Why all the Translations?

You may have noticed an over-abundance of "modern" Bible translations. Are you a little confused? Is there any sense to all of this? Allow me to share a few thoughts with you that may just change the way you view Bible translations.

First, there are paraphrases. A paraphrase is NOT a translation, but rather a view of Scripture from a single point. This can cause problems. The canonical Bible is often referred to as "The Living Word of God," because everyone can read it and it speaks to each one where they are. A paraphrase cannot do that. So the paraphrase must, simply because of its nature, enforce its singular opinion on you rather than allowing God to speak to you. Not all paraphrases are really horrible, but there is one that is. It's called The Message. Perhaps you've heard of it. Although a professor at a university praises the author for its content I would have to disagree with him. When asked by the disciples to teach them how to pray Jesus doesn't say, in The Message, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven." Instead it reads, "As above, so below." The gentleman to whom I had this little discussion claimed that the author translated The Message from the original texts. Well I wasn't aware that the occult "Emerald Tablet" where we find the words, "As within, so without. As above, so below," are found, is part of the original Biblical text. Introducing occult phrases into the Biblical text is, I believe, by design.

Then there are translations built upon the work of Westcott and Hort. Taking different Greek texts than the ones used for the King James Translation, they seem to have taken away much of the sanctity of the Holy Bible. They are found not to believe in miracles, and some New Age authors contend that they were practitioners of the occult. To give a list of the many translations that they influenced would take up too much space here. I suggest you do an online search and see for yourself. You are going to find 2 camps. One that will claim those opposing Wescott and Hort to be heretics hold that the King James is the Only translation. Two, will be people who study the Bible and even use many translations, but have found irregularities in the Westcott/Hort New Testament translations. I'm thinking the truth lies somewhere between these 2 points.

The massive number of translations is just too much. One author goes so far as to say that Satan enjoys the look on people's faces when the Scripture verses is put up on the Big Screen in the front of the church, and you and 10 others, each with different translations, look at that verse and it doesn't resemble anything any of them have. Confused and annoyed they decided to let the preacher use his Bible. The result is and has been, people, especially young people, never coming to church with their Bibles. Without their Bibles in church how much Bible study do you think they are doing alone at home. The fact that there can be confusion because of the many translations is just one method of Satan getting the Bible out of our hands, and then out of our hearts. If he can do that...and he IS doing that, and in doing that the enemy is disarming the people of God. For a very active part of the armor of God is The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Without that, he knows we are defenseless against him.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

A Prophet Like Moses


A Prophet Like Moses

            In Deuteronomy 18:15-22 we read these words, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 
“And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.   I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.   And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.  But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’  And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
Now while the bulk of this seems to be talking about how to know who is a true prophet and who is a false prophet  it comes in the context of God promising the children of Israel a prophet like Moses, as He says, The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst,”  We can learn a few things about this future prophet.  First he would come from among them, and be as one of their brothers.  I’m sure the people must have thought this would be from the lineage of Moses.  He will be both similar and greater than Moses, for God says, “and I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”  Much like Moses, only this seems to be in a broader sense.  God goes on by saying, “And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”  That statement places this prophet far above that of Moses.  Now we must go back to one point I have skipped over and it must be addressed now.  This prophet shall come because of the people’s fear of the Lord, as God says, The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’”  God is therefore going to send one with whom He will place His words in their mouth in answer to their fear.
So how was this accomplished?  Are we still looking for a prophet like Moses?  I put to you that this prophet has already come, yes and more than a prophet.  Let’s look at the life of Moses first of all.  He was one of the Hebrew children descended from Jacob that had settled in Goshen over 400 years before due to a famine.  This is the story of Joseph.  Yet time has passed and the new Pharaoh fears these strange people and tries to kill off the males to keep the population down.  Moses and his brother Aaron were spared this fate by divine measures.  Moses went on to be raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter as her son.  Moses’ story begins with Exodus chapter 2.  Although he was rescued by the Pharaoh’s daughter and raised as her own (even giving him the name Moses) it was Moses’ sister Miriam who went to Pharaoh’s daughter and suggested one of the Hebrew woman to tend for the baby for her.  Miriam of course brought Moses’ true mother.  So Moses learned of his true lineage, that he belonged to the people of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  At the same time he was being trained to be Prince of Egypt.  When he became a man he went out and looked upon his people and saw an Egyptian beating one of the children of Israel.  Moses went down and killed the Egyptian.  The following day he say two Hebrews quarreling and he tried to make peace between them. On man replied, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”  So Moses fled to Midian. 
Now the reason I bring this up is that often we have our own ideas about how things are supposed to work out.  Moses felt that he was chosen by God to release the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt.  Yet he acted on his own and was wrong.  When we say that God would give us a prophet like Moses it includes this as well.  The difference is it wasn’t the prophet who got it wrong, but the people who were awaiting for the prophet.  They were expecting some Zealot who would rise up and lead them in a war against the people who held them in bondage.  They were wrong.  The prophet came, but because he wasn’t what they were looking for they missed him, and this was due in large part of the religious leaders of the day.  By this time they had so many preconceived ideas they were blind to the truth and taught the people falsely.  So this is the first point, which this prophet would come, and would for the most part be rejected.  It took many years before he returned to Egypt, this time at the Lord’s command.  Moses was very reluctant to return.  I suppose most of us who have experienced failure are not in a hurry to fail again.  Such was the case with Moses.  But the prophet did not fail his mission.  His rejection was foretold and his death was necessary.  This prophet did not remain dead, but rose to life and shall return one day.  When He does He shall come on His own terms, as King of kings and Lord of lords.  With the armies of Heaven following Him He shall defeat all the enemies of His people.
Moses came and worked many miracles.  Ten plagues were levied against Egypt before the Pharaoh let the children of Israel go.  Then after he let them go he chased after them with the Egyptian army, both foot soldiers and chariots.  They had the people of Israel boxed in at the Red Sea (that is the Sea of Reeds) and Israel complained to Moses, who complained about the people.  God told Moses raise his rod over the waters and the waters parted left and right, piling up on heaps and Israel crossed on dry ground.  As they completed this task the Egyptians decided to pursue them through the dry space in the sea.  As they did God brought the waters crashing back down on them, killing both horse and rider, wiping out the entire army of Egypt in one fell swoop.
So it is with those of us who believe.  We have seen the powerful works of God setting us free from slavery to sin, and in that moment when we despair of being overtaken of sin, those of us who have our eyes fixed on this prophet like Moses, find He makes a way where there is no way.  Not only that, but He destroys our enemies that try to pursue us.  Yet we still haven’t made it, and at times this causes us to complain, to despair, to question God.
Are we any different than those children of Israel in the wilderness?  They complained because the Egyptian army was coming at them and the Red Sea cut off their escape.  When God made a way of escape and wiped out the Egyptian army they sang.  Then they complained that they didn’t have water or food or real meat, then water again.  Always it was something.  Because of that when they finally got to the Jordan River they weren’t ready to enter the land God promised them.  Of twelve spies only two said, “Yeah, the people are big, but with God on our side...no problem.”  They went with a majority vote, which displeased God.  Of that generation only two people, those two faithful scouts, were allowed to enter the Promised Land.  Even Moses and Aaron were not permitted to enter.  So you see, the prophet to come must be greater than Moses.
So who was this prophet?  I’m sure you have guessed by now, that it is Jesus, or Yeshua.  He is not only a prophet, but the promised Messiah.  You see, that is really what God was promising Moses and the people of Israel.  Yeshua is not only the Messiah, but Emmanuel, which being translated means God with us.  Is Yeshua God?  Can it be?  Jesus stated plainly, “Before Abraham was I AM.”  Now that may not mean a whole lot to some of you but let’s go back to Moses.  When God wanted to send Moses back to Egypt to set Israel free Moses asked God this question, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13) to which God replies in the following verse, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”  God identified Himself to Israel through Moses as I AM, and Jesus identified Himself to the religious Jews as I AM.  Make no mistake.  God in the flesh is the Hebrew Messiah, and the Savior of the world.  He truly was a prophet like Moses, and yet He was infinitely so much more.

Getting Things Straight

I get all kinds of emails from Christians around the world. Those I receive from those in the US are disturbing. They talk about how anti-Christian President Obama is and propose various ideas and legislations to bring us back to a Christian society. Hang in there and you'll understand why this is disturbing.

In God's Word King Solomon received this promise from the Lord, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2nd Chronicles 7:14)

That sounds like a map to get us back to where we need to be, but it's only part of the map. We actually have to humble ourselves. We actually have to pray and see the face of God. We actually have to turn from our wicked ways if we want God to "forgive their sin and heal their land."

Now there are many out there that will say, "That's what I'm doing." This is where the other side of the coin is revealed. In the Chronicles and the Kings we have a list of kings from David up until they are led captive in Babylon. Some kings were good, and did what was right. Most did that which was evil. One good king, I believe it was Joash, King of Judah (you see already their evil had spit the nation) ordered the cleaning out of the Temple to make it worthy of the Lord. While they were cleaning out all the garbage, the idols, the things that belonged to other idols, men found the book of the Law. We would know this as the Torah or the books of Moses. They brought it back and read it before the king. Now pay attention. As they were reading this the king tore his clothes and fell (I believe) on his face. The very reading of the Law showed him how evil he was, even though he did that which was right. He ached for the people he ruled over and destroyed all the idols, grinding them into dust. Then he had the books of the Law read before all the people and the priests and Levites cleansed themselves and began to offer up sacrifices for the people.

You may be scratching your head, wondering why I'm bringing up this ancient history. The reason is simple. As long as we try to blame someone else for the troubles we are in we are part of the problem. Until we truly humble ourselves before God, how can we turn from our evil ways? If we do not turn from our evil ways, we, the CHURCH, then our nation will continue to come under the persecution of God. It's not that God likes persecution, but He wants us to come to Him.

Many in our churches are writing their own rules, their own laws. Our hearts have grown hard. While certain people may be doing harm to this nation, they can do no greater harm than we, who call ourselves Christian, and act in ways that do not seek God out or fail to humble ourselves before our Maker. You see, God sets all authorities over us. That means President Obama and all the rest. I'm not saying they are right. I'm saying that God has sent us into our own Babylon by appointing people who would increase the burdens on our back.

Do you see it? Jeremiah prophesied this, as did Isaiah, and a number or others. Are we greater than Israel that God would stand aside for our "democracy"? We are in contempt of His court, and unless we get things right with Him they will only get worse.

The way back is through a veil of tears. Each of us must listen to the law of love that Christ spoke of, and remember that God is Love. How far have we fallen from our first love? What is in store for us if we do not return? These are the things we should be directing our energies to.

Not Political

There are lot of angry people out there following the 2012 election results. While I can understand why they are angry I also realize that anger may be one of the things that is pinning us down in this society.

Fact 1: Just about every news outlet has shown us just how poorly Pres. Barrack Obama has led this nation. He has apologized to people who are our enemies, and have stated that after Israel we are next to be destroyed. This should be scary to say the least.
Fact 2: Obama has driven the country's debt higher than all previous presidents combined.
Fact 3: It is obvious that Obama does not want the people to have the right to make their own decisions. Perhaps the South was right to secede from the Union in 1860. Some people get the idea that the Civil War was about freeing the slaves. While that did become a factor, the real issue was State Sovereignty, and I think they were right in that.
Fact 4: While we have the privilege to vote for the candidate of our choice it is actually God who establishes authorities over us. How God does that is in direct proportion to the way we, as Christians, have, or have not obeyed Him. Currently God has handed us over to a cruel task-master.

So what does all this mean? Why am I bringing this up? I am bringing this up because there are worse things than a president bound to destroy our nation. Many of you may disagree with me on that. It seems to me that as long as you and I regard this nation as the top of our priorities then we will continue to be angry and bitter with our president. This is such a crazy thing to do.

One person shared with me that unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger directed towards anyone, is like wishing they would die and taking the poison ourselves. This is what America is currently doing. We are taking poison in hopes that some other person dies or is incapacitated in their duties, in this case, President Obama.

As Christians we are to forgive, even as Jesus forgave us. Do you think that you, by your own hand, find any goodness in the eyes of God? If you do then you better change your way of thinking. Scripture tells us that there is none righteous, no not one, and that Jesus offered Himself up to die for us that we might be seen righteous through Him. Dare we think any less for the one God has placed over us?

I do not agree with Obama. I believe nearly all his policies are corrupt and seems almost calculated to destroy the United States. And yet I forgive him, with the help of the Holy Spirit. For if I rebel against Obama I am rebelling against God.

The Bible says, "If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways then shall I hear from Heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."

Time is working against us. It flies by like a barn swallow. If we do not repent now, we may never have the chance. The cup of God's wrath is already being filled. People have warped His words to support their own deviant behaviors; anger, drunkenness, sexual lust, and yes homosexuality. These also we must uphold in prayer and forgiveness. I have friends who are homosexuals, but they know my beliefs as well. I don't preach to them, nor do I put them down. People are people.

For instance, the shooting in Connecticut have nothing to do with guns or mental disabilities. It has to do with the presence of evil, and we must realize that this evil exist in all of us. The evil in one may provoke the evil in another. Jesus came into the world for this very purpose, to destroy that evil in us, but He can only do so to those who respond to Him.

While I would normally be writing about the birth of Christ and the miracles that surrounded that birth I believe it is more important to remind you, to remind me, that God is God. I'm not. Therefore I have an obligation to forgive anyone who has slighted me, and that includes the President. In fact, look at your life and pray for every person God has placed over you. Only as we seek His face and repent can we find the healing of God on this nation

Psalm 23