Before we can see how God has worked with and through Gentiles, we should cover how the definitions of Gentiles, Israelis, and Jews have led to some opposing world views. Many have tried to develop an overarching theme of how God is working or has worked throughout history. It’s interesting how viewing the same data can lead to different results.

There may be others, but the two main views have Israel as the key distinguisher. One group feels that Israel is an Old Testament symbol or allegory for the Church (or true believers) and thereby forms a continuous continuity throughout the Bible. Yet, this is dependent upon how one views how God is working. If one only looks at the salvation of mankind as the only Biblical theme, then it is easy to see how a theory of God implementing salvation would be the key. God being all knowing would know mankind would sin, so the Godhead decided even before creation how mankind would be saved. Because mankind would become disobedient, God would institute grace to mankind to save it. Yet is this the real theme, or the only theme? Is mankind the real focus of the Bible? And if there are other themes, how can they be incorporated into such a theme without creating other allegories?

Let’s look at another view. This view sees Israel as a nation whom God would use to reveal Himself to the world. As a nation, they failed in that respect. Yet, that did not thwart God’s plan. God still revealed Himself greater and made a way for the salvation of mankind. Although the two views sound similar, this one puts God as the main focus rather than mankind. It allows other Biblical themes to be incorporated because it is about revealing who God is. The salvation of mankind is only one of the ways God reveals aspects of Himself.

In our last post, we saw how many of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (the ten tribes) escaped Assyrian captivity by fleeing to the area between the Black and Caspian Seas, as well to other parts of the known world at that time. Many, but not all, of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (2 tribes) returned from Babylonian captivity to rebuild Jerusalem and surrounding areas. At the turn of the first century, there were pockets of Israelis and Jews throughout both the Roman and Parthian Empires. Once Parthia fell, many of the Israeli descendants who had been part of the Parthian Empire fled across the Caucasus Mountains into Europe, and some believe eventually into the United States. Those who remained in Armenian territory became known as Khazars. Over time, Edomites were pushed by the Nabateans into prior Israeli territory and became known as Idumea (the Greek name for Edom). These were assimilated into Jewish society by the Hasmonean Dynasty. Later, Rome further invaded and destroyed both Jerusalem and the temple spreading Jews further throughout the known world. Over time, the area was under rule by many different geographic kingdoms. Today, it is now a nation again – ever since 1948.

The first world view we mentioned sees this as inconsequential because God’s plan is not about Israel at all but true believers (mainly Jewish/Israeli in the Old Testament; mainly Gentile in the New Testament). Or some go further to say that Israel dispersed throughout the world is the true elect who have become the Church. Again, this leads to being somewhat exclusionary and doesn’t seem to leave room for other themes of Scripture.

The second world view sees all of this in line with God’s plan of not only salvation for the entire world, but the salvation of Israel as a nation as well. It seems to blend well with such scripture where Paul states God will deal with Israel as a nation again and Israel will be saved (Ro 11:1-36). This view blends well with scripture which states our current salvation is but a deposit, or a guarantee, to the fuller inheritance that will occur when Christ returns to set up his earthly kingdom (Ep 1:13-14). And this view seems to fit nicely with the defined covenants in the Bible (Abrahamic Covenant, Gn 15:7-21; Deuteronomic Covenant, Dt 29:10-13; Davidic Covenant, 2Sa 7:8-16; and the New Covenant, Jr 31:31; 32:39-40; Ek 36:26) which are about promises concerning both land and monarchy. This view doesn’t need to allegorize to make this view fit into a theory of salvation for mankind, as this view is all part of God revealing His entire plan for mankind, for Israel, and for the world. We find Him to be very inclusive.

Now that we see He has a plan for everyone, let’s now begin to see how he has worked with Gentiles.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the previous post, we talked about the definitions of Israeli, Jew, and Gentile. Once both the nations of Israel and Judah were taken captive, the definitions start to get more complicated. The nation of Israel was taken captive first by Assyria (2Ki 17:1-23) in 722 BC and then Judah by the Babylonians some 136 years later (2Ch 36:15-21) in 586 BC. In both cases, not all people from either nation were taken captive, but a certain number of nationals were left in the land (2Ki 17:24-41; Jr 40:6). Even before Judah was taken captive, it seems that there were still some faithful Israelites who remained and worshipped God. One example of this occurred during the time of King Josiah when Passover was celebrated during the eighteenth year of his reign: it was for all Israel (2Ch 35:3) and Israelites were present (2Ch 35:17). Also, even after Judah was taken into captivity, Jeremiah records that eighty Israelites came to Jerusalem during the time of Gedaliah, the appointed governor of the area, to offer sacrifice (Jr 41:4-5). Since this was during the autumn feasts, it would have been in the seventh month indicating likely the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast was one of the ordained Jewish pilgrim festivals (Ex 23:14-16, 34:23; Dt 16:13-17) and therefore was not a one-time event but a yearly occurrence for these individuals. Even though they still shared a commonality in their worship of God, they still kept their national identification as Israelite and Jew.

It is unclear what happened to these faithful Jews and Israelites. It is known that those who returned from Babylonian captivity with Zerubbabel to rebuild Jerusalem were from Judah, Benjamin and Levi (Er 1:5). Later it is recorded that more Levites came with Ezra (Er 7:7). Perhaps some of these faithful Jews and Israelites were still present at this time as those coming with Zerubbabel received no opposition when they first arrived in Jerusalem (Er 2:68). These faithful Israelites and Jews left in the land likely became incorporated into those classified as Jews from that time forth.

There were some nationals who had been left in the land of Israel and Judah who, over time, intermarried with those brought in from other areas or who lived in the area. These were excluded from helping with the reconstruction and from their temple worship (Er 4:2-3). The main reason was their alliances had led them away from the worship of God. Although they had a form of worship (Er 4:2), God was not the only god they worshipped (2Ki 17:32-34) and, by God’s standards, were not truly worshippers of God Himself (2Ki 17:35-41). These were therefore considered Gentiles even though they had Israeli or Jewish roots.

There were other pockets of Jews or Israelites who also have to be considered: those of the kingdom of Judah who remained in Babylonian territories rather than returning to Jerusalem, those of the kingdom of Israel who were spread to many areas just before and during their Assyrian captivity, those Judeans who settled in Egypt after the assassination of Gedaliah (Jr 43:4-7), and an Israelite community in the land of Ammon during the time of the Restoration. It seems when Tobiah was thrown out of the temple in Jerusalem by Nehemiah (Ne 13:4-9), he went back to Ammon and built a similar temple.

Prior to the Northern Kingdom of Israel being taken into captivity, the threat of captivity by Tiglath-pileser of Assyria and the drought that had occurred earlier during the time of Elijah caused a mass exodus of Israelis to other areas prior to the nation’s final captivity. Many fled to Kirjath-Hadeschath, which later became known as Carthage (in present-day Tunis in North Africa), and others fled over land to Armenia and the land north of the Black Sea. This created several pockets of Israelis throughout the known world. Those who migrated into the areas around Armenia later became the leaders of the kingdom of Parthia which became a nation as powerful as, and a rival of, Rome. The national Jews in the first century knew of these Jews and Israelis who were not part of national Judea, as noted by the Jewish historian, Josephus.

It is likely that none of these groups, except those who may have gone with Tobiah, would have been considered “Gentile” by these Jews who returned to Jerusalem. Even during the time of Christ, these other Jewish settlements were well known to the national Jews. Actually, at that time, Jews resided all over the known world. However, those in the Roman Empire were mainly Jewish while those in the Parthian Empire were both of Jewish and Israeli descent. Even at that time, these would likely not be considered Gentile. It would not be until the defeat of the Parthian Empire and the exodus of these Israeli descendants into Europe that the term Gentile would be applied to anyone outside those of national Judea who did not maintain their national heritage. Those who blended in with these other nations into which they lived seem to slowly lose their identity with those of national Judea and, over time, had no real connection with their original national heritage. It seems the classification for being Jewish decreased over time as the classification for being Gentile increased over time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

I thought it would be good to start a new series about how the Bible addresses Gentiles. However, before we do, I think we should look at a few definitions.

A simple definition would be, a Gentile is one who is not a Jew. After all, the apostle Paul used this definition when he explained that the gospel is for the whole world: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Ro 1:16). He was making a generalized comment as there were pockets of not only Jews, but Israelis throughout both the Roman and Parthian Empires of his day, of which Paul was aware. Yet, to understand all Scripture, I think we need to dig a little deeper.

We probably can’t really make any distinction between Jew, Israeli, or Gentile before the Exodus. Although God did work through specific individuals from the time of Adam to the time of Moses (i.e., the patriarchs), a specific ethnic group was not necessarily singled out before that time. One could say that he did starting with Abraham, but not necessarily exclusively. Remember Job? It is believed he was a contemporary of Abraham. He believed in God, made burnt offerings, and God blessed him. So, it wasn’t really until God called the Children of Israel out of Egypt and made a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai that Israel became a nation before God and were instructed to be a kingdom of priests to the world (Ex 19:5-6). What does that mean? Israel was to be the standard – a holy nation – which served God and pointed other nations to God. Israel would receive God’s blessings (Dt 28) and other nations would see that blessing and be drawn to Him. How? Well, there were at least three trade routes which went through the land of Canaan which became Israel: Way of the Sea (Is 9:1); King’s Highway (Nu 20:17), and the Ridge Route which went through the Galilee region. Israel would have plenty of opportunity to have that influence. We see that both Solomon (2Ch 32-33) and Isaiah (Is 55:6-7) understood this and asked for special provision for the Gentile (the non-Israelite) to worship God.

This really had nothing to do with ethnic purity, but obedience to God. Remember, even some of the sons of Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel by God [Gn 32:28]) were through his two wives’ servants (Bilhah and Zilpah). Servants were usually not of the family, but foreigners. In addition, Judah married Tamar, possibly a Canaanite (Gn 38:1-30), and Joseph married Asenath, an Egyptian (Gn 41:45; 50:22). In addition, Rahab was a Canaanite from Jericho who was spared even though the whole city was designated for destruction because of her belief in Jehovah (Js 6:22-23). She became part of the lineage of Christ (Mt 1:5) and the great-great grandmother of King David. Her son was Boaz. Ruth was a Moabitess. Moab was a country that had not let Israel pass through their land on their way to the Promised Land (Jd 11:17) and had hired Baalam to curse Israel (Nu 22:4-5). Ruth believed in Jehovah, and she became part of the lineage of Christ (Mt 1:5). She married Boaz and became the grandmother of King David (Ru 4:13-17). Both women were integrated into the nation of Israel and their children were deemed Israelites. There were also times in Israel’s history where Gentile women were incorporated into Israel. These were many times as wives (Dt 21:10-14), but not always (Nu 31:18). These captives were expected to be taught to serve Jehovah. So, it seems God was more interested in a devoted people rather than an ethnically pure one.

The term ‘Israelite’ could not occur before the birth of Jacob. Yet, it was not really used until Israel itself was divided and the term Israel was the name for the Northern Kingdom of Israel (composed of ten tribes). In the same way, the term ‘Jew’ could not occur before the birth of Judah. Yet, again, this was not really used until Judah became a nation, the Southern Kingdom of Judah (composed of Judah and Benjamin). The term ‘Jew’ is not used in the Bible until the exiles returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild it (Er 4:12). Therefore, technically, Jew and Israelite cannot be interchanged.

As we said earlier, the concept of ‘Gentile’ did not strongly come into play until God made his covenant with the children of Israel at Sinai and they became an ordained nation before God.

Next time, we’ll look to see what happened post-exile and how these definitions became a little more complicated.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last few posts, we have been discussing God’s fingerprint and how to identify it. We showed that the gluons which hold quarks together seem to be his fingerprint since the characteristics of these subatomic particles display some of the same characteristics as does the triune Godhead itself. Also, this would seem to support what Paul stated: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Cl 1:16-17).”

So, we see how he has showed us through the very essence of nature itself that he was there. And, because all things still hold together, he is showing us that he is still there. We, as humans, need evidence, and he has supplied it. Are you willing to accept it? You accept the “weirdness” of quantum physics, right? If the concept of God is similar, doesn’t that actually prove something rather than make it more difficult to understand? Let’s not let our bias prevent us from seeing the evidence.

We saw that gluons hold not only the quarks together within a neutron or proton, but between them as well. This leads to the creation of the strong nuclear force. It allows protons which should naturally repel each other to actually be held together in a stable environment. But what would happen if the gluons were to fail?

Believe it or not, there is Biblical evidence to support just that! “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them” (Rv 20:11). When our pastor read this verse to us, I thought it quite apropos as I had just talked about God’s fingerprint. What we read here is God removing his fingerprint. And if we take this verse and combine it with what Peter stated: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2Pt 3:10), we get a pretty clear picture of what would happen when gluons fail.

God put his fingerprint into the very essence of matter itself and that is what is holding everything together is a very stable manner. At some point in the future, he is going to say, “it is enough” and remove his fingerprint. The gluons are going to fail, and all matter will fall apart. Everything will fall apart (“will flee”) in a big “whoosh” (more likely a “roar”) and the end will be a chaotic inferno.

Doesn’t this help you to visualize the Bible as being real? See how scientific it can be if we take it at face value? But it goes deeper. God has always brought order out of chaos. Without God there is no order. There is only chaos. Isn’t that true in our own lives as well. When we try things on our own, everything just winds up a mess – very chaotic. Yet, when we allow God to be in control of our lives, the chaos turns back into order. His fingerprint is back in control. Accept him. Accept his fingerprint. He’s at the essence of everything. Let him be at the essence of you as well. It’s a simple conversation. He will put his fingerprint on your life and bring the calm to your chaos.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Last post, we found out that God’s fingerprint is found is the very essence of matter itself. All of matter is composed of atoms. So, let’s go deep and look at the essence of atoms like we did the essence of God.

An atom is further divided into its nucleus, composed of protons and neutrons, and electrons. If we go even deeper, we find that protons and neutrons are composed of even smaller particles called quarks. Now for all you science fiction fans out there, I am not talking about Quark the Ferengi on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I am talking about, as far as we know, the most basic building blocks of all matter.

There are six types of quarks, yet only two are the building blocks of protons and neutrons. Now you would think that if these were the most basic building blocks of atoms, they would have a profound name. I don’t know what was in the scientist’s brain at the time. Can you imagine going up to him and saying, “I hear you found the most basic building block of all matter, what did name did you give it?” And he simply replies, “Up” and “Down.” Sort of anticlimactic. That’s like going to Baskin Robins which has, or used to have 31 flavors, and asking for vanilla. Anyway, that’s what they named them.

What prevents the nucleus of an atom from exploding apart? After all, if protons are positively charged, wouldn’t they repel each other? Well, a proton is made up of two Up quarks and one Down quark, and a neutron is made up of two Down quarks and one Up quark. There is something else to ponder here. There are gluons which hold the quarks together. Let’s look more at these.

So, the gluons not only hold quarks together within a proton or neutron, but between them as well. This is what keeps the protons from flying apart. This effect of the gluons is called the Strong Force because it keeps the protons and neutrons within the nucleus and makes the nucleus stable. This Strong Force overcomes the repulsion force between the protons.

Now, here is where God’s fingerprint comes into play. These quarks are individual units, but you can never observe them as separate units even though they are. Doesn’t that remind you of the 1st and 2nd Persons of the Godhead? They are individual, but you cannot separate them. Christ stated, “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30), and “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). The effect of the gluons, I think, is a corollary to the Holy Spirit. He is the Strong Force which allows the Justice and Love of God to co-exist without repelling each other. We, too, are like protons. We naturally repel God. Paul tells us in Romans 8:7 -8 that we are naturally hostile toward God and cannot please him. Yet, once we are drawn to God, the Holy Spirit is the force which binds us to him and never lets us go. Christ stated. “…no one will snatch them out of my hand” (Jn 10:29). We are held by the Strong Force.

So, there you have it. This is a picture of God’s fingerprint. It is in the very essence of all matter. If God created all matter, isn’t this where you would expect it to be?

Yet, there is another building block of an atom that reveals more about the Trinity of God. That is the electron. They are typically depicted as travelling around the nucleus as discrete particles. Yet, that is not a true representation of electrons. Science teaches us that electrons are not discrete particles and are not in any one place. One must use a probability function in order to describe an electron, even if an atom has only one electron. It can be anywhere and everywhere, yet the most likely place is a certain distance from the nucleus. You can detect it in any moment in time, but never predict where it will be. Doesn’t this also remind you of the omnipresence of God? He can be anywhere and everywhere yet be right beside you when you call on Him.

Okay, let’s summarize.

• God left his fingerprint upon creation.

• Science points to him – no matter how we try to explain it away.

• We believe in quantum physics and it’s “weird science” as fact, but can’t believe in a holy, unique God?

• God’s justice is revealed from God the Father; God’s love is revealed from God the Son; yet they cannot be viewed separately – just as quarks cannot be viewed separately from each other.

• The Holy Spirit binds the attributes of God the Father and God the Son together to be shared with us.

• Just as gluons create the strong force, the Holy Spirit creates a strong force between the members of the Trinity so they can never be separated.

• Once we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ep 1:13), this strong force binds us to God so we also cannot be separated from Him.

• If we can believe in how an atom is composed and operates, then we can believe in a Triune God and what He tells us of Himself.

We had stated that science points to the truth (it cannot be equivalent to truth) and that God is truth. God’s word [2nd person of Trinity] became flesh [Jesus Christ] (Jn 1:1). Jesus Christ stated, “I [2nd person of Trinity] and the Father [1st person of Trinity] are one” (Jn 10:30) and “Whoever has seen me [2nd person of Trinity] has seen the Father [1st person of Trinity]” (Jn 14:9).

We can change around the first sentence of the previous paragraph. God is equivalent to Truth and Truth is equivalent to Science. Although Science cannot be equivalent to Truth unless the Truth is known. Since God is Truth, then what ever God reveals will be true Science.

When science reveals truth, it reveals God just as God’s word reveals God. Therefore, true Science will always jive with God’s word. Because, as we have seen Science reveals the fingerprint of God.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

What does God’s fingerprint look like? The names of God help us to understand God’s character, but not God’s basic essence. So, what is God’s basic essence? Hashilush Hakadosh – Holy Trinity

Why is this important? It’s the foundation of who God is. It’s how he is unique. It’s how he is able to do what he does. It’s how he relates to us. This is why Lucifer became Satan, the Adversary, because he claimed to be as God. But God is holy – unique – no one can be like him.

So, there it is, his fingerprint, his uniqueness. Who else can claim to be Three-in-One? One part of holiness is being pure and righteous. Yet, the other meaning is that of uniqueness – being like none other. This certainly puts him into a category all by himself. God, the 1st part of the Trinity, became known as God the Father, the 2nd part of the Trinity became God the Son because he came to earth as a child to identify with mankind and pay the ransom for their sin, and the 3rd part of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. They each have a job to do yet cannot be fully separated from each other.

So, does the Bible really support such a uniqueness to God? It is not explicitly stated. Why? I think because it is his essence, his fingerprint. You don’t have to state a certain fingerprint is yours, do you? It identifies you as you. You don’t have to claim it, it claims you.

In Genesis 1:1-2, it states that God (i.e., Elohim, a plural noun and a unique form in Hebrew) created (i.e., bara, a singular verb, utilizing the qal stem of Hebrew grammar and this form of the word is used exclusively for the activity of God in which he fashions something new and pristine). Then, in verse 2, the Spirit of God is mentioned. In addition, we find the words “us” and “our” in verse 26. These verses support the idea of God being Trinity.

If this was the only place in scripture which supported this, then we could debate, but there are others. In Exodus, we also find the Trinity of God revealed to Israel. “And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death’” (Ex 19:10-12). Here we see the justice of God being revealed.

“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him (Ex 19:16-19). Here, we see the 1st Person of the Trinity being revealed to Israel.

We then find something very unusual. “Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something, like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank” (Ex 24:9-11). Here, we see the love of God being revealed, and we meet the 2nd Person of the Trinity.

In an account in Numbers, we find more. “The LORD said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone’” (Nu 11:16-17). Here, we see the omnipresence of God is revealed by the 3rd Person of the Trinity.

Then, in the New Testament, we see a culmination of all the components of the Trinity. “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (Mk 1:9-11). This is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person of the Trinity working in concert.

Therefore, God can have pure justice and pure love co-exist together. They could exist no other way. Yet, that doesn’t mean God the Father is all justice and God the Son is all love. They are the same, yet different. The Bible tells us that one day God the Son, who has bestowed upon us the love of God, will one day bestow God’s justice to everyone who has not accepted him as their Savior. For those who have accepted him as their Savior, their ransom has been paid so God’s justice will not impact them.

How do we grasp the concept of Trinity? Why do we try to ignore the concept of Trinity? Why do we try to make it out as something impossible? Is there anything in nature that supports such a concept? The Answer is YES. God’s fingerprint is found is the very essence of matter itself. Isn’t that where you would expect it to be?

We’ll further explore this aspect next time, but don’t wait. God is unique so you can rely upon him. It’s hard to believe someone ordinary can so the impossible, but someone unique, like no other . . . now, that’s a different story. He’s waiting. Just talk to him.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Does God exist? Did He create the universe? Did he create us? Is there evidence of that? Well, today, how can we show that a person has been somewhere? Fingerprints. Does God have a fingerprint?

In some ways, a fingerprint is like graffiti on a wall. It tells us something. The difference is that while this graffiti is bold and lets us know someone was here, it doesn’t tell us who was here. A fingerprint is like the graffiti, but is much more subtle. You have to be looking for it. Yet, it not only tells us someone was there, but exactly who was there because each fingerprint is unique.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Ro 1:20 [NIV]). This verse seems to imply what we can see with our naked eye forms God’s fingerprint. Yet, there are some other translations that may be adding a few subtleties. The English Standard Version states, “In the things that have been made.” Several other translations state, “Through the things made.” This would seem to imply this verse is also talking about what we can see and what we can’t see with our naked eye.

Traditionally, the passage in Romans has been agreed to mean parts of creation we can see. For instance, the stars have been given as evidence that God exists and is a Creator. After all, who can deny the beauty of them?

Or, what about the lush valleys with waterfalls, majestic mountains, beautiful fields of flowers, colorful birds, diversity of mankind, tropical shores, diversity of kinds of animals like birds and other land animals, and the miracle of babies. All of these would be consistent with a Creator, right?

Yet, “science” has tried to tell us a different story. I put science in quotes. I’ll come to that reason in a few minutes. Science has taught us that nature itself has put things in its current state, current order, and current diversity. For example, the earth is in one of a million galaxies, and we are only on the fringe of it. Some state that if God created everything and us, then we would be in the center of his creation? Oh, really? First of all, who said creation was about us? We are the by-product of his glorious creation – not the purpose for it. Second, it’s good we are not in the center of our galaxy because in the center of our galaxy is a super black hole. Not any place I would want to be! I’m very content to be in the corner of our galaxy. Maybe we’re there because God knew that was the best place for us to be. Still sounds like we’re still pretty special to Him.

Also, “science” has taught us we don’t need a Creator to be here. All life came from a single cell, and survival of the fittest and evolution has created all our diversity. Again, I’m using quotes here. I won’t go into all the arguments for and against this. Yet, I will state that when the idea of Evolution and Survival of the Fittest was first proposed by Darwin, no one knew the complexity of a cell and all that it did. At that time, it was just thought to be a blob of cytoplasm. I think if Darwin knew then what we know about a single cell today, he would have thought twice about proposing such a theory.

We have assumed that Science and Truth are one and the same. Nothing could be further from reality. Science does not equal truth. Why? Well, what is Science anyway? Science is the discovery of truth. It is only as good as our methods of detection and our hypotheses. Science is ever evolving. Take the example we just mentioned. In Darwin’s day, they thought a cell was a blob of cytoplasm. So, why couldn’t a cell evolve into other creatures? Today, we know how complex cells are. They need proteins to make and shape other proteins. If you need a complex set of proteins to shape other proteins, how do you shape the original set of proteins so they can shape all the others? Science only points to the truth. It is not the arrival of truth. It will eventually get you there, but it cannot be classified as one and the same.

So, where does that leave us? Even if we believe or don’t believe God to have been the Creator of all we know. How can we know he was involved or not. Go back to our first paragraph. How do we know anyone has been somewhere? Fingerprints. What does God’s fingerprints look like?

Now, there is a lot the Bible tells us about God. Here are a number of His names, or rather, characteristics that make Him who He is: El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty), Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of hosts), El Elyon (The Most High God), Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner), Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals), Elohim (God), Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You), Adoni (Lord, Master), Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah), Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace), Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd), Jehovah Shammah (The Lord is There), El Olam (The Everlasting God), Qanna (Jealous). Yet, names in themselves are not fingerprints. Now, I suppose one could argue that one being having all these characteristics makes them unique. Yet, a name in and of itself, does not make one unique.

So, what makes God unique? Stay tuned for our next post where we will discuss just that. God bless.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Sunset today started Tu B’Shevat, known as the New Year for Trees. It is a one-day Jewish holiday. It occurs on the 15th of the Jewish month Shevat (11 month). Therefore, the name is literally 15 (Tu) Shevat. When I first read about this holiday, I thought it seemed kind of strange. Why does a tree need a new year? Well, believe it or not, it does have a Biblical reference. Also, it can also teach us a few things.

In Leviticus 19:23-25, it states, “When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD you God.”

God was teaching the Israelites how to depend upon Him for all things. Tithing was a critical part of the life of an Israelite. They were to consider everything as a gift from God and, therefore, since everything belonged to Him, they had to give a portion back to Him to acknowledge from whom they received the blessing. In this case fruit. It was also practical as it allowed the tree to mature and firmly establish itself. Then when it was mature, they were to honor God for this blessing. Marking this date on their calendar was a way to ensure they had waited the correct time before partaking of the tree’s fruit. After their acknowledgement, they could eat the fruit from the tree. Notice that God stated this would ensure they would have a great harvest. Simply put: honor God, great harvest. Have we missed out on something?

Granted, we are not under the same promises as was Israel. However, it is a principle that is still applicable. We are not commanded to tithe today, but most Christians apply this principle to honor the intent of this Old Testament practice. We have boiled everything down to a monetary equivalent and thereby tithe only our money. However, the Israelites did not make it so simplistic. They literally tithed of all their earthly goods to show their honor to God and to be thankful for all God provided for their existence. Therefore, this principle was ever before them. Again, this had a practical significance as all these tithes of individual goods were given to the priests for their livelihood.

I am not advocating that we now give one egg to our pastor out of every dozen we buy, but I think we need to heighten our senses on how we should honor God for our existence. Next time we put our tithe into our church’s offering, let us be reminded of everything that God has given us and give Him the honor He deserves for all the good things He has allowed us to possess, utilize, and enjoy. All praise to our Lord and Savior!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The term “12 days of Christmas” marks the days between December 25th (Christmas) and January 6th (Epiphany). It is thought to have originated around 1300. However, various traditions have sprung up from the celebration of these days. Each day became known for a specific event in the life of Christ (for example, January 1st was termed the circumcision of Christ because it was the 8th day) and others for specific saints (for example, December 26th was St. Stephen’s Day in representation of the first martyr Stephen [Ac 7:54-60] and is celebrated as Boxing Day in the UK). The term epiphany comes from the Latin root epiphania meaning “to appear” and was applied to Jesus Christ. The Eastern Orthodox would celebrate this “appearing” as the baptism of Jesus whereas the Western Catholic Church celebrates the visitation of the Magi and would read from Isaiah and Matthew (Is 60:1-6; Mt 2:1-12). The night of January 5th became known as Twelfth Night which Shakespeare made popular with his play of the same name. This was the main night that wassail was drunk and plum pudding eaten. In colonial America, a wreath was placed on the front door during the Christmas season and was removed on Twelfth Night. It became the custom to not leave Christmas decorations up past Twelfth Night. However, some countries still leave decorations up until Candlemas (February 2nd, representing the visit of Christ to the temple with twelve years of age).

In Catholic-centric areas, Twelfth Night was also a time of revelry where a “king cake” is eaten and the one getting a piece with a bean and pea become king and queen of the night overseeing the festivities. In the US, this has become morphed into mardi gras in New Orleans and celebration by mummers in parades.

The song Twelve Days of Christmas is noted as a British carol but may have been originally French in origin. Although there are various adaptations, here is the traditional version: The twelfth day of Christmas, | My true love sent to me | Twelve lords a-leaping, | Eleven pipers piping, | Ten ladies dancing, | Nine drummers drumming, | Eight maids a-milking, | Seven swans a-swimming, | Six geese a-laying, | Five gold rings, | Four colly birds, | Three French hens, | Two turtle doves, and | A partridge in a pear tree. There is no way today to know what the meaning of these verses was originally. However, it has become an extremely popular, and fun, Christmas song to sing. Although it seems to have been debunked, it was stated at one time that each verse had a hidden religious meaning and was used as a catechism to help teach their faith. It seems that Catholicism was criminalized in England from around 1558 until 1829. A partridge in a pear tree: Jesus; two turtle doves: The Old and New Testaments; three French hens: The three Biblical magi; four calling birds: The four Gospels; five gold rings: The Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament; six geese a-laying: The six days of Creation; seven swans a-swimming: Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; eight maids a-milking: The eight Beatitudes; nine ladies dancing: Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit; ten lords a-leaping: The Ten Commandments; eleven pipers piping: the eleven faithful Apostles; twelve drummers drumming: The twelve points of the Apostles' Creed. However, there is nothing of these decodes that distinguishes Protestant belief from Catholic belief so it would seem no need to make this a secret code. Therefore, all the more reason for this to be a legend. However, it is a simple way for people to better understand, and remember, Biblical truths.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Happy New Year Everyone! There are a couple of holidays to explore this month, but I will wait until we get closer to their actual observance before we talk about them.

Therefore, I thought we would pick up where Christmas left off with Christ's birth. The Bible is mostly silent upon Christ's childhood, but we do have a few clues. I thought we would explore those during this post.

When Jesus was 12 years of age, he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover feast (Lk 2:41-42). He would have been nearly 13 since he was likely born in June and the Passover would have been in March or April. Due to the extra commotion of such a feast with the number of people that would attend, and the likelihood that the women and men may have traveled separately, it was not noticed until three days later that Jesus was not with the crowd that left Jerusalem as they headed back home (Lk 2:43-46). They found him still in the temple both answering and asking questions of the Jewish leaders about the scriptures, and the Jewish leaders were astonished with his answers (Lk 2:46-47). Since Jesus was there for three days, it is unlikely he was unescorted. To be in the temple for such a long time would imply someone with temple connections would have been his escort. There are extra Biblical sources that state Joseph of Arimathea was the great uncle of Jesus and, therefore, likely the one serving as his adult escort and mentor.[1] When questioned by his parents, Jesus said he “must be about his Father’s business” (Lk 2:49), implying God wanted him to do what he had been doing for the last three days. At the time, Mary and Joseph did not understand his meaning (Lk 2:50). Jesus, in obedience to his earthly parents, obeyed them and left with them (Lk 2:51). As Jesus grew, he continued to grow in wisdom and in the favor of both God and his fellowman (Lk 2:52).

There is nothing more in scripture about his childhood. However, there are hints that give us some clues. It would seem somewhat odd that if he was so in tune with what God wanted from him at the age of 12 he would be so unnoticed until he was close to 30 years of age. After all, as a devout Jewish man, he would be traveling to Jerusalem each year at Passover and perhaps for the other required feasts as well (Pentecost or Shavuot and Tabernacles or Sukkot; Dt 16:16-17). Also, it would seem odd that the people in his hometown of Nazareth would have had to question who he was when he spoke to them from the scriptures so intelligently (Mt 13:53-54) if he had grown up there and had been a part of their synagogue. He would not have gone unnoticed by the Jewish leaders at the temple or in his hometown. They knew Jesus’ family members quite well (Mt 13:55-58), so why did they not know Jesus that well? The people referred to Jesus as a carpenter’s son but not as a carpenter himself (Mt 13:55). Although, in Mark’s account the people referred to him as a carpenter (Mk 6:3), yet they were questioning their statement and Jesus’ identity. So, the question is where was he for these 18 years?

Collins and others propose that Jesus was with his great uncle Joseph of Arimathea during these 18 years.[2] Both Mark and Luke state this Joseph was a “counselor” (Mk 15:43; Lk 23:50). The Greek word used (bouleutes) could mean either a senator or a member of the Sanhedrin (or perhaps both). The Vulgate translates the term to be decurion, meaning an official, under Roman authority, who was in charge of metal mining; therefore, Joseph was likely a provincial Roman senator in charge of Rome's overseas mining interests.[3] That he was able to approach Pilate himself to obtain the body of Jesus (Mk 15:43-45; Lk 23:52) would indicate he was a very prominent man in the Roman world.[4] Also, since the bodies of criminals were usually disposed of in common pits unless the body was promptly claimed by a relative would indicate Joseph of Arimathea was a relative. Also, as Joseph of Arimathea’s job would need him to travel throughout the Roman world, Jesus being with him would also explain many of the traditions and texts that claim Jesus visited many parts of the world during this period of his life.[5]

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 [1]Steven M. Collins, Parthia: The Forgotten Ancient Superpower and its Role in Biblical History, (Royal Oak, MI: Bible Blessings, 2004), 152.

 [2] Ibid., 158.

 [3] John D. Keyser, “The Noble Joseph of Arimathea,” Keith Hunt, http://www.keithhunt.com/Joseph1.html (accessed 15-Sep-2012).

 [4] Collins, Parthia,. 159-160.

 [5] Ibid., 160-190.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last post, we discussed the gifts the Magi gave to Jesus. But when were these gifts actually given? Even though most Christmas stories have the Magi arriving with the shepherds to view the baby Jesus, we find from Scripture that the Magi actually came much later (Mt 2:11). We also know that the early Catholic Church recognized this distinction by celebrating Epiphany (the arrival of the Magi, the three kings) in January. How much later did they actually arrive? Well, let’s see if we can piece all the clues together.

Many say that Christmas was created to provide a Christian alternative for a pagan holiday, but is that the whole story? Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s investigate.

Frederick Larsen (1) has given a lot of evidence on specific dates for the events of Jesus’ early life. I won’t go into all that he has done. It’s fascinating, so I hope you check it out in more detail.

Based upon several Biblical passages, (Gn 49:9; Rv 12:1-5) and the conjunction of specific planets or stars (Jupiter, Regulus, and Venus), it is likely that Jesus’ conception was in September of 3 BC. This puts the event around Rosh Hashanah of that year. Very apropos, don’t you think? This holiday is also called Feast of Trumpets in Scripture (Lv 23:24-15) and was a memorial feast of the blowing of trumpets to ask God to remember His covenant with Israel.2 The conception of the Messiah would indeed represent God remembering his people after the 400 years of prophetic silence.

If this is true, it would put his birth nine months later in June of 2 BC. This also coincides with a triple conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus, and Jupiter then continuing its journey for a rendezvous with Venus, noted as the Mother planet. With the naked eye, these stars would appear as one star – one very bright star. In addition, this would put Christ’s birth near the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (or Pentecost). This holiday has marked many paradigm shifts in scripture: (2) e.g. giving of the Law, and the beginning of the church. And now, we see this fits with his birth as it was certainly a paradigm shift for Israel. We don’t have time to get into all of that here, but look at his teachings and the Jewish leaders’ response as well as his initial gospel to Israel.

Now, if we follow Larsen’s logic of when the star was over Bethlehem and appeared to “stay” (i.e., as Jupiter entered retrograde motion), it would put their visit at Bethlehem on December 25, 2 BC. Isn’t that interesting? The first gifts were given when we actually give gifts to each other. Somewhat serendipitous? Maybe.

This also helps us understand why Herod killed everyone in Bethlehem two years old and younger. While the above information would show that Jesus was only six months old at this time, we need to realize the signs in the stars occurred nine months earlier which would make the total time to be slightly under two years. Herod, and the wise men, may have been unsure if the initial signs were of conception or of birth. Herod was making sure of either in case it was the later.

I find it interesting and awesome that all that happened in the birth of Christ match the meaning of the different Jewish festivals upon which they occurred around, and although December was chosen to celebrate his birth as an alternative to a pagan holiday, it still has a Biblical significance showing us when those first gifts were actually given. Sometime serendipity isn’t serendipity at all.

Have a joyous New Year.

1Frederick A. Larsen, “The Star of Bethlehem.” Sound Enterprises, Inc., http://www.bethlehemstar.net/

2Robert R. Congdon, An Appointment with God: The Feasts of the Lord (Bloomington, IN: CrossBooks, 2009).

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

You may have heard the story many times about the three wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. We’ve had previous discussions about was it really three, when they came, and how much of an uproar did they really cause when they met Herod. Yet, I want to focus on the gifts they gave. We read the following in Scripture: “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Mt 2:11).

I’m sure those are not really the gifts you’re hoping for on Christmas morning. Although, gold wouldn’t be so bad, right? But what would you do with frankincense and myrrh? Maybe you’ve heard, “gifts for a king” as the explanation. But why? True, they are all expensive and that is what one would expect someone to give to a king – expensive gifts. Yet, there is more to it than just that. Gold, of course, can, and does, represent his kingly stature. For indeed, he was to become the King of kings (Rv 17:14; 19:16). Frankincense was a spice used in incense and was used in the preparation of the incense used by the priests for worshipping God in the temple (Ex 30:34). Myrrh was a spice used for many things, but also commonly used on the dead for burial (Jn 19:39).

These gifts represented the three stations Christ would fulfill: prophet, priest, and king. Well, this is the order that we normally think, and it is the order in which Christ fulfilled these stations. Yet, this is the reverse order the Magi gave the gifts. Is that significant? I think so. Christ was a prophet at his first coming (Dt 18:15; Mt 13:57, 14:5, 21:11; Lk 1:76, 4:24; Jn 4:19, 6:14, 7:40), and like most prophets, he was killed. Myrrh was used to anoint his dead body for burial. Today, he is our high priest (Hb 4:14-15; 8:1 – 9:28). Therefore, frankincense was a very suitable gift. He is coming back as a king and will reign (Rv 17:14; 19:16). Gold was a very suitable gift to represent this.

Yet, as we stated, the gifts were given in the reverse order of how Christ fulfilled, and will fulfill, them. That is because the gift of king was given first. That is what the angel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary (Lk 1:31-33), that is what John the Baptist proclaimed and offered to the people (Mt 3:1-2), and that is what Christ first offered at the beginning of his ministry (Mt 4:17). Gold – his kingship – was offered first. It was rejected by many people and the leaders of Israel. Therefore, what was offered first became what will be given last. But that did not alter God’s perfect plan because we still benefited as he offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins and now intercedes for us. Yet, this first offer is still offered to us. Yet now, we must first accept the myrrh and frankincense in order to have the gold. Are you willing? Will you accept the myrrh – his sacrifice for your sins? Will you accept the frankincense – have him be your high priest to intercede for you before God the Father? It is only then you can accept the gold – have him as your king and watch him become the King of kings. Christmas is touted to be about peace. That can only happen when you accept the gold, but you must first accept the myrrh. The order of the gifts was important, but the fulfillment of those gifts are even more important. Will you accept them?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

This is the monologue that I wrote and then gave tonight at our Christmas Eve service at our church. I thought I would share it with you. I hope you are blessed by it.

Can you believe that? Almost being fired for delivering news we have all waited for for centuries. I mean, who else should be more excited than me about this, but them? I thought that was why my great grandfather, by grandfather, my father, and I have worked as shepherds for the temple.

My father taught me it was an honor to watch over the sheep that produce lambs for temple sacrifice. We have always taken great pride in ensuring the animals are without any blemish because we want only the best to be offered to Yahweh. The Torah commands it. We obey. That’s what the priests teach us and repeat to us almost every time we bring them the lambs.

“We can’t afford to offer anything with any hint of sickness, deformity, or blemish,” they say. “It’s your job to ensure that,” they drill into us.

And we do! I can’t remember a single time I had to be reprimanded for bringing in a bad lamb or goat.

I learned from my father and grandfather what to do. And I was determined to do it even better. I was going to be known for the quality of my work. I would watch each ewe carefully for when they showed signs of being ready to deliver. I would bring them to Migdal Eder, our watchtower for the flock just outside Bethlehem, when they got near their time for delivery so I could watch them closely. As soon as the lamb was born, I would grab it, wrap, and swaddle it so neither the mother could accidently kick or step on it nor the lamb somehow injure itself. The swaddling cloths would cause the lamb to calm. After it calmed down, I would place it in the stone manger and examine every square inch of its body to ensure it was a lamb worthy of temple sacrifice: free from any blemish or malady. I had to watch all the lambs born for an entire year to ensure they fed properly, didn’t become too rambunctious, or do anything that could potentially harm or mar them in any way. Even if I do say so myself, that’s a lot of hard work. And I take great pride in it. Doing otherwise yielded harsh consequences.

Oh, I saw how these “benevolent” priests could get so riled when things didn’t go their way. I was determined not to go through their scolding. They can be brutal. After all, wasn’t it only a couple months ago they were commending me on the quality of sheep they got from me for Passover? Now, today, they tell me I must be drunk because I saw hallucinations, and if I don’t stop spreading these false rumors, they will not only fire me but excommunicate me. And maybe even my entire family from the temple! I can’t bring such a disgrace to my family.

But I can’t deny what happened and what I saw either.

There we all were, sitting around the campfire as the sheep had finally settled down. All of a sudden, the dark, night sky burst into glorious light. It was a light almost like that of the sun, but different somehow. I was able to look at it. The light began to move, and I realized it wasn’t light after all, but an angel! I didn’t know what was happening and wanted to run, but my feet wouldn’t move. I was terrified, I tell you. But the angel spoke. Such a calming tone yet commanding somehow.

“Don’t be afraid,” the angel said. “I bring you good news of great joy which is for all people. Born to you, even today, in the City of David is a Savior, the Christ, the Messiah you have been waiting for. Here is a sign for you: you will find him as a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in the manger.”

Then, suddenly, the night sky exploded with light. Many, many angels seemed to be everywhere around us! Each shining like a glorious star—and singing. I can still hear them:

“Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.”

We all were stunned, standing there looking into the sky with mouths partially open. I don’t know how long it lasted. It seemed like an eternity and like a split second at the same time. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, they vanished.

The darkness enveloped us once again.

We all just stared at each other for several seconds.

Benjamin broke the silence and said, “What just happened?”

“A miracle,” Elimelech added.

I then chimed in, “Let’s go see.”

“See what?” Benjamin asked. Benjamin has always been a little slow on the uptake, granted, but I just couldn’t believe him.

“See what? The baby, the Messiah, of course.”

“Let’s do it,” Eldad replied, “but where?”

Maybe they were still too stunned, but I know they heard the same words as I did.

“Why, Midgal Eder, of course. Where else has a manger we know about?”

So, we left Simon and Jesse with the sheep as the rest of us headed to the watchtower.

As we approached Migdal Eder, we saw a small fire going, so we knew someone was using the watchtower. The timing for birthing of the lambs was practically over so we only had some supplies and a few animals there at the time. When we poked our heads in, a woman and man looked at us, at first startled, but the mother then smiled at us—almost like she knew we would be coming. She was somewhat rocking the baby as it lay in the stone manger; she waved for us to come closer.

The man spoke first. “I am Joseph. This is my wife, Mary. And this . . .”

Mary picked up the infant so I could see his face, “is our son.”

I think I gasped. It was such a special moment.

Now any baby is cute, but this one—well, he was different. His eyes were so mesmerizing. Looking into his eyes was like looking into eternity. I can’t really explain it, but I just knew he was special—he was the One Israel had been waiting for. With eyes like that, yes, he was the One.

“What is his name?” I asked.

The mother smiled and said, “Jesus.”

I grinned. “The Lord Saves.”

Mary nodded. “He will save his people from their sins.”

My eyes began to water. “My name is Joshua,” I said.

Mary smiled again. “Then you both have something in common already. Your names are similar to each other,” she said as she placed her son back in the manger.

I nodded again—overcome with emotion.

I looked down at the infant in the stone manger, and I gasped again. He looked just like a newborn lamb I would wrap in swaddling cloths inspecting it for blemishes to ensure it would be suitable for sacrifice. It hit me like a ton of bricks. This is the One who would save his people from their sins. Sin requires sacrifice. This meant he would, somehow, become the sacrifice for Israel. How he would do that I had no idea but knew he would. This One had come to be born to die.

My eyes watered again, and I looked at Mary who seemed to know what I was thinking. She gave a slight nod as her eyes watered as well.

It then struck me what Joseph had said. “If you are married, how can you be the virgin to give birth to our promised Messiah as prophesied by the great prophet Isaiah?”

Mary touched my shoulder and looked into my eyes. “I assure you; the Holy Spirit has conceived this child. Joseph and I have not yet been together.”

When I looked at Joseph, he nodded. “I took her as my wife to protect her.”

I nodded as I knew immediately what he meant. Knowing the wrath the priests could bring upon someone, I knew he had likely saved her from being stoned to death. But I just knew the high priest would welcome this one with open arms. After all, this baby was fulfilling prophecy, several in fact, and the Sanhedrin certainly believed in prophecy, or so I thought.

I told Joseph and Mary all that had happened: about the angel and what he said, about the angels singing, and the bright star I had noticed.

“Oh,” she said, “I don’t think many even look up to notice the star. How did you notice it?”

I laughed. “A shepherd has two things to do,” I said. “Tend sheep during the day and look at the stars at night. And I’m certainly not going to count sheep at night to go to sleep. I spend all day counting sheep. I’d rather just look at the stars until I fall asleep.”

Both Mary and Joseph thought that a little funny.

We stayed a little longer and then left the couple there with their infant so they could have privacy and get some sleep themselves.

I had a hard time sleeping that night, though. What would the priests say? Would we still have a job if the true sacrifice was already with us?

But I learned something. Greed trumps prophecy. I overhead some of the priests say that if the people heard what I had just told them, then they may stop buying sheep for sacrifice. They definitely didn’t want that to happen. Then, as I said earlier, they threatened me to remain silent. I eventually told them what they wanted to hear: I would not spread false rumors.

But what I saw and heard was not false. No! It was truth!

Truth is something to be shared. And that is what I will do! I will share the truth because it is the truth that will set one free. So, I will go and spread truth. After what you’ve heard from me, I hope you will do the same. Until we meet again. Shalom.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Well, if you remember events of a decade ago, the world, according to many, was supposed to have ended on December 21, 2012, at 11:11 UTC. That would have been at 6:11 am where I live (EST).  Interestingly, I had my clock alarm set for 6:30. I figured if something cataclysmic would happen, that would be my alarm instead. However, for some reason I woke up at 6:09 am. OK, I thought, I will just sit here for two minutes . . . three . . . four . . . five. Ok, time for my shower.

So, why were some so sure of the end of the world? Oh, and why did so many think that Bugarach in the French Pyrenees was the parking lot for alien UFOs and the place where they would be saved by these aliens when the end of the world happened? Also, there were thousands of visitors at the Mayan ruins in Mexico at this time. So, why is it so easy for people to believe these types of things than it is for people to believe what the Bible says? Mankind is a strange creature. We pride ourselves for being so intelligent but yet we can get so easily duped.

We missed the signs. Yet, this is not really an uncommon phenomenon. It was even true the very first Christmas. There were many Old Testament prophecies that the Messiah’s birth was going to happen and if you had asked most Jews did they believe these prophecies to be true they would have stated a resounding yes. But, if you had asked them would it occur in their lifetime, most probably would have said no or just shrugged. Why? Well, believing something and expecting something are two different things. They believed, or wanted to believe, but they did not make it personal and were not expectant. What about the Jewish leaders? They should have known all the specific prophecies and even of Daniel's prophecy where at least the year of the coming Messiah could be known somewhat accurately. Shouldn’t they have known?  Well, when positions of spiritual authority turn into political positions and become “jobs,” a lot is lost. There is too much one must do to be sure their “job” is not taken away, there are many people with whom they need to meet and placate. Therefore, the component of spiritual overseer becomes diluted with managerial responsibilities. They also knew but were not expecting.

However, the clues of the Messiah’s birth were not really buried either—at least not to those who were observant. Let’s look at a few that the Jewish leaders at least should have recognized:

 1. Daniel’s prophecy (Dn 9:25-26). He prophesied when the Messiah would be revealed to his people. Now there is of course some knowledge of events that were needed, but the Jewish leaders, whose job it was to know their scriptures, could have figured out a general timeframe of when the Messiah would be expected; they should have been anticipating his arrival. However, they were not. Jesus even stated that it saddened him they were not expecting him (Lk 19:41-42).

 2. The Magi came to Jerusalem (Mt 2:1-12). This created quite the stir. When asked about the birth of the Messiah, it was the chief priests who told Herod and the Magi of the prophecy in Micah that he would be born in Bethlehem (Mi 5:2). The Magi went, the chief priests stayed. Doesn’t that strike you as odd? If the Magi thought the awaited Messiah had been born, why didn’t the chief priests go and find out? Both the chief priests and the Magi knew of the prophecy. The difference was that the Magi acted upon what they knew but the chief priests did not.

 3. The shepherds (Lk 2:8-21). These were not just ordinary shepherds but those who tended the sheep for the temple sacrifices. Therefore, they were under the supervision of the temple priests. Undoubtedly the shepherds told the priests what they saw, and I would think the priests would have told the chief priests. Why didn’t they put two and two together? They would also have known of Micah’s prophecy of the Messiah’s coming would be announced at Migdal Eder (the watchtower of the flock; Mi 4:8).

What about this Christmas? Are you missing the signs of the meaning of Christmas? Are you getting distracted by the business and commercialization of the season? Go back to the first few chapters of Matthew and Luke to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas. It will make a big difference and reignite the true holiday spirit.

Are there other signs we are missing? Well, the Bible does state that Jesus Christ will return one day and does provide signs for us to look for (Mt 24-25 plus others). Are we ignoring them? Are we believing them but not expecting them? Many say they believe but are not expecting that it can happen in their lifetime, and so are not living with anticipation. Jesus expected the Jews to be anticipating his first coming (Lk 19:42). He expects us to be anticipating his second coming (2Tm 4:8). Are you learning and looking for the signs? Don’t make the mistake the Jewish leaders made: the prophecy was made so long ago that they were not expecting it to occur in their lifetime. Just remember, the older the prophecy, the more likely for it to occur during your lifetime.

This Christmas look toward the signs that most people have missed. It is there where you will find the true meaning of Christmas. I hope your Christmas is a very blessed one this year. And remember, you survived the false end of the world, be sure you’re ready to survive the real one! That is only possible by understanding the true meaning of Christmas.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

For about three centuries after the birth of Jesus Christ, his birthday was not celebrated. The early church focused more on Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection as that was considered more important because believing this act of Christ was payment for mankind’s sin, for any individual’s sin, and was how one was able to have eternal life. That was certainly more important than when Christ was physically born. One can’t argue with that point.

However, as the early church became more organized and developed into what became the Catholic Church, church leaders looked for ways to turn people toward Christian ways and away from pagan ways. However, this had both positive and negative consequences. The pro of this was that it gave a positive slant to a pagan holiday and allowed traditions to become more Christianized. However, the negative is that this was an attempt to force people to accept Christianity by changing their traditions rather than reaching the hearts of people to change their internal focus which would then affect their outward actions. So what resulted was a blend of Christian customs and traditions with and pagan customs and traditions into the same holiday.

The first claim that Christ’s birthday was on December 25th seems to have occurred in 221 AD. Yet, there was still no real celebration. The first recorded celebration of December 25th as Christ’s birthday was in the Calendar of Filocalus in 354 AD. Furius Dionysius Filocalus was the leading scribe or calligrapher during this period—just after the reign of Constantine. Another date celebrated by some was January 6th, called Epiphany, meaning the manifestation of God to man. Eastern orthodox Christians said this was proven at his baptism and western Christians said this was proven at the visit of the Magi. The time between December 25th and January 6th became known as the 12 days of Christmas.

Although church officials knew that Jesus was not born in winter, why did they choose December 25th as the day to celebrate Christ’s birth? Well, most cultures had a pagan celebration of the winter solstice. The early celebrations, like Saturnalia, also had human sacrifice, licentious rites, drunkenness, and all sorts of abbreviate behavior. Therefore, it is not far reaching to understand why the church officials wanted to turn this type of celebration around. However, as usual, many of the pagan rituals became part of the Christian celebration, although they usually became tamer and over time lost their original intent and meaning.

So, if Christ was not born in December, when was he born? Scripture tells us that the angel Gabriel appeared to a young Jewish girl named Mary who was betrothed to Joseph, but they were not yet married (Lk 1:26-27). However, it was Jewish custom for the official marriage to occur sometime later but even at this stage even though there was no cohabitation they were considered legally married and a formal divorce was necessary to break the marriage covenant. Gabriel told Mary she would bear a son with the help of the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:35) and her son would be the Messiah, she should name him Jesus, and he would be equal in state to God, would one day sit on the throne of David (Lk 1:30-33), and would save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21). Jesus being equal with God is a fulfillment of many Old Testament scriptures (2Sa 7:8-16; 1Ki 2:24-25; Ps 2:1-12; Ps 89:14, 19-29, 35-37; Ps 110:1-7; Ps 132:11-12; Is 9:6-7; Is 11:1-5, 10; Jr 23:5-6).

Isaiah had prophesied the Messiah would be born to a virgin (Mt 1:23; Is 7:14). In Isaiah, the word “almah” which is the more precise and accurate Hebrew word for virgin and Matthew uses the Greek word “parthenos” which is always interpreted “virgin.” Although this did fulfill prophecy and people were expectant of a coming true Messiah, having a child without a man would seem physically impossible and so God appeared to Joseph in a dream to let him know of Mary’s truthfulness (Mt 1:18-25). Because Christ had no human father, he became the word of God to mankind and was equal to God (Jn 1:1). Joseph therefore claimed the pregnancy as his own, initiated cohabitation, but did not have intercourse with Mary until after Jesus’ birth (Mt 1:24-25).

Rick Larson in his DVD Star of Bethlehem gives compelling evidence to the date of Christ’s conception. At the time of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, in September of 3 BC, the planet Jupiter (known as the king planet) made a very close conjunction with the star Regulus (known as the king star), and over the next couple of months Jupiter actually made three conjunctions with Regulus. Not only that, but this occurred in the constellation of Leo which is the constellation representing a lion, both a symbol of Judah and of royalty as well as of the coming conquering Messiah; it would fulfill the prophecy of Isaac to Judah (Gn 49:9) as these three conjunctions would be occurring around the feet of Leo within this constellation. In addition, the constellation Virgo at the time of Rosh Hashanah in 3 BC would occur during the daytime, i.e., clothed in the sun, as described in Revelation, with the new moon at her feet (Rv 12:1-5). Rosh Hashanah was also known as the Feast of Trumpets (Lv 23:24-25) which was a memorial feast of the blowing of trumpets to ask God to remember His covenant with Israel.  Therefore, the conception of the Messiah would indeed represent God remembering His people after the 400 years of prophetic silence.

Therefore, if conception was in September of 3 BC, then Christ’s birth would occur around 9 months later: June 2 BC. There are two other events that also help us to see that this is likely the date of Christ’s birth. Again, the stars tell the story. After the triple conjunction of Jupiter with Regulus, Jupiter continued its journey for a rendezvous with Venus, the Mother planet. With the naked eye, they would appear as one star—one very bright star. This would have occurred on June 2 BC. This was also around the time of Shavuot which has been the festival around different paradigm shifts. It was this time that God made the covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai (Ex 19) and the time the Holy Spirit was given to the first Christians (Ac 2)—both paradigm shifts of how God intervened with His relationship to mankind. Christ’s birth would certainly fit into this category as well.

Next time we will look further at how the star played a role in Christ’s birth and the place of Christ’s birth.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We’ve gone through several blog posts on this topic. We now come to the end of this particular series. Here is a summary of what we have discussed.

•Sheol / Hades was originally for both righteous (those who accepted their coming Messiah by faith as the payment for their sins) and unrighteous; temporary; both face future resurrection at different times

•Sheol / Hades was divided into at least three sections

Upper Part: Righteous were in a place of comfort; after crucifixion, Christ went here for 3 days and was then resurrected to overcome death; he then took the occupants to heaven

•Lower Part – Pit: Wicked were in a place of punishment/torment; they remain there today

•Abyss: Certain angels were in a type of ‘prison’ known as Tartarus; currently still there

•Gehenna is equivalent to the Lake of Fire mentioned in Scripture; occurs after Great White Throne Judgment at the end of Christ’s Millennial Reign on earth and equates to our concept of “eternal hell”

•Paradise is anywhere Jesus Christ is in His glorified state

•Enoch, Moses & Elijah were the only ones taken to Heaven prior to Christ’s first coming and they served as hope and assured those looking forward to their Messiah’s coming they would one day be with Him

•Today the righteous go directly to heaven and are with Christ who has chosen to always be in glorified human form to identify with us for eternity

•Christians today will be resurrected at the Rapture or be changed to their glorified state and return with Christ at the end of the Tribulation Period

•Christ will reign on earth for 1000 years in a theocracy; the curse will be lifted; he will reign with righteousness and justice (i.e., an iron scepter); all creatures live in harmony, both those glorified and non-glorified will live together, those glorified will help Christ rule and administer His kingdom; those born will have free will; Israel will lead earth in worship of Christ; temple will be built to show what Christ did, to show what death is, and to atone for sin until those accept Christ through faith, and cleanse inanimate objects used in worship of a holy God

•Satan is released at the end of the Millennium; he uses human nature against mankind and gets many followers; they attack Jerusalem and are destroyed.

•The current heaven and atmosphere are destroyed by fire

•The unrighteous are resurrected and face the Great White Throne Judgment and are cast into the Lake of Fire (eternal hell)

•New Heaven and atmosphere are created; the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven to earth

•Those already glorified enter into eternity as glorified beings

•It is likely those humans in the Millennium will enter eternity as human and become the nations mentioned in Rv 21; they may be able to have children

•The propensity to sin is removed (perhaps like what Christ did for angels)

•Nations will bring God’s glory to him; likely meaning that science and life will continue similarly as we know it but credit for all discoveries will be given to Christ

•All our talents and gifts Christ has given us today will be used for his honor and glory

If this is the first of these posts you have read, I hope you will go back through each one to better understand each of the above bullets. I hope you can see that God cares for us and loves us. Although his love will continue forever, his longsuffering and mercy will not last forever. That is why he gives us so much warning and never gives up on us. He is coming. I trust you will be ready. He definitely wants you to be.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Let’s finish up our topic on contrasting heaven and hell with two final posts. We have spent several posts on understanding both hell and heaven. While there is a lot more that could be presented, I think we have covered some significant topics. I thought we would do some review via a question and answer session. See if you can answer the questions before reading the answers. Review the previous posts for the supportive scriptures.

1. The Bible is not consistent in stating what happens to someone when they die. Therefore, can we really know what happens after death?

A. There is a progression over history as to what happens to those who die

a. Prior to Christ’s death: All dead resided in Sheol

b. After Christ’s resurrection: Righteous in Heaven; Unrighteous remain in Sheol

2. What do we mean by “righteous”?

A. Those who accept Christ by faith

a. Prior to Christ’s first coming, those who accepted by faith that their coming Messiah would be the sin sacrifice for their sins and that would be their only merit to enter Heaven

b. After Christ’s first coming, those who accept by faith that Christ paid the penalty for their sin on the cross and only through Him do we have merit to enter Heaven

3. Doesn’t the Old Testament supports soul sleep? No one is conscious until they are resurrected, right?

A. Many scriptures contrast death to the living which can sometimes feel there is no consciousness there; yet, there are many scriptures that allude to being with loved ones, activity, and speaking that occurs in Sheol.

4. Isn’t it true that there is no torment or flames in Sheol? Doesn’t only the parable by Christ in New Testament state torment or flame?

A. There are passages in the Old Testament that do refer to flames and/or torment in Sheol for those who were labeled ‘wicked’

a. There is no torment mentioned for those labeled ‘righteous’

b. Yet, neither are there passages that consider Sheol to be a paradise for the righteous

5. If God is going to send people to an eternal hell, why wouldn’t there be more verses in the Bible that are clearer on this topic?

A. God expects people to understand the subtleties in scripture

a. It was a concept understood by Jewish society and therefore did not need emphasis

b. Only when one tries to justify their own will can the scriptures be ignored

6. Isn’t sending people to hell outside of God’s character of love?

A. We should not confuse ‘love’ with ‘longsuffering’

a. God loves everyone but mankind also has responsibility

b. Is love true love if only one-sided?

c. Can one hate God and not reverence Him and yet claim it is unjust to receive consequence?

d. You can rest on God’s love or His justice. God has never been ‘fair’ because it is not a Biblical concept.

7. What is the purpose of the Rapture?

A. God removes the Church so He can “remember” his covenant with Israel.

a. This is the prophetic significance of Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets)

b. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb cannot occur until the entire Church is with Him

c. Another concept of the Rapture would the The Receiving: that is, the receiving of the bride (the church) by Christ (the groom)

8. What is the purpose of the Tribulation? Why does this have to occur?

A. The main purpose is so God can work with Israel once again.

a. It is a final fulfillment of Dt 28 & 29

b. It is global because Jews and those of Israeli descent are worldwide today

c. This time fulfills scripture of how God will again bring Judah and Israel back together into one nation

d. This time forces Israel to do what his loving prodding could not: accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah before He returns to the earth.

e. God’s will still prevails even when Satan is supposedly in control

9. How do we know Christ’s Millennial Kingdom will be an actual physical kingdom?

A. Not only Revelation, but many passages in the Old Testament refer to this time and describe it as a physical kingdom.

a. This re-establishes the theocracy that was lost by Adam and proves why Christ is superior to Satan

b. This allows Israel to become the kingdom of priests to the world originally offered to them

c. This further tests humanity and proves that their rebellion has nothing to do with Satan

10. Why would Christ’s Millennial Kingdom need to come to an end if it is supposed to be so wonderful?

A. Christ’s earthly reign is not perfect. It is a theocracy containing sinful people.

a. Sin has to be removed in its entirety before a perfect kingdom can be established

b. Therefore, the earth and all those not responding to Christ must be removed

c. A sinless earth and heaven is created, populated by sinless people

d. However, it is likely there will still be humans without the propensity to sin present who will continue to “inherit the earth”; and maybe even the universe

I hope this helps you understand the Bible presents a cohesive message and not a hodgepodge of ideas to be interpreted any way one wishes. God has a plan and you are a part of it.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Hanukkah begins at sundown on November 28th this year. What is the significance of this Jewish holiday and is it in the Bible? Well, first of all, it is not part of the festivals that God gave to the Israelites when they left Egypt and, therefore, does not have a prophetic significance for the nation of Israel that those seven festivals/holidays possess. However, the holiday is Biblical in that it is mentioned in the Bible, and it actually does have some prophetic significance. Let’s investigate further.

The first Hanukkah occurred between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament—called the Silent Years. However, that does not mean there was not a lot going on during this time. This period of history was prophesied by Daniel.

In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, Daniel was in the palace at Susa along the Ulai River (Dn 8:1-2), a tributary of the Tigris River, and approximately 200 miles east of Babylon. Daniel had a vision in which he saw a ram with two horns, with one horn higher than the other, which pushed north, south, and west without anyone being able to resist its power (Dn 8:3-4). He then saw a he goat with one large horn in the middle of its forehead which was in the west and pushed eastward so swiftly its feet did not seem to touch the ground (Dn 8:5). This he goat smote the ram, broke off the ram’s two horns, and utterly destroyed the ram (Dn 8:6-7). The he goat became very strong but then the one horn was broken off and 4 horns took its place (Dn 8:8). Then out of one of the horns came another smaller horn which became mighty and pushed south, east, and toward Israel. It then became very boastful and tried to magnify himself as great as God Himself and the daily sacrifice was taken away from the temple for 2,300 sacrifices at which time the temple was again cleansed (Dn 8:9-14). The daily sacrifice was made both morning and evening (Ex 29:38-39); therefore, this number of sacrifices would represent 1,150 days, or just slightly over 3 years.

Daniel tried to understand this vision but could not, but then the angel Gabriel came forward and explained it to him (Dn 8:15-17). The ram was the kingdom of Media and Persia, and the he-goat was Greece (Dn 8:20-21). Alexander the Great conquered the then known world very quickly with little resistance and did all of this by the age of 32, but then died in Babylon in 323 BC. When he died, his kingdom went into civil war until 315 BC when four of his generals divided Alexander’s kingdom up among themselves:  (1) Ptolemy Lagi ruled over Egypt, Palestine, and Arabia. He was assisted by a general named Seleucus, who had originally been given Babylon, but who was later forced out by Antigonus. (2) Antigonus controlled Syria, Babylonia, and central Asia. (3) Cassander ruled over Macedonia and Greece. (4) Lysimachus was the ruler of Thrace and Bythinia. However, civil war continued among the generals until the battle of Ipsus in 301 BC which left the kingdom into, again, 4 major parts but somewhat different rulers:  Empire of the Ptolomies (mainly Egypt but also included Israel and southern Syria), Empire of Seleucids (mainly Persia), Empire of Lysimichus (mainly Asia Minor), Empire of Greece and Macedonia ruled by Antigonus II Gonatas.

The Seleucid Empire gained control of Palestine in 198 BC during the Seleucid reign of Antiochus III the Great who took control over from Ptolemy V Epiphanes (meaning “illustrious one”). In 190 BC Antiochus the Great had a major battle with Rome and had to pay dearly for the defeat including his son Antiochus IV being taken to Rome. When Antiochus the Great died, Seleucus IV took the throne. To pay Rome, he taxed his subjects heavily. In Israel, Onias the High Priest resisted the Seleucids, but his brother Jason tried to get on their good side so that he could usurp his brother and become High Priest. In 175 BC, Antiochus IV murdered Seleucus IV and took control. He named himself Antiochus Epiphanes and took Jason up on his offer, removed Onias from the position as High Priest, and instated Jason in that position. Later, Menelaus offered Antiochus IV more money so Jason was out and Menelaus was in. Those of the Hasidim (“the pious ones”) who were trying to live righteously were outraged at these events and labeled Antiochus IV “Epimenes” (“the madman”). Antiochus IV tried to retake Egypt from the Ptolomies, but at one point Rome forced him to retreat which enraged him greatly and he took his frustration out on Jerusalem. This was not entirely rash as he hated the Jews because most were resistant to him. He tore down part of the city wall, defiled the temple by having sex with prostitutes within the temple and punished many of the Jews for their practices and later offered a pig on the temple altar, and set up a statue of Zeus within the temple. According to 1 Maccabees, this occurred on the 15th day of the 9th month (Kislev) (i.e., December 15, 168 BC). This was the final straw that started the Maccabean Revolt.

Antiochus Epiphanes’ persecution on the Jews escalated. One army delegation was sent to the village of Modein, about 17 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Mattathias Maccabaeus, the leader and priest of the city was expected to offer a sacrifice to honor Antiochus’ pagan gods. When Mattathias refused, another Jewish man agreed to do so fearing for the people’s lives. Mattathias in a zealous rage killed the man before he could make the sacrifice and then killed the army soldiers. The revolt had begun. This continued for 3 years under the leadership of Mattathias’ five sons: John, Simon, Judas, Eleazer, and Jonathan. According to 1 Maccabees, on the 25th day of the 9th month (Kislev) (i.e., December 25, 165 BC), slightly over 3 years after Antiochus Epiphanes had defiled the temple’s altar, Judas Maccabaeus was able to free Jerusalem from Seleucid control.  This period of time between the desecration and cleansing of the temple equates exactly to the time specified in Daniel’s vision (Dn 8:14). The Greek calendar had an intercalary month every other year with each regular year containing 360 days (30 days per month). Therefore, two years with intercalary months and one regular year plus 10 days equals exactly 1,150 days. It is interesting, yet prophetic confirming, that although Daniel did not know or use the Greek calendar when he had the vision, God knew the future and knew what type of calendar would be used during the fulfillment of the prophecy given.

Judas Maccabaeus had the temple rededicated and this event became known and celebrated as Hanukkah, also called the Feast of Lights or the Feast of Dedication (Jn 10:22). Antiochus Epiphanes then sent his general Lysias with instructions to wipe out the Jews. Lysias with 120,000 men and 32 war elephants met Judas Maccabeus and his small band of rebels 10 miles southwest of Jerusalem and Judas’ men were unable to prevail. However, Lysias received word that the Seleucid capital was under siege so he made an agreement with Judas that the Jews could worship as they pleased if they continued to remain politically loyal to the Seleucid empire and Judas agreed. As recorded in 1 Maccabees, the news of the failed conquest put Antiochus Epiphanes in such shock that it made him physically ill, and he never recovered even though it seems that in the end he regretted his actions and felt that his dying was payment for what he had done.

Gabriel also told Daniel that this vision he had experienced was also of the last days (Dn 8:17). Therefore, it seems that Antiochus Epiphanes was a prototype of the Antichrist yet to come. They have many similarities: both will have power over the earth, be satanically influenced, will wage war with the holy people and cause them to be destroyed in the name of peace, will desecrate the temple, and will proclaim himself to be as God and therefore be at war with God Himself, but will not ultimately succeed (Dn 8:24-25). Daniel was told that these events would not occur for some time, but the vision affected him so greatly he was physically sick for some days but then recovered and went about his daily work (Dn 8:26-27).

Jesus also speaks of this in what has become known as his Olivet Discourse (Mt 24-25). His disciples had asked him what the signs of the time would be when he would set up his earthly kingdom. Jesus was telling them of what to expect to happen shortly before his second coming. For one of these signs, Jesus spoke of an end-time vision given to Daniel (Mt 24:15) where an "abomination that causes desolation" (Dn 9:27) will be set up within the temple—a similar event that Antiochus Epiphanes performed earlier in history. This would be a sign of much suffering to come for Israel and those able should flee for their lives. Therefore, it seems the first Hanukkah was prophetic for what will occur during the time known as the Great Tribulation when the Antichrist will cause such great suffering on this earth.

Hanukkah is mentioned one other place in the Bible and is called the Feast of Dedication (Jn 10:22). It was called Feast of Dedication because the temple was cleansed and rededicated to God on that first Hanukkah. Tradition has it that there was just enough olive oil for the temple menorah for one day, but it lasted for eight days to give the priests time to prepare more consecrated olive oil for the temple. Whether this miracle occurred or not I am not sure anyone really knows, but it does demonstrate that God provides. Actually, this was the message that Jesus had on that Hanukkah when he taught the people and the Jewish leaders at the temple that day. Jesus stated that God had provided for his people and sent them the Messiah to whom they had looked for millennia. Jesus told them that his works proved from where he came, he would provide eternal life to all those who would believe in him, and he and the Father were one and the same (Jn 10:25-30). There is no other way these claims could be true if he and God were not equal. He even proved to them that even David knew that his Messiah would be equal to God Himself (Jn 10:34-38; Ps 82:6). Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders would not believe. They had just lit the menorah which gave light but could not see the light that was right in front of them. Let us not do the same.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

As was stated in the last post, there was an English translation of the Bible before the King James Bible, so why was that and how did the Bible come about anyway? Well, let’s explore. This will be an abbreviated version, but more information can be found at English Bible History.

Well . . . to begin we must go back a long way—to the time of Moses. Moses is the one who wrote the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch (around 1450 BC). Then over the next millennia we have the remainder of the Old Testament written. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew on scrolls. There were Hebrew scribes whose sole purpose was to transcribe the scripture from one scroll to another. They were so meticulous that if a mistake was made, even if one letter touched another, they would take out that part of the scroll and then take out the next portion of the scroll because that part had touched a mistake. Although that sounds like overkill, it shows the seriousness they took in making sure their transcriptions were accurate. It also shows how meticulous they would be to ensure they did not make a mistake. It is not a surprise then, that when the Dead Sea scrolls were found, what is in our current Bible today from Isaiah is identical in almost every detail to the scrolls found.

There are many writings, called the Apocrypha, which were usually kept with the Old Testament scriptures, but most Jews considered them more like popular writings, not really inspired scripture. What we know today as the 39 books of the Old Testament were considered the inspired scriptures.

In the New Testament when we read of the people talking about “the scriptures” they are referring to the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures considered inspired (not the Apocrypha). That is because what we now know as the New Testament was not part of the scriptures at that time in history. The New Testament books, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, and Jude, were completed by 95 AD. Since Greek was the language of the day, the New Testament was written in Greek. Again, these letters which became our scripture were written on scrolls.

We must thank Athanasius of Alexandria, who lived in the 4th century, for our current New Testament. He waged a spiritual war against those who, in his statements, wanted to dilute the gospel by trying to include non-inspired writings into the scriptures. While he agreed that many of them were worth reading, he did not feel they should be included in a combined cannon of scripture. He also fiercely fought against Arianism which taught Jesus Christ had a beginning and was not equal with God Himself. This doctrine almost caused a split within the Christian realm. This was the time of Emperor Constantine who wanted a united Christian church and thereby called together 1800 bishops (of which only 300 came—it seems Christian apathy is nothing new!) to Nicaea which has become known as the council of Nicaea. From this meeting came the official rejection of Arianism and the recognition of the 27 books of our present New Testament. Although the book of Revelation remained controversial until the 10th century! The downside was that Constantine instituted a more organized government of the church and became the foundation for the Roman Catholic Church. I say downside because this started a slippery slope where fewer and fewer people had more and more power and control which decreased the chance of having check and balances in place around how scripture should be interpreted. This is not about bashing on the Catholic Church. It is just a matter of history. The Protestants have some skeletons in their closet as well.

In 382, Jerome translated the Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament into Latin, the official language of the organized church. This became known as the Latin Vulgate. He included the Apocrypha as well although he did denote these books were likely not inspired scripture. Over the next 100 years, the Bible was translated into over 500 languages. However, over the next 100 years, there was only one: the Latin Vulgate. The Roman Catholic Church had outlawed any other version of the Bible, and anyone caught with any other version could be executed. As with any institution, any time there is a human in power it can lead to corruption. Remember the saying, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. As is always the case, those in power must be extra vigilant of their responsibility before God.

Unfortunately, even the church was, and is, not immune to this problem. Since only the priests of the church were trained in Latin, the common people were totally dependent upon the church for interpretation of what the Bible said to them. Thereby, many corrupt practices were instituted by those in power to increase the wealth of the institutional church. This diluted the actual spiritual influence on the people. As the Roman Catholic Church influenced more and more civilizations, the institutional church forced morality outwardly rather than changing people inwardly and then allowing their believe in God to change them outwardly. This is how it was for most of the Dark and Middle Ages.

The only major non-Catholic influence during this time was on the Scottish Isle of Ionia when a man by the name of Columba started a Bible College. Tradition has it that it may have had its beginning from the influence of Joseph of Arimathea. John Wycliffe was from this background and an Oxford professor who was a major force of the Reformation in the 1300’s whose purpose was to get the Bible back into the hands of the masses in their own native tongue. He had many English manuscripts produced from translations using the Latin Vulgate. One of his followers, John Hus, continued his work. However, the Roman Church had him burned at the stake in 1415 using Wycliffe’s translations as kindling for the fire! Huss stated that the Church would not be able to suppress this forever and would lose within 100 years.

Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450’s and his first publication was the Latin version of the Bible. This paved the way for others to get Bibles to the masses more quickly. This invention became what allowed the Reformation to become so successful. In the 1490’s Thomas Linacre and John Colet, both Oxford professors taught themselves Greek so they could read the New Testament in its original language. They found many errors in the Latin Vulgate, but the Roman Catholic Church was still adamant that one could only read the Bible in Latin even though it was not its original language. Colet began translating directly from Greek into English and passing it out to the masses. His church service grew to 20,000 people! He barely escaped execution. Who you know has always seemed to matter!

Building on the experience of these two, Erasmus then had a Greek—Latin parallel Bible printed. However, this Latin translation was from the original Greek. This further highlighted the errors that had been propagated from the transcriptions made from the Latin Vulgate and pointed to the fact that one must constantly go back to the original language to prevent inaccuracies. However, the Roman Catholic Church was not sympathetic and refused to recognize this version of the Bible.

William Tyndale in England and Martin Luther in Germany were contemporaries with a similar mission in mind. True to Hus’ prophecy, it was about 100 years later, on Halloween in 1517, that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses of Contention on the church’s door in Wittenberg, Germany. Also, in 1517, the Roman Catholic Church had 7 families burned at the stake because they taught their children to recite the Lord’s Prayer in English rather than in Latin. Although Luther was almost martyred and later exiled, he was able to publish a German translation of Erasmus’ Greek-Latin New Testament into the most widely used German dialect in 1522 (later got the entire Bible published in German in 1530). Tyndale wanted to do the same; visited Luther in 1525 and by the end of that year was able to publish the Tyndale New Testament and at the same time eluding capture and execution.

The Bishop tried to burn them as fast as he could confiscate them, but they were so popular they spread everywhere and even found its way to King Henry VIII. While King Henry was not really that interested in the Christian cause, this did lead him to devise a plan of his own. Because the Pope would not allow him to divorce his wife and marry his mistress, he devised a plan to accomplish this with the church’s blessing. He married her anyway, removed England from the jurisdiction of Rome and made himself head of state and head of the church, which became known as the Anglican Church or Church of England. And, just for spite, he funded the printing of English Bibles.

However, when Queen “Bloody” Mary came to the English throne she was determined to return England under Roman Catholicism and began persecuting and executing Reformers by burning them at the stake. Many fled to Switzerland. The church in Geneva was sympathetic to the Reformers’ cause and the members put together an English scholarly translation that instituted chapters and verses in order to follow public reading better and many margin notes so families could train their families. The Geneva Bible was published in 1560 and became the first English study Bible. About this time the reign of England was now under Queen Elizabeth I who was now head of the Anglican Church. She was more tolerant to the printing of English Bibles and the Geneva Bible became the most popular.

By the 1580’s the Roman Catholic Church gave up the fight to prevent the printing of English Bibles and so printed one of their own. It was a translation of the Latin Vulgate and the Apocrypha which included the errors of the Latin Vulgate Erasmus has already pointed out.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth came King James I. The leaders of the Anglican Church did not like all the marginal notes in the Geneva Bible as they felt them too controversial. They wanted a version without all the marginal notes. Therefore, they approached the king to have another translation made which would remove all the scholarly notes that were in the Geneva Bible. The King James Version was published in 1611. However, it took decades for the King James Version to become accepted and more popular than the Geneva Bible. As stated in my last post, the Puritans used the Geneva Bible and not the King James Bible.

The first Bible printed in America was a copy of the King James Bible. It was printed by Robert Aitken in 1782 because there was an embargo on English goods coming into America, and he was commissioned by the United States Congress. Of note, it was not until 1880’s that the Apocrypha were not part of each and every printing of the Bible. The American Bible Society agreed to their removal in 1885.

The apocryphal books are as follows (you can view them from The Official King James Bible Online):   

1 Esdras   

2 Esdras   

Tobit    

Judith   

Additions to Esther    

Wisdom of Solomon     

Ecclesiasticus    

Baruch    

Letter of Jeremiah    

Prayer of Azariah    

Susanna   

Bel and the Dragon    

Prayer of Manasseh    

1 Maccabees     

2 Maccabees     

The apocryphal books were not considered part of the canon of scripture by the Jews or the early church. Although printed in the Bibles prepared by the Reformers, they were printed between the Old and New Testament and always kept apart from the canon of scripture. They are interesting and have historical significance but have many teachings that are contrary to the inspired canon of scripture.

I hope you have found this brief history educational and explore further on your own. God Bless!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us. So, let’s look back to see how this holiday came into being. American Thanksgiving has its roots back to the year 1620 and to a group of individuals who wanted the freedom to worship God as they felt scripture dictated rather than how a government dictated. At that time in history, the Church of England was the same as the government of England because King James I was the head of both. A group of individuals, known as Separatists, believed that the king’s decisions were not equal to those of scripture and scripture was the higher authority. However, the English government believed not to agree with the king in all religious matters was treason. Some of these individuals wanted a place where they would not be persecuted for how they chose to worship God. We have come to know these particular Separatists as Pilgrims.

They originally had two ships: the Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell could not make the trip so all 102 of them left for North America in the Mayflower. They were to head to a place previous Pilgrims had landed: in the northern part of Virginia Territory near what is today New York. However, they arrive off the coast of what we know today as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 66 days later than expected and with much sickness. Their first winter was disastrous; they lost more than one –half of their number. Forty-one of them, led by William Bradford, signed the Mayflower Compact where they committed themselves to God and to the advancement of the Christian faith and to create a settlement there rather than trying to find the place of their original destination. Even though so many of their group died, they were committed to continue on. As if in confirmation of their decision, their first meeting of a Native American was one of the Abenaki Indian tribe who actually understood English. This native later returned with Squanto of the Pawtuxet tribe who also spoke English and taught them how to plant and harvest corn, how to collect maple sap, fish, and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped them forge a peace treaty with the local Wampanoag tribe, a peace treaty that lasted for nearly 50 years.

That next Fall, they and their new allies of the Wampanoag tribe gathered together and had a feast for 3 days. It is not known exactly what this feast consisted of, but it is known that the Pilgrims went on a “fowling” mission and the Native Americans brought deer. It is likely that the meal was of what the Native Americans would eat and prepare. From that time forward, various settlements and then various states would hold periodic days of thanksgiving and fasting but none of these were coordinated among these groups and/or states. Sarah Josepha Hale, a noted magazine editor and author, lobbied for 36 years to Senators and Congressmen to make a national holiday for such an event. Not until 1863 did this happen when President Abraham Lincoln, at the height of the Civil War, declared the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1941, moved the holiday up a week to try to spur the economy but met great public opposition. Therefore, in 1943 he assigned Thanksgiving Day to be the fourth Thursday in November. As time went on, traditions became associated with Thanksgiving: parades and eating turkey and cranberry sauce. It has become a time for family to get together and enjoy each other’s company.

The ideals that the Pilgrims used to start building this great nation of ours was commemorated in an 81-foot-high monument, commissioned by the Pilgrim’s Society, now called the National Monument to the Forefathers, located on Allerton Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is the world’s largest solid granite monument. Its concept began in 1820 with planning started in 1850. Its cornerstone was laid in 1859 with its construction completed in 1888 and dedicated in 1889. The sculpture was designed by Hammatt Billings, a Boston architect, illustrator and sculptor. His original idea was to have it being 150 feet high but was scaled back. Here are its major features:

The base is octagonal but has four major buttresses that project out from the center. On these are figures that represent the principles upon which the Pilgrims founded their Commonwealth. The central and highest figure is that of Faith with her right hand pointing toward heaven and her left hand clutching the Bible. The other four figures starting from the east going counter-clockwise are principles which are produced from Faith: Liberty, Morality, Law and Education. Under Liberty is Tyranny Overthrown and Peace; under Morality stands Prophet and Evangelist; under Law stands Justice and Mercy; and under Education are Youth and Wisdom. On the face of each of the buttresses, under the figures, are marble scenic reliefs from Pilgrim history: Landing (under Freedom), Embarcation (under Morality), Treaty (under Law), and Compact (under Education). On the faces of the main pedestal are inscriptions. On the right and left panels are the names of those who came over in the Mayflower. The front panel has the following inscription:

National Monument to the Forefathers. Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labors, sacrifices and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty.

On the rear is a quote from Governor William Bradford:

“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all praise."

This monument was built to remind us all of the principles upon which the Pilgrims used to lay the foundation for what was to become the United States of America. It was formed so that we would never forget the Pilgrims or upon what the nation’s foundation was built. This monument has been featured in the film Monumental which traces the history of the Pilgrims, the reason for their coming to America and the Biblical ideals they upheld to establish the foundation of a great nation.

Therefore, this Thanksgiving, if you are a citizen of the United States, give thanks for our founding fathers and the ideals on which they based our country's foundation. It has made our country to be great. Then pray that you will continue to uphold these principles. What if you are not a citizen of the U.S. and perhaps your country was not founded on such principles? Then you can start at home with these principles. After all, our country was not a country when the Pilgrims began laying the foundation. They were just a group of families, but they had a profound vision for their descendants’ future. You can do the same and start with your own family. The first Thanksgiving was small and has grown into a great nation. Your small family can also grow into a large influence of countless future generations. They started in their own families with faith in God, liberty for everyone, morality to God's standards, and education of their children in all of these principles in their own family and then instituted these ideals into the nation's foundation. We can continue to do the same. God blessed their efforts; he will also bless ours. I trust your Thanksgiving this year is one of proud reflection and thanks.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens