Christian Study

A quick update concerning Bible software. It had not occurred to me to try WINE. Wine is not an emulator is the meaning of the word. It allows one to run a select number of windows programs on Mac or Linux. So I now have PC Study Bible version 2 running pretty well on Linux. It is not perfect, but usable for what I do. E-Sword is working just fine once again. Several years ago a friend gave me Bible Works 5 as a gift. It works perfectly under WINE. So all is well and I am able to do some rather specific and in-depth study with out having to switch to Windows.

I can see myself upgrading to the latest version of PC Study Bible if it will work and install properly. I had to copy the installed folder from an old windows computer and create a desktop launcher to get things to work. PCStudy Bible 2 would not install with WINE. Logos is also a future possibility. Before buying anything though I will make sure that others have had success running the software in Linux.

So study is progressing nicely and I am happy running the above programs in Ubuntu Linux.

Tim

My last post has forced me to get a little more serious about looking for good Bible software. Bible software is the one major item that is missing for Linux. When one responds with the answer, “Why not use GnomeSword?”, I answer that they are not ready for serious study. They also have errors in the Strong’s dictionary. It is for casual reading only. I think that is all most do with Bible software other wise they would never give the above answer.

There are two and really three choices for Mac. So for OSX things are looking pretty good. For someone like me who is tired of Windows problems and enjoys Linux I may have to switch to the Mac to be able to do any real study.

To the end of improving the possibilities on Linux I contacted a couple of Bible software companies to let them know about the need. E-Sword is going toward on-line and has no intention of writing new versions. The author suggested running Parallels or Boot Camp on the Mac with no suggestion for Linux. This is a very bad answer.

The last thing a Mac or Linux user or fan wants to hear is that the solution is to spend $300 on a copy of Windows. This is not a solution so E-Sword is out of the picture. On-line usage does not facilitate serious study and is unusable except for those with very good broadband connections. I have reasonable DSL and the online version was lagged and hard to use. It reminded me of some satellite connections where you type three letters and wait for the screen to show them ten seconds later.

A simple search will show you QuickVerse, Accordance and now Logos. MacSword is the same as GnomeSword. The Logos solution is to let you download a file that makes their Windows version work on the Mac. It is not in beta yet, but apparently works. I still have QuickVerse 4 for Windows so I am used to that one and the price seems more reasonable than Accordance so far.

I do not use commentaries and do not need 25 different translations. What I really want is an easy way to see what the Hebrew and Greek really say. My experience so far has been that there is unity in the truth between the Hebrew and Greek that one does not find in the English. So various dictionaries and resources like Englishman’s are really very helpful.

This is where Logos suggested their Original Languages Library edition. Looking down the chart I have to agree. I did not see Englishman’s listed, but Logos says that it is integrated into the software. The price is rather steep for what I am used to, but when I called I was told that I could get a better price on the phone. The Logos solution may be the path I try. I do plan to investigate Accordance for a similar solution and will report on how things work when I give one of them a try.

Tim

Several have been studying the importance of the moon as far as determining times and seasons lately. A key verse in the study is Genesis 1:16.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

The phrase “he made” is not found in the Hebrew. There is also a good chance that the word “also”, H853 “‘eth”, at the end of the verse is not or should not be there. A suggestion on how the verse should read is as follows.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, the stars.

This makes the verse read significantly different. Looking at one of my study programs leads me to believe that the word “also” is in the Hebrew text. However since there were no verse markings or punctuation in the original text I wondered if the “also” could actually be a part of verse 17?

Here is verse 17.

And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

The word “And” that starts the verse is actually H5414 nathan and is not the word “And”. It is also translated “set” in verse 17. It has the meaning to give, put or make. So the word “And” is missing from verse 17. Perhaps the word “also” at the end of verse 16 really belongs to verse 17 which would then accurately read as is shown above. Using Englishman’s shows that the word, H853 ‘eth, is translated “and” or “also”.

In verse 16 the word translated “light”, found twice, is translated from the Hebrew H3974 and means “a luminous body or luminary”. Looking at a modern dictionary gives us an answer that any body that radiates or reflects light is a luminous body. Looking at the 1828 Websters says the following.

Luminary

1. Any body that gives light, but chiefly one of the celestial orbs. The sun is the principal luminary in our system. the stars are inferior luminaries.

Luminous

1. Shining; emitting light. The sun is a most luminous body.

2. Light; illuminated. The moon is rendered luminous by the rays of the sun.

I am inclined to favor the older definitions for two reasons. One is that the older definition is more closely related to the source language or word usage at the time of the translation. Second, and maybe this is just me, but I am seeing modern definitions expand to include concepts they were never intended to include. The misuse of words is expanding and definitions are blurring. Unfortunately I may be guilty of this very thing myself. Either way I currently see the word “light” in verse 16 to indicate a source of light, not a reflected light.

It is because of these reasons and one more that I will chat about later that I am inclined to side with a solar calendar to determine times and seasons in scripture.

Tim

In the times of ancient Israel scripture tells us of their disobedience. As we read the text we sit back and wonder why could they not see how unrighteous they were behaving? They did not see it. They did not comprehend it. When a prophet would point and tell them they were unrighteous they were very indignant and condemned the prophet. It is my belief that the same situation is repeating itself today.

Christians go to church and feel very righteous. They give contribution, teach Sunday school, host gatherings at their home and their preacher tells them what a wonderful Christian example they provide to the church. All the while they could be those same people we see in the scriptures above. They do not see it. They do not comprehend it. They do not realize they are in the depths of sin.

God made several promises in scripture. Some of the promises gave blessings for good behavior. Some of the promises gave curses for bad behavior. God does keep his promises. Just like in the scriptures when the people obeyed God they were blessed and when they disobeyed they were cursed.

One time I went through the blessings and the cursings of Deuteronomy 28 to see how we fared. When you look at how we are doing nationally we did not come out on the blessing side, but rather on the curses half of the chapter. We are not being blessed and rather than go humbly to God and seek his forgiveness as a nation, people go to their real god, the government, and pray for protection.

In some of the times of Israel the people would go from the temple of the false god to the temple of our God in the same day and not realize there was a conflict of interest. A common argument I hear is that people think we must have a seperate civil government along side a religious one. This never was a part of God’s plan. But Israel had a king, I have been told. Yes, Israel had a king, but remember one was only given them because the people rejected God as being king over them. Should we do likewise and feel righteous?

I do not believe we will be truly blessed as a people until we only look to our true God for everything we need and obey Him alone.

Tim

I thought it was time for a little history.

I was brought up Catholic. I would come home from grade school and tell my mother about the stories the nuns had told us at school that day. Most were totally fabricated stories that somehow related to God or religion. The stories were told as fact. My mother would tell me that it was just a story and not based on fact.

She had been brought up in the church of Christ, but her father had not been faithful most of her life and so she did not go very often. She married a Catholic, but years later became dissatisfied. She would tell me that she was unhappy because they did not teach scripture. A few years later her father came and took her and my sister to church. I would have gone, but was out mowing the grass and was not invited. Eventually though we all left the Catholic church although my sister later married a Catholic and returned to it.

I was immersed for the remission of sins at age 17. It was at this time that I did make one rather important decision. I decided that unless I was going to believe scripture over any church teaching or doctrine, that I might as well have just stayed with Catholicism. After all what could be easier?

As you might imagine then after a number of years I began seeing differences between church of Christ doctrine and scripture. “There is no perfect church!” Even my father said that a few times. Any organized church must stand it’s ground on whatever doctrine they have in place. To make doctrinal changes destroys the organization. People leave, contributions diminish, preachers go hungry. Truth suffers in organized religion. Unfortunately truth can suffer in un-organized religion as well. I’ll have more to say about that later.

Tim

It is really important to know the who when reading scripture. Thre are many times when reading the scripture that people misunderstand who the text is about.

If one knows the law of the kinsman redeemer you know that you can only redeem a close relative. In scriptural times you might have a servant because of a debt. Other than the servant working off his debt only that servant’s close relatives could redeem them.

In the book of Ephesians. Chapter 1:5 talks about Christ “having predestined us to the adoption of children”and in Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood”.

Most of Christianity ignores the details. Adoption and redemption are both mentioned here. If one looks at Romans 9:4 you will notice that Paul plainly tells us that the adoption belongs to Israel.

Romans 9:4 “who are Israelites; to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the promises;”

There are no exceptions or additions found anywhere else in scripture. It may not have occurred to most that at this point one should conclude that the people in Ephesians 1 are Israelites. There is much to this. Look at Romans 2:14-15.

Romans 2:14 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;”

The subject people are “Gentiles”. Nations is a better translation and the word does not mean “non-Jew”. Verse 15 says that these people have the “law written in their hearts”.

Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16 say that only Israelites have the law of God written in their hearts.

Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

These are both quotes from Jeremiah 33. I guarantee that Jeremiah was only talking about Israelites as well. So then when one reads Romans 2:14-15 and finds some “Gentiles” that have the law written on their hearts one should conclude that the “Gentiles” are in fact Israelites.

This is correct when one remembers other scriptures such as the following.

Micah 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

There are many such verses in Ezekiel.

However as the promise of the parable of the Prodigal Son shows, the house of Israel and the house of Judah are reunited under Christ and have become, for the most part Christians.

Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Ephesians chapter two is full of identifying marks. The chapter is not about Israel and non-Israel reuniting. It can not be as they were never united in the past. It is all about the house of Israel and the house of Judah reuniting under Christ. You can find more. The other sheep fold that Christ mentioned in John 10 was the house of Israel.

John 10:16 And I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must also lead those, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

This post is an admonition then to make sure you read the scriptures for context and understand just who is the subject of any given lesson. Then if you want to add some other people to who is being discussed remember to find scripture to justify it.

Tim

That is the big word these days. Everyone is taught to be tolerant. It is a much more limited tolerance than was taught in the 60’s and 70’s. In the old testament God commanded Israel to be intolerant of other people and their gods.

Deuteronomy 7:1 When Yahweh your God shall bring you into the land where you go to possess it, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you,
2 and Yahweh your God shall deliver them before you, you shall crush them, completely destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.

That is pretty intolerant of the people who possessed the land. All that is different now in the new covenant since God loves everyone now right?

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship does righteousness have with lawlessness? And what partnership does light have with darkness?
15 And what agreement does Christ have with Belial (worthlessness)? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean thing. And I will receive you
18 and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Even after this verse I have still been asked, “but Christ loves everyone and is tolerant of everyone right?”

Luke 19:27 But those who are my enemies, who did not desire that I should reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.

I think that if you start looking through the new testament for other similar statements one might get a little different impression than the “God loves everyone” idea.

The Bible says that God hated Esau. Malachi 1:3, Romans 9:13
The Bible says that God does “hate all workers of iniquity” (lawlessness). Psalms 5:5
The Bible says that God hates “A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren”. Proverbs 6:16, 19

Our God is not tolerant of polytheism, but Christians these days praise such tolerance. There is a recreation of an ancient temple in the city nearby. According to God’s law that temple should not exist. As in Paul’s day we can walk through town as if it were Athens and see temples to just about any god one can imagine.

Ah, but don’t we all just worship the same God in different ways?

1 John 2:23 Everyone who denies the Son neither has the Father. The one confessing the Son also has the Father.

2 John 1:9 Everyone transgressing and not abiding in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.

Does that sound tolerant? One must ask just how tolerant is “You shall have no other gods before Me.”, Exodus 20:3? Surely no one thinks that law has been done away by God!?

Tim