Everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ.
If our teaching of Scripture doesn't center on the Person and work of Jesus Christ, then we have missed the message of the Bible. Let me put it another way. If in a desire to be "relevant" to a generation of people ignorant of the Bible, we deliver a message to others void of Jesus Christ - in other words, we attempt to improve peoples' lives without reference to Jesus Christ's work on their behalf - then we have preached a vapid message that actually changes nobody.
The grace of God in Christ is the sole message that allows people to discover "contentment whatever the circumstances" (Philippians 4:11), and it is the only message that sets sinners free.
Notice the Scriptures Jesus used as He taught others about Himself. "Beginning with Moses and all the prophets." All the prophets; not some. All. These prophets wrote the last 17 books of the Old Testament; probably some of the most ignored books in the Bible, but Jesus used them to explain "what was said in the Scriptures concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27).
A great little memory aid for learning the 39 books of the Old Testament is to use three numbers:
The next 5 books of the Old Testament are books of poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon).
The final 17 books of the Old Testament are books of prophecy. These books of prophecy are written by the prophets that Jesus mentions in Luke 24:27. So in the Old Testament, there are these 39 books:
17 - 5 - 17The first 17 books of the Old Testament are books about the history of Israel, from the creation of Adam (4000 B.C.) to the rebuilding of the Temple and the walls of the city of Jerusalem (400 B.C.), which had been destroyed by the Babylonians (586 B.C.).
The next 5 books of the Old Testament are books of poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon).
The final 17 books of the Old Testament are books of prophecy. These books of prophecy are written by the prophets that Jesus mentions in Luke 24:27. So in the Old Testament, there are these 39 books:
17 books of history, 5 books of poetry, 17 books of prophecy.
One could further break down the Old Testament like this:
The first 5 books of Old Testament history are called the Pentateuch (or "the five books of Law"), also known as the 5 books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy ). The next 12 books of history deal with the nation of Israel to (400 B.C.). The time break between the close of Old Testament Scriptures and the coming of Christ in the beginning of the New Testament is approximately 400 years. During this inter-Testamental time period of silence, religious sects like the Pharisees and the Sadducees arise in Israel, which is why you don't read about them in the Old Testament history of Israel. So the 17 books of history can be further broken down into 5 - 12.
(5 - 12) - 5 - (5 - 12).
The first 5 books of Old Testament history are called the Pentateuch (or "the five books of Law"), also known as the 5 books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy ). The next 12 books of history deal with the nation of Israel to (400 B.C.). The time break between the close of Old Testament Scriptures and the coming of Christ in the beginning of the New Testament is approximately 400 years. During this inter-Testamental time period of silence, religious sects like the Pharisees and the Sadducees arise in Israel, which is why you don't read about them in the Old Testament history of Israel. So the 17 books of history can be further broken down into 5 - 12.
Then come the 5 books of poetry.
Finally, the 17 books of prophecy that close Old Testament, just like the first 17 books of history that open the Old Testament, can also be broken down 5 - 12. The first 5 books of prophecy (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel) are called the Major Prophets, and the last 12 books of prophecy (which are also the last 12 books of the Old Testament) are called the Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).
All the prophets prophesied to Israel during a period of approximately 500 years, between the death of Solomon (931 B.C.), which resulted in the split of Israel into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah), to the close of the Old Testament history of the Jews (400 B.C.). All the prophets, both major and minor, either prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah. The Minor Prophets are called "minor" not because their message is less important, but because their books are shorter than the books written by the five major prophets.
So to repeat, the Old Testament is composed of these 39 books:
All the prophets prophesied to Israel during a period of approximately 500 years, between the death of Solomon (931 B.C.), which resulted in the split of Israel into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah), to the close of the Old Testament history of the Jews (400 B.C.). All the prophets, both major and minor, either prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah. The Minor Prophets are called "minor" not because their message is less important, but because their books are shorter than the books written by the five major prophets.
So to repeat, the Old Testament is composed of these 39 books:
17 (History) - 5 (Poetry) - 17 (Prophecy)
Jesus said all the prophets - their stories, their messages, their lives, their situations - teach us about Him. Let me show you how Jesus is portrayed in all the prophets by using the prophet Amos as an example.
"The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel." (Amos 1:1).
Amos was as shepherd from a small city (Tekoa) just south of Jerusalem. He is called by God to go north to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel, telling the Israelites to repent of breaking God's covenant with Israel (established at Mt. Sinai), or they would face catastrophe as a nation. The covenant agreement Israel had with God was an "if...then..." covenant. If Israel would obeyed God's laws as a nation, then God would bless Israel. But if Israel disobeyed God, then
"All these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him" (Deuteronomy 29:15-20)Remember, Amos prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel. Of the 19 kings of northern Israel, not one of them was righteous. They were all evil. But before God fulfilled the promised judgment of sending a foreign nation upon northern Israel to destroy them for violations of His covenant, God sent to them various prophets, including Amos, to urge Israel to repent and to warn Israel of their impending judgment if they did not.
Amos beautifully pictures Jesus Christ in His ministry to Israel.
1. Both Amos and Jesus Christ were resisted by the priests of Israel. “Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.’ … Then Amaziah said to Amos: ‘Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, and there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel” (Amos 7:10-13).
2. Amos, like Jesus Christ, came from a humble background. “Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: ‘I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheep breeder and a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said to me, “Go, prophesy to My people Israel” (Amos 7:14-15).
3. Amos, like the Messiah, worked as a shepherd. The shepherd imagery found in Amos points toward Jesus Christ as the Great Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. Amos shepherded sheep; Jesus shepherded people. Jesus called His disciples "My little flock" (Luke 12:32)
4. Amos, like Jesus Christ, was a master teacher who used vivid illustrations in his teaching style. Like Christ, Amos would use nature; birds, flowers, and a host of natural, everyday things to help Israel see God's mercy and righteous judgment (see Amos 3).
5. Amos, like the Messiah, claimed divine inspiration. Amos uses the phrase, “This is what the LORD says” about forty times in his book. Jesus declared, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).
6. Amos, like the Messiah, was charged with treason (Amos 7:10; John 19:12).
7. Amos, like Jesus Christ, decried the selfishness of the wealthy (Amos 6:4-6; Luke 12:15-21).
8. Both Amos and Jesus Christ came to declare God's mercy to the nations. This mercy is seen in the Person and work of Jesus Christ in establishing a New Covenant (agreement) with the world, not just the Jews (see Acts 15:16-17 and Amos 9:11-12; also see Acts 7:42-43 and Amos 5:25-27).But the stunning manner in which Amos is a picture of Jesus Christ is found in the timing (Amos 1:1) of Amos' message judgment to northern Israel (Amos 3:11-12) which perfectly matches the timing (Matthew 24:1-3) of Jesus Christ's message of judgment to descendants of Judah (Matthew 24:34-35), who in Jesus' day had assumed the name "Israel" and were called "Jews."
Let me explain.
In Amos 1:1, we are told Amos prophesied the destruction of northern Israel "two years before the earthquake." Oklahoma is now the nation's center for earthquake shaking. We have more earthquakes than any other place in the world. Last week, we had a 5.8 magnitude quake, which shook our house to the point Rachelle and I thought about evacuating! But... for an earthquake to strike Israel in the days of Amos and be described as "THE earthquake," then that earthquake must have been a big one.
It was.
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Hazor in northern Israel tell us that the earthquake referenced in Amos 1:1, was an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, and it occurred in 760 B.C. - a date that precisely aligns with the the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam II Israel, both of whom are mentioned in Amos 1:1.
Now we can precisely date the prophecy Amos regarding the destruction of Israel as 762 B.C., which is "two years before the earthquake" (Amos 1:1).
40 years after Amos' prophecy, in 722 B.C., (a generation among the Jews is 40 years), Assyria - the world's first great empire - descended from the north and devastated northern Israel.
The Assyrians took the men of the 10 northern tribes of Israel into captivity, desolated the major cities of northern Israel (Dan, Bethel, Samaria, etc...), then brought in pagan men to intermarry the Israeli women. The descendants of these mixed marriages were called "Samaritans." The Jews in Jesus' day hated the Samaritans (e.g. abbreviation of "Judites" or people of the southern Kingdom of Judah). The Jews would avoid traveling through the territory (Samaria) of the Samaritans when they went from Jerusalem to Galilee, preferring to mingle in their travels to the festivals with the Gentiles on the eastern side of the Jordan rather than the "half-breeds" of Samaria on the western side of the Jordan River.
But Jesus "had to go through Samaria" (John 4:4). during His ministry, because His mission was to bring "living Water" (John 4:1-14) to all people, in a Samaritan woman at the well that the Jews would shun as an outcast. Religious people reject those unlike them; Jesus comes to set half-breeds free.
The stunning way in which Amos pictures Jesus is in this manner: Jesus did exactly what Amos did, and prophesied the destruction of Israel forty years before it occurred.
In A.D. 30, Jesus told His disciples that the end of Israel was coming (see Matthew 24). Everything in Matthew 24 that Jesus said about the destruction of the Temple, Jerusalem, and the scattering of the Jews, exactly parallels the things Amos said 700 years earlier about the destruction of the cities of the northern kingdom of Israel and the scattering of the ten northern tribes.
Even more fascinating is the fact that in A.D 70, exactly 40 years after Jesus prophesied the coming destruction, the Romans came to Jerusalem and desolated the Temple and the city of Jerusalem and scattered the Jews. This is exactly the same time (e.g. "a generation" see Matthew 24:34) that passed between Amos' prophesy of destruction (762 B.C.) and the fulfillment of the prophecy when the Assyrians came and desolated northern Israel (722 B.C.).
Matthew 24 is a vivid prophecy of the end of the Old Covenant with southern Israel (the Jews) and the establishment of a New Agreement with the world, a prophecy of Jesus that is pictured perfectly through Amos' life and ministry.
Those who view Matthew 24 as a picture of "the end of the world" have made the fundamental mistake of not seeing that everything in the Bible is about the Person and work of Jesus Christ to set sinners free! It's Christ's first coming that should be emphasized! Sure, He's coming again for you, me, and everyone else (you and I will die!), but if our message is more about the world, politics, current events, culture, and the end of the world, than it is the Person and work of Jesus Christ to change lives now, then we've missed the message of the Bible.
Jesus is the subject of the Bible, and "beginning with Moses and all the prophets" it is possible to see the Person and work of our Savior in ushering in a New Agreement whereby sinners who trust Him and His work are "right with God" and free from condemnation (Romans 10:1) through faith. This New Covenant is not a conditional covenant of promises and curses based upon our obedience, but it is an unconditional, eternal agreement where "all the promises of God has made are yes and amen in Christ" (II Corinthians 1:20). More importantly, this faith in Christ brings a union with God, whereby the person of faith becomes the "temple of the Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 6:19), and this life of God in the soul of man brings the power needed to transform any sinner from the inside out. Christ in us is our hope of transformation. We love people like He loves us; even our enemies (see John 13:34).
When you understand that everything in the Bible is about Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for His people, then you can declare with the Apostle Paul:
"But whatever was gain to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:7-11).
29 comments:
Thank you Wade for this post. I have been hearing this post in bits and pieces across your various sermons, blog posts and books. It is good to see it consolidated here.
I have been going back to your "Happiness doesn't just happen" book and messages and find them very rewarding with insights.
I was struck here that you brought up Amos. I read Chomsky a lot and he too had particular affinity for Amos, though his thinking is not Christ focussed. Out of curiosity I will post his excerpts here though they make a tangential insight.
DS: Did you read Nivi’im, the prophets, with your father in Hebrew?
NC: The word “prophet” is a very bad translation of an obscure Hebrew word, navi. Nobody knows what it means. But today they’d be called dissident intellectuals. They were giving geopolitical analysis, arguing that the acts of the rulers were going to destroy society. And they condemned the acts of evil kings. They called for justice and mercy to orphans and widows and so on.
I don’t want to say it was all beautiful. Dissident intellectuals aren’t all beautiful. You read Sakharov, who is sometimes appalling. Or Solzhenitsyn. And the nivi’im were treated the way dissident intellectuals always are. They weren’t praised. They weren’t honored. They were imprisoned like Jeremiah. They were driven into the desert. They were hated. Now at the time, there were intellectuals, “prophets,” who were very well treated. They were the flatterers of the court. Centuries later, they were called “false prophets.”
People who criticize power in the Jewish community are regarded the way Ahab treated Elijah: You’re a traitor. You’ve got to serve power. You can’t argue that the policies that Israel is following are going to lead to its destruction, which I thought then and still do.
DS: Did you imagine yourself as a navi, a prophet, when you were a child reading those texts alone in your room or on Friday night with your father?
NC: Sure. In fact, my favorite prophet, then and still, is Amos. I particularly admired his comments that he’s not an intellectual. I forget the Hebrew, but lo navi ela anochi lo ben navi — I’m not a prophet, I’m not the son of a prophet, I’m a simple shepherd. So he translated “prophet” correctly. He’s saying, “I’m not an intellectual.” He was a simple farmer and he wanted just to tell the truth. I admire that.
--------------------------------
NH: You grew up reading the Hebrew Scriptures, and you’ve said Amos was your favorite prophet. Are you inspired by the prophets in issuing your warnings about the existential threats of nuclear and environmental disaster?
NC: That’s too much self-glorification. What’s translated in English as “prophet” doesn’t mean prophet. It basically means intellectual. They were what we would call dissident intellectuals. Amos says, “I am not a prophet. I am not the son of a prophet. I’m a simple shepherd and farmer.” He was distancing himself from what we would call the intellectual elite, and speaking for the people very eloquently. Jeremiah, of course, was not treated nicely for his pleas for mercy and justice. But that’s typical. The people we call the prophets I think are the earliest dissident intellectuals, and they’re treated like most dissident intellectuals—very badly. They’re imprisoned, driven into the desert. King Ahab, the epitome of evil in the Bible, condemned Elijah as a “hater of Israel.” This is the first self-hating Jew, the origin of the term. It goes right up to the present. That’s the history of intellectuals. Most of them are false prophets, flatterers of the court. The real prophets are the exception and treated badly. How badly they’re treated depends on the society. Like in Eastern Europe, they were treated very badly. In Latin America, they were slaughtered.
Thanks, Ramesh!
Glad you noticed Chomsky's views of Amos are not as Christ focused. I would agree.
Chomsky's an excellent writer and bold dissident.
Appreciate the comment!
Wade,
I hate to show my ignorance, but your post taught me more in minutes than many years. I’ve printed copies for our SS class.
I didn’t know James quoted Amos just before he made his JUDGMENT that planted the roots of Catholics. My opinion of course. :)
But HEY! “We have more earthquakes than any other place in the world.” ??
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/top_states.php
Earthquakes with magnitude of 3.5 and greater from 1974 to 2003:
Alaska = 12,053
California = 4,895
Oklahoma = 17
I guess the one that hit you, made it feel like you were the most. :)
Rex,
In the website Quake Kare, the headline is Oklahoma has now taken over the nation's earthquake leader.
Maybe not the world, but at least the nation.
https://www.quakekare.com/preparedness-blog/oklahoma-is-now-the-nations-earthquake-leader/
Wade,
I stand corrected.
My information was based on years up to 2003. Your information said: “In 2014 Oklahoma experienced more than 5,415 earthquakes.”
The increase from 17 to that number in 11 years is scary! Probably due to “climate change”...(Joke)
I think ‘mother earth’ doesn’t like contamination poked into her.
Just got word my brother is in the hospital…out of his head and unable to walk.
Wade,
Good news.
Hez didn’t drink enough water which caused his old problem with kidneys to act up. His wife was unable to get him on his feet.
To check his mental status, the ambulance people asked, “Who’s President?” They laughed when he said, “I hope it’s not Obama.”
He was angry at going to the hospital where they gave him a dialysis treatment by putting a port in his neck. They expect him to be there a couple of days.
That is good news! Glad to hear!
:)
Hi REX RAY,
Sorry your brother got so sick. At least they can help him to recover in the hospital. He has my prayers.
I agree with you, this: "I think ‘mother earth’ doesn’t like contamination poked into her."
We sometimes forget that the Earth provided the very elements that helped form Our Lord's body during the Incarnation, and so the Earth has been 'mother' to us all so to speak.
It must be hard to talk about earthquakes in a state where politics and economy and need for employment and income trump evidence of the results of fracking. But I hope people listen when the Earth speaks to them so that injuries, deaths, and destruction will not happen to the good people of Oklahoma who are at risk from greed.
May God protect you and your family from harm, REX.
Wade and Christiane,
Sad news the report my sister-in-law told me is not true. She refuses to accept doctors saying my brother, Hez, couldn’t live more than two weeks. Two daughters from Washington and one from Tucson have come to the hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. I plan to go.
Praying for you, Rex, and your brother and his family. Safe travels.
Wade,
Sorry, but this is getting to be a ‘joke’. My younger sister has confusion problems. She had my older sister and me in tears as she did not understand what one of the daughters told her.
Only the daughter, Debbie, from Tucson is with Hez. I’ve just talked with her. He is not in intensive care. He is walking the halls and demanding to go home. His ‘numbers’ are improving with treatments of dialysis. They have a person with him ’24-7’.
Debbie asked why. “Because he is a know troublemaker.”
I find it interesting that, whereas the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message included the statement 'The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.", the 2000 version omits that sentence. The 1963 version implies agreement with this post, whereas that seems now to be missing.
Hmmm.......
Hi REX RAY,
Can you speak directly with the doctors about your brother's condition?
We will pray for him in any case, but I hope the news is not devastating.
God Bless!
Bob,
Excellent point - as always.
CHRISTIANE,
My brother called tonight, and he is feeling much better. We talked half an hour about old times. He remembered before we left for Germany when we were 15 he effused to take any shots. Finally a doctor told him when we got on the boat he would be left behind. He came out of the office with his arm almost dragging the floor.
Bob,
I like to paraphrase “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ” with:
‘Interpreting the Bible is best through the eyes of Jesus’.
In 1962, the SBC pasted a motion for all presidents of State Conventions to present a BF&M to be voted on in 1963. Their meetings were open to any group or individuals with suggestions. Their result was known to churches before the Convention met.
NOT SO WITH THE 2000 BF&M!
Paige Patterson, president of the SBC, hand picked 15 people. They met behind closed doors. Their only reply when asked was, “We can’t tell you but you’re going to like it.”
Churches and their messengers had no clue until the 2000 SBC met.
Deletions and changes of 1963 BF&M:
1. In no case has it sought to delete from or to add to the basic contents of the 1925 Statement.
2. Such statements have never been regarded as complete, infallible statements of faith, nor as official creeds carrying mandatory authority.
3. Baptists emphasize the soul’s competency before God, freedom in religion, and the priesthood of the believer.
4. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.
5. “…Church…committed to His teachings” to ”…governed by His laws.”
(Governed by top-down authority?)
By demanding the 2000 BF&M be signed or fired by people under their control breaks what was added: (Many missionaries were fired.)
“Baptists cherish and defend religious liberty, and deny the right of any secular or religious authority to impose a confession of faith upon a church or body of churches.”
Not enough space to print the 2000 additions, but the two ‘big ones’ are:
1. The office of pastor is limited to men.
2. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband
Rex: You did a wonderful job scratching the tip of the iceberg.
One might also add the change from"
"The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man."
To:
"The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the revelation of Himself to man".
This removes the revelation from the deeds of God, to the Bible. As if men did not have any revealing of Himself before they had the Bible. I see in that, and in the change in wording from "Baptists emphasize the soul's competency before God, freedom in religion, and the priesthood of the believer" ... to "We honor the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers affirming together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to each other under the Word of God".
I see these changes as a subtle movement away from a living, vital, active relationship with a Living Jesus and a personally engaged and active Holy Ghost. I am always zealous to throw some sort of flag of objection when I see those.
Bob,
I have 71 letters that I like that were printed in the Baptist Standard from July 29, 1998 to April 2002.
This one agrees with you by Hewett - Kingsville, Texas on February 25, 2002.
“It is because the 2000 BFM has not been widely condemned for its evil content that more and more Southern Baptist are being forced to affirm that content
At first, only the regular SBC employees had to affirm it. Today, even long-standing career missionaries must affirm it.
1. Well I for one will never affirm that the 2000 BFM is suitable as an “Instrument of doctrinal accountability.” Only to God the Father are Christians accountable for their doctrine (Acts 5:29).
2. Nor will I ever affirm that the Bible is “GOD’S REVELATION OF HIMSELF TO MAN.” Only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, holds that Position (John 14:9).
3. Nor will I ever affirm that the 2000 BFM contains the “essentials” of my faith. Only the Bible contains those essentials (2 Timothy 3:16), and only the Holy Spirit has the power to identify them (John 14:26)
These three quotations nullify everything else that might be good about the 2000 BFM, because it supplants the Holy Bible and usurps the very honor, power and authority of God Almighty himself.
Affirmation of the 2000 BFM is blasphemy and should be widely proclaimed to be such.”
Opps: His name is Donnell Hewett
Hi REX RAY,
Good news about your brother's feeling better. We will keep praying for him. I know you've been worried about him, so this must be a relief.
CHRISTIANE,
Yes, a big relief. Next week, we plan to drive and spend a few days with him and his daughters.
This is another letter printed in the Baptist Standard April 15, 2002:
The difference between fish and birds; fish worry if there are hooks in the worms. People, like hooked fish, may be controlled. Most Baptists believe in being controlled only by the Holy Spirit interpreting the Bible. It’s called “priesthood of the believer” and is in the 1963 BFM as, “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.”
That statement was removed in the 2000 BFM, and leaders of the SBC are Christian Judaizers using a committee for interpreting Scriptures to be obeyed.
Jesus didn’t mention committees interpreting anything. If we let missionaries be fired, who will stand for us when it’s our turn to sign the new BFM? Legalistic rulers will continue increasing their authority as long as good men do nothing.
Rex Ray--Bonham, TX
After receiving an ‘Appreciation Certificate’ from the President of the International Mission Board, Jerry Rankin, for working in Japan, we exchanged several letters.
I complained our SS material had: “The 2000 BFM is our guideline” and wanted it changed to ‘The Bible is our guideline’. He argued the Church of Christ used that and we had to be different.
I need help to find a Holman Christian Standard Bible copyright in 2002.
The reason is not so strange; since I’m trying to understand in April 2002 why Paige Patterson whispering to me, “We got all we could” IF the copyright then had had the same translation as today in Matthew 9:18: “…my daughter is near death…” (All other translations state the daughter had died.)
Patterson had preached at Prestonwood Baptist Church, (membership now is 41,000).
http://www.prestonwood.org/about/our-staff/lists/church-leadership/dr-jack-graham.
Patterson wrote the Forward to "The Criswell Study Bible" and the third task was:
“Harmonization of apparent discrepancies and explanations of passages thought by some to contain error are afforded the reader.”
After his sermon, there was a line shaking his hand. I read his third task and asked if all the “errors” were explained or only some of them.
He yelled to the crowd, “We got all of them!
I said, “What about the ruler’s daughter is dead in Mathew and alive in Mark and Luke?”
That’s when he whispered, “We got all we could.”
I’m thinking if the Holman was like it is today, Patterson would have argued the girl was alive in Matthew and there was no conflict.
BTW, at that time, Prestonwood had not decided to join the new convention of Texas. But after the sermon, they did join and their pastor, Jack Graham became the next President of the SBC.
Hmmm…
Hi REX RAY,
I understand some people are putting together a new Bible where they are changing some of the wording profoundly to accommodate the 'male headship' doctrine and these same people are saying that THEIR new Bible will be 'permanent' and 'unchanging', sort of 'carved in stone', if you will.
I'm curious to see if they actually do this. Believe me, I was shocked by the change in the BF&M 2K concerning dropping Our Lord as the 'lens' through which the Bible was to be interpreted.
Then, I thought that the 'inerrancy' thing was unusual.
By this time, the creation of man-made verse changes in Scripture .... that takes the cake, in my opinion. Wow. I'm sorry to see it come to this.
I hope your brother Hez continues to improve, and I'm so glad your worries about him are lessening. Take care, and don't let this political season drag you down. All shall some day be well in the Kingdom of Our Lord. :)
CHRISTIANE,
Yes, the news is good about my brother. Saw a video of him being escorted for exercise on a walker. Made me think of a joke we could duplicate that we did in college. He was in their hospital but wanted to do something. I took his place in bed; he did his thing and came back without getting caught.
His daughters laughed and agreed to try it. Judy would escort me into the hospital on a walker. He would change from his gown to my cloths and Judy would escort him with my walker. He would NOT leave the hospital but it would make his day to slip past his ‘watchdogs’. The tricky part will be them not seeing us change clothes. We haven’t told him yet. We plan to drive next week.
His doctor is angry with him for refusing to take dialysis once a week four years ago. “You brought this on yourself, now you have to have it three times a week.” Someday, maybe his gravestone will have “I did it my way”.
Politics: I like today’s newspaper cartoon; The Press said, “Mrs. Clinton, we are concerned about your cough.” Her picture has her nose three feet long. It’s not who you vote for, but who you vote against. :)
Well, the plan won't work because he leaves the hospital tomorrow. But that's even better news!
CHRISTIANE,
“Some people are putting together a new Bible where they are changing some of the wording profoundly to accommodate the ‘male headship’ doctrine…”
Why are they making a new Bible? All they have to do is believe the MACHO 2000 BFM where it states:
1. “The office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”
2. “A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.”
3. “She…has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.”
In other words, she is to stay in the kitchen (with Martha), clean house, raise kids, and never work for money.
Hi REX RAY,
glad the news about your brother is good. Gosh, I hope he will cooperate with the program of dialysis THIS time!
CHRISTIANE,
I also hope he cooperates, but he has difficulty in doing anything other than his way. It must be the RAY genes.
I mentioned to my brother-in-law that my 16 year-old grandson is going to see a big football game in Dallas with his parents, but he has to sit on the ‘wrong’ side of his choice. He said he was going to wear HIS teams’ jersey, but they told him he couldn’t do that. He will have the proper jersey on, but HIS jersey will be underneath. :)
My brother-in-law said my grandson got it from his mother who had been pushed out of bed when she was ten by her older cousins. She was determined to sleep on the bed and next morning he found them all asleep with my daughter on the floor but with one leg on the bed.
Hi REX RAY
You said of your brother 'he has difficulty in doing anything other than his way'. Sounds like my husband, a right proper old cuss but I wouldn't have him any other way.
My Pop was on dialysis for years before he passed, so I know it works, and I also know how tedious it is for those who must endure this life-saving procedure. He was on it three times a week also. He had once had a kidney removed that was cancerous and then in his eighties, the other kidney stopped functioning and he became delirious until they started him on the dialysis, then he was 'Pop' again. We had him back for a blessed while, and then at eighty eight, his circulatory system began to fail. So we lost him, in spite of all the medical know-how in the family, we lost him.
I hope you have your brother around for a good long time ahead. :)
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