Evidence that God Wants Us to be Scientific

On Tuesday, Nov. 8 a Lunar Eclipse occurs. More impressive and important is a total Solar Eclipse. A Solar Eclipse, at least to me, indicates design. The difference in mass between the Sun and Moon is enormous, yet, in their relative placement to each other from the vantage of a person on Earth, total Solar Eclipses sometimes occur. This phenomenon impels curiosity to find out … Continue reading Evidence that God Wants Us to be Scientific

A Remarkable New Dating Tool for Israeli Archeology

Summary: New dating technology uses the Earth’s magnetic field to verify the biblical accounts of Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And he [Nebuchadnezzar] burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. –… Earth’s Magnetic Field Used to Verify Biblical Battles — Patterns of … Continue reading A Remarkable New Dating Tool for Israeli Archeology

Did the Godhead Suffer at the Cross of Christ?

God demonstrated His love in Christ’s crucifixion (Rom. 5.8). However, the members of the Trinity did not suffer since Christ, only in His humanity, paid sin’s penalty for us. The incarnation and earthly ministry of Jesus was the start of an advance into a new realm: materiality. God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must do so in spirit and truth (Jn. 4.24). Modern, … Continue reading Did the Godhead Suffer at the Cross of Christ?

The Five Not-Points of Calvinism

The doctrines of Calvinism have a way of both wounding and healing the human heart. They are sword and balm, stumbling block and safety net, thundercloud and rainbow. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) once described Calvinism as a lamb in wolf’s skin: “cruel in the phrases,” but “full of consolation for the suffering individual.”… The Five Not-Points of Calvinism — Desiring God Continue reading The Five Not-Points of Calvinism

Mike Aubrey’s Concerns

This reblogged post has some English grammar problems. I was going to correct it, but, I believe readers of English can figure out what he is saying. Aubrey identifies some not-so-obvious translation issues that plague the modern church. The bible is both very simple and complex (in parts) simultaneously. To understand biblical concepts takes effort. I believe God grants understanding to those who ask, seek, … Continue reading Mike Aubrey’s Concerns

Whom we Remember and Proclaim

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1Cor. 11.25b-26 ESV). Christians can become overly introspective during the Lord’s Supper because of Paul’s warning in the next verses about observing the rite: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of … Continue reading Whom we Remember and Proclaim

The Reality of Asymmetrical Textual Transmission

Peter Gurry exposes a truth by careful reading what sources actually said. It is a fallacy to believe that the resultant major N.T. readings preserved today accurately reflect ancient majority readings. There are too many variables to accept the stated theorem: “A theoretical presumption indeed remains that a majority of extant documents is more likely to represent a majority of ancestral documents at each stage … Continue reading The Reality of Asymmetrical Textual Transmission

Hazael: An Archaeological Biography

And the LORD said to him [Elijah], “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. (1Ki 19:15)  Hazael was a ruled Aram-Damascus (Syria), a kingdom located to the northeast of Judah and Israel from ca. 842—800 BC1. He appears in […] Hazael: An Archaeological Biography — Bible Archaeology Report Continue reading Hazael: An Archaeological Biography

FOMO: The “Fear of Missing Out”

Be sure not to miss the comments of the post. Also, this post links to a previous discussion of 1Jn 2.23 (at that verse). The link, with its comments, discusses the longer reading of 1Jn.2.23 and 1Jn. 3.1. My position, on these two verses, is acceptance of the longer readings in both texts rather than the clauses being explanatory additions. The KJV misses these two … Continue reading FOMO: The “Fear of Missing Out”

The Better Plea: “Give Me Jesus and the Apostles”

The Jews who rejected the Messiah set up their new religion apart from and in rejection to the signs God gave as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. The words of Amos probably refer to this time: The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done…The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a … Continue reading The Better Plea: “Give Me Jesus and the Apostles”

Aspiring to The Quiet Life-1Thess. 4.11

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before (NLT) In the case of choosing an English translation that reflects what the Greek text says, the New Living Translation does a good job rendering 1Thess. 4.11. Of course evaluating translations can only be done on a case-by-case basis. However, it … Continue reading Aspiring to The Quiet Life-1Thess. 4.11

History is Written by the Conquerors-and Only Questioned Later by Archeology

Summary: Two rare coins dating back to the Jewish revolts call into question the Roman narrative that all Jewish communities north of Jerusalem were completely destroyed and uninhabited after AD 73. So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them,… Jewish Revolt Coins Rewrite Roman History — Patterns of Evidence Continue reading History is Written by the Conquerors-and Only Questioned Later by Archeology

The Internal Data Storage Library-Memorization Techniques

No matter how organized your files, its good to have back-up that doesn’t depend on battery power or connectivity. Even more, dedication to knowing God’s word internally, brings understanding and helps correlate other biblical writings during reading seamlessly, and, in an organic way. Here are some interesting tips and methods some have used to aid recall. I have stored up your word in my heart … Continue reading The Internal Data Storage Library-Memorization Techniques

Jewish Decorative Selection

In Levant archeology, one way to determine if the habitation in border areas in question was Israeli or Philistine, is to sift the finds for pig bones. Israel habitations, overwhelmingly kept Kosher, and lack the evidence of pig use. Another distinction of Israeli habitations is plain decoration. This relates to not making images of animals or persons either in drawing or statuary, since, it opened … Continue reading Jewish Decorative Selection

Paul’s Pastoral Epistles

There is no good reason not to believe that Paul wrote Titus and 1&2 Timothy. Yet, some scholars, on the basis of the size and pagination of very early codices, conclude that the pastorals were not included in collections of Paul’s writings. It seems that the production of books (codices) were commissioned by people or churches who had the means to have them constructed. In … Continue reading Paul’s Pastoral Epistles

Logic Transcends Materiality

Logic is simply the science of reasoning and argumentation. In essence, the study of logic is concerned with inferences: what conclusions we should—or shouldn’t—draw from one or more premises (initial assumptions or claims). Logic distinguishes between good inferences (i.e., reliable forms of reasoning) and bad inferences (i.e., flawed forms of reasoning). James Anderson – How is Logic Evidence for God? Continue reading Logic Transcends Materiality

The Revelation of God in Christ-Mark Jones

This clear explication by Mark Jones shows the bigger picture of the purpose of God in Christ. For me, it has resolved some outstanding issues of the Trinity. The Triunity of God has always been revealed from the first pages of scripture (Gen. 1.2 – the Spirit, Ge. 2.4-Yahweh God). It is on the basis of Christ that God will judge the world: Moreover, the … Continue reading The Revelation of God in Christ-Mark Jones