibrating”) upon the face of the waters (mayim).
NOTE: Is the deep referred to here “The Absolute” in Hindu and “Tao” in Daoism?
Genesis 1: 3a
And Elohim (God) said, “Let there be light (ohr).”
Genesis 1: 4b
And Elohim separated divided the light (Yang) from the darkness (Yin).
NOTE: On the “face of the deep” where darkness was, Elohim separated light (Yang) from darkness (Yin).
Genesis 1: 5
And Elohim called the light Day and the darkness is called Night.
NOTE: Now on the “face of the deep” where there was perpetual or eternal Night exists Day now, too.
Genesis 1: 6
And Elohim said, “Let there be a “rakia” (expanse, dome, firmament) in the midst of the waters, dividing the waters from the waters.
Genesis 1: 7
And Elohim made the rakia, and divided the waters under the rakia from the waters which were above the rakia; and it was so.
Genesis 1: 8a
And Elohim called the “rakia,” Heaven.
NOTE: “Heaven” is what separates the waters into regions; one above and another below. These ‘waters’ are probably heavier or lighter as far as mass from the other and their cosmic nothingness [visible/invisible??] and vibratory frequency probably differs, too.
Genesis 1: 9-10a
And Elohim said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And Elohim called the dry ground (yahabashah) Earth.
2 Peter 3: 5
They are deliberately ignoring one fact: Because of God’s word, heaven and earth existed a long time ago. The earth appeared out of water and was kept alive by water.
NOTE: Since earth appeared “out of” the Seas/Oceans (water) and all the biologic forms which later adapted and survived on land from the amphibian prototypes of marine life, doesn’t this support Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? How the material that makes up soil, rocks, hills and mountains can emerge from water (H2O) is quite a mystery. Life cannot exist without that precious element, of which precisely seven-tenths cover the planet and it is the same ratio of fluids [blood, lymph, fats, etc.] that exist in the human body.
Genesis 1: 11
And Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, after its kind whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so.
Genesis 1: 12
And the earth brought forth vegetation, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, after its kind whose seed is in itself.
NOTE: This is the Earth beginning to become a living, self-sustaining ecosystem; quite literally, bringing forth the ‘first-fruits’ of Creation and it takes place on The Third Day.
DIGRESSION:
Hosea 6: 2b
On the “third day” He will raise us so that we may live in His presence.
Luke 24: 7
He said, “The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people to be crucified, and come back to life on the third day.”
1 Corinthians 15: 20
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and has become the first-fruits of them that have died.
Genesis 1: 14
And Elohim said, “Let there be lights in the rakia (expanse, dome, firmament) of the heaven (outer space) to divide the day from the night (vs. 18b), and let them be for signs, seasons, days and years.
NOTE: This is different from Genesis 1: 3-5. The signs could be astrology or astronomy, and used in interpreting prophesy or some unfavorable omen. The rest could pertain to the later Jewish religious celebrations.
Genesis 1: 16-17
And Elohim made two great lights, the greater light (the Sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the Moon) to rule the night; Elohim made the stars (kokhavim) also. And Elohim set them in the ‘rakia’ of the heaven to give light upon the earth.
NOTE: This is very interesting because it contradicts Cosmology, Astrophysics and Astronomy because it means the Earth is older than the Sun, Moon or stars in this Solar System or even Milky Way Galaxy; which scientific research has ample evidence to the contrary. The only way this could be even remotely possible is if the picture being painted here is of a pre-physical Earth, and if so, then order doesn’t really matter.
Genesis 1: 20-21a
Elohim said, “Let the waters bring forth an abundance of living creatures, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open ‘rakia’ (expanse, dome, firmament) of heaven. Elohim created great sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth in abundance, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind. . .
NOTE: Could this great sea creature be the legendary prehistoric Loch Ness dinosaur and also it seems that birds or fowl with wings came from the waters or an aquatic environment as opposed to from the land or ground (??).
Job 41: 1-2, 7
Can you draw Leviathan (Cp. Psalms 104: 25-26) with a hook or his tongue with a cord that you let down? Can you put a hook in his nose or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Can you fill his skin with barbed irons or his head with fishhooks?
Genesis 1: 24
Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind; and it was so.
Job 40: 15-16-17a,
Behold now Behemoth which I made with you, he eats grass as oxen. His strength is in his loins and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moves his tail like a cedar. His bones are as strong pieces of brass. His bones are like bars of iron. Surely the mountains bring him forth food; where all the beasts of the field play.
Genesis 1: 26
And God said, “Let Us make man [Adam] in Our image and after Our likeness, and let them [Adam] have dominion. . .
Genesis 1: 29-30
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the entire earth [nothing poisonous or inedible] and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps on the earth wherein there in life, I have given every “green” herb for food; and it was so.
NOTE: The “original” diet of humankind was vegetarian and as herbivores. Animals did not eat the flesh of its prey as such an instinct had not been activated to kill for survival. This state however, changed after the Flood, as in the following below:
Genesis 6: 11-13
The earth also was corrupt before God; and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt: for all flesh (including animals??) had corrupted His way upon the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth (Cp. 2 Peter 3: 5-6).”
Genesis 9: 2
And the fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every fowl of the air and all [the creatures] that move upon the face of the earth and upon all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; even as the green herb I have given you all things [including poisonous roots, too??].
COMMENTARY: Aside from all the rocket scientist stuff regarding Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Muons, Leptons, Quarks, particle string theory, the Atomic Table, multiple universes and dimensions, the Higgs boson “God particle” or exploding Super Novas and matter without form-how everything works is still a mystery. Don’t even let me get started on Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) because I would just confuse all of us. The thing is though, and I think appropriate in this instance is taken from the Koran where the ‘light’ mentioned in Genesis 1: 3 and translated from Arabic means “understanding.” Now the word could be more of a spiritual than literal translation but it is worth consideration because so often the Bible is usually interpreted in a fundamental or literal way.
Just as the cycle of violence started with Cain and then Lamech (Noah’s father), this set off a chain-of-events that affected even the animal kingdom and probably the plant kingdom as well [maybe not in this case] and the Creator had no choice but to purge the earth of this corruption/sin through the overwhelming deluge (“baptism”) of water which engulfed the entire planet [or Mesopotamian Basin at the very least]. Although animals were taken aboard the ark their natures changed after tasting blood and mankind was no longer in communion with them as before, and now part of the food chain includes the ones who are at the very top of it. Doubtless, becoming carnivores changed the structure of our teeth and maybe even our very appearance. It might not be such a stretch to link the new fleshy diet with disease, a shortened lifespan [the medical Messiahs would vigorously disagree] or other psychological problems, and in spite of technological advancements along with the Internet and smart phones we still don’t even know how to solve our solid waste problem.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 18, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Did the early Church understand Jesus’ divinity in the the same way?
When the Bible is read by modern believers in the Western Hemisphere and America there is a tendency to think that our concepts are the same as those of the early Christian Church in the Middle East, Asia Minor, Asia and Old Europe nearly two-thousand years ago; but is this necessarily true? The Bible is understood through translations from Hebrew, then Greek to Anglo-Saxon English based upon millennia-old Greco-Roman cultural experience and traditions.
Acts 2: 22
You men of Israel hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by [through] Him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.
NOTE: Why didn’t Peter simply tell the Jews assembled at the Pentecost celebration that Jesus was the Son of God? Perhaps it was because of John 5: 18; 10: 33, which reads: Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him [Jesus], because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. The Jews answered Him [Jesus] saying, “For a good work we don’t seek to stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself [equal with] God.” Also, what would Peter have meant by calling Jesus the Son of God, anyway?
Acts 3: 18
But those things, which God beforehand had shown by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ [Mashiyach] should suffer, He hath so fulfilled.
NOTE: Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 are the most often quoted passages in the gospels pertaining to the sufferings of Jesus of all the prophetical writings. These particular Scriptures do not necessarily refer exclusively to the Messiah or Son of God, and Isaiah 53: 11 says: He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied; by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant [not Son, necessarily] justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.
Acts 3: 22-23
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, “A PROPHET SHALL THE LORD YOUR GOD RAISE UP UNTO YOU OF YOUR BRETHREN, LIKE UNTO ME; HIM SHALL YOU HEAR N ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER HE SHALL SAY UNTO YOU. AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT EVERY SOUL WHICH SHALL NOT HEAR [OBEY] THAT PROPHET SHALL BE DESTROYED FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.”
NOTE: Did Peter have in mind someone like a later-day prophet of old, like Moses? None of the gospel narratives or Paul’s epistles uses this quote. Peter does however, refer to Jesus as God’s Son in verse 13, though.
Acts 8: 32-35, 37b
The place of the Scripture which he read was this: HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO THE SLAUGHTER; AND LIKE A LAMB DUMB BEFORE HIS SHEARER, SO OPENED HE NOT HIS MOUTH; IN HIS HUMLIATION HIS JUDGMMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; AND WHO SHALL DECLARE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS TAKEN FROM THE EARTH [Cp. Isaiah 53: 7b-8]. And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom speaks the prophet this, of himself or some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And he [the eunuch] answered and said, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
NOTE: This passage in Isaiah, which is one of the most striking and definitive as far as connecting Jesus as the Messiah, is not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament [that I am aware of]; and this is quite surprising.
Acts 9: 20
And immediately he [Saul/Paul] preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
NOTE: After having the supernatural experience with the risen Jesus on the Damascus road earlier (Cp. Acts 9: 1-5) why doesn’t the narrative say that Saul proved from the Scriptures in the synagogue [Tanakh] that Jesus was the Son of God? There are some who make a distinction between the mortal Jesus and the spiritual being called the Christ. Not only that, but what Scriptural passages did he exegete [teach from]?
Acts 10: 38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit [Ha Ruach Kodesh] and power: Who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.
NOTE: In this verse is the real meaning of the word “Christ” [Gr. Christos/Heb. Mashiyach], which simply means, “anointed” or consecrated and set apart for a particular purpose [service to God]. Isaiah 45: 1a says: Thus says the LORD to His anointed [Heb. Mashiyach], to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held up, to subdue nations before him.
Acts 13: 23
Of this man’s seed [King David-verse 22] had God according to His promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus.
NOTE: The Hebrew word for Savior is “Moshia” or Messiah.
Acts 13: 32-37
And we declare unto you glad tidings [Gr. Evangelion-“Good News” or the gospel], how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God has fulfilled the same unto us their children in that He had raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm: “THOU ART MY SON, THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN YOU (Cp. Psalms 2: 7b).” And as concerning that He raised Him [Jesus] up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, He [God] said on this wise, “I WILL GIVE YOU THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID (Cp. Isaiah 55: 3b).” Wherefore he said in another psalm, “THOU SHALT NOT SUFFER THY HOLY ONE TO SEE CORRUPTION (Cp. Psalms 16: 10).” For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep (died), and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But He [Jesus], whom God raised up again, saw no corruption.
NOTE: There are a few things to comment on here. Did God the Father accept Jesus as His only-begotten Son on the “day” that He raised Him from the dead (Cp. Colossians 1: 18a), from birth out of Mary’s womb (Cp. Hebrews 1: 6) or at His baptism in the Jordan River? Also, Jesus as the “only begotten” Son of God in Acts 13: 33 is derived from the prophesy of Psalms 2: 7b, and this passage in the Psalms is not referred to in the gospels at all; in fact, the only time that the term “only begotten” Son of God is found almost exclusively in John 1: 14, 18; 3: 16, 18; 1 John 4: 9, and the author of the book of Hebrews uses the term “begotten” instead of only-begotten (Cp. 1: 5 and 5: 5). Acts 13: 35 and Paul’s use of Psalms 16: 10 is a shorter version of Peter’s longer message starting in Acts 2: 22-24. Acts 2: 25 is from Psalms 16: 8; Acts 2: 26 is from Psalms 16: 9; Acts 2: 27 is from Psalms 16: 10; and Acts 2: 28 is from Psalms 16: 11.
Acts 17: 2-3
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbaths reasoned with them out of the Scriptures [Tanakh], opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you is the Christ.
NOTE: Did Paul use more passages like those found in Psalms 16: 9b-11; Psalms 22: 1, 6-8, 13-18 or Isaiah 53: 1-12; and just what Scriptures did he use to prove his point?
Acts 17: 10-11
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night to Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
NOTE: Where in the Scriptures did they look to as reference material?
Acts 18: 24, 27-28
And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed by grace. For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly [not just in the synagogue], showing (proving) by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
NOTE: Again, like the Apostle Paul, what were his references in the Tanakh [Old Testament]?
Acts 26: 22-23a
Having therefore obtained help from God, I [the apostle Paul] continue to this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come. That Christ should suffer, and that He should [would] be the first that should [would] rise from the dead.
NOTE: Basically, the few Scriptures that mainly detail such things are again, Psalms 2: 7; Psalms 16: 9b-11; Psalms 22: 1, 6-8, 13-18; Isaiah 53: 1-12 and Zechariah 12: 10.
Colossians 1: 13, 15
God has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: Who is the firstborn of every creature.
Revelation 3: 14
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things says the A-men, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
NOTE: These passages in Colossians and Revelation are quite controversial, in that on the surface it seems to say the Son did not co-exist eternally with God the Father but rather was the first emanation of divine will and from and through Him [the Son] all of creation was formed and brought into manifestation from beginning [afterward].
1Timothy 2: 5
For there is only one God, and one mediator between God and men; the man Jesus Christ.
NOTE: The book of Hebrews puts it a little differently, as in the following:
Hebrews 1: 1-3, 8-12
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as He had by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. But unto the Son He [God the Father] says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND FOREVER: A SCEPTER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF YOUR KINGDOM. YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED INIQUIY; THEREFORE GOD, EVEN THY GOD HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR FELLOWS (Cp. Psalms 45: 6-7). AND, YOU LORD, IN THE BEGINNING HAS LAID THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH; AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS: THEY SHALL PERISH; BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY SHALL WAX OLD AS A GARMENT. AND AS VESTURE SHALL YOU FOLD THEM UP, AND THEY SHALL BE CHANGED: BUT YOU ARE THE SAME AND THE YEARS SHALL NOT FAIL (Cp. Psalms 102: 25-27).” [The context of even these passages do not definitively pertain to the Messiah or the Son of God as derived from Psalms, but are woven together to prove the anonymous writer’s point of view].
1 John 1: 3
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 3: 23a
And this is His [God the Father] commandment. That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 4: 15
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.
1 John 5: 5
Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
NOTE: See also verses 9b-13 and 20.
CONCLUSION: It can be observed from reading the many examples in the gospel narratives that there was varying opinions as to who Jesus was. He was called the son of David a few times and at others, the prophet from Nazareth. Some people thought He was one of the prophets of the old patriarchal days that God had resurrected, and Jesus mostly referred to Himself by the prophetical title “Son of Man,” mostly found in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah. In fact, Jesus sternly warned people not to call Him the Christ [Mashiyach/Messiah]. The gospel of John is the only one where Jesus actually says that He is the Son of God (Cp. John 9: 35; 10: 36; and so on). Peter confesses Jesus as the Son of God (Cp. Matthew 16: 16; John 6: 40, 69). The disciples believe that Jesus is the Son of God after He rebukes the wind (Cp. Matthew 14: 33) but in the other Synoptic accounts the disciples wonder what kind of man is this that rebukes the winds and the waves (Cp. Mark 4: 41; Luke8: 24-25) and in John’s gospel the disciples are not recorded as saying anything at all about the event (Cp. John 6: 18-21).
Nathanael calls Jesus the Son of God and King of Israel (Cp. John 1: 18, 34 and 49) and Martha confesses that Jesus is the Son of God (Cp. John 11: 23-27). All the gospels mention about the high priest asking Jesus if He was the Son of God or the Blessed One just to gather incriminating evidence that might be used to condemn Him for blasphemy. The thing is though, what about the ‘Shema’ of Deuteronomy 6: 4- “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [HaShem] is one (echad) LORD?” According to numerous passages in Isaiah there is no other God (Cp. Isaiah 43: 11; 44: 6; 45: 5-6, 21; 47: 8, 10) as well as in Deuteronomy 4: 35, so it is interesting to speculate how a believing Jew in the first century could process mentally, emotionally and religiously belief in a Son of God along with God of the patriarchs as such, and yet accept or believe Jesus when He says in John 6: 38, 42-“For I came down from heaven, not to do My will but Him that sent Me.” And they said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, I came down from heaven?” Jesus also said, “I and the Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. (Cp. John 10: 30-31). Lastly, for further study regarding the human and divine nature of Jesus, one should read about the Ecumenical councils: The First Ecumenical Council in Nicea, Asia Minor (325 CE); The Second Ecumenical Council, Constantinople (381 CE); The Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus (431 CE); The Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 CE); The Fifth Ecumenical Council at Constantinople (553 CE) and The Sixth Ecumenical Council at Constantinople (680-681 CE).
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
May 6, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
Acts 2: 22
You men of Israel hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by [through] Him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.
NOTE: Why didn’t Peter simply tell the Jews assembled at the Pentecost celebration that Jesus was the Son of God? Perhaps it was because of John 5: 18; 10: 33, which reads: Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him [Jesus], because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. The Jews answered Him [Jesus] saying, “For a good work we don’t seek to stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself [equal with] God.” Also, what would Peter have meant by calling Jesus the Son of God, anyway?
Acts 3: 18
But those things, which God beforehand had shown by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ [Mashiyach] should suffer, He hath so fulfilled.
NOTE: Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 are the most often quoted passages in the gospels pertaining to the sufferings of Jesus of all the prophetical writings. These particular Scriptures do not necessarily refer exclusively to the Messiah or Son of God, and Isaiah 53: 11 says: He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied; by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant [not Son, necessarily] justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.
Acts 3: 22-23
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, “A PROPHET SHALL THE LORD YOUR GOD RAISE UP UNTO YOU OF YOUR BRETHREN, LIKE UNTO ME; HIM SHALL YOU HEAR N ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER HE SHALL SAY UNTO YOU. AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT EVERY SOUL WHICH SHALL NOT HEAR [OBEY] THAT PROPHET SHALL BE DESTROYED FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.”
NOTE: Did Peter have in mind someone like a later-day prophet of old, like Moses? None of the gospel narratives or Paul’s epistles uses this quote. Peter does however, refer to Jesus as God’s Son in verse 13, though.
Acts 8: 32-35, 37b
The place of the Scripture which he read was this: HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO THE SLAUGHTER; AND LIKE A LAMB DUMB BEFORE HIS SHEARER, SO OPENED HE NOT HIS MOUTH; IN HIS HUMLIATION HIS JUDGMMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; AND WHO SHALL DECLARE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS TAKEN FROM THE EARTH [Cp. Isaiah 53: 7b-8]. And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom speaks the prophet this, of himself or some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And he [the eunuch] answered and said, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
NOTE: This passage in Isaiah, which is one of the most striking and definitive as far as connecting Jesus as the Messiah, is not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament [that I am aware of]; and this is quite surprising.
Acts 9: 20
And immediately he [Saul/Paul] preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
NOTE: After having the supernatural experience with the risen Jesus on the Damascus road earlier (Cp. Acts 9: 1-5) why doesn’t the narrative say that Saul proved from the Scriptures in the synagogue [Tanakh] that Jesus was the Son of God? There are some who make a distinction between the mortal Jesus and the spiritual being called the Christ. Not only that, but what Scriptural passages did he exegete [teach from]?
Acts 10: 38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit [Ha Ruach Kodesh] and power: Who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.
NOTE: In this verse is the real meaning of the word “Christ” [Gr. Christos/Heb. Mashiyach], which simply means, “anointed” or consecrated and set apart for a particular purpose [service to God]. Isaiah 45: 1a says: Thus says the LORD to His anointed [Heb. Mashiyach], to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held up, to subdue nations before him.
Acts 13: 23
Of this man’s seed [King David-verse 22] had God according to His promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus.
NOTE: The Hebrew word for Savior is “Moshia” or Messiah.
Acts 13: 32-37
And we declare unto you glad tidings [Gr. Evangelion-“Good News” or the gospel], how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God has fulfilled the same unto us their children in that He had raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm: “THOU ART MY SON, THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN YOU (Cp. Psalms 2: 7b).” And as concerning that He raised Him [Jesus] up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, He [God] said on this wise, “I WILL GIVE YOU THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID (Cp. Isaiah 55: 3b).” Wherefore he said in another psalm, “THOU SHALT NOT SUFFER THY HOLY ONE TO SEE CORRUPTION (Cp. Psalms 16: 10).” For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep (died), and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But He [Jesus], whom God raised up again, saw no corruption.
NOTE: There are a few things to comment on here. Did God the Father accept Jesus as His only-begotten Son on the “day” that He raised Him from the dead (Cp. Colossians 1: 18a), from birth out of Mary’s womb (Cp. Hebrews 1: 6) or at His baptism in the Jordan River? Also, Jesus as the “only begotten” Son of God in Acts 13: 33 is derived from the prophesy of Psalms 2: 7b, and this passage in the Psalms is not referred to in the gospels at all; in fact, the only time that the term “only begotten” Son of God is found almost exclusively in John 1: 14, 18; 3: 16, 18; 1 John 4: 9, and the author of the book of Hebrews uses the term “begotten” instead of only-begotten (Cp. 1: 5 and 5: 5). Acts 13: 35 and Paul’s use of Psalms 16: 10 is a shorter version of Peter’s longer message starting in Acts 2: 22-24. Acts 2: 25 is from Psalms 16: 8; Acts 2: 26 is from Psalms 16: 9; Acts 2: 27 is from Psalms 16: 10; and Acts 2: 28 is from Psalms 16: 11.
Acts 17: 2-3
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbaths reasoned with them out of the Scriptures [Tanakh], opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you is the Christ.
NOTE: Did Paul use more passages like those found in Psalms 16: 9b-11; Psalms 22: 1, 6-8, 13-18 or Isaiah 53: 1-12; and just what Scriptures did he use to prove his point?
Acts 17: 10-11
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night to Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
NOTE: Where in the Scriptures did they look to as reference material?
Acts 18: 24, 27-28
And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed by grace. For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly [not just in the synagogue], showing (proving) by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
NOTE: Again, like the Apostle Paul, what were his references in the Tanakh [Old Testament]?
Acts 26: 22-23a
Having therefore obtained help from God, I [the apostle Paul] continue to this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come. That Christ should suffer, and that He should [would] be the first that should [would] rise from the dead.
NOTE: Basically, the few Scriptures that mainly detail such things are again, Psalms 2: 7; Psalms 16: 9b-11; Psalms 22: 1, 6-8, 13-18; Isaiah 53: 1-12 and Zechariah 12: 10.
Colossians 1: 13, 15
God has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: Who is the firstborn of every creature.
Revelation 3: 14
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things says the A-men, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
NOTE: These passages in Colossians and Revelation are quite controversial, in that on the surface it seems to say the Son did not co-exist eternally with God the Father but rather was the first emanation of divine will and from and through Him [the Son] all of creation was formed and brought into manifestation from beginning [afterward].
1Timothy 2: 5
For there is only one God, and one mediator between God and men; the man Jesus Christ.
NOTE: The book of Hebrews puts it a little differently, as in the following:
Hebrews 1: 1-3, 8-12
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as He had by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. But unto the Son He [God the Father] says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND FOREVER: A SCEPTER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF YOUR KINGDOM. YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED INIQUIY; THEREFORE GOD, EVEN THY GOD HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR FELLOWS (Cp. Psalms 45: 6-7). AND, YOU LORD, IN THE BEGINNING HAS LAID THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH; AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS: THEY SHALL PERISH; BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY SHALL WAX OLD AS A GARMENT. AND AS VESTURE SHALL YOU FOLD THEM UP, AND THEY SHALL BE CHANGED: BUT YOU ARE THE SAME AND THE YEARS SHALL NOT FAIL (Cp. Psalms 102: 25-27).” [The context of even these passages do not definitively pertain to the Messiah or the Son of God as derived from Psalms, but are woven together to prove the anonymous writer’s point of view].
1 John 1: 3
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 3: 23a
And this is His [God the Father] commandment. That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 4: 15
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.
1 John 5: 5
Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
NOTE: See also verses 9b-13 and 20.
CONCLUSION: It can be observed from reading the many examples in the gospel narratives that there was varying opinions as to who Jesus was. He was called the son of David a few times and at others, the prophet from Nazareth. Some people thought He was one of the prophets of the old patriarchal days that God had resurrected, and Jesus mostly referred to Himself by the prophetical title “Son of Man,” mostly found in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah. In fact, Jesus sternly warned people not to call Him the Christ [Mashiyach/Messiah]. The gospel of John is the only one where Jesus actually says that He is the Son of God (Cp. John 9: 35; 10: 36; and so on). Peter confesses Jesus as the Son of God (Cp. Matthew 16: 16; John 6: 40, 69). The disciples believe that Jesus is the Son of God after He rebukes the wind (Cp. Matthew 14: 33) but in the other Synoptic accounts the disciples wonder what kind of man is this that rebukes the winds and the waves (Cp. Mark 4: 41; Luke8: 24-25) and in John’s gospel the disciples are not recorded as saying anything at all about the event (Cp. John 6: 18-21).
Nathanael calls Jesus the Son of God and King of Israel (Cp. John 1: 18, 34 and 49) and Martha confesses that Jesus is the Son of God (Cp. John 11: 23-27). All the gospels mention about the high priest asking Jesus if He was the Son of God or the Blessed One just to gather incriminating evidence that might be used to condemn Him for blasphemy. The thing is though, what about the ‘Shema’ of Deuteronomy 6: 4- “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [HaShem] is one (echad) LORD?” According to numerous passages in Isaiah there is no other God (Cp. Isaiah 43: 11; 44: 6; 45: 5-6, 21; 47: 8, 10) as well as in Deuteronomy 4: 35, so it is interesting to speculate how a believing Jew in the first century could process mentally, emotionally and religiously belief in a Son of God along with God of the patriarchs as such, and yet accept or believe Jesus when He says in John 6: 38, 42-“For I came down from heaven, not to do My will but Him that sent Me.” And they said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, I came down from heaven?” Jesus also said, “I and the Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. (Cp. John 10: 30-31). Lastly, for further study regarding the human and divine nature of Jesus, one should read about the Ecumenical councils: The First Ecumenical Council in Nicea, Asia Minor (325 CE); The Second Ecumenical Council, Constantinople (381 CE); The Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus (431 CE); The Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 CE); The Fifth Ecumenical Council at Constantinople (553 CE) and The Sixth Ecumenical Council at Constantinople (680-681 CE).
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
May 6, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
Jesus the prophet from Nazareth
Matthew 2: 22-23
But when he heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, Joseph was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he left for Galilee and made his home in a city called Nazareth. So what the prophets had said came true: “HE WILL BE CALLED A NAZARENE.”
NOTE: There is no writing by the prophets or anywhere else in the Old Testament that says this.
Matthew 21: 10-11
When Jesus came to Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, “Who is this?” The crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
John 1: 45-46a
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man whom Moses wrote about in his teachings and whom the prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, son of Joseph, from the city of Nazareth.” Nathanael said to Philip, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
NOTE: It would have been quite helpful to know what Old Testament Scripture or writings of the prophets which convinced Philip that Jesus was the Messiah.
John 7: 40-42, 48-49, 50a, 52
After some in the crowd heard Jesus say these words, they said, “This man s certainly the prophet.” Other people said, “This man is the Messiah.” Still other people asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?” Doesn’t Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David and from the village of Bethlehem, where David lived?” Has any ruler or any Pharisee believed in Him? This crowd is cursed because it does not know Moses’ Teachings.” One of those Pharisees was Nicodemus, who had previously visited Jesus (Cp. John 3: 1-12). They asked Nicodemus, “Are you saying this because you are from Galilee. Study the Scriptures and you’ll see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
Acts 24: 1-2, 4-5
Five days later the chief priest Ananias went to the city of Caesarea with some leaders of the people and an attorney named Tertullus. They reported to the governor their charges against Paul. When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him. He said to Felix, “Your Excellency, through your wise leadership we have lasting peace and political and social reforms that benefit the people. I don’t want to keep you too long. Please listen to us. We will be brief. We have found this man [Paul] to be a troublemaker. He starts quarrels among all Jews throughout the world [Empire??]. He’s a ringleader of the Nazarene sect.
COMMENTARY: It seems that Nazareth wasn’t thought of too highly and anyone from the village must not have been looked upon favorably. It is strange that all, if not almost all of the ancient cites of the Bible are mentioned in the Old Testament and for the most part survive unto contemporary modern times, but Nazareth doesn’t come existence until its association as the place where Jesus grew up and lived until His public ministry commenced. Even in the intervening years following Jesus’ ascension back into Heaven it seems that Nazareth had the reputation as a socially backwater town and seedbed of rebellion, religious zealotry and a bunch of troublemakers [in my opinion]. Although in the legal and technical sense Jesus was born in Judea, it is interesting how God chose, instead, to associate Jesus with such a place as Nazareth. The history of the world might have been experienced differently if people proclaimed, “Jesus, the prophet from Bethlehem of Judea,” instead of Nazareth.
Micah 5: 2
But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He [Messiah/Moshiach] come forth unto Me that is the be the Ruler of Israel, whose goings forth have been from everlasting, from the days of eternity. OJB
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 16, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
But when he heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, Joseph was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he left for Galilee and made his home in a city called Nazareth. So what the prophets had said came true: “HE WILL BE CALLED A NAZARENE.”
NOTE: There is no writing by the prophets or anywhere else in the Old Testament that says this.
Matthew 21: 10-11
When Jesus came to Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, “Who is this?” The crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
John 1: 45-46a
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man whom Moses wrote about in his teachings and whom the prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, son of Joseph, from the city of Nazareth.” Nathanael said to Philip, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
NOTE: It would have been quite helpful to know what Old Testament Scripture or writings of the prophets which convinced Philip that Jesus was the Messiah.
John 7: 40-42, 48-49, 50a, 52
After some in the crowd heard Jesus say these words, they said, “This man s certainly the prophet.” Other people said, “This man is the Messiah.” Still other people asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?” Doesn’t Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David and from the village of Bethlehem, where David lived?” Has any ruler or any Pharisee believed in Him? This crowd is cursed because it does not know Moses’ Teachings.” One of those Pharisees was Nicodemus, who had previously visited Jesus (Cp. John 3: 1-12). They asked Nicodemus, “Are you saying this because you are from Galilee. Study the Scriptures and you’ll see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
Acts 24: 1-2, 4-5
Five days later the chief priest Ananias went to the city of Caesarea with some leaders of the people and an attorney named Tertullus. They reported to the governor their charges against Paul. When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him. He said to Felix, “Your Excellency, through your wise leadership we have lasting peace and political and social reforms that benefit the people. I don’t want to keep you too long. Please listen to us. We will be brief. We have found this man [Paul] to be a troublemaker. He starts quarrels among all Jews throughout the world [Empire??]. He’s a ringleader of the Nazarene sect.
COMMENTARY: It seems that Nazareth wasn’t thought of too highly and anyone from the village must not have been looked upon favorably. It is strange that all, if not almost all of the ancient cites of the Bible are mentioned in the Old Testament and for the most part survive unto contemporary modern times, but Nazareth doesn’t come existence until its association as the place where Jesus grew up and lived until His public ministry commenced. Even in the intervening years following Jesus’ ascension back into Heaven it seems that Nazareth had the reputation as a socially backwater town and seedbed of rebellion, religious zealotry and a bunch of troublemakers [in my opinion]. Although in the legal and technical sense Jesus was born in Judea, it is interesting how God chose, instead, to associate Jesus with such a place as Nazareth. The history of the world might have been experienced differently if people proclaimed, “Jesus, the prophet from Bethlehem of Judea,” instead of Nazareth.
Micah 5: 2
But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He [Messiah/Moshiach] come forth unto Me that is the be the Ruler of Israel, whose goings forth have been from everlasting, from the days of eternity. OJB
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 16, 2012
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
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