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CHRISTIAN BIBLE STUDY LESSONS
WHAT THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY
ABOUT CREATION
Lesson
1.001
For September 1, 2005
PAUL AND THE DISPERSION
The Teachers Edition
For Reference
With New Appendix
Second Edition Amended
PRAYERS OF THANKS AND PRAISE:
CONTEXT/REVIEW: First, students have the free will to believe what
they want. There is no attempt made here to persuade otherwise. This
is a study the biblical evidence of creation according to the Hebrew
and Greek manuscripts and only meant to give students alternative
information, different from that which is traditionally taught
(which may not be otherwise available to them).
Secondly, this bible study is not a
discourse on intelligent design or a religious view of creation
proposed by any organization or denomination.
Thirdly, biblical time periods and
events are given in the sequence or in the order in which they
appear in the manuscripts. Focus should be on the biblical evidence
(that which is written in the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts). For
example, if Genesis 1:1 is being studied, concentrate on that verse
and its supporting biblical witnesses alone and avoid speculating
what Genesis 1:2 may mean. In other words, try not to jump ahead.
Genesis
1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Biblical Evidence: Genesis 1:1 does not
reveal exactly when, in terms of human time or years, the
heavens and the earth were created. It simply states that they were
created in the beginning. It does not say how long
it took to create them. It does not say how they
were created. (By what manner, for what reason, etc.) It does not
say anything about life being created. It does not say whether or
not the earth was created to be lived on. It does not
say what the heavens and the earth were made of.
Observe
that Genesis 1:1 does say that more than one heaven was created-the
physical, celestial, heaven and the spiritual heaven where God is.
Genesis 1:1 does say that there was only one earth created.
Conventional,
contemporary understanding supports or parallels that ancient
wisdom. For example, it is hypothesized (not theorized) that the
earth is 4 to 5 billions years old. The bible nowhere refutes or
denies that time. There is no reason to believe that the earth was
not created millions of years ago. There is no biblical evidence
that the earth, itself, is anything but millions of years old.
Isaiah
45:18
The
Lord created the heavens . . . formed the earth and made it . . .
He did not create it wasted but formed it to be inhabited . . .
Biblical Evidence: Isaiah 45:18 repeats (as a
witness) the events described in Genesis 1:1: God created the
heavens and the earth.
Unlike
Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 45:18 does reveal that the earth was created to
be lived on. But, Isaiah 45:18 does not reveal exactly what form the
earth took or what life forms might have been created.
Be
careful! Isaiah 45:18 does not say that the
earth was created without form (tohuw, תהו, 8414) and void (bohuw, בהו, 422 ). [NOTE:
Numbers are keyed to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and
Dictionary Numbers.]
Psalm
104:6
God
covered it with waters as with a garment,
The waters stood above the mountains
Biblical Evidence: According to Psalm 104:6, the
earth was wrapped in a protective layer of water above the highest
points of the earth. It can be visualized as a water sheath
surrounding the earth as a protective garment, shell or layer but
not touching it, with a space or expanse (firmament) between the
water and the surface of the earth. They were not the waters
described in Genesis 1:2.
Job
40:15-24
Look
at the behemoth, which I made with you (Job)
He eats grass like an ox,
His strength is in his hips, his power is in his body muscles
He moves his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his thighs are
tightly knit.
His bones are like beams of bronze, his ribs are like bars of
iron
He is the first of the ways of the God
Only He who made him can bring near His sword
Surely the mountains yield food for him
and all the beasts of the field play there.
He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh
The lotus trees cover him with a their shade;
The willows by the brook surround him.
Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed;
He is confident, through the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
Though he takes it in his eyes,
Or his nose with a snare.
Biblical Evidence: First, observe the description
of this place and creature. It was a grass eater, not a carnivore. It
had strong hips, its power was in its thorax. It has a huge tail the
size of a cedar tree. It did not have a piggly-wiggly, little tail
like a hippopotamus. Its thighs were tightly muscled. Its bones and
ribs were as strong as bronze and iron. Its description bears a
strong resemblance to what is called a dinosaur, according to
today's contemporary understanding.
Second,
observe that the beast was the first of God's creations, putting it
way back in time.
Third,
other creatures existed with him.
Fourth,
there was vegetation in the form of trees, leaves, grass.
Fifth,
there was water on the earth with rivers, lakes, swamps, oceans (As
revealed in Job 41:1-34 ff)...
Job
41:1-34 ff
Can you
(Job) catch a leviathan with a hook? (41:1)
Fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? (41:7)
His rows of scales are his pride (41:15)
He makes the sea boil. (41:31)
He leaves a shinning wake behind him, is if it had white
hair.(41:32)
On the earth there is nothing like him. (41:33)
Biblical Evidence: Not only were large, air
breathing creatures formed but large sea creatures were also made.
Observe that Psalm 104:6 reveals that God had surrounded the earth
with water high above the mountains as a protective layer. But,
also, according to Job 41:31, there was water on the face (surface)
of the earth and that creatures lived in it. These creatures were
the largest creatures on earth.
Were
there people on earth at the same time as the other creatures?
From Lesson 1
October 17,2002
2 Peter 3:1-18
With the Lord, one day is as a thousand years
CONTEXT: Chapter 3 of Peter's Second Letter was also written to
those who were scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia. (See 1 Peter 1:1) His second letter was written
to remind them that both the Prophets and Jesus (through his
Apostles) had predicted that scoffers would come in the last days,
following after their own passions.
Peter
wrote that scoffers will ask where the promised Messiah is. They
will say that nothing has changed from the beginning of creation.
They are purposely ignorant that by God's word (logos,
decree/command) the heavens were created long ago. And, the earth
(which was out of the water and in the water) was held together by
God's word (logos, decree/command). After the creation,
"The world that then existed was deluged with water (kataklystheis,
a cataclysm) and perished (apoleto, totally
destroyed)."
To
answer those scoffers, Peter explained the reason for the seemingly
long delay since the beginning of creation and the coming of Messiah
and the promise of new heavens and a new earth. (2 Peter 3:4, 13;
Revelation 21:1) The reason was this: the heavens and the earth
which now exist are kept by the very same word (logos,
decree/command) until the day of judgment and the destruction of
ungodly men by fire. Peter told them that God did not measure time
as man measures time for "with the Lord one day is as a
thousand years".(2 Peter 3:8; Genesis 1:1-2:5; Psalm 90:4) That
is, God was not slack in fulfilling his promise as men understand
slackness but was actually longsuffering (being patient). God was
giving everyone sufficient time to repent so they would not perish.
Nevertheless,
while God is longsuffering, the day of judgment and destruction, the
Day of the Lord (kyriou), will come unexpectedly, "as
a thief in the night." The heavens shall pass away and the
earth and its works shall be burned up. (Matthew 24:43; Revelation
3:3) Peter then explained to those who were scattered to Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia how they were to behave
until that day of judgment and destruction. They were to look for
the coming day of God (theo) and for "new heavens and
a new earth".(2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1) They were to be
diligent so they would be found at peace and unblemished. Therefore,
they were to understand that God's longsuffering (a long time in
man's reckoning) results in salvation.(2 Peter 3:15a) Peter said
that the Apostle Paul wrote of such things in his letters also.
(Romans 1:18-32)
Finally,
Peter said, since they knew all these things, they should guard
against being led astray by the lawless and thereby fall away from
their own stable way (stability, strengths).
TEXT: In 2 Peter 3:1, the two English words "foreigners"
and "scattered" signify Jews of the Dispersion who had
been scattered from their own region (the Province of Judea, i.e.,
Israel/Judah) to the area that is now known as Turkey or Asia Minor.
Students should refer to a Biblical Map and 1 Peter 1:1 for the
geographical locations of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and
Bithynia.
In 2 Peter 3:5 and 7, the English word "word" is a
translation of the Greek word logos. Depending on context,
the Greek word logos and its inflected forms have meanings
such as an authoritative utterance, decree, mandate,
declaration, command, order, news,
tidings, word, work, list or may
refer to another substantive such as Christ Jesus. Within the
context of 2 Peter 3:5 and 7, logos carries with it a
meaning of an authoritative utterance, decree, mandate,
declaration, command or order.
In 2 Peter 3:6, the English words "overflowed" and
"perished" are translations of the Greek words kataklystheis
and apoleto respectively. Those two Greek words signify a
complete destruction. The Greek word kataklystheis(2620
from 2830) has a meaning of a catastrophic deluge of water. The
Greek word apoleto(622) has a meaning of a total
destruction. (Cf. Genesis 1:2 which signifies a total destruction)
Accordingly, the Great Flood described in Genesis 7:10-24, so-called
Noah's Flood, did not cause total destruction. That is, Noah's Flood
did not result in a complete destruction of all of God's creation.
The Biblical evidence is that there were at least two of God's
creations that were not destroyed by Noah's Flood. They were the Sea
Creatures and the Plants with their Seeds. For example, according to
Genesis 7:21 and 22, only all flesh that moved on the earth, in
whose nostrils was the breath of life, died. These included man (a-dam),
birds and animals. Only air breathing creatures perished in what is
traditionally called Noah's Flood.
In 2 Peter 3:7 and 13, students should be made aware of the two
heavens and two earths that Peter writes of. That is, they are the
heavens and earth that are now (in the present time) and the heavens
and earth that will come (in the future time). Where does God dwell?
Who was with God before the Creation that exists now (in the present
time)? Was there another heaven and another earth before the heavens
and earth that exist now (in the present time)? HINT: 2 Peter 3:5
and 6.
From Lesson 2
For October 24,2002
John 1:1 - 3
1In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
2He was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not
anything made.
CONTEXT: The Biblical context of John 1:1-3 is that Christ Jesus was
with God before, during and after creation. (John 1:1-3; 10:30;
14:9; 16:28; 17:5,17; Genesis 1:1,2 ff) The Biblical
evidence of His existence after this earth age will be revealed in
future lessons on creation. (Mark 13:1-37; Matthew 28:20; Revelation
22:12,13,16; Acts 1:9,10,11; John 10:30; 14:9; 16:28)
The
supporting evidence that Christ Jesus was with God before as well as
during creation is found in John 17:5 and 17:24. In his prayer to
God the Father before his betrayal and crucifixion, Jesus said,
"I have glorified you on the earth: I have finished the work which
you gave me to do. And now, Father, you glorify me with yourself
with the glory which I had before the world was [existed]."(John
17:4,5)
Near
the end of that same prayer, Jesus repeated the Biblical evidence of
his pre-existence when he said, "Father, I will that they also
(Jesus' disciples), whom you have given me, may be with me where I
am; that they may behold the glory which you have given me: for
you loved me before the foundation of the world." (John
17:24) Or, to say it another way, there was a time and place before
the (present) earth age that now exists.
The complete prayer that Jesus made to God the Father is found in
John 17:1-26 and was the prayer that Jesus made before he was
betrayed and crucified.
The
account of God's creation that was made through Christ Jesus begins
in Genesis 1:1 which is traditionally translated as "In the
beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The
translation of Genesis 1:2a is traditionally rendered "And the
earth was without form and void".
However,
it must be noted that neither the Hebrew text nor its context can
support that translation but should be rendered as "And the
earth became ruined and wasted." That this translation causes
much dissent among traditional Christian scholars and translators is
not to be denied. Nevertheless, students should keep the Hebrew text
in their minds as they proceed with Genesis 1:2b and 1:2c and the
continuing story of creation as it unfolds in the verses which
follow them. Students should be review Part 1 of WHAT
THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY ABOUT CREATION in light of 2 Peter 3:3, 4,
5, 6 and 7 before continuing.
When
Peter wrote to the Jews of the Diaspora who were situated in Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, he told them, "3Knowing
this first, there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking
after their own lusts. 4And saying, 'Where is the promise
of his (Messiah's) coming? For since the fathers fell asleep
(Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who was renamed Israel died) all things
continue as they were from the beginning of creation'"
5For this they (scoffers) are willingly
ignorant of, that by the word (command, decree) of God the heavens
and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. 6Whereby
the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (apoleto,
*Strong 622, completely destroy). 7But
the heavens and the earth which are now (this heaven, this earth
age), are kept in store, reserved unto the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men.(2 Peter 3:3-7) It cannot be
overemphasized. The world of which Peter wrote was not Noah's flood!
The
world of which Peter wrote of in 2 Peter 3:8 was completely
destroyed (apoleto). The world that was inundated by water
in Noah's time, The Great Flood described in Genesis 7:23, was not
completely destroyed because, for example, there were plants (olive
trees) and sea creatures (fish) that continued to live! (Genesis
8:11; 9:2) That being so, the total destruction of the world in
Noah's time portrayed a different catastrophic event than that
described in Genesis 1:2, "And the earth became ruined and
wasted." That was a total destruction.
The
point of this lesson is that there had to be a period of time before
the creation that is described in Genesis 1:2 - 2:4, however that
time is measured. Why? If Jesus was with God before
the world was created, wasn't there a time "when" they
were together before the world was created?
According to the Bible, was there a period of _____________ before
the _____________ was created? What do John 17: ____ and ____ say
about the time "when" Jesus was present with God?
TEXT: In John 1:1, The English word "Word" is a
translation of the Greek word logos. Depending on its use
in context, logos can have several meanings including
decree, as in God decreed the creation. Other meanings are
word, law, thing, idea, subject under discussion, etc. Logos
is used in ways in John 1:1: as a synonym for Christ Jesus; as
a time reference indicating that Jesus was with God in the beginning,
a time when the world was created; and as Christ who one with(the
same as) God.
John
1:2, Christ Jesus, the Word, was with God in the beginning of
creation.
John
1:3, All things were made through Christ Jesus, and without
Jesus there was not anything made that was made.
John
17:5, Biblical evidence for the presence of Christ Jesus before
the creation as described in Genesis 1:1 and 1:2
John
17:24, Biblical evidence for the presence of Christ Jesus
before the creation as described in Genesis 1:1 and 1:2
2
Peter 3:5, 6, 7, "The world that was" became
completely destroyed, perished. There are two Greek words for
perish, kataclysmos and apolymi. The English word
cataclysm stems from the Greek word kataclysmos. Cataclysm
is a violent and sudden change or upheaval of the earth's crust. The
Greek word apolymi has a meaning of destroy completely.
The Biblical evidence is that Peter's description is not that of
Noah's flood because two things were not destroyed by Noah's flood:
plants(e.g., oliver trees) and sea creatures(e.g.,
fish).(7:23,17-24; 9:17)[See also chaos, kataballo in
Strong 2598*]
Genesis
1:1, Creation of heavens and earth.(heavens, shemah, Strong
8064) and (earth, Strong 776, er'-ets) Note that there was more that
one heaven created)
Genesis
1:2, A common English translation is "And the earth was
without form and void.." The correct translation of the Hebrew
is "The earth became wasted and ruined…" For
"was" the correct translation should be became;
the Hebrew word is hayah(Strong 1961) For "form"
the correct translation should be wasted or desolate;
the Hebrew word is tohoo(Strong 8414) For "void":
the correct English translation should be ruined: the Hebrew word is
bohoo(Strong 922; Jeremiah 4:23-28; Creation destroyed(
earth, er'-ets, Strong 776) Revelation 21:1; Creation destroyed; new
heaven sand a new earth, that makes more than one heaven.
*NOTE:
"Strong" is a reference to James Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance of The Bible. It contains a concordance and dictionaries
of the Hebrew and Greek languages used in the Bible. The words are
cross referenced using numbers. For example, the word for "man
or mankind" in Genesis 1:26 and 27 is ah dahm(adam)
and is Strong No. 120. The word for "the man Adam" in
Genesis 2:7 is h'ah dahm and is Strong No. 121. The word h'ah
dahm in Genesis 2:7 means "The man Adam" because in
the Hebrew text it is preceded by the definite article
the(pronounced ha but nearly silent). "The", as
an article, expresses a definite person, place or thing.
Lesson 3
For October 31,2002
Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
1In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2aAnd the earth was without form and void.
2bAnd
darkness was upon the face of the earth
CONTEXT: According to John 1:1-3, Jesus
Christ was with God in the beginning and all things
were created through him. The account of God's creation that was
made through Jesus Christ begins in Genesis 1:1.
Contextually, Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 2:4 may be considered a
single unit of thought for the purposes of Christian Bible Study.
That is to say, the original Hebrew manuscripts (MSS) were not
marked by Chapter and Verse numbers. The end of this first pericope
(section) of Genesis which begins with Verse 1:1 could have
concluded with Verse 2:3. Not only does Verse 2:3 complete the prime
account of the 6+1 days of creation, but there is a change in the
name of God from ’elohiym to Yehovah
’elohiym, usually translated
as Lord God.
Genesis 1:1 is traditionally translated as "In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth." There is no
credible Biblical evidence that disputes the basic
principle that God created the heavens and the earth. But, further
analysis of Genesis 1:1 must be made, an analysis which is revealed
in the TEXT which follows this CONTEXT section.
The translation of Genesis 1:2a is traditionally rendered "And
the earth was without form and void". In Verse 1:2a, however,
there is credible Biblical evidence that does
dispute the traditional translation.
The most important evidence is that neither the Hebrew text nor its
context support the traditional translation. (See TEXT
below) Instead, Genesis 1:2a should be rendered as
And the earth became wasted and ruined. That this
translation causes much dissent among traditional Christian
scholars, translators and students is not to be denied.
Nevertheless, students should keep an open mind and not rely solely on
previously held denominational church doctrine and dogma. Students
should keep the Hebrew text in their minds as they proceed with
Genesis 1:2b and 1:2c and the continuing story of creation as it
unfolds in the verses which follow them. And, before continuing,
students should review Parts 1 and 2 of WHAT THE BIBLE
HAS TO SAY ABOUT CREATION in light of 2 Peter 3:3-7 found in
the Archives Section.
Three examples of contextual evidence that refute the traditional
translation of Genesis 1:2a are found in Proverbs 8:22-30, Psalm
90:1,2 and 2 Peter 3:5,6.
[NOTE: For students who are unfamiliar with the nomenclature used by
scholars, the designations 1:2a, 1:2b and 1:2c are ways of
identifying or referencing more than one complete English sentence that
appears in a Bible verse. Or, to say it another way, it makes it
easier to identify which set of words is being discussed. For
example, Genesis 1:2 has within itself three complete English
sentences: "The earth became wasted and ruined" is designated
1:2a; "Darkness was upon the face of the deep" is
designated 1:2b; "The spirit of God was upon the face of the
waters" is designated as 1:2c. Also, students should remember
that the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts were written centuries
ago and had no Chapter and Verse numbers attached to them. Chapter
and Verse numbers are, relatively speaking, a new invention. It
should be further noted that 1:2a and 1:2b may be combined in one
English sentence. "The earth became wasted and ruined and
darkness was upon the face of the deep."]
Contextually, Genesis 1:2c begins the account of God's creation that
physically exists and that is able to be observed through human
senses. Genesis 1:1 and 1:2a,b reveal the time before the creation
account that begins in Genesis 1:2c & 3.
TEXT: Verses 1:1 and 1:2a,b are deemed
controversial and were explored in the CONTEXT SECTION.
Nevertheless, they require further analysis.
Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the
earth." The English prepositional phrase, "In
the beginning", is a translation of the Hebrew word re’
shiyth (Strong 7225) which has a meaning of first in place,
time, order or rank. But, re’shiyth also has a precursor in the Hebrew verb ro’sh
(Strong 7218) which has a meaning of to shake. Based
on that text and on the context of Verses 1:2a,b and c, Genesis 1:1
may also be translated as "First, God shook the heavens and the
earth which he had created." The word "heavens" is
plural indicating that there was more than one heaven created. The
word "heavens" is a translation of the Hebrew word shameh
(Strong 8064) which means lofty.
Genesis 1:2a, "And the earth became wasted and ruined."
The traditional translation of Verses 1:2a is "And
the earth was without form and void." The English word
"was" is an incorrect translation of the Hebrew word hayah
(Strong 1962 & 1961). The Hebrew word hayah has two
meanings: ruin and to become, i.e., to become
as a ruin. (See also Strong, 1943 & 1933). In the text that
is translated here, the English word "became" is the past
tense form of the verb to become. The English
word "wasted" is a translation of the Hebrew word tohuw
(Strong 8414). The English word "ruined" is a translation
of the Hebrew word bohuw (Strong 922). The length of the
period of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2a or between 1:1 and 1:2b
lies mute in the Hebrew text, as least as far as man aportions time.
It does not preclude thousands and thousands and thousands of years
as man measures time. For as Peter wrote, "But, beloved, be not
ignorant of this one thing, one day with the Lord is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day."(2 Peter 3:8; Psalm
90:4)
Genesis 1:2b, "And darkness was upon the face of the
deep". The word "deep" is a translation of the Hebrew
word tehown (Strong 8415) which has meanings of
abyss, surging mass of water, sea, subterranean water supply, etc.
Genesis 1:2c, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters." The word "Spirit" is a translation of the
Hebrew word ruwach (Strong 7307) which has a meaning of
wind, air, spirit, etc. Genesis 1:2b and 1:2c offer just a small
portion of the total contextual Biblical evidence that there was a
period of time and place before the creation described in Genesis
1:3 and following verses. That is, "the waters" were
already in existance when "The Spirit of God moved over the
face" of them, according to the Genesis account of creation.
Genesis 1:3-5 include the 1st Day of creation (1000 years according
to Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8), Light was created but these Verses
don't reveal that the light was the sun, moon, or stars. Those were
created during the 4th Day, according to Genesis 1:14-19. While it
must be perfectly obvious to all, it should be recalled that it had
been dark before the creation of light according to this and the two
previous verses.
Genesis 1:6-8; 2nd Day, another 1000 years, God created the
firmament(space, raqiy‘ meaning a
space, expanse, Strong 7549) in the midst of the waters; God called
the expanse heavens (plural, more than one heaven).
Genesis 1:9-13; 3rd Day, 1000 years, the dry land of earth appeared
and grass(grain), trees with fruit that would yield the seeds
necessary to reproduce themselves.
Genesis 1:14-19; 4th Day, 1000 years, light in the firmament
(space)of heaven to mark the seasons for days and years; among the
lights were 2 great lights made. (sun & moon, res ipsa
loquitur)
Genesis 1:20-23; 5th Day, 1000 years, creation of fish and birds; no
humans yet (plants already created)
Genesis 1:24-25 & 26-31; 6th Day, 1000 years, There were at
least two creations on the 6th Day: air breathing animals (generic
term) could reproduce and mankind (Still, there was No Man, The Man
Adam, to till the ground). Living, air breathing creatures were let
(given the ability) to reproduce themselves. These included male and
female humans.
Genesis 2:1-3; 7th Day, 1000 years, God (elohim, Strong
430) rested. The Hebrew text, from Genesis 2:4 to 3:26, combines two
names of God: Jehovah God which means Eternal God. The Hebrew Text
is not always translated in English Versions but in the King James
Version the two names for God are translated as Lord God.
Genesis 2:4, This verse, correctly translated, should be "Those
were (past tense) the generations of the earth when they were
(past tense) created in the age (yowm, Strong 3117)
that Jehovah God made the heavens and the earth. That is, the
reference is to the preceding verses of the 6+1 days of creation. At
this point in the Genesis account, God begins to be referred to as
Jehovah God (Yehovah ’elohiym, Strong 3068 & 430) From Genesis 1:1
to Genesis 2:3, God is referred to simply as ’’elohiym.
According to Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8, the total time for the 6 +
1 days of Creation was 7000 years. See time line.
[NOTE: According to Genesis 2:5 no rain had yet fallen even though
there were grasses (e.g., grain) and trees. In other words, it would
have to rain for the plants to be able to grow fruit which held
their seeds inside of them. There was not yet a man yet to till the
ground at this point either. (1 Corinthians 3:6-23; I[Paul] planted,
Appolos watered, God grew.)]
According to 2 Peter 3:8, the first 7 Days of Creation would be
equivalent to 7000 of man's years. Up to this point in the creation
account, Genesis 1:1 - 2:3, no rain had yet fallen to cause seeds to
sprout and there was no man yet formed to till the ground that
needed to be tilled to make certain that the seeds would sprout and
grow.
To repeat, two things had not yet happened: it had not rained (to
cause seeds to sprout) and there was not a man to till the ground to
nurture the seeds. There are not two accounts of
creation. There is only one account of creation in the first
chapters of Genesis. The so-called Priestly(P) account of
creation, Genesis 1:1 - 2:3, is not a separate story of creation
that is different from the so-called Jawist(J) story of
creation which begins with Genesis 2:4 and continues to Genesis
3:24. The so-called Jawist(J) story of creation is a
continuation of the account begun in Genesis 1:1.
[NOTE: From Genesis 4:1 to 4:26, Yehovah is used
for God's name without the attendant ’elohiym.]
From Lesson 4
For November 7, 2002
Genesis 2:4a
4aThose
were the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were
created
CONTEXT: According to
Genesis 2:4a, those were(past tense) the generations of the heavens
and the earth when they were(past tense) created. Genesis 2:4a is
referring to the generations(histories) of creation that were
described in Genesis 1:1-2:3, not to the generations that will be
described in Genesis 2:4b and following.
To repeat, Genesis 2:4a is the conclusion of that portion of God's
creation that is described in Genesis 1:1 - 2:3, not to the
beginning of the verses which follow. The generations that are
described in Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 are those events of the first six
days of creation plus God's 7th day of rest. [Definition:
generations = history, family, descent, etc. Example, Genesis
5:1-32, Generations of Adam]
But, also, in Genesis 2:4b is the phrase "in the day(yohm,
a period of time, 3117/3118) that the Lord God made the earth and
the heavens." Contextually, the Hebrew/Chaldean word yohm
is to be understood as a period of time when the events of the 6+1 days
of Creation occurred and not to a single day, whether that day was a
thousand years or 24 of man's hours.
Students should review James Strong's Concordance for a list of some
of the possible definitions of the Hebrew word yohm.
Depending on its use in context, yohm can have definitions
of to be hot(as the warm hours of the day), time, a
day, a space of time, an age, a season,
a whole life span of a person, a time when an event or
events occurred, etc. Genesis 2:4b carries with it a meaning of
a period of time when the events of the 7 Days of creation occurred.
It is very important, finally in context, to understand that the
creation account which is described in Genesis 1:1 through Genesis
2:4a is NOT a separate description of God's creation
that is revealed in Genesis 2:4b and the Verses which follow it. Or,
to turn that around, Genesis 2:4b and following Verses do
NOT comprise a different version of the same
events that are described in Genesis 1:1 through 2:4a !
Genesis 2:4a and the Verses that follow CONTINUE the
account of God's creation which began in Genesis 1:1 through 2:4a
and which extends throughout the whole Bible !
TEXT: Genesis 2:4a, correctly translated, should be
"Those were (past tense) the generations of the earth
when they were (past tense) created in the age ( yohm,
Strong 3117) that Jehovah God made the heavens and the earth. That
is, the reference is to the preceding verses of the 6+1 days of
creation.
Beginning with Genesis 2:4b, God is called Jehovah God ( yehovah
’elohiym, Strong 3068 &
430). Yehovah ’elohiym
is commonly translated in English Bibles as "Lord God".
From Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3, called the Priestly
or P narrative, God's name in the Hebrew text is simply ’elohiym.
Beginning with Genesis 4:1b and continuing to 4:26, Yehovah
is used for God's name together with ’elohiym.
This is called the Jawist of J narrative.
It is very important in text as well as context to understand that
in spite of the apparent change in the name of God from ’elohiym
to yehovah ’elohiym or in
spite of the apparent differences in style, theology or tenor of the
scribe's writing, called the Jawist or J
narrative, God's creation and word is a well ordered chronological
series of events. That is, those differences do not signal a change
in the description or fundamental understanding of God's creation by
a different scribe or scribes, a speculation that is propounded by
various Biblical commentators. It is a difference in style, not
substance, of the description of the continuing chain of events of
God's creation.
The assumption that the P narrative and the J
narrative are different versions of God's creation cannot be
supported by the Biblical evidence. The Biblical evidence is that
God continued His creation with the formation of The Man, Adam,
a man to till the ground. That Biblical evidence continues in
Genesis 2:5, "there was not a man to till the ground" so
then "the Lord God formed the man, Adam(ahd adam),
out of the dust of the ground."(Genesis 2:7) The
Man, Adam, had not yet been created during the 6th Day
Creation, "male and female created he them"(Genesis 1:27)
but not The Man, Adam.
From Lesson 5
For November 5, 2002
Genesis 2:4b - 2:5a,b,c
The Man Adam, A Man To Till The
Ground
2:4bIn
the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
2:5aAnd
every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb
before it grew:
2:5bFor
the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth,
2:5cAnd
there was not a man to till the ground
CONTEXT:
Genesis 2:4b continues the Biblical account of God's Creation which
began in Genesis 1:1.
Genesis 2:4b and the verses that follow it are NOT a
separate or different description of God's creation that is written
in Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a. Genesis 2:4b and the verses that
follow it are a CONTINUATION of the Biblical account of
God's creation and reveal the creation of The Man,
Adam, who had not, up until that time, been created!
Man, in his wisdom, has concluded that Genesis 2:4b must begin a
different account of God's Creation. There is no justifiable
Biblical reason or need to reach such a conclusion. Furthermore,
such a conclusion has obscured the orderly progression of God's
Creation, from its beginning to its end, from Genesis to Revelation.
One of the reasons, but certainly not the only reason, that
commentators conclude Genesis 2:4b represents the beginning of a
different account of God's Creation has to be the change in the way
that God is named. Beginning with Genesis 2:4b, God is called
yehovah ’elohiym. It is a
change from the simpler name of God, ’elohiym,
a name by which "I am" is called in Genesis 1:1 -
2:4a.
Despite the apparent change in the name of God from ’elohiym,
which occurs in Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a, to yehovah
’elohiym, which first appears in Genesis 2:4b, or
despite of the apparent differences in style, theology or tenor of
the scribe's writing, called the Jawist or J
narrative, God's creation and word is a well ordered chronological
series of events. The Biblical evidence is that The Man Adam
was created after the 7th Day and
not before, not on the 6th Day when all other humans were created.
Whether or not commentators agree or disagree, the order of events
as they are recorded in the Bible are orderly and correct:
According to Genesis 1:27, God created all males and
females on the 6th Day of Creation, with one exception.
It was not until after
the 7th Day that He(God) created a particular man to do
a particular job, The Man, Adam,
to till the ground.
Why hadn't God created a particular man, The Man, Adam,
to till the ground until then? He(God) had not created The
Man, Adam, to till the ground because
no plants had yet grown on the earth, because
He(God) had not caused it to rain upon the earth so that the plants
would grow! No man had yet been needed to till the
ground. Adam had not yet been needed.
There was
not a man to till the ground.
WHY?
Because
the Lord God had not yet caused it to rain upon the earth
And the
plants had not yet grown.
Again, what did God do? God caused it to rain so
that the plants would grow. He caused a mist to go up that watered
the whole earth. It was after the whole earth had been
watered that God created a particular man to do a particular job,
The Man, Adam, to take
care of the plants that would grow, a man to till the ground.
Knowledge of this is important for many reasons. Two reasons, among
many, are as follows: First, it was through Adam and Adam's line,
Adam's genealogy, that Christ would come. That is, Christ was not a
descendant of the males or females that were created on the 6th Day
but was a descendant of Adam, the man to till the ground. That is
the Biblical evidence. Secondly, the males and females
that were created on the 6th Day were not destroyed in the Great
Flood, the so-called Flood of Noah. Only those who were descendants
of the fallen creations(sons) of God were destroyed.(Genesis 6:1ff)
It is an assumption not based on the Biblical evidence to speculate
that all members of the human race are descendants of Adam and Eve.
Some are and some aren't. Christ was. The hypothesis(guess) that
Adam and Eve's children intermarried and brought forth children of
their own who did likewise, so ad infinitum, until the
earth was populated is without Biblical support.
The Bible doesn't say that. The Biblical evidence is that the human
race, as it is revealed in God's Word, need not have sprung solely
from Adam and Eve's progeny. That is, it is not necessary to
speculate that the whole world was populated by the descendants of
Cain, Seth and their brothers and sisters. Adam and Eve's children
were able to procreate with those humans, male and female, who were
created on the 6th Day. For example, Cain was banished to the land
of Nod(to the east) and took a wife and they begat sons.
Cain's wife could not have been his sister, one of Adam and Eve's
daughters, because Adam and Eve did not beget daughters and
more sons until after Cain and Seth had children of their
own.(Compare Genesis 4:17 and 26 with Genesis 5:4)
Further, such brother-sister relationships would come to be
specifically prohibited. While it is true that God's laws, statutes,
ordinances, and judgements had not yet been given during Adam's yohm(time),
what is right is right by God. Students should confirm for themselves
the requirement to keep God's statutes and judgements. According to
Leviticus 18:9, no one shall "Uncover the nakedness of thy
sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother,
whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness
you shall not uncover."
Should commentators teach that Jesus did away with what God had
decreed in the past, they should re-read Jesus' words for
themselves, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law, till all is fulfilled. Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall
teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven."(Matthew 5:17,18,19)
TEXT: Genesis 2:4a refers to the
preceding Verses, 1:1 - 2:3, and not to the Verses that follow it,
2:4bff.
Those were(past time, action completed) the generations of
the heavens and the earth when(kiy, 3588) they were
created.
Note also that heavens(plural, more than one heaven) were created but
only one earth(singular). Note also that the word
"heavens" comes before the word "earth" in this
verse but that the order is reversed in Genesis 2:4b, 2:5a,
2:5b and 2:5c with "earth" coming before
"heavens"!
towledah(generations,
8435)
shameh(heaven,
celestial, sky, 8064)
’erets(earth,
land, 776)
Genesis 2:4b, 2:5a, 2:5b and 2:5c
are so closely connected in thought that they should be understood
as a continuous, although short, narrative. That is, when the Lord
God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field
before it was in the earth and every green thing grew, and the Lord
God had not (yet) caused it to rain, there was not (yet) a man to
till the ground.
2:4bIn
the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
2:5aand
every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb
before it grew,
2:5bfor
the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth,
2:5cthere
was no man(’âdâm) to till the ground.
Four
more Hebrew words should be recalled:
yohm(Day,
period of time to be determined by its use in context, 3117)
yehovah
’elohiym(Yehovah God, self existant or eternal and God,
3068/1961 & 430)
’âdâm(a
man, a human, a human being, 120 from 119 meaning ruddy or red but
not a specific human being such as The Man Adam who was yet to be
created)
heh
’âdâm(The man, a specific man, the specific human being who is
called The Man or Adam which is a transliteration of the Hebrews
word heh ’âdâm or ’âdâm.
heh ’âdâm first appears in Genesis
2:7 and not before, e.g., it does not appear in Genesis 2:6 despite
English translations to the contrary.
In
the Hebrew, Greek and English languages, presence of the
definite article, the, means a specific person, place or
thing. However, Hebrew and Greek do not have
indefinite articles, a or an, as English does.
In Genesis 1:26, "...let us make man(’âdâm)
in our image...", "man" is
indefinite and does not represent a specific man but man or mankind
in general. In Genesis 2:6, The Man is identified
as the specific man, Adam, the man to till the ground. We call him
Adam in English. He is not any man or mankind in general.(Refer to
any Hebrew, Greek or English grammar)
From Lesson 6
For November 21, 2002
Genesis
3:1 - 24
Whosoever
is born of God does not commit sin
Genesis 3:1-8, Satan's temptation of Eve (Ezekiel 28:13; 31;8-9, 16;
Revelation 12:9, Satan's names)
Genesis 3:9-13a, God discovers Adam and Eve's Sin (Breaking God's
Command)
Genesis 3:13b Eve beguiled by Satan (Hebrew word in this context
means sexually seduced, 5377) Eve ate of the forbidden fruit
(partook, consumed, burned, 398)
Genesis 3:14-19, All three, Satan and Adam and Eve were punished.
Genesis 3:20, Eve named by Adam because she was the mother of all
living. "All" not in the original Hebrew texts.
Genesis 3:21, Adam and Eve clothed. Why?
Genesis 3:22, Who is "us"?
Genesis 3:23-24, Adam expelled from Garden
CONTEXT: For
Christians, the First Letter of John makes it clear that Cain was
the seed(offspring) of the wicked one (the serpent).
Cain had to be the seed of the serpent because he did
sin; he committed murder. He murdered his brother Abel. If Cain had
been the seed of God, he could not have sinned. He could not have
committed murder. He could not have murdered his brother Abel.
When Eve said, "I have gotten a man from(with the help of) the
Lord", that man could not have been Cain, because Cain could
not have been a murderer if he had been born of God. The man that
Eve had with the help of the Lord was Abel, not Cain.
1
John 3:7-12
7Little children, let no man deceive you:
he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8He that commits sin is of the devil; for
the devil has sinned from the beginning(Genesis 3:13). For that
purpose(reason) the Son of God was manifested(appeared), that he
destroy the works of the devil. 9Whosoever
is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed(σπερμα,
sperma) remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of
God. 10In this the children of God are
manifest(seen): and the children of the devil(are manifest),
whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither is he that
loves not his brother. 11For this is the
message(αγγελια,
angelia, what angels do) that you heard from the beginning, that we
should love one another. 12Not as
Cain, who was of that wicked one, and
murdered his brother. And why did he slay him(Abel)? Because his own
works were evil, and his brother's righteous.(1 John 3:7-12)
When Adam knew his wife Eve, she conceived and bore Cain and, with
the help of the Lord, bore Abel. There is a misunderstanding that
has been perpetuated in tradition. This misunderstanding has led to
the assumption that Eve's conception, after Adam knew her, resulted
in the birth of Cain. If it had, Cain could not have been a murderer
since he would have been the seed of God, not the wicked one. But,
Cain was a murderer and, therefore, not of God. He was of Satan, the
serpent, the wicked one.
TEXT: Genesis 3:1a, And the serpent
was more subtile('ârûwm) than every beast (chay, living creature) which the Lord God had made.
Revelation 12:1 - 13:18 reveal some of the names by which Satan is
called. Other names include dragon, serpent, devil(ó
διαβολος, 1 John 3:8),
Satan, beast, the wicked one, murderer, adversary, tempter,
slanderer, Prince(King) of Tyrus(Ezekiel 28:1ff; 31:8,9,16), lier
and anti-christ(1 John 2:22), deceiver and anti-christ(2 John
2:7)...
('ârûwm,
cunning, 6175)
(chay,
living creature, 2416)
Genesis 3:1b, And he(the Serpent) said to the woman, Is it
so that God(’elohiym) said, You shall not eat from any tree
of the garden?
Note that in the midst of
the Jawist(J) narrative, the Serpent calls God by
’elohiym,
the name by which he is
known in Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a, not yehovah
’elohiym.
Genesis 3:2,3 2And the woman said to
the Serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the Garden. 3But,
of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle(tâvek,
among others, 8432) of the Garden, God said, You shall not eat (’âkal,
totally consume as a fire consumes, 398) of it, neither shall you
touch (nâga‘, lay the hand upon for any reason, to lie with
a woman, draw near, join, plague, 5060) it, lest you die.
Eve responds to the
serpent by remembering what God had commanded Adam according to
Genesis 2:16,17(Eve had not been commanded because she had not been
formed(1127) until after God's command to Adam.) :
2:16And the Lord God( yehovah
’elohiym) commanded(tsâvâh, 6680) Adam(he hadam,
121, The Man, Adam) saying, Of
every tree of the Garden you may freely eat. 2:17But of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat; for
in the day(yôwm, 3117 you eat thereof you shall surely die (mûwth,
4191).
Genesis 3:4,5 4And the serpent
said to the woman, you shall not
surely die: 5For God knows that in the day you
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as
God((’elohiym),
knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:6-8 6And when the woman
saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant (châmad,
covet exceedingly) to the eyes, and
a tree to be desired(hîy’ ta’ avâh, from ’vâh,
lust after) to make one wise, she
took of the fruit (perîy, results, reward
from pârâh, bear increase)
thereof, and did eat (’âkal, burn, consume, devour), and gave also to her husband (’îsh,
male) with her; and he did eat. 7And
the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were
naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves
aprons. 8And they heard the voice of the Lord God( yehovah
’elohiym) walking in the Garden
in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife (’îshshâh,
female) hid themselves from the
presence of the Lord God among the trees of the Garden.
Vocabulary from Strong's
Concordance
châmad,
covet with emphasis, 2530/1931
hîy’
ta’avâh, lust, 8378, from ’vâh, greatly covet,
lust after, 183
sâkal,
wise, 7919
kâmac,
remembered, 3947
perîy,
reward, fruit(ful), 6529, from pârâh, bear increase, 6509
’âkal,
burn, consume, devour, 398
’îsh,
male, 375
yehovah
’elohiym
yowm,
day, 3117
’îshshâh,
female, 802
Genesis 3:9-13 9And the Lord God
called to Adam, and said to him, Where are you? 10And
he(Adam) said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked and I hid myself. 11And
he(God) said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of
the tree of which I commanded(tsâvâh) you not to eat? 12And
Adam said, the woman whom you gave me, she gave me of the tree, and
I did eat(’âkal, completely consume as a fire
consumes). 13And
the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? And
the serpent beguiled(nâshâ‘, utterly seduced) me and I did eat.
Vocabulary from Strong's
Concordance
tsâvâh,
commanded, charged, 6680
’âkal,
completely consume as a fire consumes, 398
nâshâ‘,
utterly seduced, 5377.
Genesis 3:14-19 14And the Lord God
said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed
above all cattle, and above every beast of the field: on your belly
shall you go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your
life: 15And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between your seed(zara,
2233) and her seed(Question 1. Who are
Satan's seed? Answer: Cain and his descendants, Kenites;
Question 2. Whos are Eve's seed? Answer: Seth(Abel had no
descendants of course) and Seth's descendants which included the
children of the promise through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Jesus);
and it will bruise your head, and you shall bruise his
heel. 16To the woman he said, I will greatly
multiply your sorrow and you conception: in sorrow you shall bring
forth children: and your desire shall be to your husband, and he
shall rule over you. 17And to Adam he said,
because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten
of the fruit of the tree, of which I have commanded you, saying, You
shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake: in sorrow
shall you eat of it all the days of your life; 18Thorns
also and thistles shall it bring forth to you: and you shall eat the
herb 19In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till return to
the ground: for our of it were you taken; for dust you are, and to
dust you shall return.
Genesis 3:20-24 22The man(Adam)
called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all
living(chay from chayah, saved, restored, 2416
from 2421). 21And the Lord God made for Adam
and for his wife garments if skins and clothed them. 22And
the Lord God said, behold the man has become as one of us(Who
is "us"?), to know good and evil: and take also
of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: 23Therefore,
the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground
from where he was taken. 24So he drove out
the man(Adam): and he(The Lord God) placed at the east of the garden
of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to
keep the way of the tree of life(What is the tree of life;
what does it represent?).
From Lesson 7
For December 5, 2002
Genesis 4:1 - 26
Birth of
Cain, Abel and Seth
OPENING PRAYER:
Review of Lesson 6: Genesis 3:1 - 24 Whosoever is
born of God does not commit sin. Cain was the offspring of Satan and
Eve; Abel was the offspring of Adam and Eve, with the help of the
Lord.
(1 John 3:12)
BIBLE STUDY:
Genesis 4:1 - 2, Cain and Abel were born to Eve, Cain was born first
as the offspring of the "Evil One" and Eve(of Satan and
Eve). The documentation for this is found in 1 John 3:12, "Cain
who was of that "Evil One" Then Abel was born second and
was the offspring of Adam and Eve.
Genesis 4:3 - 5a, Cain and Abel bring offerings to the Lord, Cain's
not accepted, Abel's accepted. Reason Cain's offering was not accepted.
Genesis 4:5b - 7, Cain Angry
Genesis 4:8, Cain slays Abel because "Cain who was of the evil
one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his
own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous."(1 John 3:12)
Genesis 4:9 - 16, Cain punished, a mark put on him and he went into
the land of Nod.(5112) "Nod" means wandering. Cain and his
descendants were to wander east of Eden, as "A fugitive and
vagabond, wanderer, upon the earth"(Genesis 4:14)
Genesis 4:17 - 24, Cain's descendants, (Kenites)
Genesis 4:25 - 26, Seth born, There is no Biblical evidence that
daughters had been born to Adam and Eve at this time.
SEMINAR OF BIBLE STUDY: Bible Study of Lesson that was read.
EVENTS: Further requirements for group recognition: Constitution;
Representative to the Senate.
CLOSING PRAYER:
TIME LINE OF GENERATIONS
From the creation of
Adam to the birth of Noah include 9 Generations(1056 Years; Genesis
5:1-32; Luke 3:36-38)
From the birth of Noah to the birth Abram include 9 Generations(890
Years; Genesis 5:32; 11:10-26; Luke 3:34-36)
From the birth of Abram to the birth of Isaac includes 1
generation(100 years; Genesis 21:4)
From the birth of Isaac to the birth if Jacob, who was renamed
Israel, includes 1 generation(60 years; Genesis 25:26)
From Abraham to David there were 14 Generations (According to
Joseph's genealogy listed in Matthew 1:2-6a and according to Mary's
genealogy listed in Luke 3:31-34).
From David to the carrying away into Babylon there were 14
generations and from the carrying away into Babylon to The Christ
there were 14 generations. That was a total of 28 generations
(Matthew 1:6b-11 and 12-17)
How Many Years between the birth of Adam and Jesus?
According to Luke 3:23-38, there are 74 generations between Abraham
and Jesus. In Luke 3:23 - 38, the genealogy of Jesus is listed
through descendants of Adam. In Matthew, the genealogy of Jesus is
listed through descendants of Abraham. The Book of Genesis gives the
ages of some but not all of the descendants of Adam.
Definition: A Generation is the period of time
between the birth of a parent and birth of the first offspring that
continues a genealogical line. For example, Adam was 130 years old
when Seth was born. (Genesis 5:3) So, the first generation was 130
years. Seth was not the first born to Adam and Eve but the third
born but was the one whom Jesus is descended from. Seth was 105
years old when his son, Enosh, was born.( Genesis 5:6) So, the
second generation was 105 years. That's a total of 235 years from
the birth of Adam until the birth of Enosh. Another example is the
birth of Noah's first son, Shem, who was born after Noah was 500
years old. That one generation was 500 years. (Genesis 5:32; 9:18).
*Remember. We are using Biblical evidence only, not the traditions
of man. How old was Noah when Shem was born?(Genesis 5:32)
Descendants
of Shem to Abram
10 These are the descendants of Shem. When Shem was a
hundred years old, he became the father of Arpach'shad two years
after the flood; 11 and Shem lived after the birth of
Arpach'shad five hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arpach'shad had lived thirty-five years, he became the
father of Shelah; 13 and Arpach'shad lived after the
birth of Shelah four hundred and three years, and had other sons and
daughters. 14 When Shelah had lived thirty years, he
became the father of Eber; 15 and Shelah lived after the
birth of Eber four hundred and three years, and had other sons and
daughters. 16 When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he
became the father of Peleg; 17 and Eber lived after the
birth of Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and had other sons and
daughters. 18 When Peleg had lived thirty years, he
became the father of Re'u; 19 and Peleg lived after the
birth of Re'u two hundred and nine years, and had other sons and
daughters. 20 When Re'u had lived thirty-two years, he
became the father of Serug; 21 and Re'u lived after the
birth of Serug two hundred and seven years, and had other sons and
daughters. 22 When Serug had lived thirty years, he
became the father of Nahor; 23 and Serug lived after the
birth of Nahor two hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 24
When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father
of Terah; 25 and Nahor lived after the birth of Terah a
hundred and nineteen years, and had other sons and daughters. 26
When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram,
Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the descendants of
Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran
was the father of Lot. 28 Haran died before his father
Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chalde'ans. 29
And Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sar'ai,
and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father
of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sar'ai was barren; she had no
child. 31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of
Haran, his grandson, and Sar'ai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's
wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chalde'ans to go
into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled
there. 32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five
years; and Terah died in Haran.(Genesis 11:10-32)
From Lesson 8
For December 12, 2002
Genesis 5:1 - 32
This is the book of the genealogy of Adam
See also Luke 3:23-38
OPENING PRAYER:
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS LESSON: Genesis 4:1 - 2, Cain and Abel were born
to Eve, Cain was born first as the offspring of the "Evil
One" and Eve (of Satan and Eve; 1 John 3:12). The documentation
for this is found in 1 John 3:12, "Cain who was of that
"Evil One". Abel was born second, as the offspring of Adam
and Eve, with the help of God.
Genesis 4:3 - 5a, Cain and Abel bring offerings to the Lord, Cain's
was not accepted, Abel's was accepted. Reason Cain's offering was
not accepted is that he was born of sin, of the "wicked
one".
Genesis 4:5b - 7, Cain Angry because his offering was rejected.
Genesis 4:8, Cain slays Abel because "Cain who was of the evil
one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his
own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous."(1 John 3:12)
Genesis 4:9 - 16, Cain punished, a mark put on him and he went into
the land of Nod.(5112)
"Nod" means wandering. Cain and his descendants were to
wander east of Eden, as "A fugitive and vagabond, wanderer,
upon the earth" (Genesis 4:14) Genesis 4:17 - 24, Cain's
descendants, (Kenites)
Genesis 4:25 - 26, Seth born, There is no Biblical evidence that
daughters had been born to Adam and Eve at this time. Eve, said,
"God has given me another seed (sperm) instead of Abel"
FAQ's: Based on Eve's comment in Genesis 4:1, "I have gotten a
man with the help of the LORD" and on 1 John 3:9,
"Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed
(sperma, 4690) remains in him: and he cannot sin because he is born
of God", how could Cain have been born to anyone but the
"wicked one", since it was Cain who sinned, not Abel?
That is, Cain could not have been the one born of God because he did
sin. Therefore, if Cain was not born of God, who was he born of?
According to 1 John 3:9, Cain was of the "wicked one".
Abel was the one born of God. As Eve said, "The serpent seduced
me and I did partake of that seduction (nasha, 5377)." The
fruit of that seduction was Cain.(periy, 6529, progeny, fruit of the
womb, from parah, bear fruit, 6509; Genesis 3:3) Or, that is, Cain
could not have been the man born of God, because, as Eve said,
"I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD", a man,
John said, who could "not sin because he is born of God",
i.e., Abel!
BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 5:1, Begins the account of the generations(the
genealogy, the list of descendants, line) of Adam through Seth to
Noah. This genealogy is important because it is through Seth's
descendants that Jesus was born. That is, Jesus was not a descendant
of Cain, not a descendant of Abel because Abel had no descendants,
and not a descendant of Adam and Eve's other sons and
daughters.(Genesis 5:4; Luke 3: 23-38) It should also be emphasized
that Jesus was not a direct descendant of any of those who were
created on the 6th Day but was a descendant of Adam.
The genealogy of Jesus that began with Adam and Seth continued on
through Noah to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who was renamed Israel.Thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel.(Genesis 32:28)
Jacob, the man Israel, had 12 sons.(Genesis 29:16 - 35:18; Genesis
32:32) Jesus genealogical line continued through Jacob/Israel's 4th
son Judah.(Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 3:33) From Judah, the line extends to
David and then through Nathan to Jesus, son(descendant) of
David.(Mark 12:35; Matthew 9:27; Luke 18:38)
EVENTS: Constitution and Application form given to Student Senate on
December 1, 2002; CBS needs representative to the senate; Second
showing of Incredible creatures of Evolution.
CLOSING PRAYER:
From Lesson 9
For January 30, 2003
Genesis 6:1 - 22
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom
I have created from the face of the earth: both man, and beast, and
creeping things, and the fowls of the air
CONTEXT: Jesus told the Pharisees, "From the
beginning of creation, God made them male and female." (Mark
10:06) It is important
to understand that Jesus is remembering the sixth day of creation.
(Genesis 1:27; 24-31)
Genesis
1:27-31
27So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. 28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply,
and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
that moves on the earth(). 29And God said, behold, I have
given you every herb() bearing seed, which is upon the face of the
earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of the(a?) tree yielding
seed; to you is shall be for meat.(, food) 30And every
beast() of the earth(), and every fowl() of the air, and to every
thing that creeps() upon the earth(), wherein there is life(), I
have given every herb() for meat: and it was so. 31And
God saw everything that he made, and behold, it was very good. And
the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
TEXT: Genesis 6:1,2 1And
it came to pass, when men began to multiply
on the face of the earth(ehrets), and daughters were born to them.
2That the sons(ben < banah) of God saw the daughters of men that
they were fair; and they took wives of all which they chose.
erets, land, ground, earth, country, field,
world, 776
ben < banah, son, < to build, to make, to set up,
to have children, 1121 < 1129. "Sons of God" are
defined as spiritual creatures or heavenly host, who, in this
context of Genesis 6:4, came down to the daughters of men and
created children through them, the nephilim. (giants <
fallen) In Job 1:6 it is written, "Now there was a
day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord,
and Satan came also among them" Satan was among the heavenly
host. Similarly, in Job 2:1, Satan is observed to be among, if not
part of, the heavenly host, "Again there was a day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan
came also among them to present himself before the Lord." In
Job 38:4-7, God asks Job, 4Where were you when I laid the
foundations of the earth (the creation in Genesis 1:1)? tell me if
you have understanding. 5Who has laid the measures
thereof, if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it? 6Whereupon
are the foundations thereof fastened? 7 When the morning
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for Joy.? See
also, Psalm, 29:1 and 89:6. .
[messenger,angel, malak, 4397; Psalm 34:7; see Malachi,
prophet, messenger, also 4401 < 4397]
From Lesson 10
For February 6, 2003
Genesis 6:1 - 22
(Continued)
Nephilim: offspring of fallen sons of God and
daughters of men(Genesis 6:1 - 12) And God looked upon the earth and
behold it was corrupt. (Genesis 6:13 - 22
OPENING PRAYER:
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS LESSON: Genesis 6:1-2, …when men began to
multiply on the face of the earth, daughters were born to them…the
sons of God took them wives (ben, sons, 1121)
Mark 10:06, Jesus told the Pharisees, "From the beginning of
creation, God made them male and female." Jesus is referencing
the sixth day creation of man and woman, not to the descendants of
Adam. Adam was not formed at the beginning of creation, the sixth
day men and women were. Genesis 1:28; Be fruitful and multiply, and
replenish the earth(Genesis 1:27-31)
Genesis 6:3-4, …4there were giants(nephilim) on earth in those
days…(be'erets, on earth, on field, on ground, on land, 776, not on
the earth, on the ground, on the field, on the land. The absence of
the definite article,(ה,
he, the), signifies that it is earth(field, ground or land)
in general. That is, giants where on earth without specifying
exactly where they were located. Translators of the KJV and other
versions insert the English word the before the word earth. The
preposition, ב, means
in or on. Remember, Hebrew letters are read right to left. Giants,
nephilim, were offspring of the "fallen" sons of God and
the daughters of men, Strong 5303 < 5307 < 5309(fallen) See
Numbers 13:33
Genesis 6:5, Wickedness of man was great on earth(be'erets, again,
it is "on earth", "on field", "on
ground", "on land" not "on the earth")
Genesis 6:6, Lord(JHVH, Yehovah not elohiym), repented he had made
man(ah he adam, the man, the ground, 120
Genesis 6:7, I will destroy the man(ah he adam) whom I have created
from the land(he adamah, 127, the land, the earth,
the country, the ground. Here the definite
article, the, is used and signifies a particular land.)
Genesis 6:9, Noah and others were spared because he was righteous
(his genealogical line was righteous)
Genesis 6:11, 12, …11the earth() was corrupt…. 12on
the earth. Two of every kind aboard the ark need not exclude the men
and women created on the sixth day(See Genesis 1:27; 1:24-31)
BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 6:13, The end of all flesh(kol basar, all
flesh, all persons, 3605+1320)
Earth(the earth, the field, the ground, the
land)
Genesis 6:14 - 16, Make thee an ark(300 x 50 x 30 cubits,
approximately 450 x 75 x 45 feet, on three stories)
Genesis 6:17, I bring the flood of waters on the earth to destroy
all flesh wherein is the breath/spirit of life(chayam ruhach,
spirit of life, breath of life, air breathing persons) on earth
shall die.
Genesis 6:18 - 20, 18…you shall come into the ark, you and your
sons(Shem, Ham and Japheth) and your wife and their wives.(Where did
Noah and his sons find their wives? Where did the descendants of
Adam and Eve find their wives and husbands? Sixth Day creation of
females and males). 19…and every(all) living thing(s) male and
female. 20…birds, cattle, creeping thing.
Genesis 6:21 -22, Take all food needed. Noah did as he was commanded
EVENTS: Constitution and Application form were given to the Student
Senate on December 1, 2002. CBS needs representative to the Student
Senate. The Constitution and Application form were voted by the
Student Senate on February 4, 2003.
CLOSING PRAYER:
From Lesson 11
For February 13, 2003
Genesis 7:1 - 24
7:2Of every clean beast thou shall take to thee by
sevens, the male and his female
OPENING PRAYER:
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS LESSON: Genesis 6:13, The end of all flesh (kol
basar, all flesh, all persons, 3605+1320) Earth (the earth, the
field, the ground, the land)
Genesis 6:14 - 16, Make thee an ark(300 x 50 x 30 cubits,
approximately 450 x 75 x 45 feet, on three stories)
Genesis 6:17, I bring the flood of waters on the earth to destroy
all flesh wherein is the breath/spirit of life(chayam ruhach ,
spirit of life, breath of life, air breathing persons) on earth
shall die.
Genesis 6:18 - 20, 18…you shall come into the ark, you and your
sons(Shem, Ham and Japheth) and your wife and their wives.(Where did
Noah and his sons find their wives? Where did the descendants of
Adam and Eve find their wives and husbands? Sixth Day creation of
females and males). 19…and every(all) living thing(s) male and
female. 20…birds, cattle, creeping thing.
Genesis 6:21 -22, Take all food needed. Noah did as he was commanded
BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 7:1-2, 7:1And the Lord(Yehovah, I am, I do
exist now in the present time, eternal, self existent, national name
of God, 3068) said to Noah, Come thou and all they house(bayith or
beth, house, children, descendants, 1004) into the ark; for thee have
I seen righteous before me in this generation(towledah, age, time,
descent, family, birth, 8435) 7:2Of every clean beast(Deuteronomy
14:4-6, 20) thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his
female: and of beasts that are not clean(Deuteronomy 14:7-19, 21) by
two, the male and his female.
How many of each kind did Noah take into the ark? Compare Genesis
6:19, "two of every sort", with in "by sevens",
Genesis 7:2, taken into the ark. Answer: The "two" are one
male plus one female. 1 +1 = 2
How long did it take Noah to build the wooden ark?(Compare Genesis
5:32, 6:10, 7:6) Ans. 100 years
What are clean and unclean beasts?
Genesis 7:3, …to keep seed(zerah, seed, , 2233, here offspring of
feathered creatures, birds) alive…
Seeds have life locked in them. Ezekiel 1:6, …four wings…
Genesis 7:4 - 5, …off the face of the land(ha adamah, 127. land,
soil, ground)
Genesis 7:6, And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood was
on the earth(elohist)
Genesis 7:7 - 10, ..two and two into the ark, male and female(zakar,
2145 and neqebah, 5347; Jawist)
Genesis 7:11, sivan(May-June, elohist)
Genesis 7:12 - 15, Ark entered
Genesis 7:15-16, two and two are male and female(16a, God as creator
< elohist; 16b, Lord in relation to man < Jawist)
Genesis 7:17, …above the earth(776, P and J)
Genesis 7:18 - 21, …high hills were covered, not necessarily
mountains…(2022)
Genesis 7:22 - 23, …all that was in the desert died(desert,
2724)…surface of the ground(127)
Genesis 7:24, …waters prevailed 150 days(~5 months)
EVENTS: Constitution and Application form were given to the Student
Senate on December 1, 2002. CBS needs representative to the Student
Senate. The Constitution and Application form were voted by the
Student Senate on February 4, 2003.
CLOSING PRAYER:
From Lesson 12
For February 20, 2003
Genesis 8:1-22
8:22While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat, summer and winter,
and day and night shall not cease.
OPENING PRAYER:
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS LESSON: Genesis 7:1 - 2, 7:1And the Lord
(Yehovah, I am, I do exist now in the present time, eternal, self
existent, national name of God, 3068) said to Noah, Come thou and
all they house (bayith or beth, house, children, descendants, 1004)
into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this
generation (towledah, age, time, descent, family, birth, 8435) 7:2Of
every clean beast (Deuteronomy 14:4-6, 20; Leviticus 11:1-47) thou
shall take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts
that are not clean (Deuteronomy 14:7-19, 21) by two, the male and
his female.
How many of each kind did Noah take into the ark? Compare Genesis
6:19, "two of every sort", with in "by sevens",
Genesis 7:2, taken into the ark.
Answer: The "two" are one male plus one female. 1 +1 = 2
How long did it take Noah to build the wooden ark?(Compare Genesis
5:32, 6:10, 7:6)
Ans. 100 years. What are clean and unclean beasts?
Genesis 7:3, …to keep seed(zerah, seed, , 2233, here offspring of
feathered creatures, birds) alive…
Seeds have life locked in them. Ezekiel 1:6, …four wings…
Genesis 7:4 - 5, …off the face of the land(ha adamah, 127. land,
soil, ground)
Genesis 7:6, And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood was
on the earth(elohist)
Genesis 7:7 - 10, ..two and two into the ark, male and female(zakar,
2145 and neqebah, 5347; Jawist)
Genesis 7:11, sivan(May-June, elohist) Wheat harvest; See Pentacost
Genesis 7:12 - 15, Ark entered
Genesis 7:15-16, two and two are male and female(16a, God as creator
< elohist; 16b, Lord in relation to man < Jawist)
Genesis 7:17, …above the earth(776, P and J)
Genesis 7:18 - 21, …high hills were covered, not necessarily
mountains…(2022)
Genesis 7:22 - 23, …all that was in the desert died(desert,
2724)…surface of the ground(127)
Genesis 7:24, …waters prevailed 150 days(~5 months)
Clean and Unclean Beasts:
http://waltonfeed.com/self/health/horne/7.html
http://waltonfeed.com/self/health/horne/7.html
Next time BIBLE STUDY will be in Ken Smith Room, Gilmore Dining Hall
Review of Genesis 1:1 - 7:24, Lessons 1 - 11, Continuing
Will include PRAYER AT MEALS
From Lesson 13
For February 27, 2003
Genesis 17:8; Romans 9:1-33
THE CHOSEN LAND AND PEOPLE OF THE PROMISE
OPENING PRAYER
BIBLE STUDY: Understanding the difference between Israel the
man(Jacob) and Israel the nation
1. Romans 9:1-8, Read in KJV, NKJV or RSV
2. Genesis 17:8, And I will give to you(Abraham), and your
descendants after you, the land of your descendants, the land of
your journeys, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God.
3. Isaiah 41:8-10, Israel, my Servant, Jacob
4. Genesis 32:28, You name shall no more be called Jacob, but
Israel
5. Isaiah 53:7-9, He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet
he opened not his mouth…
6. Psalm 147:12-20, He declares his word to Jacob, his
statutes and ordinances to Israel
7. Psalm 87:2, The Lord loves the gates of Zion(Jerusalem)
more than all the dwellings of Jacob
8. Psalm 2:6, I have set my king upon my holy hill of
Zion(Jerusalem)
9. Matthew 15:24, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the
House of Israel(Descendants of Jacob)
10. Matthew 10:6, These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them,
saying,
Go not in the way of the
nations(εθνων, ethnon, means non-Jewish nations, Strong 1484,
nation)
Nor into any city of the Sa -
mar'- itans
But go rather to the lost sheep
of the House of Israel.(The House of Israel are the descendants of
Jacob, the chosen people, the Jews of the Diaspora, those who were
scattered)
11. Revelation 21:1, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for
the first heaven and the first earth had passed away;
and
there was no more sea.
There are three areas of focus in Lesson
13
1. God's Word, The Bible, should be read before commentaries.
Otherwise, there is a chance that commentator's remarks will falsely
color the correct meaning of the passage of Scripture you are
studying. Read commentaries after reading the Bible. Then, with
prayer first, let God's Holy Spirit make up your mind what each
passage means, not what someone else believes it means. Check out
any commentator's remarks against what the Bible says. Then, decide
for yourself what it means. Exercise your own fee will to hear what
God says, not what someone else says.
Recall
what Peter wrote: "First of all you must understand this, that
no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved
by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."(2 Peter 1:20,21) That is,
if God's Holy Spirit moves you, God will give you the understanding.
Let God have first crack at your understanding, not someone else's.
We began
with Romans 9:1-8, word-by-word and verse-by-verse. Paul reveals who
the chosen people are.
Paul's
words were confirmed by the citations from the Hebrew Bible, the Old
Testament. They are given on Page 1 of the Lesson. Note as you read
that Zion is another name for Jerusalem and that the land of
Canaan(where the nation of Israel is now, and was then, located).
That is, the nation of Israel, the land of Jacob, was promised to
God's Chosen people forever. Zionists are those who believe that
Israel must always be a nation.
2. God's chosen people are those who are descendants of Israel(Jacob
who was renamed Israel). See genealogy on Page 2 of Lesson 13.
Israel's descendants are called Israelites.(Descendants of Jacob)
and they are scattered throughout the world. In Paul's and the other
Apostle's time, they were scattered throughout the Greek speaking
nations of Achaia(Athens and Corinth), Macedonia(Thessalonica),
Galatia, Asia Minor(Ephesus), etc., even Rome itself(Acts 28:17)
God's
chosen people are not those who are descendants of Ishmael.
Ishmaelites(descendants of Ishmael) are Muslims who adhere to the
religion of Islam.
Islam is
the religion of the Muslims, as set forth in the Koran, that teaches
that there is only one God, Allah, and that Muhammed is His
prophet.(not anyone else, such as Jesus) Ishmaelite are those who
occupy the Arab nations today.
3. David's and Jesus' genealogies are through Judah, the 4th son of
Israel(Jacob). It is through the tribe(descendants) of Judah that
Jews derive their name.
Finally,
make sure you check out what I say about the Bible. Check out what I
said in 1, 2 and 3 above. Read the passages of Scripture that are
presented. Don't take my word for it. If you don't believe what is
presented, find contrary Biblical evidence. I will listen and keep
an open mind.
The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.(2 Corinthians 13:14)
Richard
From Lesson 14
For March 6, 2003
Genesis 8:1 - 22
8:2And the fountains of the deep and the windows of
heaven were stopped
OPENING PRAYER
BIBLE STUDY
1. Galatians 3:26-29 THE BIG "IF"; Opens Christ and
salvation up to all - IF- not only to the children of the
promise. Job 38, Read
2. Genesis 8:1- 4, Read, The mountains of Ararat(Region in Armenia)
8:1God(elohiym, 430) caused a wind(ruwach, spirit, 7307) to pass
over the earth(erets, 776) and the windows of heaven were stopped
and the waters restrained and the waters returned off(was restrained
from) the earth.
3. Genesis 1:6,7,8, Second Day of Creation; Firmament(See diagram on
next page) 1:7 And God made the firmament and separated the waters
which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament. And it was so. 1:8And God called the firmament Heaven.
4. Genesis 1:9,10, Third Day of Creation 9And God said, "Let
the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place,
and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10God called the
dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called
Seas. And God saw that it was good.
5. Genesis 8:5-12, Aboard the Ark
6. Genesis 8:13- 14 , Noah 601 years old and counting; dry land
7. Genesis 8:15-19, Noah and all that were with him disembarked the
Ark
8. Genesis 8:20a, First altar built by Noah
9. Genesis 8:20b-21, Burnt Offerings, not necessary now
10. Genesis 8:22, Seasons will continue (while this earth age
exists; third earth age will not need seasons)
EVENTS: Dave Wetzel's Presentation, Creation v. Evolution (March 31,
2003, Simon Center Great Room, 7:30 - 8:00 PM) - SEE Also LESSON
18 here.
CLOSING PRAYER:
From Lesson 15
For March 13, 2003
Genesis 9:1 - 29
9:11And I will establish my covenant with you: never
again shall any flesh be cut off by waters of the flood; never again
shall there be a flood to destroy the earth
OPENING PRAYER
BIBLE STUDY
1. Romans 14:12-14, (14:1-23)
2. Genesis, 9:1, Noah and sons blessed (barak, benefit, a gift from,
1288) by God. What was the blessing? (Genesis 9:2,3 < Genesis
1:28)
3. Genesis 1:27-28, Read, Sixth Day Creation, God(is spirit) created
male and female (in the image of his spirit), dominion over (rule
over) life on earth
4. Genesis 9:2, Noah and sons given dominion over life (as the 6th
day males and females) every animal, bird, fish.
5. Genesis 9:3, Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.
6. Genesis 9:4-5, You shall not eat the flesh with its life, its
blood. Or, reprisal. That is, don't eat flesh while it is still
alive, still living. If you do, "I will demand a
reckoning"
7. Genesis 9:6-7, Read, Poem Repeated for emphasis
8. Genesis 9:8-19, Covenant with Noah and his descendants(see
genealogy, Noah's lineage) The Covenant: No more a flood to destroy
the earth. The Sign of covenant: rainbow
9. Genesis 9:20-21, Noah the wine grower and wine drinker
10. Genesis 9:22-23, Ham uncovered Noah's nakedness(lay with his
father's wife)
11. Genesis 9:24-27, Noah cursed the descendants of Ham for what Ham
had done, in particular Canaan, who was the 4th son of Ham(Genesis
10:6)
11. Genesis 9:28-29, Noah lived 950 years and died
EVENTS: Dave Wetzel's Presentation, Creation v. Evolution(Monday
March 31, 2003, Simon Center Great Room, 7:30 - 8:00 PM)
CLOSING PRAYER
DEFINITIONS: From Smith's A Dictionary of The Bible By William
Smith, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1986, ISBN 0-8407-542-2
and from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, By James
Strong, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA ISBN 0-917006-01-1.
Jew: [ME Jew, Giw; OF. jeu, geu; L. Judaeus; Greek
Ioudaios, a Jew as an inhabitant of Judea, from Ioudaia, Judea, from
Hebrew yehudhah.]
1. A person descended or regarded as
descended from the ancient Hebrews of Biblical times.
2. A person whose religion is Judaism: Strong No. 3064 in the Hebrew
Dictionary, Yehuwdah, a Judaite, descendant of Judah, the man and
Strong No. 2453 in the Greek Dictionary, Ioudaios
Depending on its use in context, it can have meanings of 1. a
descendant of Judah, the man, or 2. an adherent of Judaism.
NOTE: The period of the exile was 586 - 538 BC. For the exile, see
Ezekiel 4:1-5:17. For the return from exile and scattering, see Amos
9:14)
"This name was properly applied to a member of the (old)
kingdom of Judah after the separation of the ten tribes.(The exile,
circa 586 BC) The term first makes its appearance after the return
of the ten tribes (circa 538 BC), the word received a larger
application.(2 Kings 16:6) SEE Ten Tribes below
"Partly from the predominance of the members of the old kingdom
of Judah among those who returned to Palestine (from exile) and
partly from the identification of Judah with the religious ideas and
hopes of the people, all the members of the new state of were called
Jews(Judeans) and the name was extended to the remnants of the race
scattered throughout the nations.(p. 309)
"The force of the title Jew is seen particularly in the Gospel
of St. John, who very rarely uses any other term to describe the
opponents of our Lord. At an earlier stage of the progress of the
faith it was contrasted with the Greek as implying an outward
covenant with God (Romans 1:16; 2:9,10; Colossians 3:11) which was
the correlative(synonymous, mutually related, each implies or
compliments the other) of Hellenist(Greek speaking Jew, see below)
and marked a division of language subsisting within the entire body,
and at the same time less expressive than Israelite, which brought
out the with especial clearness the privileges and hopes of the
Children(descendants) of Jacob.(2 Corinthians 11:22; John 1:47)
The Divided Kingdom: The Kingdom of Israel or Northern
Kingdom contained the Ten Tribes and were assigned to Jereboam. The
Ten Tribes were Joseph(Ephraim and Manasseh), Issachar, Zebulun,
Asher, Naphtali, (Benjamin, only at first), Dan, Simeon, Gad and
Reuben(Levi omitted). It was the Northern Kingdom of Ten Tribes, the
Kingdom of Israel, that was carried into captivity, exiled, returned
and dispersed again.
The Southern Kingdom was assigned to David and contained the two
tribes of Judah and Benjamin.(Smith, p. 270) Jerusalem was situated
in the Kingdom of Benjamin. Recall Paul was a Benjaminite, a
descendant of the youngest son of Jacob who was renamed
Israel.(Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5)
Israel: ˜ the prince that prevails with God The
meaning of the word Israel depends on its use in context. It can mean
the man Jacob or the nation of Israel, either before or after the
exile.
1. The name given to Jacob in Genesis 32:28. In
Romans 9:6, "Not all who are descended from Israel(the man)
belong to Israel(the nation)". Paul meant, among many things, that
the descendants of Israel(the man Jacob) were the children of the
promise but that they were not all situated in Israel(the nation).
They were the Greek speaking Jews(called Hellenists in Acts 6:1;
9:29) who were scattered or dispersed(Jews of the Dispersion)
throughout the Greek speaking nations of Syria, Asia, Galatia,
Macedonia, Achaia, Italia and Spain.(Acts 6:1, 9:29; Isaiah 10:21,
11:11, 16) In Romans 9:6, the English phrase "descended from
Israel" is a translation of the Greek phrase, e? ?s?a??, out of
Israel, found in the Revised Standard Version and means descendants
of Israel, the man Jacob.
2. The name given to the twelve tribes
collectively, including Judah and Benjamin
3. The name, also, of The Northern Kingdom, Israel,
and therefore excluding Judah and Benjamin
4. The name also given to laymen. After the
Babylonian captivity, the returned exiles resumed that name Israel
as the designation of their nation, which then included Judah and
Benjamin, the 12 Tribes.
Israelite: a descendant of Israel, the man Jacob
Israelites are defined as descendants of Jacob who had been renamed
Israel.(Genesis 32:28) They are members of the Hebrew people who
inhabited the ancient kingdom of Israel and are considered to be
God's chosen people.(1 Chronicles 16:13, 14-18) From Paul's
perspective, those who were descendants of Jacob-Israel(Israelites)
were Jews who lived in Jerusalem and all of Judea, the Roman
province that had as its capital Caesarea. Judea included, or had
included in times past, the nations of Israel and Judah. Important
for Paul's teaching were the remnant who were Jews of the
Dispersion, those of Syria, Asia, Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, Italia
and Spain.(Acts 6:1, 9:29; Isaiah 10:21, 11:11, 16; Paul: The
Apostle To The Jews At Rome, Volume IV, p. 25)
Judea: A Roman Province that included the region
once occupied and controlled by the nation of Israel(collectively
the 12 tribes) It was governed by a Roman procurator, subject to the
governor of Syria. In Jesus time, the procurator was Pontius Pilate.
Judea was named by the Romans for the Jews(Jehudaia) who occupied
the southern region of Palestine.
NOTE:Palestine was divided between Jordan
and Israel in 1948.
Palestine: Called Canaan in the Bible, the east
coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Hellenist: Greek speaking Jews(men of Judea who
were descendants of Jacob/Israel the man through his forth son,
Judah) of the Greek speaking Jews of the Dispersion of the nations
of Syria, Asia, Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, Italia and Spain.(Acts
6:1, 9:29; Isaiah 10:21, 11:11, 16.; Strong 1675)
Hebrew: The language of the Jews, Strong 1445,
?ß?a??, and, by extension, one who speaks the Hebrew language or
tongue, i.e., a Jew
Judaism: The monotheistic religion of the Jewish
people , tracing its origin to Abraham, having its spiritual and
ethical principles embodied in the Hebrew Bible(Old Testament) and
the Talmud.(Rabbinic writings for instruction consisting of the
Mishnah and Gemara)
From Lesson 16
For March 27, 2003
John 1:1-5; Genesis 1:26
John 1:1In the beginning was the Word and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
Genesis 1:26Let us make man in our
image.(Spiritual image)
OPENING PRAYER
BIBLE STUDY
1. John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Revelation 19:33, His name is called
the Word of God
Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God
created the Heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:26, Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness.(6th Day of Creation)
John 4:24, God is Spirit
John 1:15b, He(Jesus) that comes after
me(John the Baptist) is preferred before me: for
he
was before me.(In point of time)
John 1:48-51, Before Philip called
you(Nathaniel),
when you
were under the fig tree, I saw you.
When
was Nathaniel under the fig tree?
1 Kings 4:25<, And Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and under his fig tree ... >
Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17, You have searched me and have
known me.
John 17:5,24, 5And now, O Father, glorify
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was. 24…for you loved me before the
foundation of the world.(See again, Genesis 1:26)
John 8:56,57,58, 56Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57Then
said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast
thou seen Abraham? 58Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
2. John 1:2,3, 2The same was in the
beginning with God. 3All things were made by
him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
John 10:30, I and my Father are one.
John 14:9, … he that has seen me ha
seen the Father.
John 16:28, I came forth from the
Father, and come into the world, again I leave the world, and go to
the Father.
3. John 1:4, In him was life; and the life was the
light of men.
4. John 1:5, And the light shines in the darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not.(overcame it not; Strong 2638
and 3756)
EVENTS: Dave Wetzel's Presentation, Creation v. Evolution(Monday,
March 31, 2003, Simon Center Great Room, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
CLOSING PRAYER
NOTES: In John 1:1, The English word "Word", in John 1:1,
is a translation of the Greek word λογος
(logos). Logos can have
several meanings including decree, as in God decreed the creation.
Other meanings are order, command, say, said, word, law, thing,
idea, subject under discussion, etc. But, the overall Biblical
context that is based on John 1:1 and John 17:4, 5 and 24 is that λογος.
refers to Jesus the Christ. Christ,
as the Son of God, was with God before, as well as, during the
creation and at the end of this earth age.(John 10:30; 14:9; 16:28)
The word λογος. is used in three ways in John 1:1:
Decree(God ordered), Christ with God, Christ was God.(See Lesson 2)
In 1 Kings 4:25, Judah and Israel are nations! They are not the man
Judah, the forth son of Jacob, and not the man Israel/Jacob himself.
The English word "Christ" is a translation of the Greek
Word Χριστος
(Christos, Strong 5547) which has a
meaning of "Anointed One"
Genesis 1:26, "our image" and "our likeness"
would be a spiritual "image" or "likeness" of
God, not an earthly or flesh body likeness, because God is
Spirit(John 4:24), or in spirit form. According to John 4:24,
"God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and truth."
John 1:5, The English word "comprehended" is a translation
of the Greek word κατελαβεν(katelabēn, Strong 2638) has meanings
that depend on its use in context. The commonly used meaning of
katelaben is to overtake, to perceive, to be aware of, to know, or
to identify in some way either through the senses or by some other
means. For example, one may identify a person by their voice without
actually seeing them, as Paul identified those who were either a
Sadducee or a Pharisee by their voices Acts 23:6. In John 1:5,
katelabēn can have a meaning such as "the darkness did not
overcome the light". John is a translation of the Hebrew name Jehohanan,
Jehovah's gift.
From Lesson 17
For April 3, 2003
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
JOHN
Lesson 17
JOHN 1:6-12
April 3,
2003
This
Lesson Was Prepared, Presented and Taught
By
Mary A. Wilcox of New England College
____________________
OPENING
PRAYER
BIBLE
STUDY
6There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John.
Man - anthropos means human
being or certain man (Strong's 444)
Sent - apostello means set
apart, to send out (on a mission) (Strong's 649)
John - John the Baptist,
Jesus'
cousin: Luke 1:36
- And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also
conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with
her, who was called barren. Son of Elisabeth: Luke 1:13 - But the angel said
unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife
Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt
call his name John. Luke 1:41
- And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of
Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth
was filled with the Holy Ghost:
7The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Light, that all men believe.
Witness
- marturia means evidence given, record, report, testimony (Strong's
3141)
Bear
witness - martureo means to be a witness, i.e. testify
(Strong's 3140)
Light
- phos means to shine or make manifest by rays (Strong's 5457)
Through
- dia means a primary preposition denoting the channel of Believe
- pisteuo means to have faith (Strong's 4100)
8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of
that Light.
Reiterates
verse 7, that John was not the one who was the light,
but
was to tell of him
9That was the true Light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world Lighteth - photizo means
to shed rays, illuminate (Strong's 5461)
World
- kosmos means orderly arrangement, wide or narrow sense includes
it's inhabitants (Strong's 2889)
10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and
the world knew him not. Jesus was in the world, he had made the
world (Jesus is God in the body of a man) and the people of the
world did not know him for who he was
11He came unto his own, and his own received him
not.
Jesus
came to his people and his people rejected him
Received
- paralambano means to receive near i.e. associate with oneself
(Strong's 3880)
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power
to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name:
Received
- lambano means a prolonged form of a primary verb, which is used
only as an alternate in certain tenses; to take or to get hold of
(Strong's 2983)
Power
- exousia (in the sense of ability); privilege, delegated influence
(Strong's 1849)
Become
- ginomai means to cause to be, generate, come into being(Strong's
1096)
Sons
- teknon means from the base of; a child (as produced) (Strong's
5043)
Believe
- pisteuo means to have faith (Strong's 4100)
Comments from The Bible Reader's Companion and Life Recovery Bible.
From Lesson 18
For May 9, 2003
EVOLUTION
AND
THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
Separation
of church and state, absolutely. Separation of God and state,
absolutely not.
Evolutionists,
in their liberal thinking, have so confused the difference between
religion, as a set of beliefs, and God, as the Creator, that they
presume religion is the correlative of God. Therefore, they believe
that the Constitution decrees a separation between God and state.
That is, public schools must be barred from teaching Creationism.
Thomas
Jefferson did not declare that God and state must be disunited. He
began the Declaration of Independence with these words: "When
in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with
another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate
and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's
God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind
requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the
separation." Whether or not Jefferson was a deist, one who
believes in the existence of God but not in the supernatural
divinity of Jesus Christ, it is clear from his personal letters that
he means Nature's God is God the Creator. Beyond that, his
personal beliefs are irrelevant when evaluating what he means by the
definition of Nature's God in the Declaration of Independence.
The
framers of the Constitution did not declare that God and state must
be disunited. It was religion, not God, that must be kept separate
from the state. God, religion and church are not synonymous.
Religion, as a set of beliefs, is a creation of man and is replete
with his own god and the church to put it in. God created His own
church, the Body of Christ.(1 Corinthians 12:1-31) The word church,
either as a body of believers or as a place for them to meet, is not
found in either the Declaration of Independence or in the Constitution
and its Amendments. The very first clause of the very First
Amendment (Article I) to the Constitution begins with "Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof….." The state was to be separate
from religion, not separate from God, notwithstanding latter day
interpretations by atheist, liberal judges who were ignorant of the
Scientific Method or of the intentions of the founding fathers.
The
founding fathers knew that there was a distinct difference between
God and the religion of man and his church. That difference escapes
evolutionists. To assert that it is unconstitutional to use the word
God or to teach Creationism in public schools because it violates a
presupposed separation of church and state reveals a lack of
knowledge of the intent of the founding fathers. The intent was to
make certain that no state sanctioned religion, such as that found
in an English Church, should be imposed on the people. Further, it
could not restrict a religion which was separate form the state.
That is, the state cannot tell people what they must believe,
neither should evolutionists insist that views contrary to theirs be
prohibited. The First Amendment was never meant to obviate God or
God as Creator, Nature's God. Not only have evolutionists endeavored
to recreate nature in their own image, they have attempted to stifle
any free speech that would remotely challenge their own hypothesis
of creation. They strive to prohibit teaching Creationism in public
schools because they assert that it is a breech of the separation of
church and state. [Recall that the word church does not
appear in the Declaration of Independence or in the Constitution and
its Amendments.]
Creationism is challenged by evolutionists as being non-scientific.
Yet, those who teach evolution must be challenged because their own
hypothesis cannot stand up to the Scientific Method. It is a method
that requires an event to be repeatable. It is also a method that
requires a repeatable event to be testable so that it may be
verified or falsified. An hypothesis is a conjecture that is put
forth as a possible explanation of an event but which has not been
verified through testing. A theory is an explanation of a repeatable
event that has been verified through testing. Evolution does not
rise to the level of a hypothesis, let alone a theory, because its
tenets, its set or system of beliefs, cannot be repeated and thereby
tested.
Evolutionists
begin by drawing on a hypothesis, a conjecture, that matter suddenly
sprung into existence in one instant of time. That particular event,
if it did occur, has not been observed or repeated since and,
therefore, cannot be tested and thereby verified. That is, matter
has not been observed to spring into existence from nothing.
If,
as they continue to speculate, life then evolved from that first,
non-living matter, there is no evidence that it was anything but a
one-time event and, again, not testable and thereby not verifiable.
Life evolving from non-living matter has not been observed in nature
since that first conjectured event. It is an event that cannot be
verified or falsified through testing.
Finally,
evidence of one form of life evolving into another form has never
been observed or tested as a repeatable event, viz: pterodactyls
into finches or finches into pterodactyls. Environmental adaptation
does not qualify as evolution. A finch is a finch is a finch. A
pterodactyl is a pterodactyl is a pterodactyl. True, absence of
evidence is not evidence of absence. But, it isn't evidence of
presence either. There is no testable or verifiable evidence of a
repeatable event that is able to be confirmed that any one specie
has a common ancestor with any other specie.
The
founding fathers did not deny public expression or acknowledgement
of God the Creator, Nature's God: The opening sessions of the U.S.
Supreme Court begin with "…God save the United States and this
Honorable Court…." The opening sessions of both houses of
Congress acknowledge God. Local, state and federal governments
acknowledge the Creator, as do witnesses who swear "so help me
God", to tell the truth in court. It is stamped on the currency
of the United States as its national motto, In God We Trust. The
word God appears in secular hymns: My Country 'Tis of Thee,
America the Beautiful, God Bless America and the
last stanza of The Star Spangled Banner. It appears in the Pledge
of Allegiance and is chiseled into the stone foundations and
walls of our buildings. All within the rights granted by the
Constitution and its Amendments. They are not specifically
expressions of a church's religious tenets.
The
second clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution continued
by proclaiming, "…or abridging the freedom of speech….".
Therefore, we shall have an unalienable right to exercise our
freedom of speech to say the word God, to teach of His creation and
to pray to the Creator, Nature's God of the Declaration of Independence,
if that is our desire to say out loud the word God, to teach and to
pray, and to do so in private or in public, in state or out, in
school or out.
By
attempting to rewrite history in their own image and elevate
themselves above the Creator, evolutionists have forgotten the final
words of our Constitution: "Done in convention by the unanimous
consent of the states present the seventeenth day of September in
the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven and
of the independence of the United States of America the
twelfth." No other nation in all the world has been endowed by
its Creator with so many blessings of freedom.(Psalm 24:1-6)
It
is anno Domini, MMIII, not anno
mundi.
____________________
THE AGE OF
JESUS
Part 1
John 2:20,
Forty and six years was this temple in building, and will you rear
it up in three days?
John 8:57, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and have you seen
Abraham?
Luke 2:1-2, And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled.
And this enrollment was (first) made when Quirinius was (first)
governing Syria.
Luke 3:23, And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of
age(at the time of his Baptism by John)
Mathew 2:2, We have seen his star in the east.
Matthew 2:7-10, Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise
men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he
sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the
child(του παιδιου
= the child, not the babe); and when you have found him, bring me
word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they heard
the king, they departed; and lo, the star(ó
αστηρ), which they saw in the east, went
before them, till it came and stood over where the
child(του παιδιου
= the child, not the babe) was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
CONTEXT: According to Luke 2:1-2, Caesar Augustus
decreed that an enrollment(census) should be made
before(πρωτη = first, foremost, very much
before in point of time from Strong No. 4413 which is the
superlative of Strong No. 4253 προ = before, in front
of) Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was
governing(εγενετο ´ηγεμονευοντος
= "was governing", not "was governor of") Syria.
In other words the census was very much before Quirinius was
governing. The broadest context would put this census sometime
during the reign of Caesar Augustus who ruled from 27 BC until 14
AD. That's a period of 41 years. A somewhat narrower time frame
would put the census either during or before Quirinius time of
governing. Historically, that would be from 12 BC until at least 9
AD. That's a period of at least 21 years. Included within those two
time periods is the reign of Herod, 37 BC to 4 BC. That's a period
of 33 years and spans the birth date of Jesus according to Biblical
accounts. Based on the Biblical evidence, the narrowest time period
for Jesus' birth date would be between 12 BC and 4 BC. A less narrow
time period would be between 24 BC and 4 BC. No conclusion is
reached. The Biblical evidence speaks for itself.
According to Mathew 2:2, the magi saw a star in the east which
persisted long enough for them to follow its light to their
destination. Historically, Comet Halley makes its approach to the
earth every 76 ± 3 years. The earliest recorded sighting occurred
circa 240 BC with the latest sighting being 1986 AD. That's a period
of 2226 years and spans the life of Jesus as recorded in the Bible.
There are historical records of the comet's return in 86 BC and in
66 AD. That's a period of 152 years which also spans Jesus' life as
recorded in the Bible. No historical record has been uncovered, as
yet, for its appearance between those years, 86 BC to 66 AD, unless
Matthew's account of "the star" is included. Based on the
comet's apparent approach every 76 ± 3, that would be circa 10 BC.
Should Jesus have been 2 years old on his return from Egypt, and
during the appearance of Matthew's "star", his birth date
would have been circa 12 BC No conclusion is made in regard to that
comet, its appearance, its relationship to Matthew's
"star", Jesus' birth date or the date of 12 BC. It is
circumstantial evidence. Nevertheless, it is admissible evidence,
since it cannot be excluded by Biblical accounts.
Students should bear in mind that the enrollment(census) account in
Luke's Gospel neither included nor excluded Syria. All that Luke
2:1-2 reports is, (when during or before) "Quirinius was governing
Syria." That is, it was a time when. It was also a time when
Augustus was emperor and Herod was King. If the enrollment was the
very first enrollment when Quirinius was governing or if it occurred
before or even during Quirinius' was governing first, it does not
mean that an enrollment was made in Syria by him. Further, Students
should know at the outset that Roman census occurred in that region
of the Roman Empire at least as early as 12 B.C. And, also, Rome
conducted periodic census as early as the reign of Servius Tullius,
circa 578-534 BC, throughout its Empire. So, the time of the census
is not precise in that regard. In 12 B.C., Quirinius became consul
and was military commander of Asia(the eastern portion of the
Empire). It too is circumstantial evidence. But, it, too, is
admissible, since it cannot be excluded by Biblical evidence either.
It is important to remember that the authors of the Gospel According
To Luke and The Acts of The Apostles, if they were the same person,
would have been very old had they been present at the birth of Jesus
and also present with Paul at Rome. The Gospel According to John
presents a much older prophet which does more than suggest that
Luke's life, if he were the author of both Luke and Acts, would
likely not have spanned both Jesus' and Paul's life-times from their
start to their finish. In John's Gospel account, which may be seen,
in the final analysis, as the closest eyewitness to the events in
Jesus life, the age of Jesus was much nearer fifty years when he was
put to death. It is an account which does not obviate Luke's claim
that Jesus began his public ministry about age 30. Traditionally,
Jesus is portrayed as being approximately 33 years old when he was
crucified. It is a tradition not supported by Biblical evidence
and/but, if true, leaves a margin of only three years for his work.
According to John, the Jews said to Jesus in the temple, "What
sign shewest thou unto us(by what authority did you cleanse the
temple), seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and
said unto them, Destroy this temple(profaning the temple by making
it a den of robbers, John 2:13-17; Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11), and
in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six
years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three
days? But he spoke of the temple of his body….The Jews said unto
him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and thou hast seen
Abraham?" (Not yet forty or thirty or twenty years old? John
2:18-21, 8:57; KJV)
Rather than perpetuate any controversy over BC/AD versus BCE/CE, a
linear Cartesian coordinate is used with a zero point representing a
historical division of time, not the time of Jesus'
conception/birth. It is for mathematical calculation only and not
made to obviate Jesus' historical or theological importance to
humanity. The Gospel according to John, Matthew and Luke is used as
source material along with recorded and supporting historical
events. That is, regardless of the historical date reckoned to be
the conception/birth of Jesus, the historical date is ascribed as
zero time, 0, with the time before those events being written as a
negative prescript, –, and the time after as a positive prescript,
+. It is for reckoning only.
For example, the temple which the Jews spoke of in John 2:18-21 was
Herod's Temple, begun circa 24 BC/BCE. Algebraically, this year can
be represented as -24, regardless of the date of Jesus'
conception/birth on any scale of reference. It is for mathematical
calculation only and not made to obviate Jesus' historical or
theological importance to humanity. Further, as stated by the Jews,
the construction of Herod's Temple would have been in perpetual
construction, "Forty and six years was this temple in
building..."(John 2:20) That is, it was never a final construction
but was always being worked upon, possibly until its destruction by
the Romans circa +68. According to John 2:20, Jesus encounter with
the Jews in the temple is fixed at 46 years after the beginning of
its construction, +22 if was begun in -24.
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