BIG Questions- Part 2: “Is getting a tattoo a sin?” “Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?” and “Is it really a big deal if I sin?”

There are a few questions that trip up just about everybody. But every question has an answer. I have been asked a number of these, and some I didn’t have the answer to at the time. So, I’ve looked up a few and I want to share those, so that you can have the answers, too, and so you can tell anyone else who asks you. This time, we tackle tattoos, smoking, drugs, and comparing sin- is any of it really so bad?

                                       Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

1. Is getting a tattoo a sin?

This question grows in popularity as the “art” of self-mutilation grows. It has become easier and more acceptable to get tattooed. Many are even risking infection and disease by having them done with needles and pen ink in their own homes. The danger there goes without saying, but is it a sin? The Bible mentions tattoos specifically one time. That is in the book of Leviticus.

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:28 NIV)

Now, some people have argued against this statement, despite it being perfectly clear. Among the series of commands that this verse is in, we are also told not to eat bloody meat, not to practice divination or sorcery, not to cut our hair at the sides or trim the edges of our beard, and not to make our daughters prostitute. Out of these, the only one we don’t follow nowadays is the trimming of our hair and beards. This command was for the Jews (some of whom still practice it), and was “overturned,” so to speak, later on. Still, some have said that since we cut our hair, we can cut our bodies and tattoo ourselves. This is not a fair comparison at all. We must look at what a tattoo really is, and what it does to our body.

We need to be extremely careful of what marks we put on our bodies. If, for no other reason at all, then for the following.

He [the Antichrist] also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that none could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17 NIV)

That is what we commonly call the “Mark of the beast”. It is something that most people will actually want to get, because they are blinded by the convenience and commonality of the world. Still, we can look even deeper into a tattoo’s function. How do you get a tattoo? You let someone stab you with a needle, and while the wound is fresh, they inject foreign ink into your body. Despite some of the beautifully artistic pieces, my view has always been “Hang it on a wall”. So tattooing is not really more than a clever way to mutilate the flesh with a pleasant-looking after effect. What does the Bible say about that?

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Since your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are living for God, and your body in fact belongs to Him, what authority do you have to cut, poke, mutilate, inject ink, etc.? Jesus paid a price for your body, for your very life, and God asks that in return you use your body to honor Him. Paul warns in his letter to the Philippians,

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. (Philippians 3:2 NIV)

So let us take to heart the words of Scripture that plead with us to offer ourselves wholly to God, body, mind, and everything that we are. Don’t allow an inch of the devil’s work to touch you or taint you. Allow yourself to be put to unadulterated service, in every capacity, to the Lord. Since God is in control, let His glory be your decoration, and supply yourself to Him.

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

What about those who already have a tattoo?

Don’t worry if you have one. Many people have gotten tattoos before becoming a Christian, or maybe just didn’t realize the way God felt about it. While the tattoo is difficult to remove, the sin isn’t. Cutting yourself or tattooing is NOT the unforgiveable sin. God will forgive you if you repent sincerely. Many Christians who were previously tattooed use the mark as a part of their testimony of the life they left behind when they accepted Christ. It is never too late.

                               Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

2. Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?

This question has a lot of similarity to tattooing, since it involves harm to the body. However, there are a couple other reasons that smoking and drugs are sinful.

One of the biggest excuses is that God made it, so it’s okay to smoke it. This isn’t further from the truth. Although the Bible does declare that God made everything for good, (Genesis 1:31; Ecclesiastes 3:11a) you must also remember that the earth is not now how God originally made it. Because of the sin of mankind, the earth was changed. God allowed thorns and thistles to grow, plants that were not for our practical use; plants that were not in God’s perfect Garden.

Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. (Genesis 3:17-18 NIV underline added for emphasis. See also Hebrews 6:8)

Another reason is that it is illegal to do drugs, and to smoke until a certain age. Ask yourself, “Why would such a law be in place unless it was somehow harmful to smoke?” The truth is, the law allows you smoke at such an age because they believe that at that age, you can decide whether or not you want to harm your own body and health. The Bible demands that we not only obey God, but also our governing authorities, i.e. the police, courts, judges, laws, etc. If it is illegal, and harmful to our bodies, you are really committing two sins at once if you smoke.

            Obey your leaders and submit to their authority… (Hebrews 13:17 NIV)

One other thought is this: God has made everything, but for a good purpose. Marijuana plants can be used to make hemp, which is useful and safe. God never said that should smoke the plant. That was sinful man’s idea.

Remember, your body is made in God’s image and is designed for worship. Jesus died to give you life, not so you could slowly destroy yourself. Keep in mind what the Bible teaches about your body:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

                 Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

3. I try to be good, but I keep making mistakes. Since everybody sins, is really such a big deal if I do once in a while? 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

To you, it might seem like no big deal. It might even seem that way to the person you sinned against. To God, however, it’s a very big deal; the BIGGEST! Sin is the one factor that separates us from God, even if its what we call a little sin. The Bible tells us that everyone has sinned.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

This is a HUGE problem for us. Even just one little lie; or if we steal a candy bar; or if we misuse God’s Name; all of these make us imperfect. God is absolutely perfect, and so is heaven. If heaven had just one sinner in it, it would no longer be a perfect place. Because of this, we have only two options: Be perfect or go to the only other place we can go- hell. “But,” some would ask, “What about all the good deeds I do?”

            For all of us have become like one who is unclean,

And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;… (Isaiah 64:6)

All your good deeds are wonderful, and please God, but compared to our sin, every good deed is like a dirty garment. What value is a filthy, robe? Absolutely none. God doesn’t measure your sins in one pile and your good works in another to determine if you make it. You are either perfect, or you aren’t. The problem is, everyone has sinned,, and there is a price to pay for sin:

            For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23)

Because we sin, we die. The punishment for sin is that death, and if we die with that sin still covering our lives, the death continues in hell. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin. We are instructed in how we can have our sin erased, as though it never happened!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Jesus has paid the price for us, but we can choose to accept or ignore this gift. To accept, all we need to do is confess our sins to Him, and He will faithfully forgive us. That is how we can be made perfect! Once God forgives our sin, we have a new start; a perfect record! Of course, we need to try our best to avoid sin in the future, but should we slip up, God is still faithful to His Word. The apostle John continues to urge us on by saying:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Jesus paid the price for the entire world. That includes you. The prophet Joel records God’s words as He urgently calls us to go back to Him in repentance. God beckons us to Him.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“Return to Me with all your heart,

And with fasting weeping and mourning;

And rend your heart and not your garments.”

Now return to the Lord your God,

For He is gracious and compassionate,

Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,

And relenting of evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

When you go to God with your sin, it’s serious, yet He is slow to anger. He loves to be gracious and kind to us; He loves to defeat the evil in us. God would be more than thrilled to forgive you of your sin. He wants to erase the sin and one day welcome you into His Heavenly Kingdom. If you need to, confess your sins to Jesus in prayer.

            He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

            But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. (Proverbs 28:13)

 What are your thoughts on any of these questions? Do you have questions of your own? Let me know below!

BIG Questions- Part 1: “Who made God?” “What does He look like?” and “Who wrote the Bible?”

There are a few questions that trip up just about everybody. But every question has an answer. I have been asked a number of these, and some I didn’t have the answer to at the time. So, I’ve looked up a few and I want to share those, so that you can have the answers, too, and so you can tell anyone else who asks you.

 

1. If God made everything, then who made God?

“To whom then will you liken Me

That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.

(Isaiah 40:25-26)

God is not something that we can compare to anything. That includes time. God created “time” for us; something measurable by which we can gauge our life. God is not limited by time, space, distance, etc. He is limitless with few exceptions: He can do no wrong, and He cannot be out-done. Other than that, God is limitless. To ask where God came from, you have to assume there was a “where” to come from. If we ask who made God, we are falsely assuming that there was someone to make God, and that God was made. He was not. Before God made the earth, there was no billions and billions of years; there was no time, as we know it.

 

We usually picture time as a line, because it simplifies our explanation. To God, time is more like liquid. Imagine a big bowl of water. You live in one drop of that water; that’s your “time” on earth. Other drops are the Creation of the world, the great flood, the Tower of Babel, the Crucifixion of Jesus, the 1980 U.S. Presidential elections, the moon landing, the last world war, the future rise of the antichrist, the Battle of Armageddon, the final trumpet sounding, the new earth, etc. In that bowl of water, God can see everything clearly, and it is all fluid to Him. He holds the bowl in His hands, and can touch any event or era at once. God can see your sin at the same “time” He is judging you, at the same “time” He watches His Son, Jesus, die on a cross for you. God is not limited to time as we are.

 

So, who made God? No one. He’s always been, for as long as time as we know it has existed.

Where did God come from? There was no “where” for Him to come from, until He made it.

 

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)

 

I realize that this is a concept that is very hard to understand. We think about everything using time. Hours, minutes, dates, ages, anniversaries, and the list goes on and on. You can’t understand God fully; just accept that much- its okay. What is important is that you have faith that God is. Just believe in Him to be in control over time, and over your life.

 

 

2. What does God look like? Why doesn’t He show Himself to us?

So many kids have asked me this question, and “No one knows” is never a satisfying answer. That is the short answer, because we cannot stand face to face with Him and get details, but the Bible does offer us an idea of how God would look. Our first clue comes from the first chapter of Genesis.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

So if you want to see God, you can look in a mirror. Since you and I are made in His image, we are a reflection of Him. God looks like us, each and every person who ever has, is, or will live is made in God’s image.

Daniel had a vision of God, although he did not physically see God, this is the image in Daniel’s vision:

“As I looked,
       “thrones were set in place,
       and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
       His clothing was as white as snow;
       the hair of his head was white like wool. (Daniel 7:9)

 

The truth is that we cannot see God; no one has, except Jesus. John 1:18 says,

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.( NIV)

 

Jesus affirmed these words in John 6:46, and John wrote again in 1John 4:12 that “no one has ever seen God”.  There was also a time when Moses found favor with the Lord. Moses asked God to show His glory. He didn’t want to continue on without the presence of God.

 

Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”

And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you…” But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”(Exodus 33:19-23)

 

Following this experience, Moses’ face shone so much, the Israelites put a veil on his face. Just the passing glory of God has such a dramatic effect on a person, it is no wonder we cannot see His face and live. The beauty and glory is far too powerful for our human bodies to stand.

Others have had occurrences with God. Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden before their fall into sin. (see Genesis 3:8-13)  God appeared to Abraham (see Genesis 18:2-33), to Jacob (see Genesis 35:7, 9), to Solomon (see 1 Kings 3:5; 9:2; 11:9; 2 Chronicles 1:7; 7:12), to Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-5), and to Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 1:26-28)

The Lord has also appeared as a symbol or sign, such as the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), as fire (Exodus 19:16-24) and clouds; He has shown himself by miracles, such as stopping the sun in the sky, setting a rainbow in the sky, tearing the temple veil, parting the Red Sea, providing food where there is none, writing on a wall, earthquakes, and much, much more.

One of the main reasons for God appearing symbolically is established in the first letter to Timothy:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV Underline added for emphasis)

God has what we would consider a physical appearance; He does look like something, but the invisibility is in respect to an audience of humans. God’s invisibility toward us is by His choice. It encourages faith. Rather that showing up and forcing belief, God chose to remain at a visual distance so that we can choose to seek Him and believe. It allows us to decide whether or not we will follow Him, or the ways of the convenient world.

 

 

3. Who wrote the Bible?

Many people who are critical of Christianity or religion in general, argue that we don’t know who wrote the Bible. A little studying goes a long way, as we now know almost every author. Some continue to argue that the Bible is written by mankind, so we cannot trust it as being “from God”. We know, however, that:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

So without further ado, here are the authors who penned the words of God-

BOOK	WHO WROTE IT
Genesis	Moses
Exodus	Moses
Leviticus	Moses
Numbers	Moses
Deuteronomy	Moses
Joshua	Joshua
Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Esther, Job	Debated or unknown authors
Lamentations	Jeremiah
Psalms: A composite of many authors’ work. Of the 150 psalms, 116 are provided with a title
Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145	David
Psalm 42, 44-45, 47-49, 84-85, 87	Sons of Korah
Psalms 50, 73-83	Asaph
Psalm 72, 127	Solomon
Psalm 88	Heman the Ezrahite
Psalm 89	Ethan the Ezrahite
Psalm 90	Moses
Psalm 119	Ezra
Psalms 120-134	Hezekiah
Psalm 137	Jeremiah
Psalms 146-147	Haggai and Zechariah
Proverbs- Again, the book is a composite, so far as authorship is concerned.
Proverbs 1:1-24:22	Solomon
Proverbs 24:23-34	Attributed to “the wise”
Proverbs 25:1-29:27	Attributed to Solomon, but were collected and recorded by “Hezekiah’s men”.
Proverbs 30:1-33	Agur
Proverbs 31:1-31	Lemuel
Ecclesiastes	Solomon
Ezra-Nehemiah	Author unknown, though Ezra’s chapters 7-9 apparently were written by Ezra, since they are in the first person.
Song of Songs	Solomon
The following were written by the person whose name they bear.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai
Zechariah	Chapters 1-8 written by Zechariah; Chapters 9-11 by Jeremiah; Chapters 12-14 are titled “an oracle” and are attributed to no one.
Malachi	Some believe Malachi was the name of a specific prophet, but it is also the Hebrew term (mal´aki) for “my messenger”, used for priests and prophets alike. Thus, based on Mark 1:2-3, Malachi may have been  written by Isaiah
Matthew	Matthew
Mark	Mark
Luke	Luke
John	John
Acts	Luke
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy. Titus, Philemon	Paul
Hebrews	Possibly Paul
James	James
1 Peter	Peter
2 Peter	Peter
1, 2 & 3 John	John
Jude	Jude
Revelation	John

 

The Origin of The BIBLE

ORIGINS of the BIBLE

 

All right, I know! Someone is going to say that I haven’t recorded everything about every book. Then I’ll hear that there are all these secret societies that chose these writings and altered them for just their own causes. Phooey! There are too many people watching these hell-ywood movies like DaVinci Code and, although it was a great adventure story, National Treasure. Sorry, but as cool as it would be that there are hidden secrets and the one guy who no one would suspect as a hero is about to discover them all as he brazenly escapes certain doom!- That’s all for the movies. In the Bible, many did not escape their doom. Disciples were killed for what they preached. If they were going to take out the things that made the church look bad, they missed a few things. The truth is, the Bible is a history book, and its events actually happened.

 

Moses is believed to have written Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (although there is some question to his authorship of Deuteronomy). These were written approx. 1500 years before Jesus.

David wrote 500 years later, or 1000 years before Jesus (approx).

The written Hebrew alphabet is proven to be at the very least 3000 years old.

(More on Biblical authors below.)

 

One of the greatest confusions stems from the fast that, in the days of the Old Testament, authors didn’t write chronologically. They would instead tell story by story, not in a “day by day” arrangement. That’s why it seems to be out of order sometimes. Let me give an example. I’m Justin, my dad is Tom and my grandpa is Dave. Back then, they would tell Dave’s entire story, from beginning to end, possibly including the birth of Tom. Then they would tell Tom’s story. After writing about Tom from birth to death (or current), they would go back and write about Justin’s birth and life. Since I’m still alive, the story would bring us up to the end of the point the author wants to make. So if you just read along line by line, you’d think quite often that you missed something, like the fact that Adam and Eve had other kids than Cain and Abel. Genesis 3 is about Adam and Eve’s life. Genesis 4 is about Cain and Abel. Then in chapter 5, we learn (verse 4) that they had “other sons and daughters”. Later in the Old Testament, it gets even more confusing if you don’t know how to look at it.

 

 

 By Jesus’ day, the Old Testament was translated into Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. In the Hebrew, there were no vowels. You would have had to know what to put where. For example, “Shlm” would be the way to write “Shalom”. The writings were copied carefully, and were put into the area’s common language. As a result, the one copying would often take notes. Quite often these notes or commentaries would accompany the actual letter or scroll. These commentaries are believed to be responsible for the few typographical errors or slights when someone from the New Testament quoted the Old Testament. The New Testament writers and speakers often had to go by the four different common languages/ dialects in which the scrolls were written. In each respective language, they were VERY careful to write l-e-t-t-e-r by l-e-t-t-e-r.

 

In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. One of them was the entire book of Isaiah. This was an opportune time to test what so many critics had claimed. Was the Bible changed over the years? Had we bent the stories to suit the church’s desire? Was there a massive conspiracy to cover up a secret religion? When comparing the newly discovered treasure to the Holy Bible in every church pew, there were only 11 differences. Seven of them were a different way to spell a word. The other four were minor typographical errors that didn’t change the meaning of a single thing. All the years of accusation would be put to rest. (At least until the next generation of blind-hearted deceived unbelievers.)

 

Joshua is traditionally, thought by many scholors, believed to have authored his own book. There are, however, other possibilities. Considering that the book describes Joshua’s death at the end, and includes in the middle (specifically Joshua 15:13-19; cf. Judges 1:1, 9-15) an incident the occurred after Joshua’s death, we need to explore other options. There are references to “we” and “us” in Joshua 5:1 and 5:6 perhaps suggests an eyewitness to the events was the author of the book, such as a close companion or scribe- something to that effect. The book would thus date to either the 15th or 13th century BC, depending, again, upon exactly when the Exodus from Egypt occurred. Either someone close to Joshua wrote for him, thereby they would know the events of his death, or Joshua was co-authored, and someone else filled in the pieces after Joshua’s death. The only other possibility is that Joshua prophecied, or was shown, the events of his demise prior to their occurrence.

The following are widely debated or simply unknown:

Judges (c. 10th century BC)

Ruth (c. 10th century BC)

1-2 Samuel (8th-6th century BC)

1-2 Kings (6th-5th century BC)

1-2 Chronicles (400 BC would be the earliest possible date for composition)

Esther (5th century BC)

Job (c. 10th century BC at the earliest)

Lamentations traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah the prophet. There is, however, little in the book itself suggesting who the author might be, other than that he is obviously an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (c. 586 BC).

Psalms, the longest “book” of the Bible, is actually a compilation of many authors’ work. A conglomerate written by numerous people, the authorship of individual psalms, as attributed by their titles, breaks down as follows (of the 150 psalms, 116 are provided with a title):

Moses – Psalm 90

Heman the Ezrahite – Psalm 88

Ethan the Ezrahite – Psalm 89

Solomon – Psalm 72, 127

David (73 times) – Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145

Asaph (12 times) – Psalms 50, 73-83

Sons of Korah (9 times) Psalm 42, 44-45, 47-49, 84-85, 87

Author unknown – (49 times) the remainder

The Septuagint (an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from around 200 BC) gives some additional authorship identification, as follows:

Jeremiah – Psalm 137

Haggai and Zechariah – Psalms 146-147

Ezra – Psalm 119

Hezekiah (15 times) Psalms 120-134

Though the titles prefaced to the Psalms clearly date back before 200 BC (since they appear in the Septuagint, along with the extras that translation gives), how authoritative they are is subject to much debate.

The psalms, based on the authorship attributions, would then date between the 15th century (or 13th, depending on the time of the Exodus) and the 5th century, by which time the book probably took the form it currently has.

Proverbs- Again, the book is a composite, so far as authorship is concerned.

1:1-24:22 is attributed to Solomon (thus dating to the 900’s BC)

24:23-34 are attributed to “the wise”

25:1-29:27 are attributed to Solomon, but were collected and recorded by “Hezekiah’s men”.

30:1-33 is attributed to Agur

31:1-31 is attributed to Lemuel

Ecclesiastes is attributed to Solomon by some. If that is the case, the book dates to the 900’s BC. Others would argue for an unknown author, and put the date of composition around 390 BC.

Ezra-Nehemiah. They are treated as a single book in the Talmud, Josephus, and the Canon of Melito (AD 171). They are also treated as a single book in the Masoretic Text (traditional Hebrew Bible).

The author of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah is unknown, though Ezra’s chapters 7-9 apparently were written by Ezra, since they are in the first person. The account in chapters 1-6 is compiled from records, including decrees (1:2-4; 6:3-12), genealogies and name lists (2), and letters (4:7-22; 5:6-17). There are two sections that have been preserved in Aramaic (4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26). Aramaic was the diplomatic language during this period. Sources for the section labeled “Nehemiah” in our text include what appear to be memoirs of Nehemiah, written in the first person: Nehemiah 1:1-7:73a; 11:1-2; 12:31-43: 13:4-31. The date of the final composition of the book is generally accepted as being sometime during the 4th century BC.

Song of Songs is attributed to Solomon, which would place its date of composition in the 900’s BC.

 

The following are attributed to the person from whom they are named:

Isaiah; it consists several oracles given by him over several years (740-690 BC). Its final form as we have it (assuming a single, unitary authorship to the book) would thus be sometime during the 7th century BC.

Jeremiah, who lived from about 627 to 580 BC.

Ezekiel, who was born around 622 BC. Based on internal dating, the book covers the time from about 593 through about 570 BC.

Daniel, and thus would have been written sometime between 605 BC and about 530 BC.

Hosea. His prophesies cover the period from 753-715 BC.

Joel. The date of the book is uncertain, with dates ranging from the early pre-exilic (800’s BC) to late post-exilic period (500-400 BC).

Amos. Dates between 767 and 753 BC.

Obadiah. Dates between 847 and 841 BC.

Jonah. Dates to the 700’s BC.

Micah. Dates between 740 and 695 BC.

Nahum. Two different dates are generally accepted as possibilities for Nahum’s ministry: 661-612 BC or 722-701 BC.

Habakkuk. Dates to sometime between 612 and 587 BC.

Zephaniah. Dates sometime during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC)

Haggai. It is possible to date his prophesies very exactly (since he gave us the precise day he uttered his prophesies):

1:1 August 29, 520 BC

1:15 September 21, 520 BC

2:19-20 December 18, 520 BC

Zechariah. Chapters 1-8 are attributed to Zechariah and can be dated precisely.

1:1 October, 520 BC

1:7 February 15, 519 BC

7:1 December 7, 518 BC

Chapters 9-14 were not written by Zechariah and cannot be easily dated. That they were not written by Zechariah is clear from both internal and external evidence. 9-11 were written by Jeremiah, according to Matthew 27:9-10, which quotes Zechariah 11:12-13 and attributes it to Jeremiah. The date would then be sometime between 627 and 580 BC. Chapters 12-14 are titled “an oracle” and are attributed to no one.

Malachi. Based on Mark 1:2-3, the book called “Malachi” was apparently actually written by Isaiah, since there the author of Mark quotes from “Malachi” but attributes it to Isaiah. The title “Malachi”, taken from 1:1 is simply the Hebrew phrase “my messenger”, and the word is so translated in 3:1. The date of the book would then be sometime between 740 and 690 BC.

 

 

The New Testament:

All four gospels were written by the person whose name they bear.

Matthew was originally written in Hebrew, not Greek as much of the rest of the New Testament. Also by Jewish tradition, the vowels were still excluded from Lord or God, and still today many orthodox Jews write those words as “L-rd” and “G-d”. This practiced was continued so as not to desecrate His name. Jesus died by 32 (possibly 33) A.D. By 50 A.D., Matthew had been translated at least three times, into three different languages.

Mark’s gospel was written and copied so much that it was often included in non-Christian collections, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. This all happened within 18 years.

Luke was the author of his gospel and the book of Acts. Since the book of Acts was written afterward, and since Acts was apparently written before Paul’s execution during the reign of Nero, the book of Luke is apparently relatively early, perhaps before AD 60. Luke does refer to his gospel account in the book of Acts.

John- Attributed to John, the apostle of Jesus. Probably composed between AD 85 and 90, though some scholars have suggested dates as early as AD 66 and as late as AD 110. John’s gospel, along with his 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd letters, as well as the book of Revelation (all attributed to him), are probably the only books of the Bible not written by 66 A.D.

Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy. Titus, Philemon all written by Paul between 50 and 67 A.D.

Hebrews – Traditionally Paul has been given credit for the book, though there is little in the book to suggest that he is the author, since it was written anonymously. Written as early as AD 60, but certainly written before the destruction of Jerusalem AD 70.

James, Peter and Jude all wrote the books that contain their names.

 

Notice how many of these writing recount first-hand knowledge. These aren’t campfire legends that someone’s great-great-grandkids decided would be “neat” to have in writing. These were testimonies from the hands of the people who experienced it. So many overlooked facts could only have been recounted by those who were present. For example, in John 12:3 “Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John was obviously present when this occurred, or how would he know the strength of the perfume’s fragrance?

 

Many historians hold to the belief that it was the Christians who first used books. They had many writings from different sources. Some, like the letters o John and Jude, are very short and would only contain a small page, not enough for an entire scroll. Christians bound the paper together on one side, using yarn or string or some kind of lacing. Thus was born the book.

 

Before 100 A.D., all churches shared the attitude to what was considered Scripture. There were four gospels. This is the earth number (see my post, Numbers in the Bible- What do they mean? ) There are four “corners” of the earth, four seasons, four winds (north, south, east, west), four faces on the creature in Ezekiel. It made sense that there should be four gospels.

 

In the terror of a book-made-movie, The DaVinci Code, the characters mention a meeting between church officials, who decided what the Bible would or wouldn’t say. That’s half true. The meetings that took place, there were actually several, were usually to discuss doctrinal interpretations. How do we define the gift of tongues? Baptism of water, or of Spirit, or both? Can we eat pork or has that law been eradicated? True, the discussion of books to be included was at first an important part of the dialogue. When it did come up, there were rules in place to determine that no false information was entered into Holy writings.

To be considered a part of the Bible, the writing had to be from either 1.) A direct disciple of Jesus, or 2.) A direct disciple of a direct disciple of Jesus. This way, the author would always be able to honestly say, “I saw it,” or “My teacher saw it.” No one would be able to say, “My neighbor’s cousin heard from a friend that Jesus could fly.” That wouldn’t be good enough. It HAD to be a 1^st hand experience, or learned from the one who had the 1^st hand experience. That is why so many other books were not included in the Bible. No conspiracy, just an issue of credibility.

 

The only books not accepted into the collection by 100 A.D. were Hebrew, 2^nd Peter, 2^nd & 3^rd John, and Jude. All but Hebrews because they were so little. The church leaders wondered, “Why would God say so little at once?” They were all ultimately accepted, despite their sizes, because God can deliver a message of any size He wants. Hebrews was accepted because they believed it to be from Paul.

 

There are 14 books called Apocrypha. These are books accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. These are not in the Christian Bible, only in Catholic editions. None of these books were referenced or quoted by Jews, apostles, or any other early church leaders before their induction. They are considered by most to be extra-Biblical, and therefore not considered as Holy Scripture.

 

Jude and James are the only exceptions to the “1^st hand apostle” rule. James was a leader of the Jerusalem church. He is actually mentioned earlier, in Acts 15:13, which says, “After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, ‘Brethren, listen to me.’” And in verse 20, James even suggests to his fellow council that, instead of troubling Gentiles who turn Christian, they write to the Gentiles about the things of God to encourage them. Thus, he was familiar to both Paul and Barnabas, and had already been mentioned in other Scripture.

Jude, a form of the Hebrew name for Judah or Judas, was quite a common Jewish name. There are generally two possibilities considered as author of the short letter. They are 1.) Judas the apostle (not Judas Iscariot; See Luke 6:16). 2.) Judas, the brother of the Lord. (See Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) The latter is more likely. So, while Jude was not a disciple of Jesus Christ, he was probably his brother, born of Mary and Joseph.

 

By AD 500, the Bible was translated into over 500 languages. By 600, only 1 was allowed by the “official” Catholic church, and that was the Latin Bible. Anyone caught using any other translation, not ordained by the Roman Catholic church, was subject to death.

 

Needless to say, but there were many who did not follow the Catholic Church’s teaching, and so went their own ways. They continued to use other Bibles, but it remained that the Latin was by far the most common. It wasn’t until the 1500’s that the first official English Bible was translated. Whatever translation, whatever language, the Bible had remained in tact for centuries. Its text endured for at least 2,500 years. Sadly, there are many “newer religions” that have translated the Bible for their own purposes, agendas and doctrines. This is one thing I beg you to beware of. Do not take the words of Holy Scripture lightly, but instead meditate on their meaning and prayerfully endeavor to understand what the Lord is speaking to you.

Happy reading. Be blessed.

 

Numbers in the Bible- What do they mean?

With all the buzz about the “Mark of the Beast”, and his number, 666, many have been getting curious about numerology. Make no mistake, though. The Antichrist will not be so easy to find that we just count the letters in his name. We won’t go, “Oh, three names, six letters each. Must be the Antichrist!” Not so. The number 666 will most likely be the numerical value of the total of the Hebrew letters to his name, or his names’ meanings.

I’d like to take this opportunity to explain briefly the meaning and significance of certain numbers in Scripture. This isn’t the popular number crunching nonsense that says you can add up numbers and find your true love or your winning lottery ticket combo or your fortune. That type of belief is actually sin. But God has given a specific meaning to certain numbers, and used those numbers at precise times. God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Many believe He was foreshadowing the world’s time-line. The Bible tells us that one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years as one day to the Lord. So the model of Creation is a prophecy toward the 6000 years, or 6 “days”, earth has, with the 7th “day”, or last 1000 years being the reign of Christ on earth. This is just a detail of one example of the use God has for numbers. Here, now, is a list of numbers, their significance, a few examples and other verses where they are used. There are MANY more than I have listed, but this is a good sample to give you the idea.

1= Primary number, signifying, absolute singleness.

    One God, One Creator, One Way (Jesus), “there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:5-7) “There is only One who is good.”(Matthew 19:17) “since there is only one God, who will justify…”(Romans 3:30) “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy…”(James 4:12)

The word “ONE” shows up 2207 times in the NIV Bible, 2369 in NASB, and 2304 in the NKJV Bible.

 

2= The number of witnesses and support. 

    Two angels at Sodom, 2 cherubim on the Ark of Covenant, 2 tablets for 10 commandments, 2 witnesses during tribulation, see Gen 1:16; 19:1; Exod 25:22; 31:18; Deut 17:6; Matt 26:60; Num 14:6; Josh 2:1; Eccl 4:9; Luke 10:1; 24:4; Acts 1:10; Heb 6:18; Rev 11:3

 

3= The number of unity, accomplishment and the universe.

     Noah’s 3 sons, Israel’s 3 yearly feasts, Jonah in the fish for 3 days, Christ dead for 3 days, 3 areas to the tabernacle (inner and outer court, Holy of Holies),

Gen 6:10; Josh 1:11; Exod 23:14, 17; Judges 7:22; Ezra 10:9; Neh 2:11; Esther 4:16; Jonah 1:17; Luke 13:7; 22:61; John 2:19; Acts 9:9; 10:13; 1 Cor 13:13; 1 John 5:7-8; Rev. 21:13;

 

4= An earth-related number.

     4 directions- north, south, east, west; 4 seasons- summer, winter, fall, spring; 4 gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; 4 earthly kingdoms (Dan7:3), 4 kinds of spiritual soil (Matt 13), 4 horsemen of the Tribulation (Rev 6)

 

5= The number of grace.

     Benjamin’s portion 5 times larger (Gen 43:34), 5 Levitical offerings (Lev 1-5), 5 Israelites to chase 100 enemies (Lev 26:8), David took 5 stones to slay Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40), 5 wise and 5 unwise virgins (Matt 25:2), 1 Kings 7:39, 49; 2 Kings 25:19; 1 Chron 2:4,6; Isaiah 19:18; Matt 14:13, 17, 19, 21; Matt 25:20; John 4:18;

 

6= The number of man.

     Six days of creation (Gen 1:31), Six cities of refuge (Numbers 35:6), Israel marched around Jericho 6 times (Josh6:3), Goliath 6 cubits tall (1 Sam 17:4), Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was 60 cubits by 6 cubits (Dan 3:1), The number of the Antichrist is 666 (Rev 13:18), Jeremiah 34:14; Ezekiel 4:11; 9:2; Matthew 17:1; 27:45; Luke 11:37-52; John 2:6; Acts 11:12; Rev 4:8

 

7= The number of God, of divine perfection.

      God rested on the 7^th day (Gen 2:2), God’s Word is as silver purified 7 times (Psalm 12:6), Jesus taught to forgive 70 times 7 (Matt 18:22),  Seven miracles in the Gospel of John, Seven branches on the candlesticks, John wrote to seven churches (Rev1:4), Dan 9:24;  Rev 1:12,16; 5:1; 8:2

 

8= The new beginning number.

      8 saved from the flood (Gen 7:13, 23), Circumcision on the 8^th day (Gen 17:12), Thomas saw Jesus 8 days after the resurrection (John 20:26), Judges 12:14; 1 Samuel 17:12; 2 Kings 22:1; 1 Chronicles 27:11; 2 Chronicles 21:5; Ezekiel 40:8-9, 31, 34, 37, 41; Luke 9:28;

 

9= means the fullness of blessing.

     The fruit of the Spirit is ninefold (Gal 5:22-23), Sarah was 90 at the birth of Isaac (Gen 17:17), and there are 18 [9×2]gifts of the Spirit (Rom 12:1; 1 Cor 12; Eph 4)

 

10= Human government number.

      10 commands given to men at Mt. Sinai (Exod 20), The revived Roman empire will have 10 nations (Dan 7:24; Rev 17:12), The northern kingdom had 10 tribes (1 Kings 11:31-35), the local government of 10 men decided Ruth’s fate (Ruth 4:2), Josh 15:57; 21:26; Judges 12:11; 17:10; Ruth 4:2; 1 Kings 6:23-26; 11:35; Job 19:3; Jeremiah 42:7; Daniel 1:12-15; Matthew 25:1; Luke 17:11-12; Rev 17:12

 

12= The divine government number.

      There were 12 tribes of Israel (Revelation 7), There were 12 apostles (Matthew 10), There will be 12 gates at New Jerusalem (Rev 21), Gen 25:16; 35:22; 49:28; Numbers 1:44; 7:84, 87; 2 Kings 21:1; Ezekiel 43:16; Luke 2:42;

 

30= Associated with sorrow and mourning.

       Israel mourned 30 days after Aaron’s death (Numbers 20:29), Israel mourned Moses 30 days (Deut 34:8), Prayer prohibited for 30 days (Daniel 6:7, 12), Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15; 27:3), Gen 41:46; Numbers 4; Judges 10:4; 12:9; 14:19; 1 Samuel 13:1; 2 Kings 18:14; Esther 4:11; Proverbs 22:20; Jeremiah 38:10; Zechariah 5:2; Luke 3:23; John 2:6

 

40= The number for testing and trial.

      It rained for 40 days and 40 nights during the Flood (Gen 7:4), Moses spent 40 years in the desert (Exodus 3), Israel spied out the land for 40 days (Numbers 13:25), Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24:18), Israel wandered the desert for 40 years (Numbers 14:33), Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days (1 Samuel 17:16), Jonah preached to Nineveh for 40 days (Jonah 3:4), Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert (Matthew 4:2), There were 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:3), Genesis 25:20; 26:24; Exodus 16:25; Joshua 4:13; Judges 8:28; 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Kings 11:42; 19:18; 2 Kings 8:9; 2 Chronicles 24:1; Psalm 95:10; Ezekiel 29:11-13; Acts 23:12-13, 21

 

50= Associated with celebration and ceremony.

      The Feast of Weeks was 50 days after Passover (Lev 23:15-16), The 50^th year was to be a jubilee for Israel (Lev 25:10), Absalom appointed 50 men to run before him(2 Sam 15:1), Pentecost occurred 50 days after Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2), Gen 7:24; Numbers 4; 8:25; 1 Kings 1:5; 18:4; 2 Kings 1:9-13; 2 Chron 3:9; Nehemiah 5:17; Luke 9:14-15; Acts 19:19

 

70= Associated with human committees and judgment.

      The Sanhedrin was made up of 70 men. Moses appointed 70 elders (Numbers 11:16), Tyre judged for 70 years (Isaiah 23:15), Israel spent 70 years in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:20), the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years (Daniel 9:2), Jesus appointed 70 disciples (Luke 10:1, 17), Numbers 11:16, 24-25; Deut 10:22; Judges 8:30; 9:5; 2 Kings 10:1; Ezekiel 8:11; Daniel 9:20, 24; Zechariah 1:2; 7:5; Matthew 18:22; Acts 23:23