Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

A group of Torah-believing Christians in Arum, Ethiopia say that the Ark of the Covenant is safely held in their town where it has been guarded by a succession of individual virgin monks since the time of Solomon, who was King of Israel ca 973 - ca 933 BCE.

The Kings of Ethiopia all the way up to the last, Haile Selassie, claimed descent from Menelek, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The legend is that when Menelek went to Judah to visit his father, he returned with several prominent Israelites who secretly brought the Ark with them. When Menelek discovered that the Ark was in Ethiopia and that God had not struck him dead, he decided that God wanted him to protect it.

Torah-believing Christians use the first five books of the Bible (the Torah) as their primary scriptures and have a strongly Old Testament based theology. They view Jesus as the Messiah and follow the Old Testament dietary rules.

Bible Printer's Errors: Printer's Bible

Some copies, but not all, of The Printer's Bible, published in 1612, contain a strange typographical error.

What it said:
"Printers have persecuted me without a cause..." Psalm 119:161

What it should have said:
"Princes have persecuted me without a cause..." Psalm 119:161

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: A Prophecy Not Yet Fulfilled

The Old Testament Prophecy:

”And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” Isaiah 27:13

The New Testament Prophecy:

”And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:31

This is a case of a prophecy yet to be fulfilled.

New Feature on This Blog

I have added a new feature to this blog. Readers can now send individual blog posts to their social networking sites. Just under the post are five boxes: "M" for e-mail; "B" for Blogger; "t" for Twitter; "f" for Facebook; and an "earth" symbol for Google Buzz. If you think that any of the posts might be useful or interesting to others, feel free to send it to them. Please indicate that the blog is http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/

Francis Chan Quote

"We wonder what living according to His will would actually look and feel like, and we are scared to find out." Francis Chan

Paranormal Research

Dr. Michael Blunk, of Lexington, Kentucky, is the founder of the Christian Paranormal Research Project. The goal of the ministry is to offer "reasonable explanations of paranormal activity from a biblical perspective."

http://christianprp.com/

Book Comment: The New Bible Cure for Diabetes

The New Bible Cure for Diabetes (2009), by Dr. Don Colbert, has seen at least four printings (1979, 1980, 1982, and 2009). The book is written from a scientific perspective with Bible verses interspersed for encouragement and advice.

Dr. Colbert explains exactly what diabetes is and describes its symptoms and long term complications. There is a detailed explanation of the glycemic index and a discussion of the physiology of fats and fibers. The doctor details a four-pronged attack on the disease; physical activity, weight loss, nutrients and supplements, and spiritual and emotional strength. He presents a step-by-step plan for battling the disease.

Dr. Colbert has written numerous Bible Cure books, each about a different illness: cancer, back pain, allergies, memory loss, irritable bowel syndrome, skin disorders, headaches, and others.

Film Comment: The Big Picture

We've all realized after the fact that we have missed opportunities for witnessing to people; people who were obviously "ready," under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The one who was not ready was us.

The Big Picture (2000) is a short film apparently available only as an extra on the DVD release of Daybreakers (2010), a vampire film with a twist.

In The Big Picture, a young woman politely but firmly rebuffs the supper invitation offered to her by her nerdy neighbor, who sadly walks back home in the rain. He has brought her a flower and obviously has worked for hours, perhaps days, to build up enough courage to speak to her.

At first to her distress, and then to her growing delight, the woman is astonished when her television begins showing her a progression of images taking place in her living room. She sees images of the nerd becoming her boyfriend and then her husband and then the father of her beautiful children. She sees herself, in the living room, with her teenaged daughter and sees herself happily growing old with her devoted husband. Of course, she decides to go across the street to accept her neighbor's supper invitation. It's then that she learns the truth: one must respond to opportunities when they become available or they may no longer be available.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" 1 Peter 3:15

Numbers

The book of Numbers takes its English name as a translation of the Latin name of the book in the Vulgate, Numeri, and the Greek name of the book in the Septuagent, Αριτημοι. Both names refer to the two numberings in the book, which occur in Chapters 1-4, and in Chapter 26.

Jerome (340? - 420) and Epiphanius (315? - 403) referred to the book as "The Lord Spoke." It was common Jewish practice to name scriptures by their first one or two words. In the case of Numbers, the Jews didn't follow this tradition because the the phrase didn't unambiguously identify the book.

Numbers begins two years after the Israelites escaped from Egypt and ends thirty-eight years later with them looking at the Promised Land from the Transjordan area. The name of the book in the Jewish Bible is b'midhbar (or Bemidbar), which, appropriately enough, means "in the wilderness."

Crucifix vs Cross

When Protestants wear the Cross as jewelry or use it as a symbol in their churches, it is almost exclusively an empty cross. When Roman Catholics present the Cross, it is almost exclusively as the Crucifix, with Jesus nailed upon it. Both groups revere the Cross, but they view it differently. Protestants favor the empty Cross because of their strong theological emphasis on the Resurrection, while Roman Catholics stress Jesus' death as a substitutionary sacrificial atonement.

"...put me on a cross ..."

Kristen Stewart, the star of the Twillight series of films is quoted about her fans in US Weekly for 28 June 2010 on page 14.

"I ... hope that I don't run off at the mouth and say something stupid they'd put me on a cross for."

Ms. Stewart meant no disrespect to Christianity. That was probably never in her mind. What her statement does reflect is the casual way in which our modern culture views religion and the sacred. There is little or no understanding of the holy.

In contrast, to the ancient Jews, the very name of God was too holy to even pronounce. When they came upon it in the uninterrupted strings of consonants in which their scriptures were written, they said "Lord" instead. When, later, vowel marks were devised and added to the texts, the vowels for adonai ("Lord") were added to the consonants HWHJ (Hebrew is read right to left, so we would see this as JHWH, the Tetragrammaton, commonly pronounced today as "Jahweh"). This combination of consonants and vowels was unpronounceable in Hebrew and was spoken as "Lord."

Centuries later, German translators misunderstood and transliterated the name as "Jehovah."

Obituary: Walter Hawkins

Walter Hawkins, a veteran of forty years in the Gospel Music industry died on Sunday, 18 July, 2010, in Ripon, California. He was a pastor, singer, songwriter, and Gospel Music producer. He was a member of the Edwin Hawkins Singers, famed for their recording of Oh Happy Day, an eighteenth century hymn. Hawkin's signature song was Goin' Up Yonder (1975). He was nominated for nine Grammys with a 1980 win for the compilation The Lord's Prayer.

Bible Printer's Errors: Denial Bible

In the 1792 publication now known as the Denial Bible, Luke 22:34 names Philip rather than Peter as the one who would deny Jesus.

What it says:
"And he said, I tell thee, Philip, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me."

What it should have said:
"And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me."

Science Fiction Writers

Science fiction is often considered to be an atheist endeavor and many science fiction writers would agree. it is interesting though, how may of them had religious upbringings, many specifically Christian.

Robert A. Heinlein, Baptist; Gene Roddenberry, Baptist; Jules Verne, Roman Catholic; J.R.R. Tolkein, Roman Catholic; Stanislaw Lem, Roman Catholic; Karel Capek, Roman Catholic; Anthony Burgess, Roman Catholic; Jerry Pournelle, Roman Catholic; George Lucas, Methodist; Stephen King, Methodist; Beverly Cleary, Presbyterian; Piers Anthony, Quaker;

The American Indian Christian Circle

While some American Indians insist that Christianity is incompatible with their culture, the American Indian Christian Circle of Thonotassa, Florida, a suburb of Tampa, blends Christian and Native American traditions.

Led by Dock Green Silverhawk, a Creek-Cherokee hospital chaplain, the group of 50 or 60 people meets weekly at Thontassa United Methodist Church for worship and sacred dancing, "dancing to Jesus."

"We worship Jesus Christ, but we worship him in a Native American fashion, with a big drum."

"Whosover shall compel thee ..."

The Cubs just played one of their patented "Wait! Let me roll over so you can kick me in the face" games. Some people think that that was the point of Jesus' admonition in Matthew 5:41. To be weak, to just let someone else take what they want from you. To turn the other cheek so they can hit you again.

"And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." Matthew 5:41. A Roman soldier could legally force any non-citizen (such as the Jews) to carry his pack and weapons for up to a mile. He was in control of the situation.

"... go with him twain." The soldier could insist on one mile. By going two, the answer was, "You do not control me."

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions. This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Joel D. Smith: Christian academy schoolteacher, church planter, summer camp campground chaplain, pastor, and supply preacher. His website is the humorous and at the same time entirely serious, Preacher in a Can.
http://preacherinacan.com/

Michael Sweet: (b. 1963, California, USA) Songwriter, vocalist, guitarist bassist, and drummer in the Christian Glam Metal rock band, Stryper. He also sand for the rock band Boston.

Mosab Hassan Yousef: (b. 1978, West Bank; aka: Joseph) Son of a Hamas leader, he became a Christian and was disowned by his family. Later, he became a secret agent for Israel. In 2010, he applied for political asylum in the United States but his request was initially rejected by the State Department and then later approved.

Mary Flannery O’Connor: (b. 1925, Georgia, USA – d. 1964) Novelist, short story writer, essayist. She was a Roman Catholic.

Francis V. J. Arundell (b. 1833) Archeologist, British chaplain in Smyrna (Izmir, Turkey). He discovered the site of the ancient city of “Antioch in Pisidia” (Acts 13:14) near modern Yalovach, Turkey.

The Snake's Problem

"Some say that the snake became a troublemaker because he was bitter.  After all, God had told all creatures to multiply; but the snake is just an adder. Buh dum bum."  Kristin Swenson in Bible Babel (2010)

Let It Be

"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be." Paul McCartney, "Let It Be," (1970).

Many people think that "Mother Mary" in this Beatles song is Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Paul McCartney, who wrote the song, has explained that the lyrics refer to his mother, who died when he was fourteen.

His mother, Mary, appeared to him in a dream during a period when he and the other Beatles were experiencing some internal discord.  She told him, "It will be all right.  Just let it be."

 

Presbyterian Church (USA) Delegates Approve Non-Celibate Gays for Clergy

53% of the delegates at The Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly in Minneapolis voted on 8 July 2010 to allow non-celibate gays to serve their churches as ordained ministers as long as they are in committed long-term relationships.  The vote must be ratified by a majority of the 173 U.S. presbyteries to become official.

If the vote is ratified, the church would join the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The US Episcopal Church, and the United Church of Christ,the other American churches with the same policy.

Bible Printer's Errors: The Wicked Bible

Proofreading is very important.  Sometimes one word changes the entire meaning of a passage.    The following is an example to prove the point.  The incorrectly printed Bibles were pulled from sale and destroyed so any that survived are extremely rare and are expensive collector's item's.

The Wicked Bible (1631) is also called The Adulterous Bible or The Sinner's Bible.  It was a King James version printed by Robert Barker and Martin Lucas.  They were fined 300 Pounds Sterling and all available copies were burned.  Somehow, eleven Wicked Bibles still exist.

What it should have said:

“Thou shalt not commit adultery. “ Exodus 20:14

What it said:

“Thou shalt  commit adultery. “ Exodus 20:14

Film Comment: The Book of Eli

Denzel Washington is a Christian actor who has starred in an explicitly Christian film, The Book of Eli (2010).   The film raises an important question: is it acceptable for a Christian to resort to extreme violence to protect the things of God, in this case the only remaining Bible on Earth.

Eli has wandered in a generally westward direction for the last thirty years to deliver the Bible to a place he feels that God has told him to seek, a place where the Bible will be safe and cherished.  The landscape is worse than anything in the Mad Max films; a massive war has reduced civilization to rags and tatters with only a few people still being literate.

Eli carries firearms and a very sharp machete and never hesitates to use them to protect his treasure.  Robbers and brigands who try to steal his things (and who plan to kill and eat him) regularly end up maimed or dead.  Is Eli justified in pressing on to complete his mission of delivering the book even if he has to kill to do it?  What will it mean for the world if the book falls into evil hands or is destroyed?

Eli's greatest challenge comes when a powerful and totally ruthless warlord (Gary Oldman) realizes what Eli is carrying and decides that he must have it.  His illiterate henchmen tell him that it is just a book and he angrily informs them that no, it is a powerful weapon which gives its holder the ability to control and mold his followers.  How many people have used the Bible in just this way throughout history?

Chapter and Verse

Stephen Langton (b. ca, 1150, England - d. 1228), the Archbishop of Canterbury, was the first person to divide the Bible into the chapters which it carries to this day.  Before that, there were no breaks or subdivisions in the text, which, originally in the Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic, also had no punctuation or spaces between words or letters.

The printer and classical scholar, Robert Estienne (b. 1503, France - d. 1559) was the first to print a Bible with numbered verses.

The innovations of Langton and Estienne made the Bible more accessible for study, reference, and memorization by the general population. 

What They Think of Us: Alice Cooper

In the December 2009 issue of the Canadian horror film magazine, Rue Morgue (yes, I read several movie magazines), Robert Amacker of Poplarville, Mississippi decries the fact that the magazine has covered the work of the shock rock musician, Alice Cooper, but not of King Diamond, a horror themed rock musician.

"...while I respect all of the contributions Cooper has made to the worlds of music and horror, at least Diamond hasn't tarnished his legacy by taking up golf and Christianity."

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: None of His Bones Will be Broken

PROPHECY: 

"He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken."  Psalm 34:20

FULFILMENT:

"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:"  John 19:33

"For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken." John 19:36

Stinque Zombie Bible

"The Stinque Zombie Bible: Celebrating our Judeo-Christian-Zombie Heritage."

This "wiki" allows users to contribute new verses with a view to re-imagining the entire Bible from a zombie point of view.  The verses include profanity, vulgarity, and blasphemous ideas.

The motivation appears to be satire and ridicule of the Bible.

The project is in line with the recent zombie rewrite of Jane Austen's book, as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, followed by Dawn of the Dreadfuls and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre.

The Bible Reader's Museum

Bradford (Brad) B. Taliaferro is the pastor of Faucett Christian Church, a non-denominational Bible church in Faucett, Missouri. He also has created and maintains an incredibly detailed and useful website, The Bible Reader's Museum. The site includes information on new translations, versions, editions, etc. The address for the site is http://biblereadersmuseum.blogspot.com/ (for the new listings) and http://biblereadersmuseum.com (for the detailed cataloging and indices, a listing of 1707 internet links, a gallery of photographs of old Bibles, information about Faucett Christian Church, and contact information.

Some of the Bibles listed on the Blogspot URL are: Coverdale 1535 Facsimile; New International Version; Oxford Biblical Studies Online; International Standard Version; Freedom Bible Version; Stinque Zombie Bible (see tomorrow's post); King James 1611 Bible 400th Anniversary Edition;Catholic Bibles; New Matthew Bible; Christogenea New Testament Translation; Hebrew to ... Music?; Hallyujah Scriptures; Universal Bible Project; Internet Bible Catalog Update; Hebrew Interlinear Bible; Lexham English Bible; Open English Bible; The Literally Translated New Tetsament Bible; Holy Bible-Ligythouse Version; Wycliffe Bible; Updated American Standard Version; Historical English Bibles Online, etc.,

Rising Waters

“There is a story of a man trapped in his home by floods. As the waters reached his front door he prayed, ‘Lord God, please rescue me.’ Ten minutes later a boat came by offering to take the man to safety. ‘No,’ said the man, ‘God will save me.’ The floods rose and the man, now trapped upstairs again prayed, ‘Lord God, please help me.’ Five minutes later another boat came, but again the man declined its help. 'God will save me,’ he said, and the boat went away. At last the flood was so high that the man had retreated to the roof where he prayed, ‘God, please help me.’ Almost at once there was a roaring sound and a helicopter arrived. ‘I don’t need your help,’ said the man, ‘God will rescue me.’ The man drowned. In heaven he complained that even though he had prayed he had not been saved. ‘Yes,’ said God, ‘that puzzled me too - I sent two boats and a helicopter yet still you drowned.’”

From the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Edinburgh. Quoted with permission. 2010

Book Comment: The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers

"Rogers," that's what the author's son called him. That's what my son called him. I suspect that's what many children called him. Just Rogers. It would have pleased him for them to be on a single name basis with him. To the children, he was a kind friend; to many adults he was a Stepford Wife who put forth a self-esteem philosophy of "I like you just the way you are.." That was because they didn't know him.

Amy Hollingsworth, a writer for the 700 Club, is the writer of The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers. Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor (2005). She calls him "Mother Teresa in a cardigan."

Before I read this book I wondered why Fred Rogers, who was an ordained Presbyterian minister, never said anything about his religion on his show, Mister Roger's Neighborhood. Amy Hollingsworth, who was a personal friend of Fred Rogers, says that before each show he said, "Dear God, let some word that is heard be Yours." He told her that he was "tending soil" and that the Holy Spirit would work on the soil. (Matthew 13: 1-23; Mark 4: 1-20; Luke 8: 1-15). He was practicing the advice of Francis of Assisi, "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words."

The main things that Fred Rogers was trying to teach to his young audience were 1. slow down and see what is around you, 2. learn to enjoy silence so you can hear yourself and God, 3. that it is acceptable to feel emotions (even negative ones), and that there are ways to deal with negative emotions which don't harm us or others.

To the adult charge that he was promoting an easy "feel good about yourself" philosophy to his young viewers, Mister Rogers became what, for him, was "agitated." He strongly opposed the building up of undeserved false self esteem. If a child drew an angry or bizarre picture or used dark or belligerent colors in their art, he felt that they were expressing that they felt mixed up or dark inside. They were not wanting to hear that the picture was "beautiful." He said that children aren't stupid and they don't learn self-esteem by being told something that they know is not true.

Fred Rogers is an example of a Christian man who made a conscious choice to live his life as a Christian layman. He never hid who he was and never was ashamed to openly express his Christian motivations when asked. He was successful in a highly secular field without any compromise in his personal witness. Most Christians do not work as professionals in "religious" work; we are accountants, plumbers, physicians, shoe salesmen, grocery store clerks, sports writers, electricians, and even children's television hosts.

"The child is in me still ... and sometimes not so still." Fred McFeely Rogers

The Acrostic in the Sign on Jesus' Cross

"And Pilate wrote a title, and put [it] on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, [and] Greek, [and] Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written." John 19:19-22

Acrostics in the Bible are not the same thing as the Bible Codes which some believe that God has embedded into the Tanakh (Old Testament) and especially in the Talmud, the first five books. The Bible Codes are considered to be predictive of future events which would have been unknowable to the writers of the original texts. The Bible Codes would be, by their very nature, supernatural.

An acrostic is a poetic form in which the first, and sometimes the last, letters of a line in the poem form a word, a name, and sometimes a sentence. They are an intentional poetic form and occur in many places in the Old Testament. In "The Epitaph on the Cross of Yeshua," Chuck Missler suggests that the Hebrew line on the sign which Pilate wrote contained the acrostic YHWH, the Tetragrammaton, Yahweh, The Name of God. This would be an otherwise unknown ocurrance of the Hebrew poetic practice in the New Testament. http://xwalk.ca/yhwh.html

Pilate obviously meant to insult the Jewish leaders by what he wrote. Thinking that he understood the complexities of Hebrew poetry might be a stretch.

In "Acrostic Code Failure," Joel Stienke shows how the supposed acrostic in the sign could not be correct because it violates common Hebrew practice in the use of the letter "waw." The article is a highly technical explanation of Hebrew grammatical usage which shows that the words could not have spelled out YHWH, but instead probably YHHH or, more likely YHMH. There was probably no acrostic involved. http://xwalk.ca/acrostic.html

Joel Steinke holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary and is a conservative Lutheran.

Church Bulletin and Pulpit Announcements, Part 5

I don't know if any of these are real or not. They are from those sheets we've all seen, passed around by hand from one person to the next. A sentence says, "These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services."

1. Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
2. Year 8 pupils will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 4 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
3. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.
4. THe Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."