The Bible vs Scripture

If you believe that any of the current English translations are inspired scripture, then you are......

Ah ha!  You will have to read a bit more in order to find out the answer.

Romans 3 tells us that all scripture was given to the Jews.  "unto them were committed the oracles of G-d."  The scriptures were given in Hebrew and Greek.  Only those manuscripts are inspired.  Everything else is a translation.  

Translation is the transference of meaning from text to text with the translator having time and access to resources to produce a faithful, true, and accurate document or verbal artifact.

Do you know where the King James Bible came from?

A brief history is here.

What is the Bishop's Bible?

It came from the Great Bible

See where we are headed with this?  And the Great Bible was written c 1538.  The Great Bible was based on

Matthew's Bible

this bible combined Coverdale's work and Tyndale's work.  These 3 individuals worked from numerous sources in at least 5 different languages:

William Tyndale worked directly from the Hebrew and Greek, consulting the Vulgate & Erasmus's Latin, referencingLuther's Bible.  Yet Matthew had to conceal the use of Tyndale from King Hnery VIII.

Myles Coverdale translated from German & Latin sources.

John Rogers translated the Prayer of Manasses from the French Bible in 1535.

Tyndale & Rogers were both burned at the stake.

Coverdale was employed by Cromwell to work on the Great Bible of 1539.   (I think that if he valued his life, he was extremely careful in what he wrote!)

OK, so that's where the English version got started....in the early 1500s.  So can you start to fathom the various interpretations of scripture before that?  1500 years worth of it?  

There were no numbered chapters and verses until the Middle ages!

Early manuscripts of the letters from Paul and other writings show no punctuation whatsoever.  This was all added by editors, according to their own understanding of the text.

So what if a period doesn't really belong where there is a period?  What if it's not the end of the statement being made?  How much would that challenge our thoughts on scripture alone?

The earliest surviving complete manuscript of the entire Bible is the Codex Amiatinus, a Latin Vulgate edition produced in the 8th century.  The earliest printed edition of the Greek New Testament is 116.

So, in 1947 and 1956, the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered and they date back to before 100 C.E.  It is said that the books of Exodus and Samuel found in Cave Four have dramatic differences in both language and content.

And no matter who "translates" them into English - some of their interpretation is bound to be incorporated into the text.  

In no way am I promoting the idea that you disbelieve scripture.  What I'm trying to point out is that translations of scripture are simply that  - someone else's idea of what it says.

If you really want to know what the Bible says, then you need to study, study, study!!!

Mount prepared what he called a consistent translation of the New Testament.  He used the same  English word each time he translated a Greek word.  He said that he tried to keep his opinion out of the translation, going strictly on what the Greek word meant.  I have been reading and studying the Consistent Translation and find it to be extremely interesting.  If you would like one, you can order it from:

Mount Trust

% Ray Kissel

1305 Leawood Road

Mansfield OH 44907

The cost is $60.00.  Update:  You can now download this for free, just click here.

"This is the New Testament only. A loose-leaf study text 8 1/2" x 11" in 16-page signatures punched for standard 3-ring note book. Each Greek word translated as consitently as possible by its best equivalent English word, 511 pages. King James Version is next to the consistent translation."

And while you are at it, you might want to purchase "A Teaching Dictionary". $80.00.   Update:  you can now get all of Mount's pdf files and mp3 files by sending a 64GB flash drive to J. Lowe, 1122 N 15th St, Canon City CO 81212.

"This dictionary has 3 sections. The 1st section is printed in green and lists every English word used in the Consistent New Testament and alongside the Greek word from which it is translated. The 2nd section is printed in blue and lists every Greek word in the Greek New Testament, and alongside the English word used in the Consistent New Testament for it. The 3rd section, printed in black, has about 300 words. Every use of these words in the Consistent Translation is shown and usually compared to the King James. This proves the absolute consistency of God's word if translated honestly. A Greek word does not have all kinds of different English meanings: nor do several Greek words have the same English meaning.

English words connected with a hyphen or hyphens indicate that they are from one Greek word."

What if I have a Jewish soul lost in a gentile body

For the last few years, I have had an incredible yearning for Israel, a love for everything Jewish, and I do not know where it comes from. 

Today, as I listened to Tuesday Night Live (episode # 31),   In the "Meet the street" segment, Jeremy asked a tourist if he was a Jewish soul lost in a gentile body. He explains that the Ephraims, northern tribes of Israel were lost among the nations,  they will look like non-Jews and all of a sudden, they will feel this pull to Judaism, they can't explain why, but all of a sudden there is an attraction to Israel.  

What if I have a Jewish soul lost in this gentile body?   That would explain my complete longing for Israel.  Should I follow my heart's desire and move to Israel?   

When I listen to Ari & Jeremy.....there is such a yearning in my soul to return to Israel.  I'm positive I was in the shop of the merchant they interviewed in this segment - he has a store in the Jewish market and I want to go back and see if it was him.  I have the necklace I bought from him.  How wonderful to see him interviewed - but it just makes me want to be there now.

I would never become Jewish because I truly do believe that Yeshua is the Messiah.  But I also believe that so much of the Jewish life is what I should be living right now.  Not necessarily the rituals...but the spiritual part of their life - the total devotion to Jehovah, the constant prayer....the complete adoration of Jehovah.

I also find it so amazing the timeliness of what I wrote yesterday about the size of Israel in the future.....and the first part of Ari & Jeremy's message.  I find it  totally uncomprehendable that Jews cannot do anything Jewish on the Temple Mount.  They are not allowed to pray at the Temple Mount.  They cannot take a Torah or anything Judaica with them to the Temple Mount.  

How did the world get to this point?  

The land is not theirs to give away.  It is not ours to divide, to sell, to partition.  Jehovah promised it to Israel.

Once again, I don't necessarily agree with everything that Ari & Jeremy say.....but I do believe that they give great content for me to ponder over.  I pray for both of them daily because at least they present a forum to tell and show us what is going on in Israel.

Israel's fullness

If you study, then you will know that Israel's fullness includes all of these countries:


Israel

Jordan

Iraq

Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Oman

United Arab Emirates

Qatar

Rahrain

Kuwait

Syria

Lebanon

Sinai Pennesula in Egypt

part of Turkey

Wow!  Look at the size of Israel when they rule the world!  

Isn't it exciting to live in a time when so many prophecies are starting to come true?

When will Israel be fulfilled?  When the Gentiles become TOTAL evil - then the Jews will come to their fullness.

But just think a minute....all the building going on in Dubai....will one day be owned by the Jews!  All of the oil...all of the money!

3 things you should do now to prepare yourself:

1.  Pray for Israel

2. Contribute to Israel

3.  See that Israel is God's people

I'll be the first to say that I did NOT vote for Obama.  But I believe that he needed to be elected President of this country.....in order to take away our support of Israel, to lead us even more towards total evil....so that the Jews will come to their fullness and rule the world.   

If I will bless Israel, then He will bless me

If you want to learn everything you can, then click on the colored links and read even more.

Gen 12:3 (a whole lot to be learned if you read that entire link)

Yesterday, in the National Post, Canadian Prime Minister blessed Israel when he said,

"Under our government, Canada will remain an unyielding defender of Jewish religious freedom, a forceful opponent of anti-Semitismin all of its forms and a staunch supporter of a secure and democratic state of Israel,"

Canada blessed Israel with this statement. I believe that Canada will be blessed as long as they maintain their support for Israel.

This should be the "shot" that was heard around the world, yet when I googled the speech this morning, it only comes up 154 times. How sad is that???

I don't know how long Canada will remain in this position, but it's enough to make me want to pack up my bags and move north! I see our leaders becoming unsupportive of Israel - almost overnight.

I am not Jewish. But there is a mezuzah on my front door, a stained glass Star of David over my front door, I live on Paschal (passover) Dr, I have a banner inside that says "Wherever I stand, I stand with Israel" and I pray for Israel every day. I send my gifts to Israel. I want the world to know that I love Israel.

And my life has never been more blessed than it is now.

If- then statements

I remember high school geometry like it was yesterday.  I was fascinated with hypothesis....if-then statements.  Simple things like:  If 2,4,6,8 are even numbers, then they are divisable by 2.

It taught math.  It taught logic.  It taught reasoning.  It was a way to prove a statement.  

I graduated high school at the age of 17 and entered Bob Jones University.  I think in time you will come to see why I have decided this was the beginning of 40 years in my "wilderness".  I attended a Methodist church until I was 15 years old, then went to a Baptist church.  Now, we didn't just go on Sunday.  We went Sunday morning to Sunday school and church. The pastor would often come to our house on Sunday afternoon to "talk" religion with Dad.  We would be back in church Sunday night, Wed and Thurs nights.  If there was a revival at our church or any neighboring church, we would be there 7 nights a week.  Then there were youth group meetings and outings.  Between school and church....well, there wasn't much else except family gatherings at both grandma's houses....or at one of my many aunts or uncles homes.  Nope, no complaints here - it was a wonderful childhood.  But pretty much "brain-washed" by religion.

Until I got to high school geometry!

If Elijah was going to come first, then how could there be an instant rapture like the preacher said???

You see where my problems started?

If all little children who died went straight to heaven, then why didn't we kill them all the moment they were born???

I got an "F" on a test in 6th grade because I answered a question based on my faith in what I knew the Bible said:

"Will man ever be able to fly alone?"  I put down "yes".  Because I believed that if you had the faith of a mustard seed, you could move a mountain, so you could surely fly alone!

Yep, I had lots of problems in school.....and for the next 40 years!

About 1972, mom & dad spent a winter in North Carolina and were introduced to Ralph Mount of Mount Bible Publications.  He was an engineer who studied the Greek & Hebrew text of the New & Old Testament and produced a cassette tape ministry.  I knew they were deep in study - whenever I visited the tapes were on.  I was just not ready to join them.  I certainly didn't "get" their thirst for knowledge.  It wasn't my time - I was in my "wilderness".  While I have listened to these tapes off and on over the years, I would fall asleep half way through a lesson, or my mind would wander and I'd start daydreaming....never quite finishing an entire tape.  

About 5 years ago, I decided to force myself to listen to a full hour every single day while I walked.  But the scenery and ongoing events around me while I walked caused a constant distraction.  And I quit again.  Just no interest in learning anything new.....I was perfectly content to continue to believe all the things I had been taught as a child.....everything I had learned in church.

About 6 months ago, I started listening to Mount's cassettes once again.  This time really listening to them.  For some reason, this time it was different.  And then it hit me.....I had turned 57.  It has been 40 years.  It was time for me to come out of my "wilderness".  My thirst was and still is growing.  There are days when I just can't comprehend it all, and days that I rejoice in what I am learning.  I hope to share some of it in this blog.  I hope that as you read, you will start to think differently.  And perhaps together, we will learn that  Elijah will be here first.  

So I need to preface this first blog with this statement:

1.  If you read my blog and learn the truth, THEN there is no reason for argument.

2.  If you know the truth and do not adhere to it, then you will be lost.

If you want to learn what is going on in the world around you, bookmark the links over on the right and read them every single day.  Read their archives.  Study up on world history.  Then re-read # 1 & # 2 above.  

I do not expect anyone to agree with what I will be writing here.  All I ask is that you keep an open mind to the possibilities of what I am writing.  

If you are against Israel, then you really need to read what I will be writing!

If you believe that today's church is a house of worship of the true G-d, then you need to keep reading in order to find out the truth!

If you believe there will be an instant rapture, then you need to show me where the word rapture is located in scripture.

If you believe that the King James Version (or any other version of the Bible) is THE inspired word,  then you definitely need to subscribe to my blog.  I hope to help you learn that only the Greek and Hebrew are "inspired" - everything else is a translation....an opinion of what was written.

If you think Jesus loves everyone, then explain why the Bible tells us of so many that He hates and despises.  

See, I could go on and on with these if/then statements.  If nothing else, then this should be an interesting blog!