James, a Convert

 

In ICor.15:7, Paul states that Jesus appeared to His brother, James (original manuscript, Jacob/ "Ya'akov") after His resurrection. There is nowhere else that this is verified in the Bible.

 

> James was not a believer in his brother, Jesus, as the divine Son of God.

 

> James was a leader of the Jerusalem Council, Acts 15:13. Could he have had a hand in the death of his brother? Did he stand by and not protest the illegal trial? Was he not made aware of the secrecy of the trial? How did he feel about all the controversy surrounding his brother? What was it like to grow up with an older brother like Jesus? I don't know. (But, I do wonder.) So many details in the life and death of Christ we may never understand.

 

 

 

> James did become a believer as stated in the book of James, 1:18. And, his teachings echo those of his brother, Jesus.

 

> This shows me that Paul's statement is correct.

Why else would James have become a believer unless he witnessed the risen Christ. ?

Hebrew As Original Text

Let's establish right away that the Hebrew language is the official language of the Old Testament Bible.  It was the language God gave to Adam.  It was the language Moses used to write the first five books of the Bible.  It was the language all the Old Testament prophets spoke and wrote.  Hebrew was the language taught to all Hebrew and Jewish children for reading, writing and study of the law and prophets.  It was the language Jesus was taught and used in the temple.  We know this.  So, why do we prefer our English translations over the Hebrew?  Arrogance and familiarity.  We prefer what we have been taught and are comfortable with.  Get over it!  We are missing so many teachings and deeper meanings of scripture that can bring us into a more personal relationship with and understanding of our Heavenly Father..

The history of Bible translation began with a necessity: people should be able to read the Bible in their own languages as the gospel was taken into the world.  As familiarity with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek declined, Biblical translation was done in new languages.

The Bible was not translated into English until the fourteenth century.   Latin was the dominant language in the western church. The Bible used in the church was Jerome's Vulgate (completed in 405) - in Latin.  Sporadic attempts to translate parts of the Bible into Old English (before 1100) gave limited access to the Bible for those who did not know Latin (mainly the uneducated).  By now, both Greek and Hebrew (difficult languages to translate), are being interpreted by English speaking Christians.

We have some manuscripts from the ninth and tenth centuries that are "interpretations".  The most famous is the Lindisfarne Gospels that are in the British Museum.  However, this is not a complete translation/interpretation.

In the years 1100-1550, John Wycliffe, John Purvey, and Nicholas of Hereford got together to produce the first complete Bible in English.  There were two editions of the Wycliffe Bible. They were both translations of the Latin text.  The first edition was a literal translation from Latin into English.  There was a second edition completed in 1396.  It circulated more widely, rather than the more literal translation.  (?)  The focus was on the meaning of sentences, rather than words.  Hebrew is a difficult language to translate properly into other languages.  Translators were not Hebrew/Jewish so did not always select an English word that properly translated the Hebrew.  Then, there were those times when personal understanding did the translating.

As a result of this work, Wycliffe and his followers, "the Lollards" suffered persecution as heretics.   Purvey and Nicholas were forced to recant their work. In 1408.  The Constitutions of Oxford included a prohibition against Bible translation without approval of church "authorities", who were English speaking Christians.  (Let us not forget it was church "authorities" that crucified Christ)

By the sixteenth century, a number of events affected later Bible translations even more.   The Renaissance brought on a recovery of classic learning.   Greek scholars moved westward as Constantinople fell to the Turks (1453).  The invention of the printing press around 1450 was a profound influence on Bible translation.  By 1488, there were printed editions of the Hebrew Bible into English .  The Protestant Reformation in 1517, called for versions of local dialects.  The break with Rome in England also influenced the course of the English Bible that had already been translated several times.

More recently, William Tyndale (1484-1536) was a Greek scholar educated at Oxford with a desire to provide a readable Bible to the average person.  He based his English New Testament on a Greek text established by Erasmus in 1516. He printed it in Europe in 1526 and revised it in 1534.  Myles Coverdale produced the first complete English Bible of the sixteenth century in 1535.  Subsequently, in 1611, King James gave his blessing to a new translation, Authorized Version or the King James Bible.

More recent discoveries of the Codex Sinaiticus (early Greek papyri of New Testament documents), and the Dead Sea scrolls aided (or affected) new translations we use today (New English Bible, New International Version, and the Jerusalem Bible).

So many people are stuck on the King James as the official translation.  I present to you that none are 100% correct.  The Bible was first translated in part and then patched in pieces to become a complete book to be revised over and over.  God states in the Bible itself not to change a jot or tittle.  ("Jot" and "tittle" are Hebrew words for exclamation and pronunciation marks around letters.)  I further present that our best understanding of God's word is directly from Hebrew text along with understanding of Hebrew and Jewish culture.  More and more people deny the Jewish right of translating the Old Testament.  I say it is the work of the Enemy to turn Christianity against God's chosen people.  Our enemy is subtly turning us from the truth more by the day.

God's word tells us to discern for ourselves.  As children of God, we are to "seek" Him through truth found in original writings.  It is to the children (of God; us) that wisdom may be imparted.  Matt. 11:25

In summary: God's word, in the Hebrew and Greek languages, has been interpreted and translated through the centuries by English speaking Christian scholars and patched together after reformations.  How dare we resign ourselves to any one translation and call it "absolute".  We need to get back to real in depth study of original texts.  In our modern world, God's children should not be poo-pooing teachings from original texts.
Amen

The Book, Part 2

The Bible is broken down into books, penned by ghost writer authors.  Each book is broken into chapter and each of those is further broken down into verses. 

Names and numbers in the Bible have meaning.  Most often, these meanings explain a deeper understanding of the writing.  As mentioned in the first part of this writing in an the previous blog, it all points to Jesus.

Examples:
The number "1" relates to God/unity
No. 5: represents the grace of God
No. 10: represents law/ordinance
No. 12: government
No. 40: testing, trial, the end of bondage

Examples:
Sarai = Domineering   /   Sarah = Princess
Abram = Father of Altitude   /   Abraham = Father of Multitudes

Interesting facts:
The book of Esther does not mention God
Longest book = Psalms
Shortest book = II John
Longest chapter = Ps.119
Shortest chapter = Ps.117
Longest verse = Esther 8:9
Shortest verse = Jn.11:35
Oldest man = Methuselah - 969 years
Two men never died - Enoch & Elijah

Psalm 22 (from the Old Testament) refers to the death of Jesus.  Written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, this is further proof of inspiration through the Holy Spirit.

The God's Eye constellation

The word "gospel" in Greek means "Good News".  There are four synoptic (agreeing) gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  They document the life, teaching, healing and death of Jesus life. 

The Old Testament is about the "law" (commonly referred to as the 10 Commandments) where man is required to do, do, do.  The New Testament is about the grace that Jesus brought through grace where we rest emotionally and spiritually and God does all the work.

An unnamed "servant" usually refers to the Holy Spirit.
People who are named are Christian believers.  Those mentioned and their name not given are usually unbelievers (or Gentiles). 

The phrase "fear not/don't fear" appears 365 times and is the most often stated phrase uttered by the God head.  The second most stated phrase, "Oh ye of little faith".

Interesting:
Psalm 117 = shortest chapter
Psalm 119 = longest chapter
Psalm 118 = middle chapter of the Bible
   594 chapter before Psalm 118
 +594 chapters after Psalm 118
 1188 = Ps. 118:8  Read this verse !
*(This has to be divine order)

The book of Psalms is called "heart of the Bible"
David, the author, is called "A man after God's heart"
The Psalms are written as songs to God
The word Psalm means "Song/hymn"

Amen

The Book, Part 1

It all comes from "The Book" so let's start there.  If you don't have one, get one.  They come in all forms and prices.  It has withstood the test of time being the best selling book of all time - ever - still; translated into 2,018 languages and surviving 7,000+ years from the first entry until today.

The entire book is about Jesus, cover to cover.  The Old Testament points to Him, His coming, His life, His message and His death.  The New Testament tells all about Jesus along with His resurrection and second coming.  Jesus is concealed in the Old Testament and revealed in the New.

The Bible is the "manufacturer's handbook".  God himself inspired all the writings by His spirit working through people.  It tells us how to live so we might be healthy and prosper with friends, family, spouse, children, parents, neighbors, work, play and worship.  It tells us how to handle finances, relate to people, deal with problems and just about anything else we need to know in order to create for ourselves a happy, peaceful life. 
Dt.8:3,  Heb.4:12,  Pro.1:7

You cannot believe anything from the Bible if you do not believe that it is God speaking to us.  Some find it difficult to read and understand.  I hope to help you with some of these difficulties.  This is the most fascinating book ever AND . . given a chance, will prove itself.  We do not need the pamphlets and booklets of other writers. 
II Pet.20 & 21,

Stats:  There are 66 books; 39 in the OT (Old Testament) and 27 in the NT (New Testament) contributed by 40 writers over a period of 7,000 plus years; 5,000 years before the birth of Christ (BC) and 2,000 after the death (AD) of Christ.

The one book of Genesis spans 2,200 years of time (of the total 7,000), records 10 generations from Adam to Noah and ten generations from Noah to Abraham.  The first eleven chapters of Genesis alone span 1/2 the time span of the entire Bible.

There are 1189 chapters (the middle chapter: Ps.117) and approx. 774,000 words - depending on your translation.

Testament means covenant or contract.  God made two contracts/testaments: one with the Israelites and one with Christian believers.

In the Old Testament, the most recent/newest book is Malachi and the oldest book is Job.  In the New Testament, the newest book (last one written for the Bible) is Revelation and the oldest is James.

Moses wrote the most books of the Old Testament - 5, called the Foundation of the Bible; commonly referred to as "The Law".  Paul wrote most of the books in the New Testament (14); over half.

The Bible was first accepted as being inspired by God in 375 AD and the first English translation was accomplished in 1382 AD.

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew.  This is what Moses wrote and all the prophets and poets of the Old Testament.  That is the language the first translation was taken from.  So Hebrew should be studied to get the clearest meaning.  It also helps to understand society, customs, geography and life style of the time.

The New Testament was penned in the Greek language, one of the three main languages of the day; the others being Hebrew and Aramaic, with Roman a large influence.  Yes, Jesus probably spoke Aramaic.  He would also speak Hebrew in the temple.  He also spoke Greek in His travels and sermons to the public.  (Let's face it, the son of God could speak any language.)  My point is that the writers of the New Testament penned the original text in Greek and Greek should be used for translation. 

The New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament (a truly exciting study) and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.  The entire book is about the son of God come to earth in physical form and His mission.

Ghost writers are: shepherds, fishermen, priests, kings, philosophers, farmers, tent maker, tax collector, warriors (and others), all via God by way of his Holy Spirit inspiring them.

The Bible is cohesive, uniform and fits together like a beautiful quilt of names, numbers, "begats" and parables.

Next writing, I will compare several verses to explain some of the Bible codes.  This is why it is written you must "seek" to find.
Amen

Seals of Hezekiah and Isaiah

I took a bus trip.  The trip was to the Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond Oklahoma; the middle area of this country.  About 24 of us went to see the maiden exhibit of two seals from the ancient world.

There is not enough room here to tell you everything I learned but I will say, I got a big education about a part of the Bible that I had not yet studied.  In this report, I will attempt brevity. 
 
These two seals were among other relics and interactive exhibits that incorporated historical, archeological and Biblical facts and brought them together to reinforce all the facts.  I was so moved at one point, I could barely contain myself through goose bumps and tears. 

These tiny seals, smaller than a dime, belonged to King Hezekiah and the Prophet Isaiah.  Small but mighty, I used a magnifying glass to look at the inscriptions.  They were each 2700 years old (27 centuries).  God has kept them buried in Jerusalem all this time to be discovered at this point in our history and revealed as proof of our Christian teachings through His Holy Word, the Bible.

Hezekiah's seal is confirmed with his name and title.  Isaiah's seal is broken and displays his name and the word "prophet", which is not confirmed to be either a title or the last name of a citizen of Jerusalem.  Since it is highly unlikely there was a man with the last name of Prophet, the experts are 95% sure this is the seal of the prophet himself.  It was also found just 3 meters on the exact level as the seal of King Hezekiah.  

These seals are only two of seven ever found and the only ones belonging to a king and a prophet.  This is the first time these seals have been displayed.  They were not even displayed in Jerusalem.  Since the Philadelphia Church that owns the Armstrong Cultural Center, helped fund the digs where they were discovered, they have them displayed first - in the center of the country so everyone in America has the opportunity to visit.

2Kings Chapts: 18 - 20

Hezekiah was from a long line of bad kings, over Israel, who allowed idol worship among other atrocities.  He put an end to tribute paid to Assyria which enraged the Assyrian king, Sennacherib.  It is amazing to think with such a background and family influence this king, Hezekiah, would actually be a follower of the one true God.  When he took office, he did away with all idols and reinstated the 7 Hebrew Holy Days.  

Isaiah was older and the prophet during King Hezekiah's reign.  A couple generations back in their family tree and tradition has them related through King Joash.  It is believed that Hezekiah was married to the only daughter of Isaiah.  They had a close relationship.

Assyria was on a mission to conquer all of Israel and Judah after having conquered much of the known world.  The Assyrians were butchers and proud of it.   They created murals in relief that showed slaves and their murderess escapades, showing how they skinned alive their captives, even throwing to the lions.  They boasted of conquests on small clay records that were copied and distributed for all to see.   They told of blood running ankle deep in streets.    

 

 











The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, sent word to Hezekiah that basically mocked God - big time.  Hezekiah went to the temple and laid the scroll before God and prayed for deliverance.  2Kings 19:17-19
 

God answered through Isaiah.  I love His answer in 2Kings 19:32-34  The city will not be entered, not even by an arrow.  Long story short, 185,000 Assyrian trained soldiers that surrounded Jerusalem were found dead in the morning.  The Angel of The Lord slayed every single soldier BEFORE any siege could take place.

Then Hezekiah became sick and was told he would die.  (This is also a longer story shortened.)  He asked God for 15 more years of life and the prayer was granted.  As proof of this, God set the sun 15 degrees in reverse.  It is reassuring that historical science bares this out.  Several middle and far eastern countries record, in their ancient history, such a happening.  This is the only time in history this has ever occurred.  Even NASA, at one point, could not calculate a formula for space travel until they returned in history and included the 10 degrees of retrograde.  I LOVE THIS: DIVINE ORDER !
God will not be mocked.

Note:  In the Bible, when there is reference made to "The Angel of The Lord", this is reference to the pre incarnate Christ.  It was Jesus Himself that killed the Assyrian army.  Jdgs 2:1, 13:18

Note:  The capital of Assyria was Nineveh.  (Well known because of Jonah's reluctance to warn the people.)  Modern day Nineveh is known as Iraq.

Note:  King Hezekiah is well known for the underground canal that he had dug to provide water to all of Jerusalem and water the Kidron Valley.  The length, size, shape and fact that it was begun at both ends to meed in the middle was a huge undertaking for that day without the help of sonar or GPS.  This was incorporated into the tour at the Armstrong Cultural Center.  

*This display continues through January 27, 2019.

Amen