This name of God is certainly the most mysterious. The name Yahweh (or Jehovah) was revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:11-15 KJB).
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: THIS IS MY NAME FOR EVER, and this is my memorial unto all generations.“
God’s name is not Yahweh or any other pagan god name…it is Jehovah. They are not other spellings or pronunciations…There is plenty of evidence. Yahweh is not just a scholarly guess as some would say. This is God’s name and we need to get it right. Jews have a tradition of never speaking God’s now. So over time we “forgot” how to spell or say God’s name. of never s…this is God’s Nehemia Gordon has found about 1000 Manuscripts that have the vowels! This is history changing evidence. It also should be noted that he could not find any ancient Jewish or Hebrew source with the name “Yahweh”
The study of God’s name has been the subject of the life work of Bible Scholar Nehemia Gordon. I could not begin to do his work justice by trying to quote every golden nugget. So, I will instead refer you to his very nicely laid out website. Full disclosure. I would disagree with Nehemia on several key points of doctrine. With that said, there simply is not a better, more researched scholar on the planet that knows this subject well. Nehemia Gordon has unequivocally proven that God’s name is NOT Yahweh or anything close. His name is I AM…His name is Jehovah!
I invite you to visit Nehemia’s Wall and discover Nehemia Gordon on the Name of God! He has many free videos for you to research and look at the evidence.
No doubt, if you are here, you have already done some research or you are at least curious. So, why is it so important Brother Kevin? Jehovah or Yahweh? Isn’t there other more important issues? The answer is absolutely yes…however, don’t you think it is important to know the name of the God you are worshipping? Unless it is a little clay statue…then who cares. Yahweh is a actually a pagan god. Please visit Nehemiah’s site…all of this is laid it in detail only he can provide.
Below is some further evidences and/or at least curiosities…
Evidence For Pronunciations Other Than Yahweh
I’ve heard several alternative pronunciation…here is one:
Professor George Buchanan, a professor emeritus at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. points out that “the name ‘Yahweh’ does not even sound Semitic,” and he produces examples from Exodus 15 with “Yahweh” and “Yahowah” in the same sentences. Those with “Yahowah” sound “smooth and poetic,” while those with “Yahweh” “sound rough and unrythmical.”
Buchanan concludes: “The accumulated data points heavily in the direction of a three syllable word, whose middle syllable was hô or hû. The first two syllables were Yahû or Yahô that were sometimes abbreviated to Yô.
For poetry, liturgy, and some other reasons, the name Yâh was also used. Only from Theodoret’s Greek spelling of the Samaritan use of the term is there any basis for the pronunciation ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jahveh.’ This is hardly enough to overpower all of the other exhibits” (Ibid., 419).
So the three-syllable pronunciation “Ye-Ho-WaH” has some support from at least one verse which uses a rhyme scheme. In that verse, two syllables – as in Yahweh – isn’t enough for make the rhythm fit; three are required.
It’s important to note that the first syllable in “Ye-Ho-WaH” is not pronounced with a hard “e”, as in “hear ye”. It’s pronounced more softly like in “yes”, only without the “s” sound.
YHWH = Yehowah?
One excellent argument for the pronunciation “Ye-Ho-WaH” are the places where God’s name is used as part of other Biblical names. I have a great quote that explain it clearly, but two bits of trivia are required for context first.
First, our English letter “J” isn’t new, but it’s pronunciation is quite new. Until recently, our “J” was pronounced exactly like our “Y”. Hence the spelling of all the names in the quote below will sound much more familiar if you replace the “Y” sound with a “J” sound. (Even though the “Y” opening is more correct.)
Second, a “*theophoric name” embeds all or part of a god’s name into another name. This is typically done to honor the god or invoke its protection. For example, the name “Christopher” means “Christ-bearer” and is intended to honor Christ in the naming of the child.
*”A theophoric name (from Greek: θεόφορος , theophoros, literally bearing or carrying a god) embeds the name of a god, both invoking and displaying the protection of that deity. For example, names embedding Apollo, such as Apollonios or Apollodorus, existed in Greek antiquity.” (Source)
Hebrew also had theophoric names:
Here are some examples of theophoric names that begin with the first three consonants of the Tetragrammaton: Yehoiakim, Yehonathan, Yehoshaphat, Yehoash, Yehoram, Yehoiada, Yehoiarib, Yehoaddah, Yehoaddan, Yehoahaz, Yehohanan, Yehoiarib, Yehonadab, Yehoshabeath, Yehosheba among others. These names were sometimes shortened to create new names, and this resulted in Yoiakim, Yonathan, etc.
When we compare the names that begin with the three first consonants of the Tetragrammaton (YHW), we see that all the names are vocalized YeHo-.
I am not an authority on Hebrew or Greek. In Bible College, I did have a Semester of Greek. I loved it. Not know if I was going to get a Masters or Doctorate, I appealed to the Dean to allow me to take further Greek course as an elective during my Bachelor Coursework as further Greek is only available and required as part of the Masters or Doctorate Program.
Not being too braggadocios, I was a very good student. 😊 I never enjoyed school as I did during my year and a half studying the Bible and earning my BA. Full disclosure, English was my worse subject. Can I just say, if I may be so bold? Quick, get the kiddies out of the room. English sucked! I hated ever bit of it. My professor was awesome, in fact, I had him for some other courses…but grammar, as you may have notice was not my strength! Haha
I was able to get special permission from the Dean of Students and what ever committee decides such things. However, much to my regret, I did not take any further Greek Studies…at least in an official capacity. So, as I was saying, I am no authority on Greek or Hebrew. We did get a brief exposure of Hebrew in part of an Intro to Greek in the course.
However, I will point you to many others who are vehemently more qualified than I am, once such source is Nehemia Gordon. Another great resource, and slightly more approachable is Daniel W. Daniels; a well researched and trained in Bible Linguistics. He studies many ancient manuscripts like you, and I would study Little Red Riding hood or Duck-Duck Goose. This brother is one smart man. Author of several books, available at Pass the Word KJB.
Again, this is more thought and discussion for the pronunciation “Yehowah”.
What About “Jehovah”?
Again, our letter “J” used to be pronounced like our letter “Y”. Therefore “Jehovah” would’ve originally been pronounced “Yehovah”. If you use the modern pronunciation for the Hebrew letter “ו” (Waw), it sounds like our “v” instead of our “w”. Thus Yehowah becomes Jehovah. To me this is convincing and lets not forget Scholar Nehemia Gordon and his discovery of over 1000 ancient Manuscripts that have the vowels, thus proving a Jehovah pronunciation. He continues to hunt and research. I should further comment the 1000 figure I quoted, I believe comes from 2018. His work has continued and it would seem reasonable he has discovered more.
How does he pour over thousands of manuscripts looking for the vowels? He doesn’t He trains individuals to identify the word with the vowels. As they scour these manuscripts…they set aside all matches, which are then confirmed by Nehemiah. He has a video explaining how anyone can do this.
Conclusion
Can I be perfectly candid with you? because the Jews dare not udder than name of Jehovah for thousands of years no one has heard His name spoken. In fact, you have no doubt witnessed modern Jews write God this way, “G_d”. I have friends who are Jews and out of respect, I would not mention His name nor His title…except for the NAME , “JESUS” (Acts 4:!2), but that is deliberate for reasons you perhaps have guessed. But nonetheless a tale for another time perhaps. So, there it goes or so says the argument, one cannot be sure how YHWH is properly pronounced.
However despite the any scholarly consensus on “Yahweh”, I think “Yehowah” (Ye-Ho-Wah), Jehovah indeed fits the evidence best. And I am certain, quite certain that, oh yes! We can know the name of our God! Further, I’m not a Hebrew scholar. (I know far more Greek than Hebrew, and I wouldn’t even call myself a Greek scholar.)
I do intend to be dogmatic about the pronunciation. I will never be content with such a reckless statement as we see coming from the so called experts, the so called scholars, some meaningful, however, “Whether it is Yahweh, Yehowah, or something else we all know who we mean.” While it is absolutely crucial that we honor Him and His character, that we love Him and share Him with all that we come in contact with (Mark 16:15), it is equally important and perhaps vital to our very salvation to give Him praise above all other names and that we, within our finite human abilities pronounce His name the God of all gods, perfectly!
And His name is Jehovah! El Shaddai: God Almighty
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”, Psalm 91:1
I really like the song Yahweh. But listen close, they make it three syllables – “Ya-Ha-Weh” – to make it fit. His name is Jehovah!
2 Peter 3:3-55, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:”
THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS Yes, it can happen in the U.S.
Revelation 13:16-18, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
The Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint is not the inspired, infallible, inerrant, preserved word of God. It has errors and is inaccurate. It should not be used as a source.
Hebrew Cannot Be
Preserved in Greek
We do have God’s preserved word today. The Bible tells us that God would preserve his word. If you cannot trust that what can you trust? God’s word is inerrant and preserved. If it is not, then there is no reason or hope to study it.
Psalms 12:6-7 says, ” The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver
tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou
shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this
generation for ever.”
Psalms 119:89 says, “For ever, O
LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. ”
Isaiah 40:8 tells us, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the
word of our God shall stand for ever.”
Matthew 5:18 says, ” For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
If we do not have the preserved word of
God today, then Jesus was wrong.
Matthew 24:35, ” Heaven
and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
If Jesus was wrong about what he said,
then the word cannot be trusted.
1 Peter 1:23 says, “Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever.”
Deuteronomy 8:3 we are told “…that man
doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
of the Lord doth man
live.
How can we live by every word if we do
not have the preserved word of God? The Hebrew of the Old Testament cannot
be preserved in another language. Psalm 119, for example, has twenty-two
sections of eight verses that begin with a word that starts with a letter of
the Hebrew alphabet. The first begins with Aleph, the next Beth, the third uses
Gimel, then Daleth, and so on. No other language shows this relationship and
the information is not seen in a translation. Another issue to note is that the meaning of
words used in prophecy can have multiple meanings. The meaning will not
necessarily be known until the prophecy is fulfilled. When the words are
translated into another language, the translators may use words that do not
contain all the Hebrew meanings and may add some not in the original words.
God’s word in Hebrew cannot be perfectly translated into Greek.
Ethiopia Is Not Cush
Genesis 2:10-14 describes four rivers
at the Garden of Eden; the Hiddekel which is the Tigris, the Euphrates, the
Pison and the Gihon. The Gihon went around the land of Cush.
Cush 7 Ethiopia? The two are not the same.
The Septuagint in Genesis 2:13 says,
“And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the
whole land of Ethiopia.”
The Septuagint with Apocrypha
The Greek says Aethiopia. The land cannot be Ethiopia. If it were Ethiopia then that would mean when Moses wrote this down, the river would have to flow around Ethiopia, cross the Great Rift Valley, cross over the Blue Nile, flow northward along the Nile without joining it, cross the Sinai Peninsula, cross the Arabian Peninsula and meet up with the Euphrates in Iraq at the north end of the Persian Gulf. It would have to go uphill and downhill. It would have to cross other bodies of water. It would have to flow farther than the Nile which is more than 4,000 miles long. Such a theory is not well thought out. It is just plain and simply wrong. So is the Septuagint when is uses Aethiopia instead of Cush.
Methuselah Did Not
Survive the Flood
Genesis 5:26-31 records,
“And Methuselah
lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons
and daughters:
And
all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
And
Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
And he called his name
Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our
hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
And
Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat
sons and daughters:
And
all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.”
According to the Bible Methuselah lived
782 years after Lamech was born and 600 years after Noah was born. Genesis 7:6
lets us know Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came. Methuselah was
not on the ark. He died within a year of the flood.
What does the Septuagint say? “And Mathusala lived a hundred and sixty
and seven years, and begot Lamech. And Mathusala lived after his begetting
Lamech eight hundred and two years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the
days of Mathusala which he lived, were nine hundred and sixty and nine years,
and he died. And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty and eight years and begot a
son. And he called his name Noe, saying, this one will cause us to cease from
our works, and from the toils of our hands, and from the earth, which the Lord
God has cursed. And Lamech lived after his begetting Noe, five hundred and
sixty and five years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Lamech
were seven hundred and fifty-three years, and he died.”
The Septuagint has Methuselah living
802 years after Lamech was born and Lamech having a son Noah at 188. That means
that that Methuselah lived 614 years after Noah was born. The flood came in the
600th year of Noah’s life. Eight people survived. Methuselah if he was alive,
was not one of them. He died shortly before or during the flood. The numbers in
the Septuagint have Methuselah living 14 years after the flood.
The Septuagint has a different length
of years in Genesis chapter five for the time between the father and son for
Adam to Seth, Seth to Enos, Enos to Cainan, Cainan to Mahalalel, Mahalalel to
Jared, Enoch to Methuselah, Methuselah to Lamech and Lamech to Noah. The time
each one of these patriarchs lived after their son was born is also different
between the Septuagint and the Bible. The Septuagint is wrong about
Methuselah’s length of life after Lamech. It disagrees with itself. Therefore,
we know it is wrong about the rest of the years. The Hebrew is correct. The Greek is wrong.
Judith Has
Nebuchadnezzar as King of Nineveh
If the Septuagint were correct the Book
of Judith would not have been translated with it.
Judith 1:7 refers to
“Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians, who reigned in Ninive the great
city,” Nabuchodonosor is thought to be another name for Nebuchadnezzar the
son of Nabopolassar who was king of Babylon and destroyed Nineveh.
Judith 4:1-2 says, “Now the
children of Israel, that dwelt in Judea, heard all that Holofernes the chief
captain of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians had done to the nations, and
after what manner he had spoiled all their temples, and brought them to naught.
Therefore, they were exceedingly afraid
of him, and were troubled for Jerusalem, and for the temple of the Lord their
God:” This refers to the time when Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon shortly
before the first temple was destroyed. This lets us know the Nabuchodonosor of
Judith is the Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Judith is wrong because Nebuchadnezzar
was not king of Assyria. Judith is wrong because he did not rule from the
Nineveh which had been destroyed but instead Babylon.
Bel and the Dragon
Claims Daniel Was in the Lion’s Den Seven Days
Bel and the Dragon is found in the extended
book of Daniel in chapter 14. Verses 30-42 of this book claims, “So they
came to the king, and said, deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and
thine house. Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being
constrained, he delivered Daniel unto them: Who cast him into the lions’ den:
where he was six days. And in the den, there were seven lions, and they had
given them every day two carcasses, and two sheep: which then were not given to
them, to the intent they might devour Daniel. Now there was in Jewry a prophet,
called Habbacuc, who had made pottage, and had broken bread in a bowl, and was
going into the field, for to bring it to the reapers. But the angel of the Lord
said unto Habbacuc, Go, carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto
Daniel, who is in the lions’ den.
And Habbacuc said, Lord, I never saw
Babylon; neither do I know where the den is. Then the angel of the Lord took
him by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head, and through the
vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den. And Habbacuc cried,
saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee. And Daniel
said, thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them that seek
thee and love thee. So, Daniel arose, and did eat and the angel of the Lord set
Habbacuc in his own place again immediately.
Upon the seventh day the king went to
bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he looked in, and behold, Daniel
was sitting. Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art Lord God
of Daniel, and there is none other beside thee. And he drew him out and cast
those that were the cause of his destruction into the den: and they were
devoured in a moment before his face.”
What does the Bible say in Daniel
6:16-23?
“Then the
king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions.
Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually,
he will deliver thee.
And
a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it
with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might
not be changed concerning Daniel.
Then
the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were
instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
Then
the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of
lions.
And
when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the
king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God,
whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
Then
said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
My
God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not
hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before
thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Then
was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take
Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner
of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.”
” Daniel was in only one night.
Bel and The Dragon incorrectly has him being released on the seventh day. The
Bible says the den was sealed. Bel and Dragon wrongfully has Habbacuc feeding
Daniel. The Septuagint is wrong and should have never included this.
Alms Do not Wash Away
Sin
Tobit 12:9 says, “For alms doth
deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and
righteousness shall be filled with life:” See the English Translation
of the Greek Septuagint Bible.
On the other hand Ephesians 2:8 makes
it clear, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Romans 4:3 explains that “Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
Abraham was justified by faith and not
by works. Works did not save people before Jesus died on the cross for our sins
and they do not save you now.
Once You Know the
Septuagint is Not the Word of God You Will Understand the Differences are
Errors in the Septuagint
#
Reference
What the Septuagint Says
What the Bible Says
1
Genesis
2:13
Ethiopia
Cush
2
Genesis
2:15
delight
Eden
3
Genesis
3:8
afternoon
cool
of the day
4
Genesis
4:26
he
hoped to call on the name of the Lord God
then
men began to call upon the name of Lord
5
Genesis
5:3
Adam
was 230 years old when Seth was born
The
Bible says 130 years.
6
Genesis
5:4
700
years
800
years
7
Genesis
5:6
205
years
105
years
8
Genesis
5:7
707
years
807
years
9
Genesis
5:9
190
years
90
years
10
Genesis
5:10
715
years
815
years
11
Genesis
5:12
170
years
70
years
12
Genesis
5:13
740
years
840
years
13
Genesis
5:15
165
years
65
years
14
Genesis
5:16
730
years
830
years
15
Genesis
5:21
165
years
65
years
16
Genesis
5:22
200
years
300
years
17
Genesis
5:25
167
years
187
years
18
Genesis
5:26
802
years
782
years
19
Genesis
5:28
188
years
182
years
20
Genesis
5:30
565
years
595
years
21
Genesis
5:31
753
years
777
years
22
Genesis
6:7-8
cattle
beasts
23
Genesis
6:14-15
square
wood
gopher
wood
24
Genesis
7:11
the
flood came in the twenty seventh day of the second month of Noah’s life
the
flood came in the seventeenth day of the second month of Noah’s life
25
Genesis
8:3
twenty
seventh day
seventeenth
day
26
Genesis
10:2
adds
a son named Elisa to of Japeth’s children
27
Genesis
10:10
Babylon
Babel
28
Genesis
10:22
adds
a son named Cainan to Shem’s children
29
Genesis
10:24
adds
a son between Arphaxad and Selah named Cainan
30
Genesis
10:32
Gentiles
nations
31
Genesis
11:12
135
years
35
years
32
Genesis
11:12
Arphaxad
had a son named Cainan
Arphaxad
had a son named Selah
33
Genesis
11:13
400
years
403
years
34
Genesis
11:13
Adds
130 years to the chronology with Cainan having a son named Seth instead of
Arphaxad being the father of Selah
35
Genesis
11:14
130
years
30
years
36
Genesis
11:15
330
years
403
years
37
Genesis
11:16
134
years
34
years
38
Genesis
11:17
270
years
430
years
39
Genesis
11:18
130
years
30
years
40
Genesis
11:20
232
years
32
years
41
Genesis
11:22
130
years
30
years
42
Genesis
11:24
179
years
29
years
43
Genesis
11:25
125
years
119
years
44
Genesis
12:20
Lot
was with Abraham in Egypt
The
Bible does not say that
45
Genesis
13:12
Lot
pitched his tent in Sodom
Lot
pitched his tent toward Sodom
46
Genesis
14:5
Omits
the Zuzim in Ham
Includes
Zuzim in Ham
47
Genesis
14:6
Adds
a reference to the turpentine tree
48
Genesis
14:7
They
cut in pieces all the princes of Amalec
They
smote all the country of the Amalekites
49
Genesis
14:11
cavalry
goods
50
Genesis
14:14
nephew
brother
51
Genesis
14:16
cavalry
goods
52
Genesis
14:16
nephew
brother
53
Genesis
15:2
Adds
that Eliezer was the son of Masek Abraham’s home-born female slave
54
Genesis
15:11
Abraham
sat down by them (sacrifices or the birds)
Abraham
drove away the birds
55
Genesis
15:21
Adds
the Evites
56
Genesis
17:14
Adds
on the eighth day
57
Genesis
17:20
Ishmael
would have 12 nations
Ishmael
would have 12 princes
58
Genesis
20:14
Adds
a thousand pieces of silver
59
Genesis
21:22
Adds
Ochozath his friend
60
Genesis
21:32
Adds
Ochozath his friend
61
Genesis
22:2
high
land
the
land of Moriah
62
Genesis
22:13
a
plant of Sabec
a
thicket
63
Genesis
22:21
Syrians
Aram
64
Genesis
23:15
didrachms
shekels
65
Genesis
23:16
didrachms
shekels
66
Genesis
23:17
double
cave
Machpelah
[Machpelah means double or portion but is cannot be shown whether this
applies to the field, the cave or something else.]
67
Genesis
23:19
double
cave
cave
of the field of Machpelah
68
Genesis
24:21
drachm
half
a shekel weight
69
Genesis
24:55
And
her brethren and her mother said, Let the virgin remain with us about ten
days, and after that she shall depart.
And
her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at
the least ten; after that she shall go. Brethren is plural. Brother is
singular. About ten days is different than at least ten days.
70
Genesis
25:9
double
cave
cave
of Machpelah
71
Genesis
26:14
many
tilled lands
great
store of servants
72
Genesis
27:43
Adds
into Mesopotamia
73
Genesis
28:2
Mesopotamia
Padanaram
74
Genesis
28:5
Mesopotamia
Padanaram
75
Genesis
28:19
Ulam-luz
Luz
76
Genesis
29:1
went
to the land of the east to Laban, the son of Bathuel the Syrian, and the
brother of Rebecca, mother of Jacob and Esau
came
into the land of the people of the east
77
Genesis
30:14
barley-harvest
wheat
harvest
78
Genesis
30:14
apples
of mandrakes
mandrakes
79
Genesis
30:35
grey
brown
80
Genesis
30:37
storax
tree and walnut and plane-tree
green
poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree
81
Genesis
30:39
Adds
ash-colored
82
Genesis
30:40
speckled
and variegated
ringstraked
and brown
83
Genesis
31:8
white
ringstraked
84
Genesis
31:10
speckled
and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots
ringstraked,
speckled, and grisled
85
Genesis
31:12
speckled
and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots
ringstraked,
speckled, and grisled
86
Genesis
31:18
Mesopotamia
Padanaram
87
Genesis
31:41
thou
didst falsely rate my wages for ten lambs
thou
hast changed my wages ten times
88
Genesis
31:42
yesterday
yesternight
89
Genesis
33:18
Mesopotamia
of Syria
Padanaram
90
Genesis
33:19
lambs
pieces
of money
91
Genesis
35:4
turpentine
tree
oak
tree
92
Genesis
35:9
Mesopotamia
of Syria
Padanaram
93
Genesis
35:21
Omits
this phrase and brings the first part of verse 22 into verse 21
And
Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar
94
Genesis
35:26
Mesopotamia
of Syria
Padanaram
95
Genesis
36:21
Rison
Dishon
96
Genesis
36:23
Golam
Alvan
97
Genesis
36:24
Ana
who found Jamin in the wilderness
Anah
that found the mules in the wilderness
98
Genesis
36:28
Rison
Dishan
99
Genesis
36:30
Rison
Dishan
100
Genesis
36:35
Getthaim
Avith
101
Genesis
36:39
Arad
the son of Barad
Hadar
102
Genesis
36:39
Phogor
Pau
103
Genesis
36:40
Gola
Alvah
104
Genesis
36:43
Zaphoin
Iram
105
Genesis
37:28
gold
money
(silver)
106
Genesis
38:14
gates
of Aenan
open
place
107
Genesis
38:21
Aenan
by the way-side
openly
by the way side
108
Genesis
39:1
officer
of Pharaoh
eunuch
of Pharaoh
109
Genesis
40:2
eunuchs
officers
110
Genesis
43:11
gum
and honey, and frankincense, and stacte, and turpentine, and walnuts
a
little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds
111
Genesis
45:10
Gesem
of Arabia
Goshen
112
Genesis
45:22
gold
money
(silver)
113
Genesis
45:23
mules
female
donkeys
114
Genesis
45:23
bread
corn
and bread
115
Genesis
46:13
Asum
Job
116
Genesis
46:15
Mesopotamia
of Syria
Padanaram
117
Genesis
46:16
Angis
Haggi
118
Genesis
46:16
Aedis
Eri
119
Genesis
46:17
Jeul
Isui
120
Genesis
46:20
adds
“And there were sons born to Manasses, which the Syrian concubine bore
to him, even Machir And Machir begot Galaad And the sons of Ephraim, the
brother of Manasses; Sutalaam, and Taam And the sons of Sutalaam; Edom”
121
Genesis
46:21
deletes
“Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard as sons of
Benjamin and gives Gera, and Noeman, and Anchis, and Ros, and Mamphim to his
sons Belah” and adds “And Gera begot Arad”
122
Genesis
46:22
eighteen
fourteen
123
Genesis
46:27
nine
two
124
Genesis
46:27
seventy-five
seventy
125
Genesis
46:34
Gesem
of Arabia
Goshen
126
Genesis
47:12
corn
bread
127
Genesis
47:13
corn
bread
128
Genesis
48:7
Mesopotamia
of Syria
Padanaram
129
Genesis
48:8
as
I drew night to the horse-course of Chabratha of the land [of Chanaan], so as
to come to Ephratha
when
yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there
in the way of Ephrath
130
Genesis
48:22
And
I give to thee Sicima, a select portion above thy brethren
Moreover
I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren
131
Genesis
49:6
in
their passion they houghed a bull
in
their selfwill they digged down a wall
132
Genesis
49:14
Issachar
has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances
Issachar
is a strong [donkey] couching down between two burdens
133
Genesis
49:15
husbandman
a
servant unto tribute
134
Genesis
49:21
Nephthalim
is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit
Naphtali
is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words
135
Genesis
49:22
Joseph
is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn
to me
Joseph
is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over
the wall
136
Genesis
49:24
he
that strengthened Israel from the God of thy father
thence
is the shepherd, the stone of Israel
137
Genesis
49:27
gives
food
divide
the spoil
138
Genesis
49:30
double
cave
cave
that is in the field of Machpelah
139
Genesis
50:13
double
cave
cave
of the field of Machpelah
140
Exodus
1:5
seventy-five
seventy
141
Exodus
6:20
132
137
142
Exodus
13:18
and
in the fifth generation the children of Israel went up out of the land of
Egypt
and
the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt
143
Exodus
14:21
south
wind
east
wind
144
Exodus
14:25
axle-trees
of their chariots were bound
the
LORD took off the Egyptians’ chariot wheels
145
Exodus
15:27
stems
of palm trees
palm
trees
146
Exodus
22:18
sorcerers
witch
147
Exodus
30:13
didrachm
shekel
148
Exodus
30:13
oboli
gerah
The Septuagint
Changes Names From the Hebrew
1
Genesis
2:10
Edem
Eden
2
Genesis
4:16
Edem
Eden
3
Genesis
4:18
Gaidad
Irad
4
Genesis
4:22
Thobel
Tubalcain
5
Genesis
10:4
Rhodians
Dodanim
6
Genesis
10:8
Nebrod
Nimrod
7
Genesis
10:12
Dase
Resen
8
Genesis
14:5
Ommaeans
in the city Save
Emims
in Shaveh Kiriathaim
9
Genesis
23:2
Arboc
Kirjatharba
10
Genesis
41:45
Psonthomphanech
Zaphnathpaaneah
The Septuagint Is Not
God’s Word
God said he would preserve his word
which cannot be done in Greek. The Septuagint has outright errors in it.
It has many other differences in it from the Masoretic text. Once we know the
Septuagint is not God’s Word, we will understand the differences are a result
of errors in the Greek which are many. By
itself there is no way of knowing when it is correct or when it is wrong. It
cannot be used as God’s Word.
I trust only the King James Bible. Proven…over 400 years. No other work can make that claim. The 1611 Edition was translated by 54 men of
God using 5,309 Greek Manuscripts which virtually all agreed. Today we have
over 5,800 Manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls…all line up word for
word with the King James Bible.
God’s Word is PERFECT, INNERRANT,
INSPIRED, INFALLIBLE and PRESERVED! If
it is not the King James, then I need to get to work and find it. Because God says that such a Bible exists today…for
me. Every word, every verse, ever
chapter, every book, ever promise is mine!
The
story of Noah is amazing! It includes a family; Mr. & Mrs. Noah, their three sons; Shem,
Ham, Japheth, and their beautiful wives. Plus, all the animals of the earth;
all the land animals – horses, pigs, giraffes, rhinoceros, hippopotamuses,
Kangaroos, dogs, cats, bears, llamas, platypus dinosaurs. Some animals Noah took two of each of their
kind. Noah had to remember to get a pink
and a blue one because that would be important later. Other animals he took 7 of each kind of the
clean animals. This was for food and for
sacrifice to God. Noah also built a huge
boat made of gopher wood called an Ark.
This ark was HUGE, it was 300 cubits long (450 feet), 50 cubits wide (75
feet) and 30 cubits high (45 feet). A
cubit is about 18 inches. Bigger than a US Nuclear Submarine, bigger
than a football field, four times bigger than a 747-jet and much bigger than a
house. My house anyway! We also have in this store a flood. I great big flood. This flood was so big it covered all the dry
land on the earth, all the hills and all the mountains. Everything outside of Noah’s big, hugamungus
Ark, drowned and died. We find animals
all over the earth, including fish and dinosaurs buried in the dirt, all mixed
up and drowned. and why we have
rainbows.
It all starts with Noah. Did you know that after
Noah was 500 years old he had 3 sons? I don’t know about you, but I’ve
only met one or two people that were 100 years old and they were old!
After Noah was 500 years old things started getting very interesting for him. One day as God was thinking about the people
on earth His heart became very sad. He could see that all the people had
become very bad, so bad that they stopped thinking of anything good.
Figure 3: Dinosaur and Animal Graveyards mixed, found all over the world. From a world-wide flood.
God was so sad and hurt that he wanted to get rid
of every person and all the creatures that He had made. He wanted all the
evil to stop. The thing about God is
that He gets very angry at our sin and all the bad stuff in the world, but we
also know that God is love. God IS love, so that means that He can be
disappointed when we do bad things, but He still loves us, and that’s why He remembered
Noah.
Noah was the only one that was righteous (which
means that he did things right). He was a good guy and he walked with
God.
So, God said to Noah, “I am going to put an
end to all the people because the earth is full of fighting because of
them. I am going to destroy them and the earth.”
God then gave Noah instructions on how to make
the boat. He told him what kind of wood and how big to make it. He
also told him to put a door in the side of the ark and to make it with three
floors. The ark was humongous! We’ll get to that more later in the
story.
The Bible says that next God told Noah that He would make a covenant with him. A covenant is an agreement with a promise. He would save Noah, his wife, and his three sons and their wives. They would be safe in the ark because God was going to flood the whole earth and everything else would die.
I’m missing one other BIG thing that’s going in
the ark with Noah and his family… and that is… The animals! Two
of all living creature’s male and female (or the boy and girl of each). Plus,
two of every kind of bird and every creature that moves along the ground.
Then food for each of them for as long as they
were on the boat. Yikes! That’s a lot of animals and a lot of
food. I think it would’ve been a very full, noisy, stinky place to be,
but they would all be safe.
THE ARK ENCOUNTER Massive ship with 3 decks depicting Biblical tale of Noah’s Ark, with interactive exhibits & zoo. 1 Ark Encounter Dr, Williamstown, KY 41097 Phone: (855) 284-3275 |https://arkencounter.com/about/
It’s hard to describe how big the ark actually was but if you think of some of the biggest animals you know (elephant, moose, buffalo, giraffe, rhino, gorilla) and make sure you have 2 of each of those plus all the other little animals that couldn’t be stepped on…they needed a lot of room!
Some people think it took over 100 years to build
the ark and the Bible says that Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters
came.
Keep in mind that Noah was building a big ark
because God told him to. I have a feeling Noah and his family were teased
a lot from the other people. What if your neighbor started building a
huge boat on your street? It would sound a little strange…
When the ark was done God gave Noah 7 days
warning before the flood to get all the animals and food on board and told him
that He would send rain for 40 days and 40 nights.
When everyone was in the ark God shut the door.
Then the rain started. The Bible makes it
sound like the rain came from the clouds and that there was also water coming
up from the ground. So everything probably was covered pretty quickly.
The floods kept coming for 40 whole days!
The ark floated on the water and all the high mountains were completely covered
with water.
Every living thing died on the earth that wasn’t
in the ark.
So, the rain came for 40 days and nights but when
it stopped Noah and the animals couldn’t just leave the ark. There was
too much water and no land for them to walk on, everything was covered.
The waters flooded the earth for one hundred and
fifty days, which is about five months.
God remembered Noah and all that was in the ark,
so he sent a wind to help dry the earth. Finally, in the seventh month
after the floods had stopped the ark rested on the top of a mountain.
A little while after that (40 days) Noah opened a
window he had made for the ark and probably let in some fresh air!
Ha! Even more importantly he let a raven out. It would fly back and
forth to the ark until the water had dried.
Then he sent out a dove, but the dove couldn’t
find any place to go. He is waiting a week and then sent the dove out
again. This time the dove came back with an olive leaf which meant the
waters had gone down. He waited one more week and let the dove out again
and this time it didn’t return.
From the way the Bible describes Noah, his family
and the animals were in the boat for just over a year or 370 days! That’s
a long time to be on a boat with all those animals!
When the earth had dried up enough God told Noah that everyone could get out of the boat. That probably was a very happy day! Maybe a little uncertain as well. There would be no one but them on earth and they would have to start all over building a house, collecting food…there wasn’t a big grocery store waiting for them when they got off the ark.
Then
Noah built an altar to thank God for keeping them safe. When God saw what
Noah had done, he told Noah that he would never again curse the ground even if
people became very bad.
Then he made his official covenant with Noah and
with all the animals. God would never bring a flood to kill all living
creatures and destroy the whole earth again.
Then he gave them a sign for everyone to see this
promise. He put a rainbow in the sky and that’s to remind us of the
promise God made to Noah, the animals and us today!
So, whenever you see a rainbow say a little
prayer and thank God that he loves us and that He keeps His promises.
Why do new versions, & even well-meaning preachers, wrongfully refer to Christians as “slaves”?
In the KING JAMES BIBLE the word “doulos” is always translated “servant”. This is consistent with the dictionary definition of servant. WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY defines a servant as “one who exerts himself for the benefit of another. So, calling us servants of Christ is very accurate.
The word “slave”, as used by modern trashlations such as the; NIV, NKJV, NASV, ESV, CEV, RSV, etc. is defined by WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY as a person held in bondage, one who has lost control of himself, no freedom of action.
I have been saved for 30 years, I would certainly not describe my relationship with my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, as someone who has “lost control, no freedom of action, a drudge. The NIV and NASV, in Ephesians 6:6 and several other places, call us “slaves of Christ”, instead of “servants of Christ”.
We know that we are “servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6). We do it because we love Him and because we want to do it. Leviticus 25:39-46 differentiates between “hired servant” and bond slaves, indicating that God’s children are never to be seen as bond slaves!
In fact, Jesus said, “Hensforth I call you not servants…but I have called you friends (John 15:15).
The switch from the original “servants” to the corrupt “slaves” can be traced from its use by heretics to its sad adoption by mainstream Christians.
5.) JAMES STRONG 1890, ‘SLAVES’ 6.) NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION* 1969, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1877, 1995, ‘BONDLAVES’ 7.) NEW WORLD TRANSLATION (Jehovah’s Witness Bible) 1961, ‘SLAVES’ 8.) NEW AMERICAN BIBLE (Roman Catholic) 1970, 1986, ‘SLAVES’ 9.) NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION, 1989, 1993 (ALL VERSIONS), ‘SLAVES’ 10.) INTERNATIONAL STANDARD VERSION 1995, ‘SLAVES’ 11.) NEW LIVING TRANSLATION 1996, ‘SLAVES’ 12.) HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE 2000, ‘SLAVES’ 13.) ERNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH; BOOK OF JUDE 2002, ‘SLAVES’ 14.) JUBILEE BIBLE 2000, 2001, 2010, ‘SLAVES’ 15.) NEW CENTURY VERSION 2005, ‘SLAVES’ 16.) THE EXPANDED BIBLE 2011, ‘SLAVES” 17.) NEW TESTAMENT FOR EVERYONE 2011, ‘SLAVES’ 18.) LEXHAM ENGLISH BIBLE 2012, ‘SLAVES’ 19.) TREE OF LIFE VERSION 2015, ‘SLAVES’
Question? Why is it that virtually all English Bibles from 1611 on back say the virtually same thing, at the same time ALL bibles printed after 1881 say something different, contradicting one another, changed missing or added words and verses…making the ESV different from the NIV…the NKJV different from the CEV…however, the modern trashlations tend to agree more with the NWT (Jehovah’s Witness bible) than they do with the KJB…the Bible of the Apostles.
Ever ask that question? Did you know that?
MIND BLOW: Even a sinner is a “servant of sin” (John 8:34). In the occult and New Age movement they slander us Christians and call us “slaves”. This and other “anti-Christian” graffiti was found written on an alter where satanic sacrifices took place, as reported by The San Antonio Express News.
For more on this, see the books, “New Age Bible” and “Language of the King James Bible”.
*NASV – 10 REVISED VERSIONS….NEARLY EVERY YEAR! THEY JUST CAN’T SEEM TO GET IT RIGHT, I GUESS!
“There is no offense, however serious, that Church cannot forgive.”, Catholic Catechism, Pg. 256, #982
“By Christ’s will, the Church posseses the power to forgive sins of the baptized…”, Pg. 257, #986
“Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?”, Mark 2:7
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”, Ephesians 4:32
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”, Hebrews 4:16
This verse LOUDLY proclaims that forgiveness of sins comes from God’s throne, not the Church…
“Indeed bishops who are their successors, and priests, the bishops’
collaborators, continue to exercise this ministry. Indeed bishops and
priests, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to
forgive all sins “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.”, Pg. 255, #1461
“The Church must be able to forgive
all penitents their offenses, even if they should sin until the last
moment of their lives.” , Pg. 255, #979
The psalmist went straight to God:
“I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”, Psalm 32:5
“Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.”, Psalm 25:18
And also in Psalm 51.
God never called us to go through a church for forgiveness.
Psalm 86:5, Colossians 3:13
Why then would the Catholic Church INSIST that forgiveness of sins is ONLY available through her?
“Were there no forgiveness of sins in the Church, there would be no
hope of life to come or eternal liberation. Let us thank God who has
given his Church such a gift.”, Pg. 256, #983
The Bible I read
teaches is to look to Jesus for our salvation and forgiveness…the
Catholic Church once again is in conflict with your Bible!
You are in bondage to the Catholic Church if you call yourself Catholic…whether you think so or not!
The BIBLE or the Catholic Church…which side will you choose?
Jesus said that Adam was made in the beginning (Matthew 19:4, Mark 10:6) Genesis 1 says Adam was created on day 6.
Real slow… 🙂
The earth was 6 days old when God created the Adam.
Genesis 5 (KJB)
Adam was 130 when he begat Seth. The earth was 130 years old when Seth was born.
Seth was 105 when he begot Enos…track with me… 130 + 105 = 235. The earth was 235 years old when Enos was born…
Enos was 90 when Cainan was born… 130 + 105 + 90 = 315. The earth was 315 years old when Cainain was born…
I’m not going to do this all day, the years are right there in Genesis 5…do the math…but from Adam to the flood…the earth was 1656 years old…by the way. Adam lived to be 930 years old…after the flood something happened…and people started living less and less…now about 70 years.
From Adam to Jesus…is about 4,000 years…again…we can add the dates. If the Bible is wrong about it’s history then it is wrong about it’s theology…and then what are we doing?
From Jesus to today (2019)…about 2,000 years…4,000 + 2,000 = 6,000 years. The earth is about 6,000 years old.
Science absolutely supports this…another time we can attack these details.
It’s simple by using the genealogy in the Bible (Genesis 5, Matthew & Luke)…we can add the years…to the Age of the Earth.
The Bible clearly says that Jesus created the earth in about 6,000 years. Anyone with BASIC math skills should be able to figure this out.
Do you truly think there is no difference in these bibles? I think most women would beg to differ. Bunch of Scripture twisting heretics. How many women truly would like to have a husband that dominates them…is your master?
And what does, “Lord it over you…” mean? I dunno, you got me.
The ESV is just the opposite (ummm…the opposite boys & girls means DIFFERENT)…Instead of her desire to her husband (KJB)…we have desire shall be CONTRARY TO her husband (ESV).
Only two things can be true. Either they are both wrong, although, other than desiring or not desiring your husband, I cannot think of a 3rd option…OR one of them is wrong.
The question then becomes WHICH ONE IS WRONG! Without a bunch of archeological evidence, etc. I can tell you that any bible that does not know who killed Goliath is a bible that cannot be trusted. See 1 Samuel 17:50, 2 Samuel 21:19 and 2 Chronicles 2:5 in both the ESV and the KJB.
Not only does the ESV get it wrong in 2 Samuel 21:19. It creates a double contradiction. I could list hundreds of such errors in the ESV and any/all of the Bibles printed after 1881. There exist no such error in the KJB. In fact, there isn’t a single error in the King James Bible.
Maybe ladies you would rather trust a bible that says you are not to desire your husband or maybe you should choose the ISV where your husband is commanded to DOMINATE you. But then the VOICE…that’s a good one…”but rather than a companion, He will be the dominant partner.“
FRIENDS PLEASE WAKE UP! God Inspired His Word…and He preserved it…every Word…every jot and tittle…for you and I and it’s called the KING JAMES BIBLE!
COMPARE GENESIS 3:16
KJB: “…and thy desire shall be TO THY husband, and he shall rule over thee.“
ESV: “…Your desire shall be CONTRARY TO your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
ISV: “…since your TRUST (not desire?) is turning toward your husband, and he will DOMINATE you.”
TLB: “…your husband’s AFFECTIONS, and he shall be your MASTER.”
NET: “…You will want to CONTROL your husband, but he will DOMINATE you.”
TLV: “…Your desire will be toward your husband, yet HE MUST rule over you.”
VOICE: “…You will desire your husband; but rather than a companion, He will be the dominant partner.” (wow, let that sink in)
NWT (JWs bible): “…and your LONGING will be for your husband, and he will DOMINATE you.”
MSG: “…You’ll want to PLEASE your husband, but he’ll LORD IT over you.” (‘Lord it’ over you? What? Lol)
John 3:7, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Does
Jesus tell Nicodemus he must be born again or is he telling Nicodemus that ALL
of us need to be born again? Does it
matter?
In John Chapter 3, Jesus is having a
conversation with a man named Nicodemus.
This is a private conversation between these two men. However, we get to look in on that
conversation and learn much from it.
Ultimately, while the conversation is between them, from examining the
Scripture in the King James Bible we will see clearly that this is meant for
all of us and not just Nicodemus.
John 3:7, “Marvel not that I said unto THEE,
YE must be born again.”
When we study the Bible, some of
the words used can make it difficult if not impossible to discern who is being
spoken too. Thee and Ye matter.
Remember, anything that begins
with a T is singular (thee, thou, thine, thy), if it begins in Y it is plural
(ye, you, your).
In other readings simply using
the word You as with the ESV, NIV, NKJV, et al.
“You must be born again.” Here
You can mean one person (Nicodemus) or many persons (all of us). With the King James Bible, there is not a
question. Ye means everyone.
Who
was Nicodemus?
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member
of the Sanhedrin and is mentioned Three times in the book of John:
He first visits Jesus one night
to discuss Jesus’ teachings (John 3:1–21). Immediately, we see the importance of the meeting and Jesus is
direct with Nicodemus and confronts him with the truth that we “must be born
again”
We need to pause here and ask,
“Why is Nicodemus meeting with Jesus, alone, in the middle of the night?” My
suspicion is that Nicodemus was part of a secret band of believers who believed
that Jesus was who He said he was.
Nicodemus pretty much tells us this in verse two.
We also know from John 3:1 that Nicodemus was a Pharisee and part of the
Sanhedrin. At the time of Jesus, two religio-political parties consisted of two parties, The Majority (Sadducees)
and the Minority (Pharisees). The two
parties made of the Sanhedrin or the Council.
(see below for more)
Back to Jesus and Nicodemus… In
their conversation, Jesus immediately confronts Nicodemus with the truth that
he “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God.” (John 3:3).
Nicodemus comes across
incredulous, so Jesus very gently, perhaps reprimands him, telling him that
since he is the leader of the Jews he should already know this. (John 3:10)
Jesus goes on to give a further explanation of the new birth, and it is in this
context that we find (John 3:16), which is one of the most
well-known and beloved verses in the Bible.
The next time we encounter
Nicodemus in the Bible, he is functioning in his official capacity as a member
of the Sanhedrin as they consider what to do about Jesus. (John 7)
The final mention of Nicodemus in
the Bible is in John 19 after Jesus’ crucifixion. We find Nicodemus assisting
Joseph of Arimathea in Jesus’ burial. Joseph is described in John as a rich man
and in Mark
15:43 as a member of the Council. He
is also described in John 19:38 as a
disciple of Jesus. Here we have two
members of the Council, Nicodemus, and Joseph, who are disciples of Jesus,
albeit in secret because they were afraid of the Jews. Do you think there may have been others?
At this we have discussed, who
was at this secret meeting in John chapter 3.
We have determined whom Jesus was speaking about when He told Nicodemus
that , “Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
We also learned that Nicodemus was a secret follower, among perhaps many
followers of Jesus. Nicodemus was part
of one of two religio-political parties, he was Pharisee, the minority party within
the Council or the Sanhedrin.
We
should also state that the Sanhedrin was the supreme theocratic
court of the Jews. The Sanhedrin’s
authority was broad and far-reaching, involving legislation, administration,
and justice. There was religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction.
The
History of the “Born Again” Doctrine
There exists extra-Biblical literature
of the Born-Again Doctrine. The earliest
references or inferences to a new birth at the resurrection may be found in
literature in the first few centuries after Christ. Many “Church Fathers” and 1st
Century writers referred to the Doctrineof being Born again.
“Born
again Christians base their faith on receiving the Lord through the Holy Spirit
for a deeper acceptance of Jesus Christ.”
As we know from our text, the “born
again” and rebirth of Christ in a person can be traced to John 3:3-7 in the Bible.
Christ gave a very simple explanation of being born again, “Flesh
gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
In the 19th Century, the
Born-Again Doctrine really took root during the Charismatic Pentecostal
moving. Although it existed in the 1st
Century. The Born-Again Movement was
accelerated with the “Jesus movement” in the early 1970s.
The
Doctrine of Being Born Again
Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not speak
directly of it at all, though without directly naming it, they supply
supporting information. Also, the
epistles of Paul, Peter, and especially John that main branches of this
doctrine make appearances.
As we begin, it is helpful for us to
perceive the wide treatment of figures John uses to prepare us for how he uses
them to support the various elements of this important, foundational doctrine. John begins using symbolism immediately in
John 1, identifying Jesus as the Word, the central Figure in God’s spiritual
work in men’s behalf. He continues, speaking of light, darkness, baptism, the
Lamb of God, and the Temple, among others, before the reader arrives at John 3.
Let’s look at the imagery in John 2:18-22. “…Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…” This is regarding the Temple and it is especially interesting because it immediately precedes Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus on being born again. You will remember that the Jews immediately reject the teaching, being it is a physical impossibility. And indeed, it is impossible. And this is the same reason Nicodemus rejected Jesus. It is just not possible…when we look with our physical eyes (there is a whole new lesson here). a2
Remember in John 4, the woman at the well (verses 7-15),
immediately jumps to her own understanding, who own conclusion that Jesus is
speaking of water, and again in John 4:31-38, even Jesus’ disciples fail to grasp
that spiritual significance of food.
Jesus’ “eat my flesh, drink my
blood.” What kind of sick cult do you
guys belong to? John
6:32-63 Jesus’ Manna discourse
brings about an image that is so offensive that even some of His followers left
Him. We can see a constant failure through
the entire book where others fail to grasp the meaning. Like Nicodemus, man have misunderstood being
Born-Again.
As children of God we must recognize
that must look at John 3 in a spiritual
sense. This is very important for our
spiritual lives and our growth. John 3:5 makes no mistake, UNLESS WE ARE BORN AGAIN WE WILL
NOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD! Jesus is
teaching that, besides being born a biological birth, begotten of our mother,
we must also experience a supernatural, spiritual birth.
We must recognize that this
spiritualizing continues in John 3. In fact, for the children of God, it not
only continues, but it also increases exponentially in terms of its importance
to their spiritual lives! It is an unvarnished truth that only those who are
born again will see and enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Jesus is teaching that, besides one’s biological birth, one must also experience a supernatural, spiritual birth. This is important, a Christian is not just biologically begotten, but born and likewise there is no such thing as a non-born-again Christian!
The Importance of
being Born-Again
Jesus
starts out by saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee”. This is a clear instruction that what I
(Jesus) am about to say next is significantly important and you need to pay
attention here. The weight of what Jesus
was saying was paramount to believers entering into Heaven. Don’t misunderstand me, it is not important
that we understand every last detail of this critical doctrine in order to be
saved. Although a deeper understanding
helps us to grasp all that God has for us.
God
sees us as His children, already party of His Family and we are able to function
as adults before Him in this world. It
also shows Him that we are a new creation
on a spiritual journey, by which we will grow in grace and knowledge of
Christ and we will be transformed into His image! Hallelujah!!!
Being
born-again also teaches us how we should look at ourselves once we become a
Christian. We are not who we once were;
spiritually dead to God and all He has for us…but now we are ALIVE in Christ
and heirs of the throne, free from spiritual bondage, and we are left to be
able to pursue the holy, righteous character of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Jesus
reveals how special we are to God, and that we are responsible for all that we
have been given, unlike the rest of the world.
In Ephesians
2:1-6, the apostle Paul reveals a major detail of why a spiritual birth
is necessary:
“And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:
Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others.
But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;)
And
hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus:”
Twice,
Paul says in these six verses that we “were dead”—not physically dead
but spiritually dead. An individual cannot conduct his life before he is born,
nor can a dead person direct his steps and regulate his life. Clearly, God
perceives a person as spiritually dead before he is born again. Being born
again thus begins a convert’s progress toward his transformation into Christ’s
image and living in the Kingdom of God for all eternity.
