Amenhotep Amenhotep, you Fly with your chariots, yon That Nuweiba beach. Yet, the walls of water crash Down upon you, and the Jews, They flee to Sinai. The Wandering Israelites Oh, you wandering Apiru, in the desert So long: Estsablish Yourselves! And break the Hittite Empire You "Sea People!" Historicity of Genesis; Flood, Nimrod and Battle of Siddom Mid-24th Century Anomaly, It collapses all civilizations; Almost like a global flood? Then The Earth divides during the life of Peleg, and then Sargon that Nimrod, built His empire, And three hundred years later, would, Ride, Abraham! and pursue those Elamite foes. Make haste to avenge Ur, to impose that Amorite King Melchizedek, king of Salem, to instill Babylonian rule. The Gospels as Witness Mathew, if first written in Aramaic, Papias says John Son of Thunder Said Matthew was written by Matthew in Hebrew, Does this not prove Matthew was written by Matthew? Papias XX says John the Elder is John Son of Thunder, and that John dictated his Gospel to Papias. Luke is also considered a premier Historian. Evidence that Demands a Verdict, 86. And Mark is written by memory, On the testimony of Peter. And would Q not most likely be the man Jesus Himself? Pi Ramses Pi Ramses, You are named Right when the Prophet, good Moses, lived. You are proof Exodus Was written Nigh the year One thousand Three hundred Before Christ. Right before Moses would See the land That our God Promised him. Twenty years Is within A margin Of error. King Tut Anubis sits atop a vessel In the pattern of the Ark of the Covenant. How the LORD God freed Israel From idolatry, and gave them a pure law. For, instead of Anubis, It is the Law of God Between the Cherubim. The Curtains of the Tabernacle Cry out that Exodus was real. So does the Ark of the Covenant. So does all evidence prove the LORD Jehovah Jireh. How also the Covenants between Egypt and the Hittites Prove Moses, for a learned man of Egyptian Royalty Wrote the Torah. Only one of such education could. Evidence in a Timeline A Biblical Timeline of Evidence Corroborating Scripture: 24th Century BC – Flood myths appear on every continent and in every ancient civilization, including the Americas, which would be impossible, had not the Flood actually happened. There is also the 24th century Anomaly, which wipes out all civilizations on Earth, and leaves evidence in Ireland with tree rings. The Genealogical Records in scripture also helped me find this event. 1950bc - The Lipit-Ishtar, which has a law on it, number 27, that Abraham followed with Hagar, that God told him to ignore. Abraham corresponds to this in the Genealogical record. 1800bc - Wadi el-Hol, found in Egypt, shows the earliest alphabet resembling that of proto-hebrew. 1750bc - We see the influence of Abraham on the laws of Mesopotamia, in the Hammurabi's Code, where some of the Hebrew laws in the Torah are first found. Which is likely, also, the reason Sumerian Legends contain Biblical material, was an original source penned by Abraham. 1420bc - The Temple of Soleb has the name of Yahweh inscribed in Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and shows Bound Hebrew Slaves on the Pillars, making mention of the fact that the Israelites were wanderers in the land of Egypt before they were enslaved. 1330bc - The Cult of Aten begins, which corresponds with Moses in the Genealogies. The Cult of Aten was an unexpected conversion to Monotheism by the Pharaoh of Egypt, which likely occurred as a result of the miracles performed by Moses. Also, Moses' genealogical record lines up right with it. 18th Egyptian Dynasty – Egyptian Chariot spokes are found off the coast of Nuweiba beach, and many more like pieces remain under the Red Sea. 1250bc - Joshua's Altar. In Joshua's Altar there are Kosher animal ashes, along with the lead tablet described by the book of Joshua, and it is situated at the rear face of mount Ebal. It is even in the pattern of a Jewish Altar, with ramps instead of steps. Also found at the same dig site are mentions of King Hezekiah (Circa 790bc) and Jeremiah (Circa 600bc). The tablet has both El and Yah in it. 1050bc - A fragmented clay artifact is found in Khirbet Qeiyafa, containing Hebrew Mnemonic verses and the name of God (El), of interpretive transcriptions of the law. On the pot, it talks about being charitable to slaves, and judging them mercifully, and a rebuke against idolatry. 840bc - Tel Dan Stele records the death of King Jehoram, and reveals that he is from the HouseDavid---a Portmanteau of the Dynasty's Heraldry. 597bc - The Nebuchadnezzar Chronicles are a direct reference to the Jewish Captivity, of Babylon sacking Jerusalem. Ezekiel had already been taken captive, along with Israel, therefore, the captivity had already begun. Ezekiel records the Sack of Jerusalem and how bad it will be. As well as Jeremiah the Prophet. 537bc - Edict of Cyrus, which records the restoration of the Jews back to Israel. 100bc – The Great Isaiah scroll was transcribed, and still has the prophecy of Isaiah 53, detailing how a man's soul must be offered as a sin offering. Predating Christ by at least 130 years. 31ad – Christ sweats blood, and dies of a heart attack. The Gospel record shows Christ sweating blood, a condition called hematohidrosis, which happens because of severe stress, and also a heart attack, when His side was punctured with the spear, water flowed from the wound. Which is from a pustule sack developed around the heart during Pre-Cardiac Arrest. 31ad – Under the Emperor Guangwu, of the Latter Han Dynasty, there is record of the Darkening of the Sun which happened for three hours during the Crucifixion. In the records, twice it is declared, “A man has died for the sins of all the people. Man from heaven died.” The Bible's Reliability, As Supported by The Evidence So, to begin, the Bible is the only surviving document of any great length from before 1000bc. It was first written—and we know this—at about 1300bc. Which is when the Exodus took place, if you study the Genealogical records of the kings dating back from Persian restoration. And that’s important because if the Bible were written at 1300bc—it was started then—it’s pretty much what the Bible claims. And the religion was formed by Moses, when they were out in the desert. And there’s actually several pieces of evidence that suggest this happened. The first, is a temple in Soleb, which has the name of Yahweh inscribed on it, and also a depiction of bound slaves. That’s actually in an Egyptian ruin, and I’ve seen it on a video. Which, is important because on that pillar, it says the Jews were a wandering people. Which is also what the Bible says. And when the slavery was initiated, it doesn’t say that. Only that the Jews were indeed enslaved, and they worshiped Yahweh. So, another piece of evidence was found off the coast of Nuweiba beach. They found thousands of scattered Chariot spokes and wheels and other such things. And they recovered one, which dated exactly to the 18th Egyptian Dynasty. Which, was again, around 1300bc. So, you’d think if this happened, there’d have to be some great revival in Egypt. The overwhelming evidence that God showed Himself to Pharaoh would have to have some impact on society. And it did. Akhenaten, a famous pharaoh, commissioned his state to be Monotheistic, and worship Aten. And, this is exactly dated at the Exodus. So, around 1340 is when Akhenaten lived. Forty years in the wilderness, there’s then going to be the conquest of Canaan. Which, you’d think there’d be historical evidence, and there is. Every siege the Bible mentions, there’s archaeological evidence supporting it. The conquests of the Jews is supported in the Late Bronze Age Collapse. There were diseases proceeding forth from God to help the Israelites win. And there’s a sharp reduction of populations during the thirteenth century. So, all of that lines up with the Biblical record. But, you’d think if the Jews existed, they would have left evidence. Well, they did. There’s a structure that is patterned off of the biblical pattern of an altar. It was found on Mt. Ebal. There was Kosher animal ashes discovered at the site. The best records of the site date to about 1250bc. They found the lead tablet talked about in Joshua. They found the Tetragrammaton on that tablet. They found references to Jeremiah and Hezekiah—who visited the altar. And so, this is evidence yet again of the Jews right after the Exodus. Then, there’s more evidence. Can you believe it? There’s a stele called the Merneptah stele, dated to around 1210bc, which names Israel, and Pharaoh boasts of having destroyed the Seed of Israel. Which, means he likely went through and burned all the records pertaining to them. As, Pharaoh and ancient civilizations were very keen on the records they kept. But, it mentions Israel by name. Obviously Israel wasn’t destroyed, as it’s still a people today. So, likely, this is just a fabrication of Pharaoh’s who would prefer them not to be in the Canaan strip, where they ensconced themselves, and also practiced their worship of God through the Law. “But wait! The Bible wasn’t written until 400BC!” Nope. The Bible, because of something called Loan Words, was written in the thirteenth century. It was written in the Late Bronze age, due to Egyptian Words being used that didn’t exist at any other time. So, for that transference of data, the Bible would have had to be written around 1300bc and continued until, well, today actually. There’s still a record kept of the Jewish people, dating from this time of Moses to now. And, you might say, “Well the Bible plagiarized Ancient Near East Myths.” Nope. Those myths are found in Assyrian libraries. The Bible does predate that. And, not to mention, there’s indirect references in the story of Abraham to a law found in Mesopotamian culture around 1950bc. It was on a law called the “Lipit-Ishtar”. And this was a law with regard to a prostitute—a concubine—and the person had to keep them like a wife. But, Abraham was told not to do this. Which shows, for that detail to exist into modern day, a continual transference of information dating back to at least 1950bc, but I would argue earlier. So, there’s two different accounts in Genesis, and two different traditions being outlined. One of El (God) and the other of Yahweh. I believe these were both the same tradition, the one of El coming from Abraham, and the one of Yahweh coming from Jacob. And these two traditions, and the Law of God, came from the first instances of Monotheism in the world. So, the stories in Genesis were originated by the Jews, that’s what this evidence shows. And not only that, there’s two separate traditions—that’s why the Bible repeats itself sometimes, which I’ll get to later—and these two separate traditions were likely composed by witnesses of the events themselves. The slight differences are what we’d expect from witness testimony. It’s just a matter of fact, that this is what witness testimony looks like. Which gets us to the prophets and the chroniclers of the Kings of Judah and Israel, that they were written down by witnesses, and transferred, as I’ve proven, at the time those events were taking place. So, the Old Testament, the entirety of it, were written by eye witness, and that I’ve just proven. “Ah, but what about the New!” Here we actually have even more evidence to support. For one thing, Jesus actually existed. There’s about half a dozen references outside of the Bible to Jesus, some by famous historians. There’s internal evidence in the scripture saying Jesus lived, being that He sweat blood, a condition called hematohidrosis which the writers couldn’t have forged. And also He died, because the water flowing from His wound is consistent with a Heart Attack. This heart attack, what happens is a pustule sac develops beneath the rib cage, in pre cardiac arrest, and when it ruptures, it creates what looks like water. And when the centurion punctured Jesus, that pus flowed from His wound. Which could only be consistent with an actual death. Jesus could not have survived that. So, also, how do we know the Gospels are true? Well, again, people as early as 90ad, were quoting copious amounts of information from the Gospels, Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and it was already established at least then. What we do have is Papais saying who wrote two gospels. Matthew and Mark. Matthew was composed in Hebrew and later translated into Greek by Matthew. And Mark was given by Peter, who spoke it to him, and he wrote it down. Luke accompanied Paul, and therefore Paul, we know, met with James and Peter, being given the first creed of the faith, “He is God who died and raised”, and not only this, Luke would have known witnesses of the Gospel, too. So Acts and Luke were written through the testimony of first hand witnesses, so was Mark and Matthew. The only one really difficult to believe based on evidence is John’s gospel. But, it was written at about 100ad to 120ad. Which if John were even 30 years old at Christ’s death, he could conceivably live to 120. That’s not out of the realm of possibility. Especially since Rome was a pretty hearty civilization. So, the Gospels were being written about 60ad, about thirty years after Christ’s death. Because they were copiously quoted by the Church Fathers at 90ad. I just showed that their origins are documented. And John could have lived to be 120, and if he were even an eleven year old when Christ died—who knows, right?—he could have been even younger when that Gospel was written. Which, we’re not talking about a lifespan outside of the reach of a human life. We’re talking thirty to seventy years after Christ died, that’s when the Gospels were written. Within the span of a human life. Not to mention, Papais' source for who wrote Matthew and Mark was St. John, proving he was indeed alive at 90ad, only a decade before the Gospel of John was written at the earliest. And again, it’s important to understand that historians documented some of these disciple’s deaths. Some of these men knew Jesus, or were related to Jesus, and they died on the testimony that Christ raised, and ate and broke bread with them. They were willing to sometimes die unspeakable deaths just for this testimony. Which, is important because a person doesn’t die willingly for what they know isn’t true. It’s one thing if the faith is far removed, and it’s a story. But these people lived it… and they would be the first to know if it were faked. And, Josephus documents that James, the LORD’s brother, died by stoning for this testimony. So… both Old and New Testament are sufficed in the evidence. And they are witness accounts from the time periods. So, I firmly believe in them. To conclude, there’s clear evidence of Judaism existing prior to Babylonian Captivity. And the evidence puts it at right when Judaism claims to have been founded. So, it’s actually older than most of the sources we have from the ANE. It’s neat, actually. El (God) and Yahweh are probably the original monotheistic faiths. The evidence points to this, too, and I think Genesis was meant to combine the traditions of El and Yahweh into one master tradition. That being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And as for Jesus, there's clear reason to believe the Gospels are eyewitness accounts, and not fabrications. Podcast The Evidence for Jesus Transcription So I'm gonna go over a comprehensive analysis of the evidence that the scripture is true. So the first thing, how do we know the Bible's true? First thing that always comes up is the flood. Couldn't happen? Well, there's actually flood myths in every continent on the Earth, where there's people inhabiting it, and how does that happen? It's not a very good explanation to say that it's because they lived in flood plains; the fact is, it always has the same story of one person surviving on boat or some other object. And that's a common theme throughout all of them, which shows a common origin of the myth, which isn't so much a myth, if you think that had to have actually happened if this is what's dispersed across the entire world. Second thing is the Lipit-Ishtar, and this is a law of Mesopotamia that basically described what Abraham's behavior toward his prostitute Hagar was, and this was in 1950 BC. And it's important that we understand this because in 1950 BC, this is when Abraham would have lived. If you take up all the genealogies, I mean, all the chronologies of the kings and stuff from Persian restoration, which we have an exact date for that it lines up exactly with 1950, etc, because the judges would overlap. And that's just a fact. And so right when Abraham is said to live, we find the Lipit-Ishtar. which shows not only that Abraham lived possibly but also a continual transference of written data because this would have been impossibly hard to forge with bronze age information technology---it would have been impossible to forge a detail like that. And then there is something called the Wadi El Hol, which was a inscription in Egypt of cave scribings of basically ancient Canaanite script (even more ancient than Canaanite script). And for those of you who say that there was no other people who had a different language in Egypt, there actually are words written on the cave wall at Wadi El Hol, and this is dated to around 1850 BC, right around the time when Joseph would be coming to Egypt and his people going there. Which gets to another thing, is in 1450 BC, Pharaoh erected a pillar at the temple of Soleb. It has the name of God Yahweh and also shows bound slaves being led away, and the slaves are called a wandering people. Now this is important because the Jews, they were a wandering people through the land of Egypt, and then they were enslaved and their God was Yahweh. Okay, next 1340BC, we see right at the tip of the 18th Egyptian dynasty, two things actually. One is that there's chariot spokes that an archaeologist, although this is disputed, took out of the Red Sea at Nuweiba beach, and he had it accredited by a prominent artifact historian and they dated it at 18th Egyptian dynasty; and this artifact shows that there was chariots from that time period off the coast of Nuweiba beach, and they found tons of them, but again, this is a disputed artifact. But then you have the cult of Akhenaten's. What could change a Pharaoh so radically, if not witnessing that your slave peoples' God acted on their behalf by helping them cross a sea? What else can cause this? I don't see anything else. It's just randomly Akhenaten up and starts worshipping Aten. Why this is, it's probably because the Jews showed some pretty strange stuff and some strange miracles, and it convinced the Pharaoh to become, now they say it was monotheistic. Some people dispute that but it doesn't matter. There's a change in the religion; that shows us at the very the least something new is added to the Pantheon that wasn't there before. Then you have in 1250 BC, a newly discovered thing is the altar at Mount Ebal, which is exactly where it was supposed to be. And it was patterned off of a Jewish altar, and had ramps instead of steps. They did some scientific analysis on the ashes found at the site. They found only kosher animals, although they did find some deer and some wildlife. But it was all kosher animals showing that there was actually a Jewish altar. They found a lead tablet mentioned in Joshua, and on it, it mentions both El and Yah, but this is important because it's a huge thought up until now in academia that El and Yah were two different traditions that were merged together around 950 BC. This is actually not true because in 1250 BC, we have these two traditions right next to one another. Now while I do believe that there were two traditions, El from Abraham and Yah from Jacob at 1250bc, it's probably around 1300 BC when Joshua would have been conquering Canaan and writing the Bible. This shows that the Bible is being created at this time period it describes, which we'll get to the next thing. This is actually a concurrent proof that they already merged the two traditions of Jacob and Abraham and also that this was an important discovery because they were worshipping the God of Jacob Abraham and Isaac from 1300 BC, which is right when the Bible was said to be written. And we know that the Bible was also written at this time because of concurrent late bronze age phraseology that would have only been found in Egypt in the late bronze age; so we can pin the Bible as being written around 1300 BC. So right at the time period when Moses would have been conquering Canaan. And even more evidence than this--- I know there's a lot isn't there? It's pertinent to understand that right at this time period, there's a late bronze age collapse that can't be explained by anything except plagues, and what does God send before the Israelites? Not to mention, there's about three sieges that are mentioned in Scripture. Every one of them has been archaeologically discovered, including Jericho. There's a site of Jericho; they're all sieges, and this shows that these sites were actually conquered by Israel. And if this isn't enough, there's one more piece of evidence called the Merneptah Stele, which was erected around 1210 BC, which has the name of Israel on it and likely the reason for this is that Pharaoh said he destroyed the seed of Israel completely. What he probably meant was he destroyed any record and censored the Israelites from ever existing. Okay, so now we get into other stuff because this was all the Exodus and before the Exodus--- Now we're after the Exodus and at Khirbet Qeiyafa, they found a tablet, a clay pot that had inscriptions on it from the law of telling you how to treat slaves nicely and praising God; and also, there's Sinai 349, which basically is a censure against Baal worship. Okay, we have lots of evidence here, I'm gonna have to go over it all. Then jump forward about 200 years, you have a Stele called the Tel Dan Stele, which has a battle written on it, basically, exactly what the Bible says. It was king Jehoram who was in the battle and it's exactly what the Bible says. And guess what! It says HouseDavid on it; the house of David, showing that there was indeed a second kingdom of the Davidic bloodline, which is important. So now we've established that the scripture was written in 1300. We're seeing that it's actually being written at the time periods it describes. Okay, fast forward a little bit more. You got the siege of Babylon at Jerusalem. And this is pretty well known, and is really not that disputed, but we'll go over it anyways. The Nebuchadnezzar Chronicles, which chronicles Nebuchadnezzar sacking of Jerusalem. Fast forward about another seventy years, you get the Edict of Cyrus sending them back home, and then you fast forward about another 300 years, in 100 BC, you get the Dead Sea Scrolls, which has Isaiah perfectly preserved. It's exactly within 99% accuracy of what we have today. Very few little things change. But the important thing is that Isaiah 53 is still in the Scripture perfectly preserved. This is exactly what's in our Scripture today, but it's clearly a prophecy of Jesus. And I find that to be one of the most revealing facts that when we have these "quote unquote" scholars saying that there are anachronisms in the Bible, this proves that those anachronisms are not actually anachronisms, but are fulfilled prophecies. Onto the next thing, 31ad. In 31ad we know Christ lived and died because of two particular pieces of evidence. One is a work written by Phlegon of Tralles, which has a reference to the three hours of darkness during the crucifixion. Now, this is secondhand because it's written in someone else's work saying that this had existed previously. But it's pretty much authentic. And the reason why we know this, is because in China, there's another concurrent record from about 31ad talking about the same exact eclipse happening at Passover. And this is the Chronicles of Guangwu, when they even prophesied Christ, it said, "Man from heaven died and covers the sins of all the people. Yin and Yang are reversed." It's amazing stuff, amazing stuff. And this is actually in the Chronicles; you can actually look it up in the original text, it's still in there. It's amazing. I was dumbfounded, I didn't believe it. And I had to go look up the text to see if it was reality. It's actually a really in there. And then you have another thing that proves Jesus existed. So we can't have people saying that Jesus never existed. A couple of things. Actually, one is a Roman historian Tacitus, who basically said Jesus was crucified under Pilate. And we would know that if he had any reason to doubt this, he would have said Jesus didn't exist because Rome wanted to crush Christianity, at this time, and it would have been too easy to go out and lie about it, if they had not kept the records of crucifixions and stuff, which they did back then. It would have been too easy to go down there and see that this was fake, if it were. And he basically must have went down to the records of Rome, and see that Jesus was actually crucified under Pontius Pilate. So Jesus had actually existed. That's Tacitus of Rome. And then though, this was about 50 years after, it's really kind of silly, because you know, there's really no historian that talks of contemporary events that much, especially things like this that are happening among the peasants. This isn't really something that's really big news to people, except for the common people. But after about 50 years later, it's typical that if it's creating enough stir in society, it'll be talked about; but it's only 50 years, people: it's not that much. And then there's Jesus sweating blood in pouring out water from his wound. Now, this is consistent with the heart attack, the water coming out of this wound. There's a pustule sac that develops around the ribcage during pre cardiac arrest. And then there's hematohydrosis, which is a condition of sweating blood, which is a disputed passage right now in the Scripture, but it shouldn't be disputed at all, because basically, Jesus sweat blood. It's what happens when you get really, really, really, really, really, really anxious. You can sometimes sweat blood and this would happen to Jesus, and there had been no way these two things could have been forged. Absolutely no way. It's just impossible. The people don't even today think of it having anything but a mystical significance. We don't realize that this is medical conditions and people back then, they didn't think to add those type of details; they couldn't. They didn't have compendiums upon companions and medical records and Google and things like that, to know that it actually happened, which is also another reason why we can think that the Bible's not myths being put together because that's kind of stupid, because it just seems to be authentically the history of a people. The water is the real point there, that piercing wasn't part of crucifixion, so Jesus had to have been pierced on the cross. Now, lets get into two of the apostles, and their testimonies and how I can pretty much say that their belief is proof of the Bible. One is James the LORD's Brother. Josephus records that James the LORD's brother died by stoning, and this on the testimony that Jesus ate and broke bread with him after He resurrected. And James died for it. The LORD's brother. Now you don't die for something you don't believe in. It's not like a thousand years later, where these people just had faith. They actually touched, lived, ate and broke bread with Jesus. And a common misconception that Jesus actually survived the crucifixion, he couldn't have, as the water flowing from his wound is indicative of certain death. It must have been catastrophic heart failure. And not only that. we know that Jesus actually manifested to these people, because of Doubting Thomas. Doubting Thomas actually touched Jesus. He actually touched Him. And Jesus could have only but died. And doubting Thomas touched Him, and knew that this was His savior. Now this is so important because it's just more proof on the testimony of these men that Jesus actually raised from the Dead. And as a last note, Papias is said to have dictated the book of John from John's word and testimony. And we'd have no doubt, that this were true, because Papias was a martyr of the faith, dying for the testimony of the truth of John's witness. And this is a final testimony, of a martyr, on the testimony that the Gospel is true. There's a lot more than that that I've gone through, but it's just indisputable, based on evidence, that the Bible is true. Anyone who says otherwise is just lying through their teeth.
Category: Ministry
Jesus Christ is Come in the Flesh
I come to this doctrine, found in the Epistle of Saint John. And it's an important doctrine of the faith. That the Spiritual, the Spirit of Man, is as connected, and intertwined with the Physical, or Material, or Body of man. That Jesus did come in the Flesh, that Jesus did take on a Human body, and that the entire fullness of God the Son dwelt and didn't only inhabit Christ, but was intricately woven into His very flesh Being---hence why we eat and drink His flesh and blood in Communion. With this statement, also comes a recognition that the Spiritual, or Metaphysical in a Philosophical sense, is not some esoteric, airy thing, but rather is intricately woven into the Flesh and Material world. Logos, in all of its wisdom, comes embodied in Christ, and through that, the Logos holds the entire world together, as Flesh and Spirit are both working as one within all creation. Demonic and Angelic beings, take on as much a Spiritual, as a Fleshly persona. They are not simply airy metaphors, or concepts or ideas, but are rather, physical beings, too, which inhabit men, cause suffering and doubt, and also cause suffering. Otherwise, Satan could never have stricken Job, or as it were, even manifest himself to cause a whirlwind. So, with this understood, it's important that the Christian realize that Truth is not a matter of simple metaphor, or simple principle. It is the major fault in Western Philosophy, coined by Nietzsche and Kant, to distinguish morality separate from an objective, and tangible force that has physical properties. Obviously, the Epicureans came the closest to discovering the true purpose of Morality, but God, being infinitely wise, chose the Bible to reveal to man the truth of our innate being, and also how to rise above it. With this said, it shouldn't be a surprise to Christians, that Morality isn't merely an idea, or a choice. It is not an existential choice we commit, in the face of uncertainty. Rather, Morality is objective, and a system of morality is objectively quantified by the Books of Moses, and the Gospel. It is spoken throughout the prophets and apostles and saints. This objective world, this objective morality, diminishes suffering, while promoting beneficial aspects of human flourishing. And while we cannot understand it, that is why there is faith. Certainly, men are not capable of understanding the Bible's difficult laws concerning slavery, or concubines, or even in some instances genocide---except that in certain points of history, such things were necessary to keep peace. As there are times for everything under the sun, a time to heal and a time to kill, a time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. Truthfully, on the force of Good, is Peace, Love, Kindness, Hope and Forgiveness. On the side of evil is Strife, Hatred, Selfishness, and Revenge. And rather, even at some points it is necessary to defend what is good militarily, and thereby commit the atrocities of war; that way Peace can reign in the land, and wickedness subsides, and man can find rest. But, truth is not subjective. As true as the Material World proves the things of God, so does the Material World in its morality, prove the things of God, and the nature of His law. The whole world cries out, and it follows in the Pattern of Christ's decorum. The entire world moves to that pattern, so that even when Evil is at its peak, if there are good men, the Evil gets purged. It is as natural to man that this happens, as two colonies of ants striving against one another. And these are the difficult things regarding war. And these are the difficult things regarding faith, that Faith is much like the principles of Algebra or Calculus, in that it is a logic that helps us interpret, make sense of, and order the world to its proper names and alignment. Without which, we cannot hope to even understand our neighbor, as we are left within ourselves, completely isolated from other human beings. In a vacuum of narcissism and egocentricity. As very real are the other minds we encounter, so is our mind. As very real, as those minds are like batteries, and their nerves like wires, and their heart like a well pump, so is the Spiritual enabled through this vessel, to add value to life, and therefore give life purpose. For, without purpose, we are left to anarchy, nihilism, and the things of Satan, so that all there can be is contention and strife, and war, like orc hordes in a camp, striving over stolen property and murdering one another for a pound of flesh. And with that, sometimes there is necessarily war. Sometimes good cannot rest, but must go out, and slaughter the Orc. For if it doesn't, the Orc Hordes move through the lands, raping, pillaging, and spreading their hatred and wicked devices, causing an absolute denial of even the Spiritual Inhibition that governs man and his body, that being the pleasures of life gained from good fortune obtained through good character. Without which, life suits not its purpose.
What Heaven Will Be Like
1. We will live in mansions, crafted by the LORD. John 14:1-3. 14 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 2. Our homes will be grown out of gemstones. Isaiah 54:12. Isaiah 60:17. So, likely the beams and rafters will be petrified wood, and the windows stain glass made out of Agate stone. 12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. 17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. 3. We will be married to Zion. And even consummate our marriage with the Land. Matthew 25:1-13. Isaiah 62:4. Isaiah 54:5. Psalm 27:4. Isaiah 60:22. And also be able to enquire of God anything we wish. 25 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 2 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. 5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. 4One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. 22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time. 4. We will eat and drink. Revelation 19:20. John 4: 7 - 15. 20 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 5. The city of Zion will be the as tall as the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Revelation 21:16. And there will be rivers, suburbs and pastoral land. And Mount Zion. Ezekiel 47:5. Revelation 22:2. Ezekiel 48:17. Ezekiel 48:18. Micah 4:1. Isaiah 2:2. 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 17 And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. 18 And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. 1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 6.There will be no sin, idol, accusation nor death. Revelation 19:20 Revelation 20:10. Revelation 20:14 - 15 19. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 7. We will be at eternal rest, and cease from all our labors. Hebrews 4:11 Matthew 11:28 - 29. Revelation 14:3. 4 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 3 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Ayn Rand
It is a simple thing to understand, that much of what she says is true. But, the primary ethic cannot be simply what benefits me. There are things which would benefit me---I have an urge to make love, and it would make me satisfied if I could. But, without love, what is sex? Really, what is life without love? What is life without sharing, intimately, in someone else's success, fortune, wellbeing, even at some points sinking into obscurity with them, for no other sake than the fact that they need you? There is also a matter of survival. Sometimes, our happiness comes at the expense of others'. If I nurture a love, have children, and then leave my wife on the whim that I now love some other woman, and I particularly am disinterested in my children, so I abandon them too---so I am happy? There are people like this. Albert Einstein was one of them, who left three people destitute, while he was given the whole world. What is joy, without sacrificial love? What is life, without people who share it? There are times, many times, when commitment precedes a desired happenstance. There are times when someone needs you, and you cannot do the things you want to do. Wives, husbands, children---children sometimes have to make hard decisions, and care for their elderly parents. Parents sometimes have to give up hefty salaries, and give up dream vocations, so they can take care of their children or make their spouse, friends, family and parents happy (Which is a very important thing, too).. If we all were independently happy, and not conditioned on the behaviors of our fellow man, this virtue of selfishness could be enacted. If we were essentially separated, and lived in isolation, with no one as our dependents, no one who loved us... can anyone survive for long being unloved? If people were truly this rational, and self willed creature she determines, then the Stoics would be right, that happiness can be cultivated with much, or little. So her entire philosophy wouldn't really matter that much. If the mind cultivated all our faculties, and men were empowered by reason, then Religion would also be the highest ideal, not the lowest. As, if this life is my goal, and life is all there is, why not subdue everyone around me, for my own happiness? So long as I do not cheat, steal, or murder them... I simply live in a grey shadow, stringing them along, but keeping them all at a distance, never allowing them the satisfaction to love me? How empty and hollow would that life be? No, but rather, I could manufacture happiness on my own. Whether in poverty, or in wealth. Whether in sickness, or in health. This is not true, as we are social creatures. But, what would create the happiest being, is not the worldly success and fame and fortune. It is simple what makes us happy. Yes, exercising reason is happy, being occupied with work is happy, being satisfied with your fruits of labor is happy, but to live in isolation is not. And what do men need? They need other men, so therefore, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, to live with other men, we must know also how to make them happy. And that is the role of Religion, is to suit us for fellowship with other men, and make us subject to God's will, which is not our own. For, if we make all other men miserable, in order to obtain our own happiness, then perhaps we are jubilant... there are such men in the world who possess entire worlds, where they are happy, while no one else is. Let me never be one of them.
Theology Summed Up Simply
The Bible is a recurring story. First, there is the Paradise. (The Garden, Zion, The Golden Age of Augustus). Then there is the fall, where sin casts them out of the Paradise (The Apple; Orgies, Idolatry and Disobeying the Sabbath; Adding to the Law of God and Making Merchandise of Religion). Then there is the captivity. (Adam and Eve are sent to the Earth; Samaria and Jerusalem are sacked by Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar; Jerusalem and the Temple are Destroyed by Titus), then there is the restoration, (Man is reconciled to God through Christ Jesus; Israel is Restored their Captivity through God by Cyrus' Decree; Christ's Second Coming Destroys the Captivity of Rome [40 Years as Told by Ezekiel].) All of the Bible follows this plot. Samson, Moses, Israel's sons when they place Joseph in Captivity, David, Paul, Elijah, Jeremiah, Solomon, Hezekiah. It seems no great personage escapes this pattern. In short, there is paradise, then the besiegement, then the tearing down of the walls, then of the captivity, and then the restoration, and then the rebuilding of the walls and temple and security. The story of Zion, the Daughter of Zion, is our story. The Daughter of Zion begins in Paradise, and then her people sin and in their sinful affluence grow corrupt and decadent. Finally, it arouses the suspicion and ire of other nations, and they come and besiege the kingdom, and tear down her walls and violate her peoples. Then with the walls broken, the people go into their captivity, where they toil and wait for their time to return (some, like the stubborn Israelites in the desert 40 Years, never return; but some are like Caleb and Joshua, or Daniel and Jeremiah). Then, a decree is set forth and God's wrathful decree is nullified by the Mercy of God. And the peoples are restored to Zion, where they in a slow rebuilding, return to the joys of paradise.
A Biblical Timeline of Evidence Corroborating Scripture:
A Biblical Timeline of Evidence Corroborating Scripture:
Unknown – Flood myths appear on every continent and in every ancient civilization, including the Americas, which would be impossible, had not the Flood actually happened.
1950bc – The Lipit-Ishtar, which has a law on it, number 27, that Abraham followed with Hagar, that God told him to ignore. Abraham corresponds to this in the Genealogical record.
1800bc – Wadi el-Hol, found in Egypt, shows the earliest alphebet resembling that of proto-hebrew.
1750bc – We see the influence of Abraham on the laws of Mesopotamia, in the Hammurabi’s Code, where some of the Hebrew laws in the Torah are first found. Which is likely, also, the reason Sumerian Legends contain Biblical material, was an original source penned by Abraham.
1420bc – The Temple of Soleb has the name of Yahweh inscribed in Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and shows Bound Hebrew Slaves on the Pillars, making mention of the fact that the Israelites were wanderers in the land of Egypt before they were enslaved.
1330bc – The Cult of Aten begins, which corresponds with Moses in the Genealogies. The Cult of Aten was an unexpected conversion to Monotheism by the Pharaoh of Egypt, which likely occurred as a result of the miracles performed by Moses. Also, Moses’ genealogical record lines up right with it.
18th Egyptian Dynasty – Egyptian Chariot spokes are found off the coast of Nuweiba beach, and many more like pieces remain under the Red Sea.
1250bc – Joshua’s Altar. In Joshua’s Altar there are Kosher animal ashes, along with the lead tablet described by the book of Joshua, and it is situated at the rear face of mount Ebal. It is even in the pattern of a Jewish Altar, with ramps instead of steps. Also found at the same dig site are mentions of King Hezekiah (Circa 790bc) and Jeremiah (Circa 600bc). The tablet has both El and Yah in it.
1050bc – A fragmented clay artifact is found in Khirbet Qeiyafa, containing Hebrew Mnemonic verses and the Tetragrammaton, of interpretive transcriptions of the law. On the pot, it talks about being charitable to slaves, and judging them mercifully, and a rebuke against idolatry.
840bc – Tel Dan Stele records the death of King Jehoram, and reveals that he is from the HouseDavid—a Portmanteau of the Dynasty’s Heraldry.
597bc – The Nebuchadnezzar Chronicles are a direct reference to the Jewish Captivity, of Babylon sacking Jerusalem. Ezekiel had already been taken captive, along with Israel, therefore, the captivity had already begun. Ezekiel records the Sack of Jerusalem and how bad it will be. As well as Jeremiah the Prophet.
537bc – Edict of Cyrus, which records the restoration of the Jews back to Israel.
100bc – The Great Isaiah scroll was transcribed, and still has the prophecy of Isaiah 53, detailing how a man’s soul must be offered as a sin offering. Predating Christ by at least 130 years.
31ad – Christ sweats blood, and dies of a heart attack. The Gospel record shows Christ sweating blood, a condition called hematohidrosis, which happens because of severe stress, and also a heart attack, when His side was punctured with the spear, water flowed from the wound. Which is from a pustule sack developed around the heart during Pre-Cardiac Arrest.
31ad – Under the Emperor Guangwu, of the Latter Han Dynasty, there is record of the Darkening of the Sun which happened for three hours during the Crucifixion. In the records, twice it is declared, “A man has died for the sins of all the people. Man from heaven died.”
A Literary Contrast of the Bible with the Qur’an
It was once posited to me, by my friend J____ that the Bible and the Qur'an were identical. So, I investigated this. Where to begin? Literarily, there is a plot structure. Beginning, Middle, End. The Bible demonstrates this plot structure. The Qur'an, in the first two chapters, displays an odd sort of jumping around, and incoherence. It talks of the Christian theology of Resurrection, it talks of the Jewish Law given by Moses, it talks of Adam and Eve. Which, if it wishes to invoke these themes, it should at least get them right. Which it does not. Rather, it invokes some doctrine of Reincarnation and a doctrine of Hell, and a doctrine of disobedience and obedience. It throws some cursory analysis of Genesis and Exodus. But, it is entirely incoherent. The Bible, however, from the Book of Genesis, comprises an entire Ethical Lexicon based in the most original laws of Monotheism. It gives a history, based on the most original mythologies of Monotheism. It gives detailed story---rather than sparse commentary---and frankly, this is just the beginning of my criticism of the Qur'an. Frankly, I'm disinterested in it... but am simply offended that my friend would suggest something so slanderous. As it's a common theme among Atheists to say that the Bible and Qur'an are so similar, and so much the same. This is entirely false. What I've read of the Qur'an, it seems to be diatribes telling its adherent to believe in their god. And this is all it is. Always reasserting itself as authentic, while borrowing heavily on the Bible to even be understood. Couple that with the fact that it claims its simplicity is the proof of its authenticity, yet what in life is ever simple? What moral teachings are sparse, it inquires itself that it is from Gabriel, given to Muhammad. One section actually implored a writer, that if they were given divine revelation, to match the Chapters of the Qur'an. Which, isn't hard to do, actually. As it talks of a parable of a Mosquito, without actually giving it. Probably referring to Jesus' parable, which again, the Qur'an is making itself a commentary again, on stories outside of its own domain. As it goes on long, tireless rants of false piety, and reverence, and demanding obedience. Always scolding you, where the Bible invites; as is true for any great poetry, it doesn't demand obedience, but seeks to win you over with persuasion. And the whole revelation is given to Muhammad, who implores that Moses gave scripture. Should Moses have given scripture, I'd say that the scripture Moses gave is 100% imperative for understanding the Qur'an, and if understood, makes the Qur'an seem quite silly. There is no beginning. It begins with Muhammad and Gabriel. The Bible begins with "In the Beginning, God Created the Heaven and the Earth." A beginning. Then the Bible has a complex history--corroborated by actual evidence---from the Late Bronze Age until the days of Rome. An actual history of a people is transferred from these verses of the Bible. Their actual laws. Their actual culture. Their actual rituals. Their actual miracles and Mythology. And most importantly, their actual history. Muhammad in an effort to appropriate this---for a simple false friend (bilingual homophone), is what we discover later on in the Qur'an, that makes Muhammad believe he knows better---goes on a sort of incoherent rant about resurrection, obedience to god, reincarnation and the Jewish Law. Later, we get a diatribe against poets---likely because the book was worried someone would discover the poetry of Genius found in many of the great poets and philosophers---which tells the adherent not to read poetry, unless it's from a Muslim. Which this duplicitous reasoning, is also to shield them from the fact, that many poets throughout history have achieved greater clarity and success than the Qur'an. Later, there are antisemitic rants telling you to despise Jews, and to both trust yet absolutely not trust Christians. It tells of those who feign obedience to the Qur'an in public but in private espouse a strange doctrine. While, on the other end, Islam advocates lying about one's faith to avoid persecution... As is singing, "Listen to what I say, a child, sleeping in the night, he will bring us goodness and light." And even this, is so coherently woven throughout the miracle of scripture. It is prophesied in Psalms and Prophets. It is so prophetic, that scholars have to increase the year the Bible was written every century or two... and yet, the evidence pushes back its authorship a century or two. With that said, the Prophecies of the Bible so unerringly prophesy. They so beautifully give description of people's behaviors; it tells the reality of human behavior. It doesn't hide its defeats. It details the entirety of Jewish History---it is one continuous thread from the Beginning, when God created the Heavens and the Earth, to the days we live in now. Compositionally, poetically, logically, it is superior in every way.
Analysis of Ezekiel 20
1. On that day, Ezekiel was confronted by the men of Israel.
2. And the LORD Spoke to Ezekiel.
3. He asks those who come to him why do they enquire of the LORD?
4. He then asks Ezekiel whether he will judge them.
5. In the day which the LORD lifted Israel and called to them, saying, "I am your God."
6. In the day He lifted his hand to them, to bring them from Egypt into a Land Flowing with Milk and Honey.
7. The LORD told them to cast away all of their abominations. For us, those would be our tablets and cell phones, and computers and televisions, or strange wives and children, or whatever else causes us to stumble.
8. But Israel rebelled, and would not listen to God, by throwing away their abominations. So the LORD said He would pour out His fury upon them, in the midst of Egypt.
9. He made known to them their sin, and the LORD wrought their calamity.
10. He brought them into the wilderness, where the generation would perish.
11. The LORD gave them His statutes and His judgments (The Ten Commandments).
12. He gave them the Sabbath (Jesus Christ) as a sign between Him and us, that we should know that He is the LORD.
13. But the house of Israel rebelled, and would not walk in the LORD's statutes. They despised His judgments WHICH IF A MAN DO, HE SHALL EVEN LIVE BY THEM. This phrase recurs throughout the entirety of the chapter, therefore let a Christian be warned not to do them, but rather to follow the statutes given by the Apostles and Jesus.
14. The LORD wrought it for His name's sake, so He would not be polluted before the Heathen.
15. He lifted His hand to them in the Wilderness, and swore they would not enter into Zion, God's rest.
16. Because they despised the LORD's judgments. This is why, and they would not walk in His statutes, and polluted their rest in Christ Jesus. Their hearts went after their idols.
17. But the LORD spared us, and did not make an end to Israel in the Wildernesses.
18. They were not to walk in the statutes of their fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile themselves with their idols (A clear indication that the Law had changed---what was the statute, and the judgments of the fathers of Israel, but the Mosaic Covenant? They are at this point broken in their covenant with God, therefore, perished in His wrath. Therefore, the idols of Israel become the ordinances of Moses, and also the sacrificial offering of their children to Sin.
19. The LORD said "I am the LORD Your God, Walk in my Statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them." The words of Jesus, the Law prophesied in Jeremiah, the New Lump of Clay.
20. We Hallow the Sabbath by keeping faith in Christ, and that shall be a sign between we and the LORD to know that He is our God.
21. But even in this, the children rebelled against the LORD. They walked not in Christ's statutes, to abstain from the Old Covenant, and they did not keep the judgments of Christ, but they polluted the Sabbath. And the LORD said He would pour out His fury upon them.
22. But, the LORD had mercy on His children for His name's sake alone.
23. He then scattered the nation of Israel to all the nations, due to their lack of faith.
24. Because they rejected his statutes, and had polluted their faith in Jesus, and their eyes were on their father's idols (the Mosaic Covenant; and the Altars of Sin);
25. the LORD gave them over to the statutes which were not good. He gave them over to Law and not grace. They should not live by those laws, but the LORD gave them over to it. He gave His people over to the curse.
26. And He polluted our gifts, because we caused our children to pass through the fire, and the LORD sought to make us desolate.
27. Therefore, Ezekiel is telling Israel that their fathers have blasphemed and committed trespass against God.
28. Because when He gave us rest, and the land which He had promised to us, we saw every high hill, and all the trees, and offered our sacrifices there; by doing the things of the Mosaic Covenant, by Sacrificing on the Altar of Sin, we had provoked God to anger.
29. The LORD asked "What is the high place where you go? And what is the name called Bamah which is here unto this day?" Bamah means high place, let the reader understand, that by worshipping God through the ordinance of Moses' law, we are offering a sacrifice that is unpleasing to the LORD. He desired Mercy, and not Sacrifice.
30. The LORD asks if we are polluted after the manner of our fathers? Do we worship their idols, and sacrifice to their calves? Do we trust in their ordinances, which the LORD decreed are not good?
31. When our sons are offered through the fire, when we offer our gifts---our Sons are the sacrifices we offer to God in obedience to Legalism, let the reader now understand---should the LORD be enquired of us? If we offer a lamb, or offer a goat, it is like we broke a Dog's neck. The Mosaic Covenant is not pleasing to the LORD, for Israel broke it.
32. Our hopes shall not come to pass, because we had rejected the LORD's rest. We will be as the heathen, who serve wood and stone---the wood pulp of pages and ink---
33. Surely the LORD shall stretch out a mighty hand, and pour forth fury upon us, for disobeying the Sabbaths' rest.
34. And we will be scattered among the heathen, and God's mighty hand and stretched out arm shall pure fury upon us.
35. And the LORD shall bring us into the wilderness, and there the LORD will plead with us, face to face.
36. Just like the LORD pled with us at Sinai, so shall He plead with us at Mount Zion.
37. And he will cause us to pass under the rod, and will bring us under the bond of the Covenant.
38. And He will purge from among us the rebels that transgress in this way, and will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the Land of Israel. REPENT OF LEGALISM BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!
39. AS for the house of Israel, serve every one his idols, if he will not hearken unto the LORD, and blaspheme him by dishonoring His rest. He who offers an ox, is like he who murders a man.
40. Serve the LORD, and He will accept your Firstfruits, and your oblations, and your Almsgiving, and your Praise.
41. And if you repent of the Law, and honor the Sabbath's rest, it will be like a sweet savor, and he will bring you out from the people, and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and he will be sanctified among the Heathen.
42. And I shall know that the LORD is God, when He brings me into the land of Israel, into the country for which he lifted His hand to give my fathers.
43. There we'll remember our ways and our doings, and what we have defiled ourselves with, and we will loath ourselves for the evils we have committed.
44. And we shall know that He is the LORD when He has wrought with us for His name's sake, not according to our wicked ways (For we have obtained mercy through Grace, and not Judgment by the Ordinance of Sinai). He will not do with us, according to our wicked ways, nor our corrupt doings, o we house of Israel.
45. Moreover the LORD spoke unto us, saying,
46. "Set my face toward the south, and drop my word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field:
47 "To the Forrest of the South "Hear the Word of the LORD "Thus Saith the LORD God, Behold I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree; the flaming flames shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
48. "All flesh will see that the LORD had kindled it, and it shall not be quenched."
49. And Ezekiel said they said of he "Ah, Lord, they ask me if I speak in parables?" Yet Jesus spoke in Parables. Those who are the trees of the forest of the south, are those who yoke themselves to the Old Covenant in this age of Grace.
48 And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
49 Then said I, Ah Lord God! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?
Rats
A perverted experiment was brought to my attention. A scientist, a psychologist, took rats, and placed them into jars of water. And he began to let the rats drown. At the moment of their soon to be drowning, he would pluck them out of the water, and save them. Then, he'd repeat the experiment. To see if the rats would drown faster, slower. What he found, was that the rats, after having given up after fifteen minutes, would the next time they were in water, swim all the harder. Sometimes up to sixty hours. The reason being that these rats had hope of being saved. As cruel of an experiment this is, God's grace is a similar hope. We, swimming in the deeps of life, could not go but for ten or fifteen minutes without hope. But, with hope, we will persist even against all odds. So it is with faith. Those who have been plucked out of the fire, by God's grace, will be the ones who keep on swimming. They will be the ones who endure, and do not succumb to drowning in the sea of forgetfulness. Why is this? Those of us who have been saved, have been like the Virgins who trimmed our lamps. We endure to the final coming, and the LORD comes, and takes away His bride. He prepares the wedding feast for us, and we are clothed and decked in our bridal ornaments. We hope in the Daughter of Zion--the Holy City of Jerusalem--and though we are besieged, though the Daughter is under assault, though our walls are broken in, and though our city has crumbled and we seem to have lost her... though we are in captivity and chains for seventy years, the hope of retuning is what keeps us from perishing. The hope of Zion, the hope of Heaven, the hope of Christ, our Groom, keeps us going. ff we are the wise virgins, we keep our lamps trimmed. That is, we keep our lamps lit by the holy fire of God's Spirit, the holy fire of God's love, the holy fire of God's word and wisdom, so our imaginations are pure and undefiled. And we do not perish in His wrath. We endure, we wait, we do not wake from our sleep, and are without fire or passion. We are awakened, and filled with zeal and hope, and through that we endure. And then we receive the delicate things of our mansions, and we receive the soft raiments, and we receive our blessed hope. Why? Because God actually saved us from the flood. He did not let us drown. We swam, and He plucked us out of the water. He did not let us sink our heads underneath, but rather plucked us up, and set our feet onto dry ground. Again and again, which leaves us with hope while we swim. And not in anger, or bitterness, or malice, or fury, do we swim, but with hope that the hand of providence will pluck us up out of the mire before we fully tire and drown.
The Bible’s Reliability, As Supported by The Evidence
So, to begin, the Bible is the only surviving document of any great length from before 1000bc. It was first written—and we know this—at about 1300bc. Which is when the Exodus took place, if you study the Genealogical records of the kings dating back from Persian restoration. And that’s important because if the Bible were written at 1300bc—it was started then—it’s pretty much what the Bible claims. And the religion was formed by Moses, when they were out in the desert. And there’s actually several pieces of evidence that suggest this happened. The first, is a temple in Soleb, which has the name of Yahweh inscribed on it, and also a depiction of bound slaves. That’s actually in an Egyptian ruin, and I’ve seen it on a video. Which, is important because on that pillar, it says the Jews were a wandering people. Which is also what the Bible says. And when the slavery was initiated, it doesn’t say that. Only that the Jews were indeed enslaved, and they worshiped Yahweh. So, another piece of evidence was found off the coast of Nuweiba beach. They found thousands of scattered Chariot spokes and wheels and other such things. And they recovered one, which dated exactly to the 18th Egyptian Dynasty. Which, was again, around 1300bc. So, you’d think if this happened, there’d have to be some great revival in Egypt. The overwhelming evidence that God showed Himself to Pharaoh would have to have some impact on society. And it did. Akhenaten, a famous pharaoh, commissioned his state to be Monotheistic, and worship Aten. And, this is exactly dated at the Exodus. So, around 1340 is when Akhenaten lived. Forty years in the wilderness, there’s then going to be the conquest of Canaan. Which, you’d think there’d be historical evidence, and there is. Every siege the Bible mentions, there’s archaeological evidence supporting it. The conquests of the Jews is supported in the Late Bronze Age Collapse. There were diseases proceeding forth from God to help the Israelites win. And there’s a sharp reduction of populations during the thirteenth century. So, all of that lines up with the Biblical record. But, you’d think if the Jews existed, they would have left evidence. Well, they did. There’s a structure that is patterned off of the biblical pattern of an altar. It was found on Mt. Ebal. There was Kosher animal ashes discovered at the site. The best records of the site date to about 1250bc. They found the lead tablet talked about in Joshua. They found the Tetragrammaton on that tablet. They found references to Jeremiah and Hezekiah—who visited the altar. And so, this is evidence yet again of the Jews right after the Exodus. Then, there’s more evidence. Can you believe it? There’s a stele called the Merneptah stele, dated to around 1210bc, which names Israel, and Pharaoh boasts of having destroyed the Seed of Israel. Which, means he likely went through and burned all the records pertaining to them. As, Pharaoh and ancient civilizations were very keen on the records they kept. But, it mentions Israel by name. Obviously Israel wasn’t destroyed, as it’s still a people today. So, likely, this is just a fabrication of Pharaoh’s who would prefer them not to be in the Canaan strip, where they ensconced themselves, and also practiced their worship of God through the Law. “But wait! The Bible wasn’t written until 400BC!” Nope. The Bible, because of something called Loan Words, was written in the thirteenth century. It was written in the Late Bronze age, due to Egyptian Words being used that didn’t exist at any other time. So, for that transference of data, the Bible would have had to be written around 1300bc and continued until, well, today actually. There’s still a record kept of the Jewish people, dating from this time of Moses to now. And, you might say, “Well the Bible plagiarized Ancient Near East Myths.” Nope. Those myths are found in Assyrian libraries. The Bible does predate that. And, not to mention, there’s indirect references in the story of Abraham to a law found in Mesopotamian culture around 1950bc. It was on a law called the “Lipit-Ishtar”. And this was a law with regard to a prostitute—a concubine—and the person had to keep them like a wife. But, Abraham was told not to do this. Which shows, for that detail to exist into modern day, a continual transference of information dating back to at least 1950bc, but I would argue earlier. So, there’s two different accounts in Genesis, and two different traditions being outlined. One of El (God) and the other of Yahweh. I believe these were both the same tradition, the one of El coming from Abraham, and the one of Yahweh coming from Jacob. And these two traditions, and the Law of God, came from the first instances of Monotheism in the world. So, the stories in Genesis were originated by the Jews, that’s what this evidence shows. And not only that, there’s two separate traditions—that’s why the Bible repeats itself sometimes, which I’ll get to later—and these two separate traditions were likely composed by witnesses of the events themselves. The slight differences are what we’d expect from witness testimony. It’s just a matter of fact, that this is what witness testimony looks like. Which gets us to the prophets and the chroniclers of the Kings of Judah and Israel, that they were written down by witnesses, and transferred, as I’ve proven, at the time those events were taking place. So, the Old Testament, the entirety of it, were written by eye witness, and that I’ve just proven. “Ah, but what about the New!” Here we actually have even more evidence to support. For one thing, Jesus actually existed. There’s about half a dozen references outside of the Bible to Jesus, some by famous historians. There’s internal evidence in the scripture saying Jesus lived, being that He sweat blood, a condition called hematohidrosis which the writers couldn’t have forged. And also He died, because the water flowing from His wound is consistent with a Heart Attack. This heart attack, what happens is a pustule sac develops beneath the rib cage, in pre cardiac arrest, and when it ruptures, it creates what looks like water. And when the centurion punctured Jesus, that pus flowed from His wound. Which could only be consistent with an actual death. Jesus could not have survived that. So, also, how do we know the Gospels are true? Well, again, people as early as 90ad, were quoting copious amounts of information from the Gospels, Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and it was already established at least then. What we do have is Papais saying who wrote two gospels. Matthew and Mark. Matthew was composed in Hebrew and later translated into Greek by Matthew. And Mark was given by Peter, who spoke it to him, and he wrote it down. Luke accompanied Paul, and therefore Paul, we know, met with James and Peter, being given the first creed of the faith, “He is God who died and raised”, and not only this, Luke would have known witnesses of the Gospel, too. So Acts and Luke were written through the testimony of first hand witnesses, so was Mark and Matthew. The only one really difficult to believe based on evidence is John’s gospel. But, it was written at about 100ad to 120ad. Which if John were even 30 years old at Christ’s death, he could conceivably live to 120. That’s not out of the realm of possibility. Especially since Rome was a pretty hearty civilization. So, the Gospels were being written about 60ad, about thirty years after Christ’s death. Because they were copiously quoted by the Church Fathers at 90ad. I just showed that their origins are documented. And John could have lived to be 120, and if he were even an eleven year old when Christ died—who knows, right?—he could have been even younger when that Gospel was written. Which, we’re not talking about a lifespan outside of the reach of a human life. We’re talking thirty to seventy years after Christ died, that’s when the Gospels were written. Within the span of a human life. Not to mention, Papais' source for who wrote Matthew and Mark was St. John, proving he was indeed alive at 90ad, only a decade before the Gospel of John was written at the earliest. And again, it’s important to understand that historians documented some of these disciple’s deaths. Some of these men knew Jesus, or were related to Jesus, and they died on the testimony that Christ raised, and ate and broke bread with them. They were willing to sometimes die unspeakable deaths just for this testimony. Which, is important because a person doesn’t die willingly for what they know isn’t true. It’s one thing if the faith is far removed, and it’s a story. But these people lived it… and they would be the first to know if it were faked. And, Josephus documents that James, the LORD’s brother, died by stoning for this testimony. So… both Old and New Testament are sufficed in the evidence. And they are witness accounts from the time periods. So, I firmly believe in them. To conclude, there’s clear evidence of Judaism existing prior to Babylonian Captivity. And the evidence puts it at right when Judaism claims to have been founded. So, it’s actually older than most of the sources we have from the ANE. It’s neat, actually. El (God) and Yahweh are probably the original monotheistic faiths. The evidence points to this, too, and I think Genesis was meant to combine the traditions of El and Yahweh into one master tradition. That being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And as for Jesus, there's clear reason to believe the Gospels are eyewitness accounts, and not fabrications.