Shipwrecked Faith

I have been dialoguing with the disillusioned on Atheist blogs lately and find their faith has been shipwrecked by learning of parallels between pagan mythology and similar Christian doctrines and practices. Yet the Word of God tells us that we are NOT following “cunningly devised fables” (2 Peter 1:16). There is a difference between what the Bible says and what the Churches do and teach as they present "another jesus." Unlike pagan counterfeits, the True Messiah, Yeshua/Jesus, fulfilled myriad Bible prophecies written centuries before His Incarnation. Here is one resource delineating some of them:

Prophecies Fulfilled

This should be convincing to those willing to be convinced. How could a mere man, a fraud, manage to pull this off? Fulfilled Bible prophecy, along with riddles-solved Bible Chronology, is very strong evidence that demands a verdict!

One book cited as troublesome concerning pagan parallels to Christianity is The Ancient Mysteries: A Sourcebook of Ancient Texts. In this book, Marvin W. Meyer explores the sacrifices and prayers, the public celebrations and secret ceremonies, the theatrical performances and literary works, the gods and goddesses that were a part of the mystery religions of Greece in the seventh century B.C. to the Judaism and Christianity of the Roman world of the seventh century A.D. (emphasis mine).

One blogger’s comments are probably representative of many others in the Atheist blogosphere:

Personally, the similarities between Christianity and the Mystery Religions were disturbing to my former faith. Learning about them has forced me to consider that Christianity is a product of the Hellenistic period rather than a divine revelation from God.

Should anyone find a solid way to reverse my outlook on this topic, they could potentially cause me to rethink my deconversion process.

That won't be easy, though. But if you've "got the goods", I'd like to see 'em.

The Ancient Mysteries pre-date Christianity by a few hundred years. That bothers me, too. Were these Mysteries counterfeit versions of Christianity? Was Christianity the true Mystery Religion and the others were only shadows of the truth?

Or was Christianity just one more variant of a string of pagan beliefs?

It is true that Christianity became corrupted over the centuries, amalgamated with paganism, heresies, Gnosticism, etc. The Apostle Paul and others were already refuting erroneous doctrines and syncretism in the first century. Judaism also became corrupted over the centuries. There is "nothing new under the sun,” as Solomon said. Since the first prophecy concerning a coming Redeemer (Genesis 3:15), spiritual counterfeits and false messiahs have abounded. Yet God has preserved His truth in His Word. He has also preserved a remnant of true believers all along. He called it a “little flock,” so it is not surprising that faithful disciples of Yeshua are hidden, persecuted, and isolated, not mainstream. The gates of hell have harassed but not prevailed. The battle for souls continues. Satan beguiles and tempts today just as he tempted in the Garden. “Yea, hath God said...?” the seducing serpent whispers, casting doubt on the Word of God. He masquerades as an angel of light under various “mystery” forms. Gnosticism/Paganism/Mystery Religion is alive and well in the 21st century. It will culminate in the short-lived reign of the ultimate Antichrist, who will deceive many. One-world Government and One-world Religion are on the horizon. In these perilous times, Yeshua exhorts His people to “come out” from Mystery Babylon and “be separate” because this religious system is destined for desolation (Rev. 17 & 18).

Here are a couple of reviews of a book that provides a good overview of how Mystery Babylon infiltrated the Church, with many references for further research. Click here for more information and to see the table of contents. Recommended reading for those who value balancing the writings of skeptics and infidels with the writings of those attempting to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. Also recommended for Christians who need this information for themselves and to share with others.

See also my Sidebar (Interesting Webpages) for selected articles and audio sermons for cogent consideration. I also list links to various Apologetics resources that may be helpful. Please keep in mind that much of Christianity is still contaminated with the remnants of Rome’s paganism, that Protestant churches are no longer protesting and are “daughters of Babylon” for the most part, and that secular publishers have bought up Zondervan and other Christian publishers and thus control what is published. There is a dearth of strong apologetic resources available as a result. Perhaps the disillusioned, if they should return to faith, will write the scathing and/or erudite apologetics that are desperately needed to effectively answer the neo-atheists, skeptics, and Gnostics who are leading many to Apostasy.

Babylon Religion, David W. Daniels (Chick Publications)

Reviewer: Daryl Coats, Ph. D.

As I see it, the book's assets are as follows:

(1) For most 21st century readers, it IS easier to read, grasp, and understand than Hislop's The Two Babylons. Nothing against that wonderful book, but Hislop did not have to worry about nearly illiterate readers who spend most of their time watching TVs, computer monitors, movies, and videos and DVDs. We could lament the deplorable state of the American mind---or we could try to reach contemporary readers much as we would try to reach those who do not understand English. To that end, the text is easy to read and well constructed visually, and the cartoons not only serve to illustrate and supplement the text, but they even work if someone doesn't read the strictly textual portions. The art is another great feature. This is some of the best work that Bro. Jack has ever produced, and I hope that you will pass along my congratulations and appreciation for a job well done.

(2) It serves as a capable "defense" of Hislop's work, incorporating recent discoveries to further demonstrate the validity of Hislop's original thesis.

(3) It does a great job of addressing the world's myths and legends and showing their TRUE significance. For most of the past 150 years, mythology has been used to suggest that the Bible is unreliable and that Christianity is merely an amalgamation of elements taken and adapted from various myths. (The Golden Bough and The Hero of Many Faces are good examples of this approach.) More than once in my graduate studies I heard the Lord Jesus dismissed as nothing more than another "fertility myth." I have no idea how many believers have been shipwrecked as a result of such falsehoods, but your book works to show that many (most?) of the world's myths are merely distortions and perversions of truth preserved (and only found) in the Bible. (Hey, if modern Hollywood can't get a Bible story straight, why would we think that ancient pagans would do a better job?)

(4) The amount of research is incredible! Footnotes at the bottom of many pages provide a quick reference for anyone who might wish to (a) investigate further, or (b) make sure that you're telling the truth. And the more detailed endnotes are clearly pointed out in the main text and do not slow down a reader who does not wish to consult the notes as he reads. As I mentioned on the phone, with a Ph. D. in English, I've done a fair amount of research and study on my own, and I can appreciate the amount of work that you put into this book. (And since the Bible says, "Let no man deceive you by any means," I'm one of those people who DO check out footnotes and put them to the test when they concern matters with which I am not already acquainted. I am thankful to say that from the time I started doing this---roughly the time when the Angel of Light? comic first came out---I have never found a faulty or phony reference citation in a Chick publication. Whether it was a person about whom I was told that I could write for additional information, or a reference to a book that I could purchase for myself, or a book that I had to obtain through inter-library loan, I've put those comics and tracts and books to the test. Granted, some people may dismiss the original source material in some instances, but they CAN'T honestly dismiss the citation of it.

(5) The picture format allows the reader to SEE a lot of the things you talk about (especially when the pictures reproduce idols from other cultures, or pages from Codex Vaticanus). Somewhere in my files is a photo I found from an early 20th-century precursor to Frazier and Campbell, a photo of a clay figure found more than 20 feet underground in Idaho during the digging of a well. The figure in question was a woman holding a young infant. Jung would call it "a universal archetype," but Bible-believers know better. The pictures in this book often work to lend additional support to your thesis.

(6) There is a lot of humor in the book---humor used to mock false doctrine and false deceivers. This only serves to make the book more readable.....

..............

Reviewer: Kurt Kuersteiner

"Babylon Religion" blends the exhaustive research of David Daniels with the detailed cartoons of Jack Chick. The result is a book that is both fun and informative, serious but amusing, and complicated yet simple to understand. The content is controversial, something any sincere discussion of religion should be. The fact that most publishers will not confront such issues raises the obvious question if they are sincere about anything other than making money. But Chick Publications has strong religious beliefs and has never been afraid to promote them in full view of the public.

"Babylon Religion" is a rare reminder that diversity of thought is the most important diversity a free society has, and we should do everything we can to protect our free market place of ideas, rather than the feelings of various special interest groups. Whether you agree or disagree with the conclusions of "Babylon Religion", you will be impressed with the skill and artistic efforts Daniels and Chick made to present their case. I found myself marveling over the work and detail that went into crafting over 180 pages with information and stunning illustrations. This is one book that will not gather dust on my bookcase!

Chick.com

This Is What Vacations Are All About!

A couple of summers ago, our grandchildren were visiting from Texas. We were returning from a shopping trip, and as we traveled a seldom used rural road we went over a slight rise on the mostly flat surface at a pretty good clip. It caused the car to create a flutter in the tummy, somewhat like a roller coaster ride. Austin and Lexi giggled and said it was fun. Aiming to please, Grampa turned the Durango around and repeated the entertainment, this time going a little faster so as to “jump” the hill (not really, but it felt that way). More laughter from the kids. Grampa was enjoying it too, so turned around for a third squeal of delight. I was thinking this was a dumb idea and possibly dangerous (spoil sport as I am) and requested the foolishness to stop. But six year old Lexi had the last word........”Do it again, Grampa......

THIS IS WHAT VACATIONS ARE ALL ABOUT!!”

Thus, the origins of the inside joke our daughter referred to in the previous post.

In the spirit of Lexi’s adverturous adage, I post this update to their recent family vacation. Pat responded to Denise’s email with the same quip. Knowing Denise’s fear of spiders, we could not help but laugh. Spiders seem to seek her out in a most uncanny way. I hope readers enjoy the story as much as I did. : )

My Horrifying Encounter

Hello everyone. We made it home safe and sound yesterday afternoon. Our flight was delayed an hour in Maui but we still made our connecting flight in L.A. so all was well.

I have some “details” I wanted to tell you about our horseback ride but I was too tired to tell you before.

We arrived at the stable and after awhile we were told to pick out a helmet to wear for our ride (for safety) There were several all laid out on a picnic table to choose from. I took my sunglasses off the top of my head and laid them on the bench of the picnic table. So, as I looked for one that was in good shape and seemed comfortable, I picked one up and saw a GIANT spider inside. It was brown with a HUGE fat body, probably about the size of a large red grape and then add legs. Since I am NOT a fan of spiders at all...as most of you know, I freaked out and dropped the helmet back down on the table. To make matters worse, the spider then fell out of the helmet onto the bench and then the helmet rolled off the top of the table onto the bench right where the spider was. SPLAT!! A LOT of SPLAT! And guess where all that splat landed? It shot out sideways from the spider and landed right on my sunglasses! There was a LARGE amount of spider guts oozing off the side of my glasses. As gross as I am trying to make this sound, it doesn’t compare to how completely grossed out I actually was. I had tears in my eyes and I didn’t know what to do. I was trying to maintain my composure since there were several other people around, but I’m not sure I did a real good job. Our guide took my sunglasses and washed them off with a hose and a wet wipe. I then had to continue picking out my helmet. I didn’t pick that one.

I was going to take a picture of the dead spider but a bird came by and scooped it up and flew away with it before I could get my picture.

Denise

Hawaiian Adventure

My daughter and her family are enjoying a vacation in Hawaii this week. Coming from an impoverished childhood, she is feeling abundantly blessed and appreciative to be able to do this. Other than day trips or visiting relatives, we were never able to take a “real" vacation in her growing up years. Our struggles in life can all work out to the good, though, if they result in character-building, humbleness of mind, diligence, initiative, a work ethic, and a grateful heart. Denise wrote me this email describing recent adventures and gave me permission to post. I enjoy her narratives.

Hello Everyone!

Well, today we had A LOT of fun! We took a snorkeling tour today on a motorized raft boat. It was quite an adventure! Within 2 minutes of leaving the dock, we were jumping big waves and Austin was getting drenched. He was sitting on the side raft part and seemed to be in the hot seat for getting wet.....or should I say the cold seat. This was 7 am this morning and it was a bit chilly to be wet. Alexia started crying immediately...she was scared of the ride with all the bouncing and high speed. I changed seats so I could sit next to her and make her feel more secure and she calmed down and enjoyed it more. She and I were in a good seat where we didn’t get very wet at all....until our BIG MOMENT when we had a bit of a catastrophe!

Part of our tour included checking out some lava caves along the edge of the Maui Island. It was neat and the captain of the boat was telling us all kinds of history about the area and lava formations. Well, this one cave (appropriately named The Tunnel of Doom) was big enough to back the raft into so the captain did that and then he was talking about the various layers of the lava rock and things so we were sitting in the cave for awhile. It was a windy day so the sea was pretty choppy. We were getting splashed a little bit in the cave while we sat there as the water hit the walls of the cave. We pulled out of the cave at one point because it was too choppy. Then the waves settled a bit so he backed into the cave again to finish his talk about it. It was eerily calm compared to the first time he had backed in. He had his back to the rest of the sea as he talked to us and then all of a sudden (too late) he saw a big wave coming and there wasn’t time to get out of the cave before it hit us. So, he warned us really quick to take cover (we had rain jackets on the whole time....but we needed to brace ourselves and make sure we were covered with our jackets). My back was to the wave also, so I turned my head to see what he was talking about and it was HUGE! The cave got dark as the wave entered (it nearly filled the whole cave opening) and I leaned over Lexi to protect her and we had the experience of a lifetime! At just the right moment, the captain floored the gas on the boat to try and keep the boat from slamming into the walls of the cave as the wave came crashing in. He was successful at doing that, but when the wave hit the wall, the entire boat basically went under the wave.....which meant we all got SOAKED! We had about 6 inches of water in the bottom of the boat and every bag, towel and clothing that people brought were completely soaked. Even though we had rain jackets on, we were drenched all the way through because most of us didn’t have time to put our hoods on and the water went right down our backs as we ducked for cover. Alexia was crying again (gee, I don’t know why) and I told her it was ok and “this is what vacations are all about!” (that quote is a little inside joke between our family and my parents). Alexia didn’t think it was funny. LOL! It all ended well...no one got hurt and we all thought it was funny and exciting. The captain apologized for it but we thought he did a great job of handling it when it happened. He seemed to be a very skilled captain. The waves were really big all day and he knew just when to accelerate and when to lay off. We were amazed this little boat could handle the rough waters. The waves were much bigger than our boat yet our ride was pretty smooth considering...other than the first 5 minutes or so.

We also snorkeled in a couple different spots. The first spot was somewhat boring for me but Austin and Chris saw a HUGE sea turtle about a foot below them so that was cool for them. Austin really enjoyed snorkeling. Alexia attempted to snorkel but the water was too cold for her and so she never did it. She just got back in the boat and waited for us. We were disappointed that she didn’t get to see anything but we couldn’t do anything about it. She got in the water twice...trying to get used to the cold but just couldn’t do it. The second snorkel spot was much better and more colorful. That one was Molokini which is famous for it’s snorkeling. I got some pictures with my underwater camera until it ran out of battery. : (

I will try to upload them and attach a couple to this email.

Along the way, we also saw a large pod of spinner dolphins...one of them even showed off it’s spinning action by jumping clear out of the water vertically and spinning. There were probably more than 20 dolphins all following our boat and jumping out of the water. Pretty cool. We saw several humpback whales today, a couple of them breached out of the water, which was really neat. They were a little distance away from us though. We never saw any real close to the boat. There were a few turtles swimming around our boat at one point also. It was a very successful trip for seeing marine animals! Oh yeah...and we also saw a wild rooster and 2 chickens in the parking lot of the boat dock. Hawaii’s land wildlife seems to consist of farm animals. Last time we were here, we saw a cow wandering the streets. They have some strange wildlife, don’t they?

Well, that was pretty much our day today. It was a 5 hour boat ride so it really wiped us out. We went out to eat tonight and did a small amount of shopping and called it a night.

Tomorrow, Austin and I are going on a zipline and then we are going to watch the sunset from on top of Haleakala mountain. We get to sleep in tomorrow morning though. Our zipline is not until 2pm. Chris and Lexi will come but they will just wait for us at the zipline place.

The pictures were taken with my new Olympus underwater snap shot camera. I am still trying to learn how to use it so it may take even better pictures than what I have here, but I thought it did pretty good on these. I did not use the official fish names because I don’t know them...except for the trumpet fish. I also included a sunset photo from last night on our hotel beach.

Denise

CD Baby!

Yesterday, I ordered my favorite music of all time from a website called CD Baby. What a pleasant shopping experience! Not only did they carry this obscure Messianic music by my favorite composer/artist, Bruce Cohen, but they offered a 50% discount on my order of 2 CD’s!

This music comes from an era in the early days of Messianic Judaism when there was an outpouring of the Spirit. I had not even heard of Messianic music in the 80’s, other than Marty Goetz and Paul Wilbur. In 2002, I found this music on cassette in the bargain bin at Messianic Jewish Resources. It had been released as Kol Simcha (Dawning of a New Day) and Cohen and Rose (Holy). Now, the 20 songs have been re-mastered in digital quality. I am ecstatic. This will be my Spring cleaning music as I prepare for Passover this year.

If you click on the title of this post you will get to the page describing the music and you can listen to samples.

What made me laugh and prompted this post was the confirmation email that just came from the independent music website that processed my order:

Thanks for your order with CD Baby!

Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.


A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing.


Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.


We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Monday, March 16th.


I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!


Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Sigh...
--
CD Baby
the little store with the best new independent music

I had to give them a plug here for being so clever and friendly and brightening my day.

Sabbath Ponderings

Last night and this morning, one of my horses was colicky, so I needed to walk her for quite some time. I was thankful that the weather was mild. The starry sky was beautiful to behold and gave enough light to see where we were walking. Misty enjoyed my singing songs of Shabbos to her, especially this one:

The sun is going down
It’s shining through the trees
Another week’s gone by
Become a memory

So throw away your hammer
There’s nothing left to do
Go on home and find a gift
That’s waiting there for you

Oh....

It’s time to say Good Shabbos
Cuz all your work is done
Gonna spend a day together
With the Holy One

Say a special blessing
On a cup that’s filled with “wine”
Man and his Creator
It’s a very special sign....

...You can spend time with your family
You’ll study and you’ll pray
Why not wait till after Shabbos
Oh, those nails won’t run away...

(Abie Rotenberg, Journeys)

After an hour, I thought she was better. But this morning, after she ate some alfalfa, she was down again with the bad belly-ache. Maybe this green alfalfa was too rich for her. It is hard to believe Misty is 20 years old now. So I got her to her feet, walked her, massaged and curried her, offered her some apple slices, and turned her out in a clean pen with some new grass coming up. ...And I prayed for her. She got better! I was grateful that I found a bale or two of grass hay to give her while her achy intestines are healing of inflammation. I was grateful that the weather was nice and sunny this morning with temperatures in the 40’s. It would have been miserable if this had happened on the cold days.

This has been a very peaceful Sabbath. I am home alone today and it seems that the neighbors are either gone or unusually quiet. I took the two dogs for a walk in the woods, enjoyed my swing, sat out at the picnic table overlooking the scenic Exodus field, and saw a robin, sandhill cranes, five wild turkeys....and buds on the sassafras and lilacs. Spring is coming soon!

In my Bible reading, I am in the Book of Joshua. One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:8:

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

So this “Book of the Law” was available to the Israelites at this time in their history. It was not compiled centuries later as liberal critics claim. I choose to trust God’s Word, my KJV Bible, over the satanically-inspired skepticism of scholars.

I notice that Rahab was a Canaanite, an ethnicity destined for destruction. Yet her conversion to Israel’s God spared her and her household. I will trust God’s wisdom and justice in deciding who lives and who dies and not charge Him foolishly with genocide. His longsuffering, mercy, and grace is evident throughout Scripture. God is Love....and God is a Consuming Fire! Paradox? So be it. “The power of paradox opens our eyes, and blinds those who say they can see.” (Michael Card, God’s Own Fool lyrics).

Rahab ends up in the genealogy of our Lord and Saviour, Yeshua (Jesus Christ) as well as in the Hall of Faith (Matt. 1:5; Heb. 11:31). By the way, she was not commended for lying, but for protecting God’s people and exhibiting saving faith. Her sin of lying was covered by the “Scarlet thread of Redemption” in the blood of Yeshua. She had not yet been instructed in the ways of the LORD, coming out of a heathen background. Some would say it is okay to prevaricate to protect life. But that would be situational ethics, would it not? Abraham should not have misrepresented Sarah to Abimelech to save his skin (Genesis 20). It may be an understandable weakness to lie in certain circumstances, but it is still sin, which needs to be confessed and forgiven. The Apostle Peter needed to be forgiven for lying about not knowing Jesus. Peter was sorry, and was forgiven and restored. It is noteworthy and encouraging that former sinners such as Rahab, Peter, Paul, etc. became famous for their good deeds, not their earlier mistakes and failings.

I remember hearing a story of a Christian family that protected Jews during Hitler’s pogroms....was it Corrie ten Boom? The Nazis came to their home and demanded to know where the Jews were hiding. Response: “Maybe they are under the table?” The Nazi’s lifted the tablecloth, looked underneath, and saw nothing. They left. Truth was, the Jews WERE under the table...under a trap door covered by a rug. The LORD was able to protect them even though the truth was told!

Time for some Hebrew language study. I am making slow progress. My mind is not as sharp as it used to be, and I tire easily...even reading is difficult sometimes. When that happens, I listen to mp3 teachings on my ipod. Dr. Scott Johnson has been a blessing. Very informative and encouraging. Yesterday I joined his email list for his health and Bible study newsletters. See my sidebar for link to his sermon audios and pdf files.

I am also studying Dan Gregg’s Sabbath Resurrection posts and articles. More on that soon....or go to torahtimes.org. Everyone is welcome at the torahtimes forum. It would be enjoyable to discuss issues there. We need more participation and fellowship. Disagreements are not discouraged. Iron sharpeneth iron. Dan welcomes challenges to his research, and we all can learn from one another.

Shabbat Shalom

Friendship

Thank you, Friend
For crumbs of kindness
We live on crumbs....
A morsel of love
Is all we need
From day to day
From week to week
To make this Journey
Not so bleak.

What Does Dan Barker Really Know About the Bible?

A Refutation of Barker’s Blasphemy.....Bite by Bite

Skeptics seem to delight in playing a game of “Hit and Run.” They attack God’s Word with vicious vengeance and then move on to other topics without addressing point by point the issues raised in their attack. They have time to “hit and run” but no time to answer the arguments that refute their fallacious folly. It is like drive-by shooting at God!

While Bible bashers and disinterested Christians have moved on, I am not finished with this topic. Without the distractions of PlayStation, Sci-Fi, and Facebook, the pursuit of Biblical wisdom, knowledge, and understanding remains foremost on my mind.

In coming installments, I hope to adequately answer the freethinking frivolousness fomented by former Christian evangelist Dan Barker and his “50 Questions.”

For reference, see the Answers page at Freedom From Religion Foundation Bible Quiz at http://ffrf.org/quiz/bquiz.php or click on title of post.

Question #1: What is the last of the Ten Commandments?

Lie #1 - Barker claims that “Don’t covet your neighbor’s wife and property” is the wrong answer.

Of course, it is the correct answer, as even a child would know. These days, however, few so-called Christians can even recite the Ten Commandments from memory. This is a Biblically illiterate generation in spite of the proliferation of Bibles.

Lie #2 - Barker claims Biblical sexism (by considering women the “property” of men).

Men, why do you call your wife, “my wife”? Does she or does she not belong to you, and you to her? Would you rather that other men be free to lust after her, seduce her, have intimate relations with her? Or do you cherish and protect her, along with the rest of your treasures? Women were the “property” of fathers and husbands in olden times because women were dependent on them. This was before our modern day women’s liberation movement, which has done more harm than good for society.

Lie #3- Barker claims that this is the final commandment in the Catholic version, as well as in the Protestant enumeration.

The fact is that the Catholic Catechism divides the prohibition against covetousness into two commandments in order to make ten, having conveniently excised the commandment against idolatry/graven images from their list.

Lie #4 - Barker claims that “Don’t boil a young goat in the milk of its mother” is the last commandment in the only set of stone tablets called “the ten commandments.” He cites Exodus 34:26.

The fact is that the traditional list of Ten Commandments is called such in Deut 10:4 and that both sets of tables were written by God Himself and both sets included the same commandments.

And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me.

Other precepts and expansions on the precepts were given to Moses to write, including the prohibition against following the idolatrous fertility rites of the heathen such as “seething a kid in its mother’s milk” (which the heathen then magically sprinkled on their fields). The Israelites were to trust in the LORD their God for their blessings, by obeying His righteous and wise commandments, that things would go well for them. They were not to copy the superstitious, demonic fertility rites of their pagan neighbors.

Lie #5 - Barker claims that Exodus 34:28 refers to the previous precepts mentioned in the chapter.

It does not.

Exodus 34:1 tells us that God Himself would write on the two tables Moses hewed and that they would be the same words as were on the tables that Moses broke (not in petulance, as Barker claims, but in righteous indignation that the Israelites had broken covenant with God already in the Golden Calf incident!)

The “he” that wrote on the tablets in verse 28 was The LORD, not Moses.

In verse 27, the LORD instructs Moses to write the precepts and words of chapter 34. Moses writes the more detailed instructions during the 40 days and 40 nights he was on the Mountain; God writes the Ten Commandments on two tables of stone.

In summary, the words “Ten Commandments” appears three times in the Bible, each time referring to the traditional ten, which are given in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

And he (Moses) was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water. And He (the LORD) wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Exodus 34:28)

And He (the LORD) declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments, and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. (Deut. 4:13)

And He wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly and the LORD gave them unto me (Moses). (Deut. 10:4).

Lie #6 - “Jesus was unclear about the exact set of commandments.”

Jesus accurately quoted some of the commandments of God in order to make His point. The four mentioned can be summed up as “love thy neighbour as thyself.” There are three duties to God (Commandments 1-3) and six duties to man (Commandments 5-10).* They are summarized in “loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” and “loving your neighbor as yourself”... otherwise known as “the golden rule.” Jesus had not yet mentioned the tenth commandment against covetousness, because that was His whole point. The man he was talking to thought he was keeping all of the commandments of God, yet he coveted riches and was not willing to part with them to follow Jesus. Jesus put His finger on his weakness, which was covetousness.

*[The fourth commandment, keeping the Sabbath, is like a bridge of connection between God and man. Man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man (Mark 2:27). This time of rest, refreshment, and reflection restores intimate communion between man and his Maker, strengthening him for the busy-ness of the work week ahead.]

Lie #7 - Barker infers that God taught intolerance and unloving policies toward others.

Jesus taught the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). He spoke to a Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). The Old Testament is full of examples of kindness towards the stranger. God instructed His people to love the stranger (Lev. 19:34; Deut. 10:19) and not to abhor the Edomite or the Egyptian (Deut. 23:7). Deut. 23:15-16 instructs that escaped slaves are not to be returned to their masters and are not to be oppressed. Deut. 24 instructs the Israelites to leave food for the strangers, fatherless, and widows.

God used Israel as His instrument of Judgment on wicked nations only when their unrepentant, abominable wickedness had come to unbearable fullness. As Matthew Henry points out:

The reason why they must not have the land of promise in possession till the fourth generation was because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. Israel cannot be possessed of Canaan till the Amorites be dispossessed; and they are not yet ripe for ruin. The righteous God has determined that they shall not be cut off till they have persisted in sin so long, and arrived at such a pitch of wickedness, that there may appear some equitable proportion between their sin and their ruin;

Granted, Jewish and Christian history does not always reflect the keeping of the precepts of God. The LORD should not be blamed for the disobedience and errors of those who “take His Name in vain.” Jesus said that many would call Him Lord, Lord, yet not do the things that He said (Luke 6:46).

In conclusion, the LORD Himself spake and wrote the Ten Commandments, which are these (summarized in the form of prohibitions):

1. No other gods

2. No graven images

3. No taking the Name of the LORD in vain

4. No working on seventh-day Sabbath

5. No dishonoring parents

6. No killing

7. No adultery

8. No stealing

9. No bearing false witness

10. No coveting what belongs to your neighbor.

See Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 for complete text. We are told seven times in Scripture that God wrote these Himself (see Ex. 31:18; 32:15; 34:1; 34:28; Deut. 4:13, 9:10; 10:4).

Why a society would want to negate these precepts and live according to a different standard or no standard is beyond my comprehension. Why Christian theology would deem these precepts obsolete and nailed to the Cross is beyond my comprehension. Why Rabbinical Judaism would deny these precepts are applicable to Christians is beyond my comprehension. Why anyone would think God unfair to impose such perfect precepts upon His people is beyond my comprehension. Why anyone truly born again, with the Spirit of Grace dwelling in his heart, would think these precepts too stringent is beyond my comprehension.

O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever! (Deut. 5:29)

A Different Era

My attention has been drawn to my hometown this past week. I never really appreciated the history of Quincy, Massachusetts, City of Presidents. Slim’s photos have kindled an interest in researching some of the history. Imagine my delight in coming across this letter from a father to a son. I never knew that the Adams homestead just a few blocks from my childhood home was once occupied by a man and a family so appreciative of the Bible. Click on title of post for link to source.


St. Petersburg, Sept., 1811

MY DEAR SON: In your letter of the 18th January to your mother, you mentioned that you read to your aunt a chapter in the Bible or a section of Doddridge’s Annotations every evening. This information gave me real pleasure; for so great is my veneration for the Bible, and so strong my belief, that when duly read and meditated on, it is of all books in the world, that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy — that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more steadily they pursue the practice of reading it throughout their lives, the more lively and confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens to their country, respectable members of society, and a real blessing to their parents. But I hope you have now arrived at an age to understand that reading, even in the Bible, is a thing in itself, neither good nor bad, but that all the good which can be drawn from it, is by the use and improvement of what you have read, with the help of your own reflection. Young people sometimes boast of how many books, and how much they have read; when, instead of boasting, they ought to be ashamed of having wasted so much time, to so little profit.

I advise you, my son, in whatever you read, and most of all in reading the Bible, to remember that it is for the purpose of making you wiser and more virtuous. I have myself, for many years, made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year. I have always endeavored to read it with the same spirit and temper of mind, which I now recommend to you: that is, with the intention and desire that it may contribute to my advancement in wisdom and virtue. My desire is indeed very imperfectly successful; for, like you, and like the Apostle Paul, “I find a law in my members, warring against the laws of my mind.” But as I know that it is my nature to be imperfect, so I know that it is my duty to aim at perfection; and feeling and deploring my own frailties, I can only pray Almighty God, for the aid of his Spirit to strengthen my good desires, and to subdue my propensities to evil; for it is from him, that every good and every perfect gift descends. My custom is, to read four or five chapters every morning, immediately after rising from my bed. It employs about an hour of my time, and seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day. But, as other cares, duties, and occupations, engage the remainder of it, I have perhaps never a sufficient portion of my time in meditation, upon what I have read. Even meditation itself is often fruitless, unless it has some special object in view; useful thoughts often arise in the mind, and pass away without being remembered or applied to any good purpose — like the seed scattered upon the surface of the ground, which the birds devour, or the wind blows away, or which rot without taking root, however good the soil may be upon which they are cast. We are all, my dear George, unwilling to confess our own faults, even to ourselves: and when our own consciences are too honest to conceal them from us, our self-love is always busy, either in attempting to disguise them to us under false and delusive colors, or in seeking out excuses and apologies to reconcile them to our minds. Thus, although I am sensible that I have not derived from my assiduous perusal of the Bible (and I might apply the same remark to almost everything else that I do) all the benefit that I might and ought, I am as constantly endeavoring to persuade myself that it is not my own fault. Sometimes I say to myself, I do not understand what I have read; I can not help it; I did not make my own understanding: there are many things in the Bible “hard to understand,” as St. Peter expressly says of Paul’s epistles: some are hard in the Hebrew, and some in the Greek — the original languages in which the Scriptures were written; some are harder still in the translations. I have been obliged to lead a wandering life about the world, and scarcely ever have at hand the book, which might help me to surmount these difficulties. Conscience sometimes puts the question — whether my not understanding many passages is not owing to my want of attention in reading them. I must admit, that it is; a full proof of which is, that every time I read the Book through, I understand some passages which I never understood before, and which I should have done, at a former reading, had it been effected with a sufficient degree of attention. Then, in answer to myself, I say: It is true; but I can not always command my own attention, and never can to the degree that I wish. My mind is ofttimes so full of other things, absorbed in bodily pain, or engrossed by passion, or distracted by pleasure, or exhausted by dissipation, that I can not give to proper daily employment the attention which I gladly would, and which is absolutely necessary to make it “fruitful of good works.” This acknowledgment of my weakness is just; but for how much of it I am still accountable to God, I hardly dare acknowledge to myself. Is it bodily pain? How often was that brought upon me by my own imprudence of folly? Was it passion? Heaven has given to every human being, the power of controlling his passions, and if he neglects or loses it, the fault is his own, and he must be answerable for it. Was it pleasure? Why did I indulge it? Was it dissipation? This is the most inexcusable of all; for it must have been occasioned by my own thoughtlessness or irresolution. It is no use to discover our own faults and infirmities, unless the discovery prompts us to amendment.

I have thought if in addition to the hour which I daily give to the reading of the Bible, I should also from time to time (and especially on the Sabbath) apply another hour occasionally to communicate to you the reflections that arise in my mind upon its perusal, it might not only tend to fix and promote my own attention to the excellent instructions of that sacred Book, but perhaps also assist your advancement in its knowledge and wisdom. At you age, it is probable that you have still greater difficulties to understand all that you have read in the Bible, than I have at mine; and if you have so much self-observation as your letters indicate, you will be sensible of as much want of attention, both voluntary and involuntary, as I here acknowledge in myself. I intend, therefore, for the purpose of contributing to your improvement and my own, to write you several letters, in due time to follow this, in which I shall endeavor to show you how you may derive the most advantage to yourself, from the perusal of the Scriptures. It is probable, when you receive these letters, you will not, at first reading entirely understand them; if that should be the case, ask your grand-parents, or your uncle or aunt, to explain them: if you still find them too hard, put them on file, and lay them by for two or three years, after which read them again, and you will find them easy enough. It is essential, my son, in order that you may go through life with comfort to yourself, and usefulness to your fellow-creatures, that you should form and adopt certain rules or principles, for the government of your own conduct and temper. Unless you have such rules and principles, there will be numberless occasions on which you will have no guide for your government but your passions. In your infancy and youth, you have been, and will be for some years, under the authority and control of your friends and instructors; but you must soon come to the age when you must govern yourself. You have already come to that age in many respects; you know the difference between right and wrong, and you know some of your duties, and the obligations you are under, to become acquainted with them all. It is in the Bible, you must learn them, and from the Bible how to practise them. Those duties are to God, to your fellow-creatures, and to yourself. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.” On these two commandments, Jesus Christ expressly says, “hang all the law and the prophets;” that is to say, the whole purpose of Divine Revelation is to inculcate them efficaciously upon the minds of men. You will perceive that I have spoken of duties to yourself, distinct from those to God and to your fellow-creatures; while Jesus Christ speaks only of two commandments. The reason is, because Christ, and the commandments repeated by him, consider self-love as so implanted in the heart of every man by the law of his nature, that it requires no commandment to establish its influence over the heart; and so great do they know its power to be, that they demand no other measure for the love of our neighbor, than that which they know we shall have for ourselves. But from the love of God, and the love of our neighbor, result duties to ourselves as well as to them, and they are all to be learned in equal perfection by our searching the Scriptures.

Let us, then, search the Scriptures; and, in order to pursue our inquiries with methodical order, let us consider the various sources of information, that we may draw from in this study. The Bible contains the revelation of the will of God. It contains the history of the creation of the world, and of mankind; and afterward the history of one peculiar nation, certainly the most extraordinary nation that has ever appeared upon the earth. It contains a system of religion, and of morality, which we may examine upon its own merits, independent of the sanction it receives from being the Word of God; and it contains a numerous collection of books, written at different ages of the world, by different authors, which we may survey as curious monuments of antiquity, and as literary compositions. In what light soever we regard it, whether with reference to revelation, to literature, to history, or to morality — it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.

I shall number separately those letters that I mean to write you upon the subject of the Bible, and as, after they are finished, I shall perhaps ask you to read them all together, or to look over them again myself, you must keep them on separate file. I wish that hereafter they may be useful to your brothers and sisters, as well as to you. As you will receive them as a token of affection for you, during my absence, I pray that they may be worthy to read by them all with benefit to themselves, if it please God, that they should live to be able to understand them.

From your affectionate Father,

John Quincy Adams.

Hometown Memories

I happened across a photo blog of my home town recently and have been enjoying the diversion of nostalgia and going down memory lane. “Slim” is an outstanding photographer and was featured on Blogs of Note. Each day his pictures are triggering childhood memories as I reminisce. Maybe I will see my own neighborhood or homestead as one of his features. I have already seen my father’s beloved Yacht Club and other landmarks. Today he features the ice cream parlour my family and I used to frequent in the 1950's. I can hardly believe it is still there! Tomorrow he will show us the vintage interior. People from all over the world, especially photography buffs, are visiting this site and leaving comments. There is a link to other City Daily Photo blogs. Maybe your home town is featured. Click on title of post or at my sidebar for link to Quincy Daily Photo.