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January 11, 2017

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Genesis

Who were the giants in Noah’s day?

The book of Genesis says, “there were giants in the earth in that day.” The same verse refers to the sons of God copulating with the daughters of man. Nothing else is said in Genesis 6 about these giants which has caused some to speculate that they were superhuman offspring of angels and men.

Fairy tales and ancient mythology describe giants as huge people at least 20 feet tall. This may cause some to think the Bible teaches that humanoid creatures dozens of feet tall lived before the flood. However, Genesis 6 is not the only or the last place in the Bible where giants are mentioned.

The most famous giant of the Bible is Goliath. Goliath is also the only giant whose height is recorded. Goliath was “six cubits and a span” tall. (1 Samuel 17:4) A cubit is approximately 18 inches long and a span is approximately 9 inches. This means Goliath was approximately 9′ 9″ tall. Goliath lived in the city of Gath about fifteen hundred years after the flood. He was a Philistine and a descendant of Anak.

The Anakim were a race of gigantic people described in the book of Numbers. The twelve spies of Israel said they saw in Canaan the sons of Anak, who were giants. (Numbers 13:32) Goliath himself had several sons who are described as being “of great stature”. Several other people groups of ancient Canaan were also gigantic. A significant percentage of certain people groups in Canaan were giants.

The Bible contains one other significant giant. He is one of the last giants mentioned in the Bible and is described as the only remaining remnant of a gigantic race of people. King Og of Bashan was a giant man with a giant bed. His height is not recorded but the dimensions of his bed are. His bed was made out of iron, was over 13 feet long and six feet wide. The size of the man cannot be determined based upon the size of his bed. His bed implies a certain magnitude and sets an upper limit on his size. Since no king was going to sleep in a bed that was too short for him, Og had to be less than 13 feet tall. While his actual size is not known he is described as a large man needing a large bed.

Several conclusions can be drawn from the post-flood descriptions of giant’s which also helps identify the giants in Noah’s day. The giants in the promised land were all descendants of Japheth’s son Canaan. Most of them were found in a few specific tribes. Those tribes were known for their tendency to produce giants. This implies the giantism of the Bible was a genetic trait passed along within a family. The ability of these giants to function as powerful warriors implies their condition was not a disorder but a viable genetic variation.

The giants of the Bible were huge men not multi-storied mostrosities. Since the Bible uses the same word to describe the giants before and after Noah’s day it is reasonable to conclude these giants were similar in size and nature. They were a variety of human, no more supernatural than pigmies are today. Japheth or his wife carried the giant genes through the flood. Japheth’s son Canaan apparently inherited the genes and passed them on to his descendants. After the dispersion of the population at the tower of Babel certain of these people groups began to express the gigantic tendency. These were human beings that grew to sizes between ten and fifteen feet tall with the strength to accompany it.

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January 6, 2017

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angels, Death, Heaven

Are the people in heaven watching us?

A popular country song from the 80’s says there are holes in the floor of heaven. Our loved ones in heaven are peering down through heaven’s (apparently) half rotten flooring to see what we are doing on the earth. (By the way, I can say with absolute certainty that no one in heaven is wishing she could be here on earth with us.) What does the Bible teach about those in heaven? Do they know what is happening on the earth? Are they watching their friends and family?

The people in heaven appear to be aware of some events that happen on earth. In Luke 15:10 Jesus tells the Pharisees that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.” It seems like Jesus is saying that believers who have died rejoice when someone on earth is saved. If so, then they are aware of some of what is going on in the earth.

This does not mean our loved ones in heaven spend a great amount of time watching us. Deceased Christians do not become guardian angels for their loved ones. That notion is more spiritistic than Biblical. The Bible has very few references to believers in heaven now. In Luke 16 Jesus tells of a man who died and went to heaven. In heaven he was receiving comfort and would not return to the earth.

The book of Revelation says the most about Christians in heaven. Everything it says describes believers as surrounding the throne of God worshiping Him. It seems that those in heaven are focused entirely on the glory of God.

Hymn writer Fanny Crosby described the focus of all in heaven with her hymn “My Savior First of All”.

Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come,
And our parting at the river I recall;
To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.

Oh, the soul-thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face,
And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace,
That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.

Aside from rejoicing at the salvation of souls nothing in the Bible indicates deceased believers are watching or are even deeply interested in what is going on in the lives of family and friends on earth.

 

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December 30, 2016

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Creation

How old is the earth?

The question of the age of the earth is a huge point of disagreement between Creationists and Evolutionists and between Young Earth Creationists and Old Earth Creationists. The battle is easy to describe. Young earth creationists believe the earth is thousands of years old. Evolutionists and Old Earth Creationists believe the earth is billions of years old.

The differences about the age of the earth are so large no possible compromise can be reached. For example, neither side would be willing to admit the earth is 1 million years old.

The young earth creationist view believes Genesis is an accurate historical record. As a result the description of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 is a correct account of the beginning of all things. God created the earth, the universe and everything that exists in six days (also called six solar days, six 24 hour days and six literal days).

Because Genesis is a real history of the world the age of the earth can be estimated by a simple process of addition. Adam was created in year 0, lived 130 years and had a son named Seth. Seth lived 105 years and had a son named Enos. Enos had a son and so forth. The generations after Adam are recorded in Genesis 5 up to the time of Noah. By adding up the ages of the men when they had a son and then adding in the age of Noah at the time of the flood the reader discovers there was a span of 1,656 years between creation and Noah’s flood.

After the flood the same process of addition can be followed. Based upon Genesis 11 the reader discovers that Abraham was born about 390 years after the flood. A definite year for Abraham’s birth cannot be determined because the Bible does not say exactly how old Abraham’s father was when Abraham was born.

The same process of addition can be applied throughout the Old Testament. By piecing together various genealogies the length of time between creation and the birth of Jesus is determined to be approximately four thousand years. Since this is the year 2016 the age of the earth can be estimated to be a little over 6,000 years.

Some legitimate questions have been raised about the genealogies. Some of the genealogies possibly have gaps of several generations between one name and the next. Instead of them being all father-son, some maybe grandfather -grandson. If there are gaps in the genealogies then the age of the earth would be increased possibly by as much as several thousand years.

Because the Old Testament is an accurate account of the history of humanity, most young earth creationists accept the age of the earth to be between six and ten thousand years old.

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December 28, 2016

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Christian living, Life Questions, Sin

Are some sins worse than others?

Jesus said that if a man lusts after a woman he has committed adultery with her in his heart. If a man is sinfully angry with another he faces condemnation similar to that of a murderer. The entire human race was plunged into sin and condemnation because Adam and Eve ate one piece of forbidden fruit. Does this mean that all sin the same? Is committing murder as bad in the eyes of God as telling a white lie?

Sin is always wrong. Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount point to the severity of all sin. God in His holiness does not overlook a single sin, no matter how small or how justified it may seem to a person. No circumstance will ever exist where it is better to sin than not to sin. God hates all sin. Whether or not all sins are equal all are evil. The relationship of sin to other sin and the varying degrees of response to sin never justify committing sin.

The Bible speaks directly about the degrees of severity in sin. Sins can rightly be classified as greater or lesser. Jesus told Pontius Pilate that the priests who rejected Him and turned Him over to Pilate for execution had the greater sin. “Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.” (John 19:11) Though Pilate gave the official command to crucify Jesus and the Roman soldiers carried out the command it was the Jewish priests whose sin was greatest.

Evidence for different severities of sin is seen in the differing levels of judgment upon sin. Jesus warned cities of Galilee of the greater judgment waiting for them because they rejected Him. (Luke 10:13-14) Hebrews says, “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:28-29) Those who have greater knowledge of right and wrong are accounted as having committed a greater evil when they sin.

One word of caution must be given. Men often fail to measure the severity of sin according to God’s standard. God is not unjust because He regards sin differently than we do. We consider sin differently than God does because we have been infected by sin. Our ability to make a proper judgment about sin is compromised by our own sinfulness. God’s measurement of sin must be the one that controls all understanding about sin.

All sin is terrible. Some sins are more terrible than others. God alone determines what is sin, how serious is the sin and the consequences of sin.

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December 21, 2016

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The Bible

Was Mary a perpetual virgin?

In an earlier article I answered a question regarding the importance of Mary’s virginity when Jesus was conceived. The answer needs a brief addendum. Some teach that Mary is forever a virgin. According to their doctrine, she never had any other children and, most importantly, she remained celibate the rest of her life. This teaching finds no corroboration in the Bible. In fact, it is directly contradicted by the Bible.

Matthew 1 tells of when the angel came to Joseph and told him of Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph heeded the instructions of the angel and took Mary to be his wife. Matthew 1:25 provides this detail, “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son: and he called His name Jesus.” The phrase “knew her” is a euphemism for having sex. Joseph married Mary, and Matthew tells us he did not have sex with her until after Jesus’ birth. The implication of the ,until” is that after Jesus’ birth Joseph and Mary enjoyed normal marital relations.

Decades later Jesus preached in and around His hometown of Nazareth. He declared Himself to be God the Son and the promised Messiah. Many of the people did not believe Him. In their skepticism they used their familiarity with Him and His family as proof against His claims. Matthew 13:35-36 quotes the people of Nazareth as saying, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?” The folks of Nazareth knew Jesus’ earthly father, they knew Jesus’ mother. They knew Jesus’ brothers and sisters. These brothers and sisters are not Jesus’ distant relatives, cousins or next door neighbors. These are His siblings born of the same mother. The conclusion is obvious, Mary was not a perpetual virgin. Jesus was born of a virgin, but after His birth she entered into normal married life and had several children by her husband Joseph.

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December 16, 2016

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Christianity, Jesus

What does “Jesus” mean?

In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus we are given some insight into the man who would become his father. When Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy he decided to put her away because of her immorality. While Joseph was thinking about the situation the angel of the Lord came to him and explained that Mary was not unfaithful. She was pregnant through the power of God. The angel said to Joseph, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

What does the name Jesus have to do with saving people from sin? Someone without a Biblical background would not read the name of Jesus and think about salvation. The explanation of what seems to us to be a cryptic statement is found in the process of transliteration.

Transliteration is the bringing of a word from one language into another. Often a transliterated word is changed a little bit to be more easily pronounced or read in the second language. Taco Bell commercials do not use transliteration. They insert Spanish into the English text and dialog. News programs frequently utilize transliteration. Most reports about Islamic terrorists require transliteration of names and places. Arabic letters are unreadable to most Americans. The producers of news programs write the Arabic names in English and spell them with a close phonetic approximation to the original name. The end result is what we read is a little bit like how the word sounds in its original language However, with every transliteration there is usually a slight change of pronunciation. The word we city we call Moscow is pronounced Moskva in Russian

All of this applies to Jesus’ name because the familiar English word is a transliteration of a transliteration. In Hebrew the name the angel declared was Yeshua or Yehushua. That Hebrew name was transliterated into the Greek as Iesous. The Greek name was then transliterated into English as Jesus.

The angel announced to Joseph “thou shalt call His name Yeshua” and like most names today names in Biblical times had meanings. Most definitions of names were rarely thought of in day to day life (when was the last time you told someone the meaning of your name?). Jesus’ name carries significant meaning.

Yehushua means “Jehovah saves”. The angel told Joseph they would name the child “God saves” because the baby being carried by Mary was the one who would save His people. The baby in Mary’s womb was the Savior promised by God to bring deliverance to His people. The angels message to Joseph is just one of the many reminders of the great importance of the entrance of Jesus into this world.

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December 14, 2016

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angels, Salvation

Can the fallen angels be saved?

The righteous angels have no need of salvation because they never sinned against God. Satan and the angels that followed his rebellion have sinned. Can they be saved?

The Bible only speaks about the salvation of man. Scripture does not teach of pardon for the evil angels. The purpose of the Bible is not to answer every question we may have about spiritual beings so it says very little about angels. When God’s Word speaks of the fate of Satan and the fallen angels it points to an inescapable judgment.

The Bible is most specific about the fate of Satan. He has no chance of redemption. Revelation 20 describes Satan’s final judgment. After Satan is released from his thousand year imprisonment, he will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Satan will be eternally tormented in the lake of fire. If Satan were saved the prophecies of God would be untrue and God would be a liar.

Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. In the second letter from the apostle Peter God says He did not refrain from bringing judgment on the fallen angels. He cast them down from their position in heaven and holds them captive under condemnation. (2 Peter 2:4) The letter from Jude speaks of certain angels reserved for everlasting judgment. (Jude 1:6) The two passages are parallel. They both speak of the same subject using very similar language. Peter and Jude are speaking of all angels who sinned. They were all cast out of their position in heaven and are being kept by God for everlasting judgment. God does not offer salvation to the fallen angels.

Other passages in Scripture lead to the conclusion that the rebellious angels are confirmed in their unrighteousness. The fallen angels have no chance of redemption because Jesus did not become an angel and die in their place. Salvation is only possible through another bearing the consequences of sin in place of the sinner.

The nature of man’s sin allows for a single substitute to act in place of all mankind. Essential to the Biblical doctrine of salvation is the truth that all men sinned in Adam. Because all mankind was found guilty Adam it is possible for men to be justified by Christ. Jesus is able to stand in the place of each man because He stands in the place of the human race.

The fallen angels sinned individually in themselves. They sinned with Satan but not in Satan. An angelic forefather did not commit the first sin and corrupt all his descendants. Every fallen angel chose to reject his perfect nature and rebel against God. Jesus did not take on the nature of angels. (Hebrews 1:5-8) Jesus was not made the substitute to bear the angels judgment in stead of them, consequently no angel can be saved.

The angels knew the glory of God. They saw His perfection and holiness in all His heavenly glory. Those who rejected God to pursue their own proud desires will not be forgiven.

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December 9, 2016

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Religions

What is Gnosticism?

Over the last couple decades the religion of Gnosticism has risen in popularity. Periodic discovery of fragments of gnostic writings help keep Gnosticism on the radar. Despite the renewed interest this belief system is very difficult to define.

Modern day gnosticism is the product of centuries of development since its early days in the first century after Jesus. Unfortunately, the earliest forms of gnosticism have been lost to history. No examples of gnostic teachings exist before the 150’s. Gnostics existed before 50 AD leaving a gap of one hundred years. The earliest hints of gnostic teachings come from the New Testament book of Colossians. In the second century some of the church fathers wrote books against gnosticism which summarize some gnostic teachings. The earliest existing gnostic writings are found in the Gospel of Thomas and the works of Valentinus.

The other challenge to accurately defining the beliefs of the gnostic is the wide variety of beliefs found in gnosticism. Like modern day Christianity gnosticism was not a single set of doctrines in which everyone believed the same things. Though it did not have a uniform set of beliefs, Gnosticism did have some basic tenets held by most gnostics.

The gnostics view the physical things of this world, its material elements, as inherently bad. The physical things are trapped in this lowest plane of existence, unable to reach the highest celestial plane. The spiritual and immaterial elements, such as the soul, are not evil. Through knowledge the soul can transcend the physical to reach the plane of the Highest.

In Gnosticism the God of the Bible is a great, immaterial being responsible for the creation of this world. The Creator is not the only god, nor the highest god. He is the product of the infinite being that existed in the very Highest plane. The Creator shares the celestial planes with other great immaterial beings.

God erred in His creation. In later versions of gnosticism God is seen as the enemy. The earlier expressions seem to describe Him as well-intentioned but mistaken. God’s errors in making the world are the reason the physical is base and cannto ascend to the higher planes.

Jesus is the product of the Creator. He is not the Son of God. He is not the Creator nor is He equal with the Creator. He is a great being, akin to the other great spiritual beings. Jesus existence in the world was not a physical existence. Jesus was a spiritual being that took up residence in the flesh without becoming man. The death of Jesus’ flesh was a tragedy but Jesus did not suffer. His soul escaped the flesh before the cross and ascended up to the Highest.

The goal of man is to escape the material and ascend upwards through a hierarchy of spiritual planes to reach the very highest. Salvation, reaching the Highest, is achieved by enlightenment. Gnostic enlightenment is a mystical event suddenly revealing truth to the intuition of the individual. The increase of understanding through enlightenment lifts the soul of man higher and higher until he is able to reach the Highest.

Gnosticism is a belief system that views the physical as evil. Salvation is achieved by understanding mystical truths about creation, man and destiny. These truths are revealed to the soul of the gnostic and allow the soul to escape the material plane to reach the Highest.

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December 7, 2016

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Prophecy, The Bible

Is the Bible Accurate in its Predictions?

The claims of the Bible provide an ample basis on which to test Scriptures’ reliability. Possibly the greatest avenue for verifying the veracity of Scripture is in prophecy. No other religious book in the world contains the amount of future telling contained in the Bible. The vast number of prophecies in the Bible provide abundant opportunity to determine if the Bible is trustworthy.

The standard for testing Biblical prophecy is set by the Bible itself. Deuteronomy 18:22 sets the bar as it can be set. If a prophet claims to be speaking the Word of God his prophesies must be completely accurate. If the prophecy fails just once then the prophet and his message is not of God. Since the Bible claims to be of God it must be right all the time. Have the prophecies of the Bible failed even one time?

The Bible contains many fulfilled prophecies. These prophecies are often very specific in their nature. For example, the prophecies of Jesus birth tell of his family (He would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David). They tell of his birth place (Micah 5:2) They tell of the tragic events surrounding Jesus’ birth (Jeremiah 31:15) The Bible tells when Jesus would be born. The Bible foretells Jesus’ birth and the events surrounding His death. It prophesies the kind of death He would suffer, the abuse He would take, His betrayal, His burial and His resurrection.

The Bible contains specific prophecies about the rise of kings and kingdoms. The Bible prophesies the defeat of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The Bible prophesies how long the people of Judah would be captive in Babylon. It tells of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the year when the rebuilding would take place. The Bible foretells the rise of the Persian empire, the reign of Cyrus and his role in rebuilding Jerusalem. Through the prophet Daniel God revealed that Medo-Persia would overthrow the Babylonian empire and then would itself be overthrown by the Greek Empire. Scripture tells of the destruction of Edom, Tyre, Sidon and Nineveh. All happened just as Scriptures foretold.

The complete list of Biblical prophecies fulfilled cannot be given in a brief article. Over 300 specific prophecies of Jesus were fulfilled in his first coming. Dozens of specific prophecies about Israel and the other ancient nations have all been fulfilled. Many of the prophecies are very specific. The huge number of Biblical prophecy fulfilled is more than coincidence. The Bible is exactly what it claims to be, the Word of God.