Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 35 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and five amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has written several books, including two that are available on Amazon - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles.

Should Christians Use the Septuagint for the Old Testament?

Septuagint

Septuagint Perhaps, like most of us, you have never even thought to ask whether the Septuagint (LXX) should be preferred over the Hebrew Masoretic text (MT), which is the basis of our English Old Testament Bibles. You may not even know what the LXX is. Likewise you may be unaware of the history of the MT. Perhaps you have noticed, however, that some of the quotations from the Old Testament (LXX) cited in the New Testament do not fully agree with the Old Testament (MT) version of those verses in our Bibles? If you pay attention to details, you have, and, like me, you may have wondered about this. Did Jesus and the apostles misquote the Old Testament? Are our current Old Testament translations superior to what was available then or might it be the other way around? This article is my attempt to answer these questions in pursuit of the answer to the question posed in the title of this article.

In order to do this, I will address the following:

  1. In what language were the original Hebrew scriptures written?
  2. Do we still have any of those original documents or copies of them?
  3. When did modern Hebrew come into use?
  4. What is the Septuagint (LXX), who authored it, why was it written, and when? What older Hebrew texts did it rely upon?
  5. When and how did the Masoretic text (MT) come to be? 
  6. How did the MT become the standard for Protestant Old Testament scriptures?
  7. What are some examples of the significant differences between the LXX and the MT?
septuagintThe original Hebrew scriptures were written in what is called paleo-Hebrew (c. 1000-586 BC). The only fragments we have left of documents written in that language are among the Dead Sea scrolls discovered at Qumran.

Paleo-Hebrew, pictured at right, was more of a pictograph script. Modern Hebrew was developed from Aramaic and has a block style.

The fact that these are the only extant examples of the early writings of the Israelites amazes me. Why would the Jews not have taken more care to preserve such important documents? The probable answer to this question will be shown later in this article. Likewise, I will show how the Dead Sea scrolls represent more than one version of the Old Testament writings, but generally support the Septuagint.

The Babylonian Exile of the Jews took place between 586-539 BC. It was approximately during this time that the modern Hebrew square script began to be developed from Aramaic. 

From 500-300 BC paleo-Hebrew began to be replaced by the new square script. During the restoration of the second temple, proto-Masoretic texts began to be developed.

The Septuagint (LXX) was a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures put together by 72 (perhaps 70) Jewish scholars under the auspices of King Ptolemy II of Egypt who wished to add the Hebrew scriptures to his library in Alexandria. 

Greek at the time was the dominant language in the world; so, the LXX soon became the most used compilation of the Old Testament in the Greek speaking world, which included Palestine. Hebrew had become limited to scholars for the most part; so, for the scriptures to be properly understood by common people, they needed to be in Greek. The Pentateuch portion was completed by 282 BC. The rest of the Old Testament was completed around 246 BC. This original version of the Septuagint is called the Alexandrian version. Other versions came later and were called the Septuagint, but were not the same. 

Barry Setterfied, who did extensive research on the LXX, says that it was translated from Paleo-Hebrew directly into Greek. (The Alexandrian Septuagint History) This is extremely significant since these would have been the oldest copies of the original scriptures.

The LXX gained widespread acceptance among the Jews and was the version used by Christians and quoted in the New Testament. Manuscripts like Codex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus (4th century CE) are major witnesses to this. 

The early Christians, many who were Jewish, quoted the Old Testament often in personal letters which still exist. Those quotes, as well as those made by the New Testament authors, match the Septuagint, but not the later Masoretic text.

The Masoretes were a group of Jewish scholars who worked between roughly 500-1000 AD. They worked to finish compiling modern Hebrew by adding vowel points, cantillation marks, and textual notes during the time ranging from 600-1000 AD.

They solidified the textual tradition that became known as the Masoretic text (MT) and finished the work of standardizing the modern Hebrew square script. Experts agree that the Masoretes used different sources than those used by the authors of the Septuagint for some of their work. The Septuagint preserves textual variants sometimes older or different from the later Hebrew MT.

Rabbi Akiba and The Council of Jamnia

This is where things get very interesting. Following the fall of Jerusalem, the Pharisees were the only religious group who retained power among the Jewish Diaspora. They used their influence to establish what is called Rabbinic Judaism in the absence of a temple and sacrificial system. At this time Christianity was flourishing and using Jewish scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. Rabbi Akiba was a fierce opponent of Christianity and convened a council in Jamnia.

Since the Council of Jamnia is frequently claimed never to have existed, here are some historical facts. When Vespasian became Emperor, in fulfillment of a statement by Rabbi Yohannan ben Zakkai, this rabbi was given the imperial right to establish  an Academy or Rabbinical School at Yavneh (Jamnia). Over a period of time, through a series of cunning maneuvers, Rabbi Akiba gained control over the Academy. He had a passionate hatred of Jesus and he admired Bar Kokhba. Rabbi Akiba ended up supporting Bar Kokhba as the Messiah. Akiba came with a purpose in mind: to give rabbinical Judaism complete control over every aspect of Jewish life. This process did not happen overnight. However, over a period of time, this was achieved by Akiba and the Council of Jamnia.

This process is outlined in detail in Dan Gruber’s book Rabbi Akiba’s Messiah. He says

Akiba’s opposition to the [Christians] led him to sponsor a new rabbinical Greek Bible and a rabbinical, colloquial Targum [commentary]. It also led him to alter Pharasaic tradition. In his efforts to bring Jewish life under rabbinic authority, Akiba was consistent and relentless. Sometimes Akiba intentionally held to certain doctrines just to contradict the beliefs of the [Christians], as he had done in his struggle against Gamaliel…. He put the oral law in writing to increase his leverage against the traditional rabbis…

The new Greek translation was done by Akiba’s pupil Aquila and was completed in 128 AD. We know that this was a Greek version of what is now called the Masoretic text. This means that the Masoretic text must have been Akiba’s rabbinic version of the Hebrew Old Testament. All existing texts which were in accord with the LXX used by the Christians were then burnt. This is hinted at by Gruber’s comment that  “The Rabbis decreed that even a Tanakh scroll should be burned if it was written by a [Christian]. ‘R. Nahman said: We have it on tradition that a scroll of the Law which has been written by a [Christian] should be burnt.’ R. Akiba says: One burns the whole thing, because it was not written in holiness.‘”13 It was under these conditions that the Masoretic text came into being and every divergent text they could find was destroyed [Professor S.H. Horne, “The Old Testament Text in Antiquity.”] Thus the process called the Council of Jamnia gave us the Hebrew Masoretic text in opposition to the paleo-Hebrew which gave us the LXX. (Satterfield)

It is instructive that the only paleo-Hebrew Old Testament documents are those found at Qumran. It seems very odd to me that more care was not taken to preserve them, unless they were deliberately destroyed because the Masoretic texts disagreed with them.

Rabbi Akiba and others at the Council of Jamnia denied that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah. The Christians, however, had been using the Scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Savior, the Messiah. Thus, it was either the Council of Jamnia itself or a group related to or supported by them who literally re-wrote the ancient Scriptures. The most obvious thing they did was to write them in a more modern Hebrew type. The ancient, or Paleo-Hebrew was more like script and the modern Hebrew which they used was and is comprised of the square characters we see today. However, that was not all they did.

They quietly changed a number of the prophecies used by the Christians so they would not appear to be fulfilled by Jesus, or at least not match what was being quoted in the Christian writings.14 They also, for a rather strange reason, chose to shorten the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11, effectively chopping off over 1800 years in total.

There is a systematic omission of 100 years from the age of the Patriarchs at the birth of the son in the chosen line in Genesis 5 and 11 in the Masoretic Text from Jamnia when compared with the ancient Septuagint, LXX. It needs to be noted that this omission was NOT there in the early work of Josephus prior to Jamnia. This is documented, as well, in the comments and responses to this article in the sections on the genealogies and the section on Josephus. Why was this cipher for 100 omitted from so many ages of the men at the birth of their sons? There was a strong belief at the time that it was dishonoring to the Lord to wait for a long time before the first child/son was born. What is interesting is that the men mentioned as being born in Genesis 5 and 11 are nowhere stated to be the firstborn sons. But evidently on the assumption that they were, the cipher for 100 was systematically chopped from the ages of the fathers at the sons’ births, as this was felt to be more honoring to the Lord.

Satterfield elsewhere shows that Akiba’s tampering with the genealogies of Genesis was done to accomplish two anti-Christ purposes. First, he wished to prove that Noah was the second Adam, not Christ. Secondly, he wished to claim that Melchisadek was Shem, not a type of Christ. (Satterfield, Genealogy Differences)

The old original form of written Hebrew, used at least from the time of the Exodus, was called Paleo-Hebrew. Its appearance was rather like a semi-pictogram-script form when compared with the square ‘modern’ Hebrew characters. A comparison of the two can be found in the Wikipedia article on the two. Paleo Hebrew was used right up until 135 AD by which time Modern Hebrew had taken over completely. The Dead Sea Scrolls show that Paleo-Hebrew was often used for Scriptural work up until 70 AD. However, around 100 AD, the Council of Jamnia, under Rabbi Akiba, produced a version of Scripture written in the square ‘modern’ characters, without the vowel pointings. This meant the Jews had to depend on the rabbis to tell them what the words actually were (hill? hell? hall? etc.), thus reinforcing Rabbinical tradition rather than remain true to the original text. Dan Gruber, in Rabbi Akiba’s Messiah, the Origins of Rabbinic Authority, explains it in the following:

“The Rabbis are the source of their own authority to annul the Torah. .. The Rabbis could establish conditions and practices that contradicted and even nullified the Torah. According to the Rabbis, God Himself would obey whatever they decided. … The Rabbis claimed the sanction of the Torah for whatever they decreed, even if it was the uprooting of Torah. … This was more than the assertion of a different ‘religious’ system. The Torah governs every aspect of the life of Israel. By governing the Torah, the Rabbis would govern Israel. … The objective was to bring Israel under the rule of the Rabbis. If the Scriptures stood in the way, the Scriptures had to be uprooted. … There was a radical and irreconcilable conflict between the Torah and the Rabbis as to the basis and structure of authority, as well as its source and administration. That is why the Rabbis gave themselves the right to alter, revise, trespass and uproot the original commandments. … R. Akiba sought to fence the people off from the Torah and from all other influences that would have challenged rabbinic authority. In the system he erected, no one else had the right to interpret Torah. Not the am ha’aretz, nor the priests, nor the prophets, nor the Sadducees, the Qumran Covenanters, the Talmedei Yeshua, nor anyone else. Not even God.” [Daniel Gruber, Rabbi Akiba’s Messiah: The Origins of Rabbinic Authority, pp.82-85, Elijah Publishing, 1999 with references].

The changes we find dating from the time of the Council of Jamnia are deliberate. There are too many of them in specific places to be the result of accumulated errors by isolated copyists over the centuries or millennia.

Evidence of the many changes dispels any impression that Akiba’s “scribes were careful not to lose a jot or tittle,” as rabbinic tradition has indicated. That is simply not true. Akiba and his colleagues had a specific agenda to fulfill and they left no stone unturned to accomplish that

Professor S.H. Horn (Archaeology, Andrews University, Michigan) writes:

“However, the facts – that a unified [Hebrew] text suddenly became the standard at the end of the first century and that not one copy of a divergent text survived (except the Dead Sea scrolls that had already been hidden when Jamnia convened), indicate clearly that the Council of Jamnia must have taken action in this matter. Moreover, the fact that Aquila, one of Akiba’s pupils, soon thereafter produced a new Greek translation that slavishly translated the [new] unified Hebrew text for the use of the Diaspora Jews gives credence to the idea that Akiba must have been a key influence in the standardization of the Hebrew text.”15

In other words, the Masoretic text that is in common use today originated at the Council of Jamnia around 100 AD, and Aquila’s Greek translation from Akiba’s Masoretic was finalized about 128 AD.

By 100 A.D., when Akiba and the Council of Jamnia were altering the Old Testament Scriptures, the New Testament Gospels and letters had already been written.  However we know from the letters written back and forth by the early church fathers that the quotes being used by them and referred to by them were from the ancient Septuagint and not from the Masoretic.

It would take over 200 more years for the Masoretic text to be accepted by the church, as a result of a request Constantine made. (Satterfield)

The Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) provide us with more evidence.  The DSS fall into two distinct groups:  those written before 70 A.D. and those written after 100 A.D. The earlier DSS were written between 250 BC and 68 AD.  At this time there were three distinct groups of Jewish leaders:  the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes.  The Essenes lived in the caves near Qumran, and had in their possession some of the ancient Scriptures.  In addition to preserving these, they also copied some of the scrolls themselves between 150 BC and 68 AD.

Biblia Hebraica concludes from these and other facts:  “Recent Aramaic findings among the Dead Sea Scrolls read most closely with the LXX, and not with the Masoretic text. … This suggests that the older LXX may be more accurate than the newer Masoretic text which was given to Jerome.” [When Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate, he was preparing to use the ancient LXX text. But his Jewish friends convinced him that the newer Masoretic Hebrew text was superior 21].

A more recent comment concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls is also relevant: In a review of some of this scholarship, Hershal Shanks notes that ”…many Hebrew texts [are available] that were the base text for Septuagintal translations…”. Further he notes that what “…texts like 4QSama show is that the Septuagintal translations are really quite reliable” and ”…gives new authority to the Greek translations against the Masoretic text”. Quoting Frank Moore Cross (a co-author of the book under review), Hershal continues ”We could scarcely hope to find closer agreement between the Old Greek [Septuagintal] tradition and 4QSama than actually is found in our fragments”.22 Modern scholarship on the DSS therefore supports the contention that the ancient LXX text is in accord with the original Hebrew Old Testament as it existed in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC and the early 1st century AD. (Satterfield)

How the Masoretic text became the standard for Protestant Bibles

[Evidence shows that[ the existence and persistent use of the ancient LXX can be traced from about 282 BC right through until 325 AD. Its common use is attested to by the quotations from it by the Jewish historian Eupolemos in the 2nd century BC and by the Dead Sea Scrolls from the 1st and 2nd centuries BC and 1st century AD. The Jewish writers Philo and Josephus also testify to its existence and use in the 1st century AD. From there, Christ, the Apostles, and the Church Fathers affirm its presence and validity right up until the period of the Council of Nicaea. It is around the time of this Council, and for some time after, that the next development takes place. The ancient LXX existed, then, as a generally available manuscript, but its existence became threatened by the orders of the Emperor Constantine in 331 AD. (Satterfield)

Origen was an influential scholar and heretic from the third century who denied the physical resurrection of Christ, the historicity of some parts of the Bible, and was a universalist. He was heavily influenced by Gnostic thought as well.

Origen sought to make the LXX mesh with the Masoretic text, thus compromising the LXX.  

Origen was interested in coordinating the different translations of Scripture in existence. By this time the Jews had moved away from the ancient Alexandrian LXX as well as their own old form of Hebrew writing, known as paleo-Hebrew. They had gravitated toward the Masoretic Scriptures, which had been formulated in an effort to discredit the use of Old Testament Scripture being used by the Christians to show those Scriptures prophesies (sic) were fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth. Discussions between Jews and Christians had shown the ancient LXX and the newer Masoretic texts had some definite differences, especially in matters of Christology. Origen attempted to address the differences between them. By 250, he had completed his six-column comparison of Scripture versions, called the Hexapla.25

It is agreed that the six columns of Origen’s Hexapla in order were 1). The Masoretic Hebrew text, 2). A transliteration of the Masoretic Hebrew into Greek, 3). The Greek version of the Masoretic text produced by Rabbi Akiba’s pupil Aquila, 4). An overall precise Greek version of the Masoretic produced by Symmachus at the end of the 2nd century AD, 5). The ancient LXX Greek version, 6). Theodotion, who used the LXX but corrected it freely to conform it with the Masoretic text.26 Extant evidence shows that Origen made every effort to reconcile the different versions of Scripture present at his time. His goal was to produce an updated version of the ancient LXX, and in doing so, he changed parts to conform to the Masoretic.  (Satterfield)

In 319 AD, the Arian controversy broke out and spread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. Its origin is uncertain, although it may have started via Origen. But however it started, this theology denied the deity of Jesus. In 321AD, Arius — after whom the heresy was named — was denounced by the Synod of Alexandria for his denial of Jesus’ deity.   Arius went into Palestine under the protection of the historian Eusebius, who became the Bishop of Caesarea about 314 AD. He was also protected by another Eusebius, the Bishop of Nicomedia.  It was here in Caesarea, which was now held by Eusebius as Bishop, that Origen’s manuscript was still stored.

It must also be noted that Eusebius of Caesarea’s’ tutor had been Pamphilus, and together they had written the “Defense of Origen.”27 Thus the works of Origen were viewed with favor by Eusebius and colored his theology.

It is against this background of the Arian heresy, that another event occurred which is important in the context of the ancient LXX. In 331 AD, 12 years since the Arian heresy broke out, the Emperor Constantine asked his friend and historian, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, to make 50 copies of the Bible. Which version was he going to choose? Would it be the LXX which the church had used for over 300 years, or would he choose the newer Masoretic text, and if so, why?

The fifty copies were made from Origen’s attempts to update the ancient LXX, bringing it in line with the Masoretic. The impetus for Eusebius to do this followed from his appreciation of Origen and the adherence of both of them to the heresy which did not accept Jesus as God. Interestingly, Rabbi Akiba, who had commissioned that same Masoretic text at the Council of Jamnia, had not accepted Jesus’ claims either. (He supported Bar Kochba as Messiah instead.)

Thus, the Masoretic from which our Old Testament translations come today, was the result of Akiba, Origen, and Eusebius, none of whom believed in the deity of Jesus Christ. (Satterfield)

Jerome (c. 347–420 AD) helped to shift the Western Church toward using the Hebrew text as the primary basis for the Old Testament rather than the Greek Septuagint. However, he did not translate from the Masoretic Text as we know it today, because the fully developed Masoretic tradition would not be completed for several centuries.

Instead, Jerome worked from the Hebrew manuscripts available in Palestine around 390–405 AD. Those manuscripts were likely predecessors of what scholars call the proto-Masoretic text, the textual family from which the later Masoretic Text developed. When Jerome began producing what became the Latin Vulgate, he argued that Christians should return to the Hebrew text, which he called the Hebraica Veritas (“Hebrew Truth”). He learned Hebrew from Jewish teachers in Palestine and translated much of the Old Testament directly from Hebrew rather than from the Septuagint. This caused controversy. Augustine worried that replacing the familiar Septuagint could create confusion and potentially undermine passages Christians had traditionally used in theological arguments.

For centuries after Jerome:

    • The Western Church primarily used the Latin Vulgate.
    • The Eastern churches continued using the Septuagint.
    • The Church did not formally declare that the Hebrew text was superior to the Septuagint.

What Jerome did accomplish was to preserve in Latin a translation based on a Hebrew textual tradition very close to the later Masoretic Text. Jerome’s influence became much greater over a thousand years later. Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin strongly preferred the Hebrew text for the Old Testament. Jerome’s arguments for the Hebraica Veritas were frequently cited in support of that position.

As a result:

    • Most Protestant Old Testaments came to be translated primarily from the Masoretic Text.
    • The Roman Catholic Church retained the Vulgate as its official Bible for many centuries.
    • The Eastern Orthodox churches continued to give the Septuagint a central role. (Chat GPT)

Some Examples of Differences between the LXX and Masoretic Text

In the short time that I have been comparing the LXX to the what my NKJV (MT) says, I have noted quite a few differences, some of them being quite significant. Some of the variances in the MT hide obvious allusions to Christ. One that is rather startling is the rendering of Jeremiah 23:6. The MT says:

6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS Jeremiah 23:6 (NKJV)

The Septuagint reads as follows:

6 In his days both Judah will be delivered, and Israel will encamp confidently, and this is his name, which the Lord will call him: “Jozadak.” Jeremiah 23:6 (LES2) 

I believe this is a clear example of the MT removing an allusion to Christ. Jozadak was a priest whose son was the high priest, Joshua (Jesus). Here is what Zechariah 6:11 says in the LXX:

11 And you will take silver and gold, and you will make crowns and place them upon the head of the great priest Joshua, the son of Jehozadak.  Zechariah 6:11 (LES2) 

Since all scripture ultimately points to Christ, this passage in Zechariah, alluded to in Jeremiah 23:6, must refer to Christ’s  being granted lordship in heaven after his ascension. 

13 I continued to watch in a vision of the night, and look, upon the clouds of the heavens, a being like a son of man came, and the ancient of days was present, and his attendants were present with him. 14 Authority and royal honor was granted to him, and all the peoples of the earth according to races, and all honor will be directed to him, and his authority is an eternal authority that will not be removed, and his kingdom is one that will not perish. Daniel 7:13–14 (LES2) 

Another striking example occurs in Hebrews 1:6.  There we read,  “And again, when God brings his first begotten into the world He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship him’. ” This is referenced as a quote from Deuteronomy 32:43 in both the ancient Septuagint  and the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as in the footnotes of a number of modern translations. However, when you try to look it up in our modern translations (all of which are from the Masoretic), it does not exist in Deuteronomy 32.  Our modern translations only read “Rejoice, O Gentiles with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants … ”  It is in the ancient versions we  find the words: “Rejoice you heavens with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice you Gentiles with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons…”  Thus the Masoretic text from Rabbi Akiba deletes a key passage pointing to the deity of Christ, a passage which the Apostles used in their presentation of the Gospel and which was part of their Old Testament.

Again in Hebrews 10:5, we find a difference.  The writer quotes Psalm 40:6 from the ancient LXX. (Note that some Psalms in the LXX are numbered differently from the standard usage today. Thus Psalm 40 in our Bibles is actually Psalm 39 in the LXX). Hebrews quotes the Psalm, saying “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me’…”  Again, we cannot find these words in the modern translations.The Masoretic text is contorted by Rabbi Akiba to omit these words in Psalm 40.  They have been replaced with “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; my ears you have opened…”  Thus, any implication regarding the Incarnation was deleted.  These are but two of the many examples of quotes used by writers of the New Testament which do not match what we read today in our Old Testaments. (Satterfield)

If you take the time to read through the MT Old Testament and compare it to a parallel LXX translation, you will see for yourself.  

Conclusion

Satterfield makes a strong case historically for Christians to use the Septuagint.

When one compares key verses that have a connection to Christ, it is apparent that changes were made to blunt this testimony and cast doubt on the New Testament scriptures.

The fact that the Septuagint is quoted in the New Testament is the strongest argument that it is the version Christians should use.

septuagintThe logic is inescapable. If anything is written in the New Testament, it is, by definition, the inspired Word of God. This means that any quote from the LXX is the inspired Word of God, too. Until a Bible is published that uses the LXX as the basis for the Old Testament, we must rely upon reading the MT and LXX side by side. If you wish to purchase the LXX for yourself, I have been informed that Brenton’s is a very good translation. I am happy to say that Thomas Nelson is preparing to publish an Orthodox Study Bible that uses the LXX for the Old Testament and the NKJV for the New. I have already pre-ordered mine.

 

 

 

More articles on identifying and countering deception.
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Whose Reputation Are We Trying to Protect?

reputation

Many people regard the Genesis version of creation and the shape of the heavens and earth, which is called biblical enclosed cosmology, as a foolish conspiracy theory or government psy-op that does not even warrant investigation.

Imagine a Christian saying that God’s Word is a psy-op! And, yet, that is exactly what a pastor friend said as much to me.

Many Christians do not want to be associated with what some call “flat earth” because they think that linking the gospel to such a controversial topic as what the Bible teaches in Genesis would place an unwelcome hurdle in front of God seekers. Do we really believe that the Genesis account of creation is more incredible than Noah’s  flood, the ten plagues in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, Joshua stopping the sun and moon, God making the shadow go backwards, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and the ascension of Christ into heaven, where he currently sits enthroned at God’s right hand?

Are we going to ignore the constant reference throughout the Bible of heaven being up, the earth below, and Sheol underneath?

God has built enough mystery into his creation and our experience of life that we are required to exercise faith in something – either what God has said or what scientists or occultists tell us.

Often the latter two options are one and the same. Science pretends to explain everything away, reducing life and creation to materialism, completing excluding the spiritual side of things, which the Bible says came first and is more real. Science has become an idol for many.

Satan desires to strip away our childlike faith in God’s words and replace it with the god of human reasoning.

Nowhere is this more apparent than when cosmology is discussed.

I have been warned by well-intentioned friends that my reputation and standing as a Bible teacher in the body of Christ has been damaged by my public profession that I believe that the Genesis account of creation is literally true.

Never would I have thought that believing the Bible is literally true would compromise my reputation with other Christians. What does that say about the condition of the modern church?

Should I be concerned about this? Would God’s honor be increased if I retracted and said that I no longer believe that what Genesis says is actually true but only has an appearance of truth? That is what the popular phenomenological interpretation tells us. Would God be glorified if I announced that Genesis is not supposed to be taken as literally true; rather, it is meant to be enjoyed as a poetic description of creation to tide us over until brilliant astronomers would discover the truth? Will God be pleased if I to put more trust in men who contradict the Bible than I do in what is written in the Scriptures?

Would not such a flip flop be detrimental to God’s honor and reputation as a truth teller?

reputationFor the sake of us Christians who live post-Enlightenment, should not the Holy Spirit have inspired Moses to write something more scientifically accurate in Genesis that would agree with modern astrophysics? Or could it be that God wrote exactly what he meant for us to know and believe because it is the truth?

God put his honor and reputation on the line in Genesis by telling us that he created everything in six days, including a heaven-earth-Sheol system enclosed in a solid dome called the firmament.

It is my privilege to stand up for what God wrote and defend his integrity and honor before a mocking world. How about you? Whose reputation are we trying to protect anyway? Ours or God’s?

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Beware the Real Alien Invasion

reputation

The world is abuzz with all kinds of rumors and expectations for some kind of government disclosure regarding the existence of aliens. We have been set up for this for decades. Werner von Braun warned his secretary that this would be the last card played by NASA, which was founded by occultists and designed to deceive the masses. The Israelites worshiped the host of heaven. Are we really much different when we flock to theaters to have our imaginations sparked with false ideas of outer space and planetary travel?

Many of us love science fiction so much that we gladly change the meaning of God’s Word to accommodate our fantasies.

alienBut God…. God is restoring the truth about this earth on which we live.

Having a biblical understanding of cosmology acts as an antidote to the infection of space alien hysteria.

We have been lied to for five hundred years ever since the introduction of heliocentric sorcery by disciples of occult Egyptian hermeticism and alchemy – Copernicus and Newton.

The Bible, which is God’s infallible truth, was cast aside to make room for the hidden (occult) knowledge provided by theoretical astrophysicists.

If we take God at his Word, which is the wise person’s choice, rather than hurtling through the dangerous void of outer space having twelve separate motion vectors, we live on an enclosed circular plane with a solid firmament above us, atop which sits God’s throne.

deception

That is what the Bible teaches, and, if we fail to believe God, we will believe almost anything else.

cosmologyRecently I have seen some Facebook ads promoting Steven Spielberg’s new movie, Disclosure Day.

ChristiansWe are told that after watching this production, Christians will question their faith in God. Why is it that followers of Christ are particularly targeted? Could it be that the Bible is true, and Jesus is really Lord of lords and King of kings? Could it be that the Jews’ and the world’s hatred of Jesus continues to this day, spilling over against his present followers? The answer to these questions is a resounding, “Yes!”

When Jesus walked this earth some two thousand years ago, the Jewish leaders hated him. Our Lord gave us the reason for their antipathy: they hate God and want to rule over his creation themselves.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” Luke 20:13–16 (NKJV) 

The Jewish leaders were jealous of Jesus’ popularity and afraid that his favor with the people would turn into a popular uprising to throw off Roman rule. Not wishing to lose their preferred status and place with that foreign government, they elected to murder Jesus for the “good of the nation.” Beware nations that kill their people for the common good!

47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” 49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” John 11:47–50 (NKJV) 

They did not realize that murdering God’s Son would result in the complete destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and the sacrificial system when God brought justice. God shut down the Old Covenant and transferred the kingdom to a brand new group – the New Covenant born-again ones, Humanity 2.0, the church, the one new man in Christ, the Israel of God.

43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. Matthew 21:43–46 (NKJV) 

Adam and Eve betrayed God in the garden. By the time Jesus arrived from heaven, mankind’s hatred of God had grown to the point that the Jews killed their Messiah, God in the flesh.

Their hatred of our Lord and his followers has not diminished. The Talmud claims that Jesus right now is boiling in liquid excrement as punishment for his blasphemy. Therefore, it is not surprising that the movie industry would target Christians. In fact, Jesus warned us that people in general would hate us.

17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. Luke 21:17 (NKJV) 

This hatred of Christians derives from mankind’s hatred of God in general and of Jesus in particular.

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:18–19 (NKJV) 

Luciferians are attempting to create a transhumanist perversion of mankind by combining sorcery, genetic manipulation, and nano-technology. God beat them to it, however. He already created a new version of humanity through what is called the new birth.

The reason the world hates us is because we who follow Christ have become alien to the world and its satanic system.

We are strangers in a strange land waiting for the return of our Lord and Savior.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Hebrews 11:13 (NKJV) 

Jesus is a true alien in the Biblical sense. He plainly stated that he is not of this world, but came down from heaven.

23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. John 8:23 (NKJV) 

shapeThose who know that the heavens and earth are exactly as the Bible describes understand that heaven sits atop the solid dome of the firmament. There is no “outer space,” only the “outer darkness” inhabited by fallen angels, demons, and people who refuse God’s mercy offered in the gospel. People who believe in the science fiction that our “planet” revolves around the sun (Helios, Sol, or Satan), along with other so-called “planets” all named after pagan gods, will likely fall prey to the psy-op currently in progress to convince us that space aliens exist and perhaps are a threat to us.

It could be that the greatest danger is that these so-called “aliens,” whatever they may be, will attempt to seduce us into denying Christ in favor of some occult universal religion. Apparently this what Spielberg expects.

The Bible says that God sits on his throne in heaven looking down on us. (Isaiah 40:22) Jesus, seated at God’s right hand, will return when God rolls back the firmament with a thunderous roar.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10–13 (NKJV) 

Jesus’ return is the only “alien” invasion about which anyone should be concerned.

As we wait for his certain return, let’s remember that Christians are special targets for persecution because we know and follow the one called the Truth – Jesus the risen Lord. Our allegiance to the one the world hates brings their hatred upon us. It is our privilege to acknowledge him before men, with the hope that we can persuade others to confess him as Lord before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.

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A Christian’s Great Honor and Privilege

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One of the greatest honors and privileges we have as Christians is to publicly profess our allegiance to Christ and his Word.

Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32 (NKJV) 

What perhaps were the two greatest betrayals in human history took place in the Garden of Eden and in Jerusalem. The first was perpetrated by the very first humans who were unfaithful to God by putting more faith in the serpent’s words than in their Creator’s. The second was by the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem when they renounced and condemned to death the Author of Life, Jesus, their promised Messiah.

From Eden to the crucifixion the sin of man progressed from calling God a liar to killing his Son.

Let’s not pretend that you and I are above doing either of those two things. Every time we doubt God’s written Word we commit Adam’s sin. Every time we remain silent about Jesus in front of those who hate him, we participate in Jerusalem’s sin.

All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do or say nothing.

Such fundamental infidelities likely would permanently sever any human relationship, but God in his mercy sent his Son Jesus to die for these sins and others so that we might have the opportunity to change our minds, believe the gospel, and declare public allegiance to Christ as Lord and to his Word as being the absolute truth.

It is not sufficient to profess loyalty to Christ but deny the truthfulness of his Word. He is the Word who became flesh. (John 1:14) We either show allegiance to both or we are unfaithful to both.

26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NKJV) 

The apostle Peter received a second chance after publicly denying his relationship with Jesus. We have received many “second chances” over our lifetimes. In my case, I now realize that I was ashamed of a portion of God’s Word for many years, as are most Christians in the West. I professed to believe that the Bible is 100% true, and thought I did, but now I see that I did not think that the first chapter of Genesis was to be taken at face value. I believed that one has to have a nuanced interpretation of the Bible’s first chapter to properly understand what God meant. Can you imagine any human relationship in which a friend’s words have to be parsed in such a way? We would never be sure what such a person meant.

Scholars, who, in my opinion, have turned their backs on God to some degree, tell us that we must understand God’s words in Genesis or anywhere else they disagree with modern science, as being poetic rather than literally true. We are to understand that God spoke phenomenologically, not literally. This means that his Word only describes the appearance of things, not reality. Once we start down this road, we will end up questioning the entire Bible.

We have to decide who has the greatest authority, God or science.

honor

I now understand that saying and believing such things is comparable to giving God a “slap in the face.”

We betray our Maker by thinking that he speaks in confusing riddles that can only be rightly understood in the “light” of what godless astronomers tell us.

The previous hidden (occult) knowledge and revelations of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, et. al. deny the truthfulness of the Bible, throwing the entire Word of God into question, and we Christians have bowed to their “wisdom,” much like Peter succumbed to fear when he denied our Lord.

Science has become an idol which many Christians are afraid to confront.

honorDo we really think that God cannot be trusted to speak in a straightforward way about something so fundamentally important as his creation? Do we believe that the biblical authors were ignorant of modern science; so, God accommodated their ignorance by giving them a false account of how he made the heavens and the earth? Can we not see that we are publicly denying our Lord by being ashamed of his Word? Can we not see that this is equivalent to calling God a liar?

(If you want to see how far afield heliocentrism has taken us from the simplicity of God’s revealed Word, I encourage you to read my article entitled The Genesis Testimony. Faith in heliocentrism requires us to deny the six-days of creation.)

After Peter’s public denial of Christ, he repented, received forgiveness, and was restored. He became a champion of the gospel, ultimately giving his life for the Lord. Ever since God opened my understanding regarding biblical cosmology, I have done my best to make a public stand for God’s integrity and that of the Bible. My prayer is that you will join me in this tremendous opportunity to get it right this time around.

Let us embrace the honor and privilege of boldly proclaiming the gospel, the Lordship of Christ, and the absolute trustworthiness of his Word from Genesis to Revelation.

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Is God a Liar?

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liarIs God a liar? Earlier in my life I would not have guessed that at 74 years of age I would be spending a great deal of energy defending God’s integrity to other Christians. It is not surprising that atheists claim that the Bible is a primitive fairy tale, but it is tragic that so many of us Christians believe that the Creator lied to us! Poor liars share blatant untruths that are easily discovered and refuted. Really good liars know how to couch their fabrications in enough ambiguity to give themselves some deniability if their mendacity is eventually discovered. If God is a liar, then he falls into the second category, which would make him very evil indeed. Yet that is exactly what many Christians claim. 

Where am I going with this? As you may know, over two years ago my eyes were opened to one of the greatest satanic lies of all time. Heliocentrism, with its required Big Bang antecedent, was introduced some five hundred years ago by a Roman Catholic astronomer named Nicolaus Copernicus at the encouragement of the Pope. His theory flatly contradicts the Bible’s testimony in Genesis and elsewhere, which makes it odd that a so-called Christian leader would support it. But the Catholic church long ago abandoned the Bible as the ultimate source of truth. Before heliocentrism gained traction, almost everyone in the world, except for a few ancient Greeks and Egyptian hermeticists, believed the biblical version of things in some form or another. Almost every culture and civilization understood the earth to be an enclosed circular plane. This belief is now blamed on scientific ignorance, but perhaps they got their view from Adam who got his from God. Just a thought.

liarThough initially resisted by the Protestant Reformers for being contrary to the Bible’s teaching, eventually heliocentrism gained favor and now is almost universally believed.

As a result of the acceptance of what is now considered a scientific fact, Bible scholars felt compelled to alter their interpretation of Genesis and other enclosed cosmology verses and passages in the Bible. Today, scholars agree that God spoke phenomenologically in such passages, using poetic language to communicate spiritual truths. This was exactly the same interpretation strategy employed to provide wiggle room for biological evolutionary Darwinism to be true. 

By claiming that God spoke words that have no literal meaning, but only seem so, we accuse God of dissimulation. It is similar to when parents tell their children that a stork delivered them to the family, knowing full well that it is a lie. Perhaps we can excuse parents for wanting to protect their children from knowing about sexual matters at too young an age, but it is still a lie. How much better to tell the truth without being specific – something like, “You are a gift from God. When you get older I will tell you more.” However, since we are quite human and born liars, we often resort to telling a falsehood to avoid an uncomfortable situation. But God is a stickler for truth by nature. (Numbers 23:19)

The Lord would never lie about his creation because what he made testifies to his character.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Romans 1:18–20 (NKJV)

If God lied to us about his creation, certainly we would have an excuse since he would be guilty of giving false testimony.

If we claim that God was less than candid about his creation and therefore modify the obvious meaning of God’s Word to make it fit the claims of accepted “science,” for all practical purposes, we call God a liar of the very worst sort.

Not only did he mislead his people for thousands of years, he now has put a stumbling block in front of those who previously trusted his every word.

Are we now to understand that sometimes God speaks phenomenologically about other things we thought were literally true, such as Christ’s resurrection? 

Maybe our Lord did not actually rise bodily from the dead, but only appeared to do so, to his scientifically ignorant disciples. Perhaps miracles did not really happen after all, but only appeared to take place because the biblical authors were uninformed. 

Once we assume for ourselves the authority to interpret some passages of Scripture poetically or phenomenologically, we can end up in some real difficulties.

To add to the confusion, those who claim God spoke poetically in Genesis also affirm a belief in the inerrancy of Scripture, citing such verses as the following.

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)

35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), John 10:35 (NKJV) 

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) 

We cannot have it both ways. We cannot say God sometimes speaks things that are not meant to be taken at face value while at the same time claiming he always and unequivocally tells the truth.

The only times we can interpret God’s words less than literally is when the context demands it. The context of Genesis does not demand it, which is proved by the fact that the Israelites, Jesus, and the early Christians all believed the Bible’s version of cosmology. Are we really more informed than Jesus? No, it is not the context, but modern astrophysics demands it. Whom are we serving anyway?

Satan’s deceptions are so subtle that sometimes we are not even aware that we are questioning God’s integrity and knowledge. We cleverly formulate nuanced interpretations that we think will get us off the hook with God, but they do not. He sees right through our duplicity, just as he recognized and called out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders of his day.

And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Mark 7:13 (NLT)

Most heliocentrists do not realize how far afield from the Bible’s version of reality they have been taken by Satan’s lies. I have written dozens of articles in an effort to bring this to light. A good place to start might be the one entitled, The Genesis Testimony, in which I contrast the Genesis account with what heliocentrists believe. It may shock you.

Anyone who believes in heliocentrism is forced to reject the six-day account of creation and to accept all manner of unproven theories and concepts.

Below is an example.

deception

In summary, when we change God’s Word to conform to modern thinking, we declare that the Creator is either a liar or did not understand what he made. Isaiah had some penetrating words relating to such a mindset.

Surely you have things turned around!...shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? Isaiah 29:16 (NKJV)

When we do not believe that the Bible means what it says or says what it means, we call God a liar.

...the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar... 1 John 5:10 (NASB95)

Adam and Eve did not vocalize that they believed that God lied to them, but their actions spoke loudly and clearly. They gave the serpent’s words more credence than God’s! Are we any different?

Every generation encounters the temptation to disbelieve God and his words.

excuseSatan seeks to overwhelm us with deception to divorce us from God’s truth in every area. As Jesus said, the devil is the father of lies, and there is absolutely no truth in him. (John 8:44) Over the centuries, Satan has managed to deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9), which has resulted in the entire world system being under his power (1 John 5:19).

In many places, even now, Christians are facing stiff persecution and even death for confessing that Christ is Lord.

In the West, it seems that currently our biggest test of allegiance to Christ may  be whether we will resolutely hold to the truth of God’s Word or surrender our minds and hearts to the wisdom of men.

The only way to escape the devil’s web of enslaving lies is to turn to Christ and to make a decision to firmly believe every one of God’s words found in the Bible, even when we do not completely understand them.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31–32 (NASB95)

Jesus made it clear that we do not get to choose which of the words of the Bible are true and which are not (John 10:35).

We do not have the authority to declare that the Bible contains truth, but not every single word is true (Matthew 4:4).

Neither do we have any right to dilute the impact of God’s words or nullify them through reinterpretation to fit our own grid of understanding (Mark 7:13).

To be true to God, we must be willing to make a stand for his revealed truth, even if it means we must call some men liars, maybe even the majority of men.

Truth is not established by what the majority believes, but by what God says.

May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.” Romans 3:4 (NASB95)

If things go true to form, some will mock my words as being those of a moronic conspiracy theorist. Satan mocked Eve for “naively” believing God’s words. The devil seeks to intimidate us because we do not understand everything. He gladly provides occult knowledge to fill in the gap. God requires us to trust him and be satisfied with what he reveals to us. (Proverbs 3:5-6) The occult secrets of the universe that Satan offers that contradict the Bible must be rejected in favor of God’s truth. We will have to choose whose moron we are going to be – God’s or the devil’s. Paul chose to be God’s fool. (1 Corinthians 4:10) So should we. God is not a liar, and we should never call him one.

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Drowning in a Cesspool of Deception

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deceptionBelieving Satan’s first lie opened a flood gate of all manner of deception that seems to grow more pervasive by the day. We are drowning is a cesspool of lies and underestimate the peril. Most people do not seem to believe the Bible’s testimony that Satan has deceived the entire world. (Revelation 12:9) Perhaps we think he fooled a few cult members and those who refuse the amazing offer of forgiveness and life in the gospel. We do not realize that, spiritually speaking, the air we breathe and water we drink have been poisoned. We have drunk contaminated water for so long that we have grown to prefer it to the pure water of God’s Word. This is quite evident when it comes to biblical cosmology.

Our minds have become so clouded that the Bible’s version of the heavens and earth seems preposterous.

In Calvin’s and Luther’s day, those reformers were able to dismiss the Copernican deception with a simple thoughtful statement. That was because the lie had not yet gained traction and wrapped its tentacles around the minds of people indoctrinated in our modern education system. In early days of the Reformation, there was a proper reverence for the truth of the Bible above all other claims – Sola Scriptura.

All Luther felt it necessary to do to refute heliocentrism was to point out to his disciples, who were sharing with one another around the dinner table, that when Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still, it was not a rotating earth that stood still, but the sun and moon. Today when that argument is offered to refute the claims of modern astrophysics, people who do not believe in the literal truth of Joshua’s words simply shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, God can do anything.” deceptionThey refuse to grapple with the simple logic of Luther’s argument. Either the sun and moon stood still or the Bible is not true. If, as my heliocentric friends insist, the earth stopped rotating, that might account for the sun’s lack of motion in the sky, but not the moon’s. It would have kept revolving around the earth. So the Christian heliocentrist resorts to refusing to “go there.” Nothing to see here. Let’s move on and not get bogged down in distractions from our main job, which is to preach the gospel and make disciples. Such an “end run” may succeed in avoiding the issue, but it does not satisfy at all. God can do anything… except lie. He does not want us to lie or call him one.

The gospel is not well-served by our denying the truthfulness of the first chapter of the Bible. We do not help people come under the lordship of Christ by encouraging people to disbelieve the creation account.

deceptionJohn Calvin was even more succinct in his rebuttal of heliocentrism. He asked who would dare to elevate the astronomer’s authority over the Bible’s? In his day that was enough because Protestants had such a high view of Scripture. Today, advocates for returning to biblical cosmology are forced to write article after article and produce video after video to try to convince even Christians to take God at his Word.

The world seeks to intimidate anyone of us who is adventurous enough to think for ourselves or dare to believe that the Bible can stand on its own two feet against what is called “established science.”

This intimidation can take many forms, including mockery, censure, alienation, and downright persecution, such as job loss, etc. The cesspool of lies is deep and has an undertow.

The only people who manage to be able to escape the seemingly inexorable downward pull of occult scientism are those whom God enables to see past the illusion.

The earth is not moving. Water does not bend. There is no curvature. We see too far for the globe to be real. Air pressure cannot exist without a container. Gravitational attraction between masses has never been experimentally proven. Rockets cannot work in a vacuum. The sun and stars cannot possibly be as far away as claimed due to the inverse square law of light. The firmament exists. The moon is a light, and we live on an enclosed circular plane, just as the Bible teaches. We have been hoodwinked by occult previously hidden knowledge that was “revealed” to us by people who were fans of pagan Egyptian hermeticism and sun worship. The satanic cesspool of lies is filled with demons.

deception

This article is my attempt to throw you a life rope that you can use to climb out of the devil’s septic tank. I hope you will grab it. The Lord will get you out if you ask him.

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Without Excuse

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20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, Romans 1:20–22 (NKJV) 

For the first fifty-some-odd years of my life as a follower of Jesus I had an excuse. I was never challenged, which allowed me to remain ignorant of the truth.

When we do not know something, God’s judgment is less severe.

47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:47–48 (NKJV) 

No one ever told me that I was dishonoring God by believing in the satanic illusion of heliocentrism because it contradicts the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

excuseI, as did everyone else around me, simply believed what we had been told since childhood about astrophysics. Granted, I did not understand how Genesis Chapter One could possibly fit into the “science” of heliocentrism, but I simply shrugged my shoulders, thinking that it was just one of those things outside of my need to know.

It never occurred to me that heliocentrism might be an evil hoax designed to obscure God’s existence and discredit the Bible.

But now I know the truth, and, because you are reading this, you must make a choice one way or the other. Will you stand by what the Bible says or by what man says in opposition to God?

When the Pharisees asked Jesus by what authority he operated, he asked them a question in return.

But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: 4 The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?” 5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Luke 20:3–8 (NKJV)

excuseThe Pharisees pretended ignorance, but our Lord knew that they were dissimulating. Their agnosticism regarding the matter was a product of their refusal to face the consequences of publicly stating their position. When we remain non-committal and silent on important issues, it can reveal indecision or perhaps even the fear of man. It is a scary thing to go on record to support God’s truth about cosmology against the combined opposition of the entire system – government, education, media, science, and deceived defenders of the lie. The world already thinks Christians are crazy to believe in biological creation, the flood, the virgin birth, and Christ’s resurrection. Why are we so afraid to make a stand regarding cosmology? Could it be that it is a crucial strand in the satanic web of lies?

When Bible teachers remain silent or agnostic regarding the absolute truth of Genesis Chapter One regarding cosmology, it raises a question as to motive.

Do we not want our views known because we are embarrassed to admit we do not believe the Bible or is it because we are embarrassed to say that we think the Bible is right? Simply pretending not to know which way to go is unacceptable. The Lord wants us to say where we stand on the matter.

15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:15–16 (NKJV)

It is a scriptural principle that God reveals his Word to those who believe it.

17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. John 7:17 (NKJV) 

The old saying is that it is impossible to steer a ship that is not moving. If we make a decision, and it turns out to be the wrong one, God is able to correct our course, but if we remain in indecision, there is nothing to correct.

16 Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 (NKJV) 

There is nothing new under the sun, according to Solomon.

9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. Ecclesiastes 1:9–10 (NKJV)

Biblical cosmology is an “old path” known and believed by those closest to the time of creation and by those who penned the words of the Bible. Heliocentrism, on the other hand, is new previously hidden knowledge that contradicts the Bible, which is the definition of the occult.

Isn’t it time for us to return to the old truth? If we do, the Lord will unfold more and more truth to us from the scriptures. That has certainly been my experience. There is so much in the Bible that has been hidden from the church regarding the heavens and the earth because we have been deceived and blinded by Satan’s lies.

The leaders of the Protestant Reformation made a stand for the authority of God’s Word against the false doctrines that came from unscriptural church traditions. Sola Scriptura was their rallying call.

Today, God is challenging our generation to plant the flag of God’s Word against the Bible-negating doctrines of what is falsely called “science.

"20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:20–21 (NKJV)

If the Reformers had not been brave enough to stand against the errors of their day, what would the world have lost? If we do not oppose occult scientism in our day, only God can say what might be lost to our posterity. We are without excuse before God; therefore, let us make a stand!

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The Theology of Up and Down

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In the Bible the directions of up and down and positions of above and below have great theological significance. God’s creation is a physical reality as described in the Bible which consists of an earth and heavens above it. Below the earth is a place called Sheol in Hebrew and Hades in Greek. Surrounding it all are waters. A solid structure called the firmament divides the waters above it from the waters below it. Contrary to the opinion of some, the Bible says that these waters above the firmament are still there. (Psalm 148:4)

The earth realm has been given to mankind. The heaven of heavens belongs to God. (Psalm 115:16 LXX)

Satan seeks to separate people from God’s physical reality through mysticism and an imaginary false version of reality and the universe in order to draw us away from truth and God himself. Satan cannot dwell in the truth because that is God’s realm.

The Bible is our ultimate source of truth. Anything that contradicts the Bible is false by definition. It is vital that we stick to what the Bible teaches and not allow ourselves to drift into satanic speculation that draws us away from God’s truth.

Jesus is a real person who came from a real heaven to earth. He became a human man who died for us on a real cross, shedding real blood. His real body was buried in a real grave. He descended into a real Hades, and after three real days he rose bodily from the dead. He revealed himself to his disciples who saw, heard, and touched him. After that he ascended bodily into a real heaven where he now sits on a real throne waiting for his real enemies to be destroyed. He will return bodily to the earth to judge all peoples. We will ascend to meet him. The current real heavens and earth will be destroyed and replaced by a new heaven and earth. All of this is part of an historical reality. 

Satan works to make everything mystical and wants us to deny the physical reality of Christ and his work. 

22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:22–23 (NKJV) 

The devil seeks to alter God’s truth about creation with his imaginary version of a Big Bang – Heliocentric universe. As always the goal of his deceptions is to lead us away from God and cast doubt on the truth of the Bible.

It is impossible to understand God’s theology of up and down unless heaven is really “up” above us and Hades or Sheol is “down” below us. Otherwise we are left to the satanic mystical realm of no absolute truth or direction that is required on a globe earth.. 

The writer of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, understood and believed in the reality of the three-tiered heaven-earth-Hades complex.

Below is an artist’s rendering found in Logos bible software notes.

upThis physical reality is first presented in Genesis Chapter One and continues throughout the Bible. Rejecting biblical cosmology is not simply a matter of reinterpreting Genesis Chapter One as a poetic metaphor. Doing so requires us to render the theology of up and down as an outdated and incorrect way of looking at some very fundamental things that are essential to the gospel.

One cannot properly understand the gospel without accepting the biblical model of heaven, earth, and Sheol or Hades.

Below are some clear examples.

Down

The Bible states that God is enthroned above the earth, from where he looks down upon the inhabitants of the earth. 

22 He is the one who holds the circle (Hebrew:chug - to draw round or make a circle; Greek Septuagint: gyro = circle or ring, not ball or sphere) of the earth fast, and those who dwell in it are like locusts. He is the one who set up heaven like a canopy and stretched it out like a tent to be inhabited. Isaiah 40:22 (LES2)

It is from this heavenly abode of God that Christ descended to the earth.

No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. John 3:13 (NASB95)

In order to descend from heaven, Christ had to be there first. The Bible gives us evidence of this. Isaiah saw the pre-incarnate Christ seated on God’s throne above the firmament.

And this happened in the year when Uzziah the king died: I saw the Lord seated on a high and raised throne, and the building was full of his glory. 2 And seraphim stood around him; each one had six wings, and with two they were covering their face, and with two they were covering their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And one cried aloud to the other, and they were saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Sabaoth; the whole land is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:1–3 (LES2-LXX) 

John informed us that this was a vision of Christ. (John 12:41) Ezekiel also was privileged to see the Lord seated upon his heavenly throne.

There was a likeness of a chair upon it, and above the likeness of the chair was a likeness as the appearance of a human from above. 27 And I saw what looked like an appearance of amber from the vision of the loins and up, and from the vision of the loins and down I saw what looked like fire and its splendor around about. 28 As the appearance of a bow when it is in the cloud on rainy days, such was the standing of the light from all around. Ezekiel 1:26–28 (LES2-LXX)

Jesus descended from heaven to the earth to be the “ladder, door, bridge, or gate” to heaven for us through his sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension.

And he [Jacob] dreamed, and look, a ladder fixed upon the earth, whose top was reaching into the heavens, and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it. 13 The Lord rested upon it and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. Do not fear! The land on which you are sleeping upon it, I will give it to you and to your offspring. Genesis 28:12–13 (LES2)

Jesus later explained that this dream represented a heavenly reality. He is the ladder by which men are able to be restored to our heavenly Father. The angels ascend and descend. He came down that we might go up.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” John 1:50–51 (NKJV)

Up

At the end of Christ’s earthly ministry, as foretold, Jesus was lifted up upon a cross to die.

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die. John 12:31–33 (NKJV)

Down

After being lifted up to die, he went down into the earth in burial. The Bible says that he descended into the lower parts of the earth or Hades. Peter quoted from Psalm 16:10, where David foresaw Christ’s descent into Sheol.

Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ Acts 2:26–28 (NKJV)

Up

But God did not leave him there. He raised his body from the dead. 

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.  Acts 2:32 (NKJV)

After forty days, Christ ascended into heaven, back to God’s right hand on the throne, where Isaiah and Ezekiel saw him earlier.

Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ Acts 2:33–35 (NKJV)

The apostles saw this take place.

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, Acts 1:9–10 (NKJV)

Apparently Daniel saw Christ ascending into heaven to receive glory, honor, and authority in a vision long before.

I continued to watch in a vision of the night, and look, upon the clouds of the heavens, a being like a son of man came, and the ancient of days was present, and his attendants were present with him. 14 Authority and royal honor was granted to him, and all the peoples of the earth according to races, and all honor will be directed to him, and his authority is an eternal authority that will not be removed, and his kingdom is one that will not perish. Daniel 7:13–14 (LES2)

Down

After Christ ascended, he sent his Holy Spirit to earth equip and empower the church to be his witnesses.

Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:33–36 (NKJV)

Jesus also promised that one day he will return as the glorious Son of Man to redeem his people and judge the living and the dead.

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2–3 (NKJV)

At the ascension, the angels told the apostles to expect his return in the clouds.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10–11 (NKJV)

The last book of the Bible likewise promises his return.

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:7–8 (NKJV)

For every eye to see Jesus at once means the earth must be plane and Jesus must be extremely high and brilliant for this to happen; otherwise on our limited vision and perspective would prohibit it. It certainly could never take place on a globe.

Up

When Jesus comes down, the Bible says we will be caught up to meet him. 

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 (NKJV)

Conclusion

The three-tiered heaven-earth-sheol complex is first described in Genesis and is referenced as being our reality all the way through Revelation. The directions of up and down are absolute, not mystical or relative. Heaven is described as a physical location above the earth from which Jesus came, went back, and will come again. This reality is only possible if the Bible’s cosmology is a fact. It has no meaning on a globe. A spherical earth hurtling aimlessly through the void of outer space  is a satanic construct meant to hide the truth of creation and God and to render the theology referenced in this article invalid.

Therefore, what we think regarding the shape of the earth is extremely important theologically.

When Jesus descends from heaven at the end, we will see him and marvel.

For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:6–10 (NASB95)

We are told to look up from where our redemption comes.

28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28 (NKJV)

Stephen, the first martyr, looked up to heaven as he was being stoned to death for his testimony regarding Jesus.

54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:54–58 (NKJV)

The prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven at the end of his ministry.

It happened as they were walking, they went along and spoke. Look, a chariot of fire and a horse of fire! And he separated between the two of them. Elijah was taken up in the air as into heaven. 4 Kingdoms 2:11 (LES2)

Paul referenced this up-down theology in Ephesians.

8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:8–10 (NKJV)

This is the same Paul who was privileged to be taken up into the third heaven, God’s realm.

1 It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 2 Corinthians 12:1–4 (NKJV)

He, like Jesus, knew from experience that this heaven-earth-sheol complex is a reality, not something mystical. As Jesus promised, one day he will rend the heaven and come back to earth, much to our amazement and worship.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10–13 (NKJV)

Until then, we are to encourage one another with this great promise.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 (NKJV) 
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Word Games

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wordPeople love word games. I play Wordle almost every day. Even Bible translators play word games. One of their favorite is called “Translator’s Bias.” The goal of this game, even if it is unconsciously done, is to translate a word in such a fashion that it will obscure its plain meaning in order to guide readers into accepting the translator’s presuppositions. This happens all the time as translators wrestle with the difficult task of how to best communicate the meaning of scripture. The New Living Translation does this on purpose in an attempt to accurately present larger ideas instead of the literal meaning of specific words. Sometimes they hit a home run. At other times they sadly miss the mark, forcing us to turn to a more literal translation to properly understand a passage. It is a sad state of affairs, however, when translations that are supposed to be literal also engage in obfuscation of the text.

The pernicious effect of the Enlightenment has so infiltrated Christianity that we now view and interpret the Word of God through the lens of logic and science.

We have accepted the notion that what is called science is the best explanation of reality available. In so doing, we demand our interpretation of the Bible to conform to what are considered to be unassailable scientific truths or facts. We have capitulated to the devil by elevating reason above revelation.

Genesis Chapter One is a great example of this travesty in action. When Darwin first introduced his theory of biological evolution, it was hailed as a scientific breakthrough by many. Those who adhered to the Bible saw that it was a satanic lie, but over time more and more of those who say they believe the Bible began to accept Darwin’s theory as the truth. As a consequence, interpreters found it necessary to reinterpret the scriptures to fit the new paradigm, coming up with all sort of clever ways to twist the obvious meaning into something that was able to adjust to the new science. The advent of what is called “creation science” gave a scientific footing for those who believe that the Genesis account of biological creation is actually true. Now there are many Christians who can argue scientifically for a young earth and biological creation. Even though worldly scientists scoff at such beliefs, Christians do not feel foolish in arguing for something that has scientific backing.

The same creationists, however, will likely throw out the part of the six day creation that pertains to cosmology because there are so few who deem it scientifically plausible. Most of the time biblical cosmology is scorned and not given the time of day, so to speak. It does not matter that God spoke it. What matters is what does science say. This is a triumph of science over revelation, the word of men over the Word of God.

This capitulation to science is revealed in how scholars routinely translate the Hebrew word “raqia” into English. The people who wrote the Bible and lived at that time understood it to mean a solid dome that enclosed the stationary plane of the earth and the seas, separating the waters above from the waters below. (If you want to read more about the raqia, click here.) The KJV and NKJV give us an honest translation by using the word “firmament,” which communicates the idea of solidity. Almost every other version bows the knee to post-Copernican astrophysics by using vague words such as sky or expanse, which are misleading. When God’s Word is twisted to agree with a satanic lie, we have bowed the knee to science falsely so called.

As a result of our capitulation to “science,” most Christians today believe in the heliocentric lie without realizing that it contradicts the Bible and dishonors God. It also renders the entire Bible suspect, if the very first chapter cannot be relied upon to communicate reality.

(If you wish to learn more, I have written another article that focuses on the occult origins of astrophysics.)

This morning I read Psalm 104:3 in my daily devotions, which says that God “lays out the beams of his upper chambers in the waters.” (NKJV) The Hebrew word (aliyyah) translated “upper chambers” could be rendered more literally “roof chambers,” which accurately communicates the concept of the firmament being a roof over the earth, above which is God’s throne. (I wrote another article going into more detail about this place called heaven.)

My notation in the margin next to Psalm 104:3 took me to Amos 9:6.

He who builds His layers [Hebrew: maalah] in the sky, And has founded His strata [Hebrew: aguddah] in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth— The LORD is His name. Amos 9:6 (NKJV)

I have numerous Bible translations, but for my daily reading and study I use the NKJV. I switched to this version because it accurately translates raqia as the firmament. It is a fairly good translation, but I like the NASB the best. In this instance, the NKJV let me down. The Hebrew word it renders as “layers” (maalah) communicates little of the literal meaning, which the NASB better translates “upper chambers,” which corresponds to Psalm 104:3.

Below is the NASB rendering of the verse in Amos.

The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has founded His vaulted dome [aguddah] over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth, The LORD is His name. Amos 9:6 (NASB95)

I suppose you noticed how differently the NASB translated the Hebrew word  “aguddah.” The literal meaning is bands, thongs, slavery fetters, or bunch (as a bunch of hyssop). Why then did the NASB translate this “vaulted dome?”

We are told in Genesis that another term for firmament is heaven. (Genesis 1:8) We are also told that heaven has multiple layers called “the heavens.” God apparently dwells in the third heaven. (2 Corinthians 12:2) We know so little about the heavens that it is quite probable that the first heaven, our atmos has multiple layers. We are still discovering what has been deliberately obfuscated by so-called scientists for centuries. So, we see that translating aguddah as vaulted dome is consistent with other scriptures, but is not a literal rendering. Here we seem to have translator’s bias in support of biblical cosmology, instead of against it as usually happens.

When we interpret the Word of God, it is important that we allow it to speak for itself instead of twisting its meaning to fit a preferred paradigm. Let us not resort to word games as we search for truth, even if that search leads us away from long cherished presuppositions.

 

Click here to go to series home page.

 

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A Sad State of Affairs

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It is a sad state of affairs when Christians attack other believers over an issue concerning which we should be in agreement – the complete and utter truthfulness of the Bible. Satan knows that, if we fight each other, we will be distracted from resisting our real enemy, who continues to work in the background, using our infighting to further discredit us in the eyes of the world. Jesus warned us:

...“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. Luke 11:17 (NKJV)

The church will not fall, but we are being hindered.

One of the devil’s greatest con jobs in the last 500 years has been the introduction and almost complete acceptance of the anti-biblical heliocentric theory, which depends to a great measure upon NASA’s ability to deceive us with their computer generated graphics and green screen productions.

This satanic deception was introduced at approximately the same time as the Protestant Reformation was turning people back to the authority of God’s Word. It was a counterattack that elevated what is called science above the authority of the Bible.

Despite the fact that the reformers resisted this lie, it did not take very long for the idea to gain traction in the West. Mankind generally prefers Satan’s hidden knowledge over the authority of the Bible.

sad

The devil knows how to play a “long game.” He knows that, as he repeats his lies over generations, they will soon be regarded as truth. In short order, Sola Scriptura became Sola Scientia. We have betrayed our Reformation heritage.

Today, I am sad to say, many Christians only accept those passages of Scripture as being literally true if they agree with human logic and the proclamations of science, thereby elevating the authority of science and reason above God’s Word, which is exactly what Satan wants.

sadNow the theory of heliocentrism is regarded as an unassailable fact. It has deceived Christians into believing that Genesis Chapter One must be reinterpreted to “fit the data,” instead of demanding that the Word of God be our highest arbiter of truth.

The devil has succeeded in convincing even us Christians once again to doubt the truthfulness of God’s Word. We find the pursuit of hidden (occult) knowledge that contradicts the Bible, which was provided by hermeticists such as Copernicus and Newton, so enthralling that we cannot seem to resist.

I wrote an article on the occult origins of modern astrophysics, which you can access by clicking on this link.

The early protestant reformers encountered deadly persecution from the established Roman Catholic Church for resisting their false doctrines and anti-biblical traditions.

The more “religious” we are, the more likely we are to become enemies of the truth and the authority of God’s Word, when our traditions and security are threatened.

sadToday, ironically, but according to pattern, anyone who seeks to reform our understanding of the heavens and earth by bringing it into alignment with the testimony of Scripture often will be attacked by other Christians who defend heliocentrism as if it were God’s revealed truth. The devil doesn’t need to round up a bunch of atheists to do his dirty work. Sadly, it is done by those of us who think we are defending the integrity of our gospel witness, not understanding that attacking Genesis undermines the integrity of the entire Bible in the eyes of a watching world.

It is one thing to refuse to believe in the literal truthfulness of Genesis, but it is a sad state of affairs when Christians attack or ridicule those who do believe.

And yet that is where we often find ourselves today.

Click here to go to series home page.
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