Peace & Progress. Not.

If you bother to study prophecy in the Bible at some point, you will see that it has been 100% accurate in telling history in advance. The fates of Babylon, Egypt, Rome, and Israel were told in predictions made thousands of years ago.

The God of the universe provided us with a book of knowledge. And then backed it up by making the planets and stars align in perfect union to confirm an ongoing story actually shown in the heavens.

But, the predictions are not all fulfilled.

Any sane individual would look at the accuracy record and look to the events unfolding in the world today, and realize that we should be aware of what "history in advance" might be saying about our generation. The generation alive today on earth.

The present governments and powers of the world will be removed, in a sudden dramatic event, when God intervenes and sets up His own government. To avoid misunderstanding it should be said that it is not the populations of the earth who are to be destroyed: it is the power and authority of their human governments, to be replaced by the new Kingdom of God. Many other prophecies tell us of the nature of this Kingdom; the uprightness of its rule, the truth of its teaching, and the peace it will at last bring to mankind through their recognition of "the God of heaven".

But how exactly is this great change in the earth to be accomplished? The ancient texts tell us.

Now this surely is what should concern us: if the prophecies of the Bible about nations and empires have proved so true over a period of thousands of years, are not those other things they predict also likely to come to pass? Is it not unreasonable to say: "Well, I accept that the prophets were right in their predictions in these historical matters, but I can't believe what they say about the future for us."

Why not? They have given evidence that they were setting out not their own ideas, but the very purposes of God. Whatever else they say must surely claim from us all the most careful attention.

Peace and Progress? Not.

What a shock the events of the 20th century have been! The dream of progress and peace has faded. Two terrible world wars, with millions of slain and untold damage and suffering, have been followed by the development of the mostly frightfully destructive weapons ever invented. The varying solutions in which the "wise men" of the 19th century put their trust have all been exposed as false. More widespread education has not been followed by higher moral standards, but by a growth in dishonesty, greed, violence and crime. Democracy in politics has not proved the magic cure for social evils that was expected. Finally - cruellest blow of all - science has proved a frighteningly double-edged weapon. Far from being an era of peace, this "civilized" 21st century has become an age of strife and violence. No wonder the attitude of so many people is one of pessimistic resignation. There seems little any one can do.

And if you think electing the latest political hack to a position of power is the answer, you are setting yourself up for a major disappointment.

Now what has Bible prophecy to say about all this?

It has a clear forecast of the "last days", "the time of the end", when the career of mankind in the earth will come to a critical point. It is not a picture of continuing progress and peace, but rather of world trouble and fear. The clearest and most striking example of this is found in what Jesus says to his disciples, when they asked him what would be the sign of his return to the earth and of "the end of the world". He tells them first about the fate of the Jewish people:

They (the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles (the nations), until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24).

Now this is a brief description of what we have already considered in prophecy concerning Israel. The Jews were to be driven as captives into all nations: Jerusalem was to be subject to Gentile powers. Note that Jesus implies a limit to this: "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". We have seen the beginning of this in our own days: Jerusalem is no longer dominated by "foreign" powers - it is under the control of Israel itself.

World Distress and FearSo what he says next must also apply to the same days - the days of Israel's restoration to their own land; This is what he foretells:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after (for expectation of) those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken (v 25-26).

This is no picture of peace and progress. It is a world of distress and perplexity, of fear seizing men's hearts as they contemplate the events taking place on "the inhabited earth" (as the word Jesus used literally means).

The Apostle Paul, writing about 35 years after the time of Jesus` prophecy, has this to say about the character of the last days:

. . . In the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents. ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it . . . (2 Timothy 3:1-5, RSV).

This is an astonishing picture of a civilization; mankind is throwing off all restraint and indulging its own desires, reckless of consequences. Its uncanny resemblance to the developments in our own world cannot be denied.

So this is the position: whereas the "wise men" of only 100 years ago were confidently anticipating an era of progress and peace for the nations of the world, the Bible was foretelling a world of distress, fear, and perplexity, an age of violence, self-indulgence and hatred. Our human philosophers were wrong; the biblical texts were right. But they spoke and wrote over 1900 years ago! How could they have known?

Ready to dive in?

Star Power

Because I'm trying to make the case for you, I've tried to touch on religions (how man has made up the rules), on science (how laws of nature have proven the biblical texts to be accurate), and on the divine authorship of texts given thousands of years ago that provide us with history in advance.

So, it might be fun to spend a little time going out of this world to continue to build a case. I happened to think about this as someone asked me recently what "sign" I was (referring to the zodiac).

We've fallen into this trap of believing what we're told in the "world" versus what the Lord told us to be true. I think one of the areas that has such a profound biblical basis, but has been distorted (once again by man) is the study of the heavens.

As you know by now, I'm a strong believer in not filling your mind with B.S. For those of you who are crazy enough to read your horoscope in the daily paper, you may find this to be quite interesting.

This is quite involved, but I feel it is necessary for you to get an understanding of the God of the Bible and how He has designed everything for a purpose. We'll cover the concept and give one example below. Keep in mind there are volumes of info available on this as well but I'm not about to write a book on this alone... I'm building a case... remember?

How Did the Constellations Come About?

Mankind walks underneath the most glorious record of deliverance each night, and yet most are totally unaware of this magnificent story written in the stars above. The study of the stars, and more specifically the study of the constellations and what they are saying to us, is not typically taught from the church pulpit today. Some even consider the discussion of such a subject tantamount to witchcraft. The fact that the Lord has warned us in the Old Testament not to worship the stars, and by so doing break the first commandment, has kept many from looking to the story that God has written in the heavens.

(Isa 47:13-14) "All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up."

The Word of God does, in fact, warn us about soothsayers, fortunetellers and other black arts. This includes palm reading, tarot cards, speaking to the dead, etc. Lucifer and his army of followers have always attempted to lure mankind into their distorted camp. If the destroyer of men's souls can deceive a person into looking to anything other than the true God, he has achieved his goal. Satan will take what God created for beauty and good, and twist, pervert, confuse and cover it, to try to turn man's heart to the worship of the creation, rather than the Creator.

"Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creation more than the creator" Romans 1:21,22

Most of today's common knowledge of the constellations, even among renowned astronomers and so called astrologers, is totally devoid of the awesome spectacle of love and redemption which God has recorded in the heavens through the ancient zodiac. In fact, the word zodiac comes from the ancient word Zoa, which means "the path" or "the way." How super crazy is the Lord's love for us that moved Him to record His word in the heavens so that all could see.
(Ps 19:1-4) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, let them be for signs, and for seasons, and days, and years. (Genesis 1:14,15)

If God made the stars, and they were to be for "signs", it is logical to ask, "What are the signs talking about?" The wise men from the east who visited the young child Jesus must have been very assured of the signs that they read in the heaven. They were convinced enough of the star they observed in the east to travel a great distance by camel. These wise men were priests from the country where Daniel and the children of Israel had been led captive. Their culture was schooled in the study of the stars from before Abraham's time. Daniel himself could have identified to these priests the promise of the coming Messiah to be born of the tribe of Israel, and out of the house of David. After all, he was the chief of all the wise men!

In order to understand the origin and the true meaning of the zodiac, you must believe that the written Word of God is true. You would therefore believe that the world was at one time, approximately four thousand five hundred years ago, covered by a flood. The record of Noah was not "just a story" made up by the Bible's authors, but an actual event that changed the face of the earth and the history of man. The fact that modern man has been talked into believing the "theory" of evolution is evidenced by the ridicule one often gets when making known he actually believes the story of the Flood. Many people do not believe the creation story of Adam and Eve and the subsequent record of the fall of man. Without this foundation, it is difficult for a person to understand the story written in the stars. The whole subject of the constellations, from Virgo though Leo, is the fulfillment of the promise of God written in Genesis:

And I will put enmity between thy seed and the seed of the woman. You shall bruise his heel, but he will crush your head. Genesis 3:15

God had promised a redeemer for fallen man. He first wrote His promise in pictures in the heavens. These pictures told the story in great detail. The promised redeemer, the Messiah, the desire of all nations, the coming branch, would be born of a Virgin. Satan would bruise his heel, but the redeemer would crush Satan's head. This is the story the constellations give us! The first four of the twelve constellations and each of their three decans, or sub constellations, deal with the promise of His first coming. The second group of four outline the salvation brought to God's people as a result of His first coming. The final four specifically proclaim His second coming in power and judgment upon the face of the earth. Death, the last enemy, is destroyed. What a totally cool message written above for us to read each night.

Let me make this perfectly clear. For your entire life, as you have watched the sun set and the sky fill with stars... little did you know that every day of every year of your life, as the earth rotated and the stars and constellations moved across the sky, you were actually being shown a story book of the history of mankind and of the Lord's plan. It has been shown to you every day of your entire life. And it is likely that you never even knew it.

If it is true that the story written in the heavens is the story of salvation, is it any wonder why the prince of the power of the air, the god of this world, Satan, would work to pervert this original story, this promise of redemption? The birth, life, death and resurrection of the promised redeemer, and his triumphant and total victory over sin and death is a message the adversary would want to cover up.

The origin of the figures written in the stars dates from the days before Noah, when the original patriarchs, the children of Adam through Seth lived.

Who was the man named Enoch in the biblical texts? He is the earliest person in the Bible specifically identified as a prophet and a man born in the seventh generation from Adam, through Seth. He was the father of Methuselah and Noah's great grandfather. Since men lived to such a great age then, it is also known that Enoch lived while Adam was still alive. We also know the Bible says he was "translated," in Hebrews 11:5.

"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years; And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him. " Genesis 5:21-24

We know from Genesis that Adam named all of the animals. Could it be possible that on those many starlit nights, as he gazed up at the stars with Eve, that Adam also named the stars? Certainly God gave these names by revelation to someone, because the ancient meaning of the names of the stars in each constellation also tells God's meaning of the constellation. Perhaps Adam passed the names on to Seth, and Seth to Enos, and Enos to Cainan, and Cainan to Mahalaleel, and Mahalaleel to Jared, and Jared to Enoch, and Enoch to Methuselah, and Methuselah to Lamech, and Lamech to Noah, and Noah on to the post-Flood world.

This knowledge was somehow passed on with great accuracy because all the most ancient civilizations have the same twelve figures represented in their zodiacs! They exist with accuracy to this very day.

The book of Job, which most Bible scholars believe to be the oldest book in the Bible, was probably written approximately 2150 B.C., 650 years before Moses was born in Egypt. This is over 1,100 years before Homer's Odyssey and 1,500 years before Thales, the first of the philosophers, was born. There are many references in the book of Job to the constellations. In Chapter 38, God breaks into the conversation and speaks to Job and his false comforters and speaks about the named constellations, saying:

"Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring Mazzaroth in his season? Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?" Job 38:31,32

This is a clear reference to the constellations of Orion and Pleiades, and the star Arcturus. Mazzaroth is a Hebrew word which means "the constellations of the zodiac." Also in the book of Job there is reference to Cetus, the Sea Monster, and to Draco, the Great Dragon. Here in the oldest book of the Bible, written centuries before the Greek and Roman pagan cultures, we find that the constellations of the zodiac were already clearly known and understood.

"By His Spirit he hath garnished the heavens, His hand hath formed the crooked serpent. " Job 26:13

You must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were told by the Holy Spirit.

The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac

The chart of the zodiac shows twelve major signs around the ecliptic, which was the apparent path that the sun traveled through the heavens. This path was determined by the earth's rotation, and its tilt away from or toward the sun. The ecliptic is divided into twelve houses, or tabernacles, each of which is 30 degrees of the 360 degree circle the sun travels.

In addition to the twelve major signs, each sign has three decans, which is a word which comes from the ancient shemetic root dek which means a "piece" or "to break in pieces." So in addition to the twelve major signs, there are 36 decans. Another way of seeing the Mazzaroth (the constellations of the zodiac) is having twelve major themes, each with three minor themes. As there were twelve tribes, and twelve apostles, so there are twelve chapters in the heavenly story. The twelve chapters are divided into three major themes, or sections, each comprising four figures of the zodiac. As we look at each of the twelve signs, the orderliness of God's design becomes apparent.

The first constellation in each section has for its great subject the person of the redeemer in prophecy and promise. The last constellation in each division has for its subject the fulfillment of that prophecy in triumph and victory. The two central constellations in each section tell of the work which is accomplished, the first in grace, and the latter in conflict. Thank God that at the end of each of the three divisions of the constellations, we see the devil vanquished. The first being Draco, the dragon being cast down; the second division ends with Cetus, the Sea Monster destroyed. The orderliness of God's design is astounding!

Each of the decans tells the story of the major constellation in further detail. The Lord did not want us to be ignorant concerning his promise. For whoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, the message in the heavens speaks very loudly.

NOTE: This same kind of information is available for all the zodiac signs and the planets, sun and moon. God designed the zodiac for HIS purposes. It is such a shame that once again Satan (and man) have made way to confuse what God had designed, and deceive the world.

An Example: VIRGO (The Virgin)

"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel. " Genesis 3:15

This record in the Bible is called the protoevangelium, or the first evangel, the first preaching of the Gospel. When God says the seed of the woman would bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel, it means that Satan was going to bruise the heel of Christ by bringing about his death on the cross, but He (Christ, the redeemer) would rise again and totally and eternally destroy Satan. This is the Gospel that the pictures in the heavens portray.

Let us then proceed with the first figure of the zodiac, the one from whom "her seed" was to come. There is no redeemer without his birth, and so Virgo is the first in logical order of all the twelve signs, and the first chapter in the story of salvation. It is also interesting to note that the ancient sphinx of Egypt helps us unlock which sign is first and which is last. In the ancient temple of Esneh in Egypt, there is a great painting in the ceiling which shows the whole picture of the zodiac with all the constellations. Between the figure of Virgo, the Virgin, and Leo, the Lion, there is carved the figure of the sphinx. The most ancient zodiac begins with Virgo.

"Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a son." Isaiah 7:14

At the beginning of the Gospel presentation lies the Virgin. As Christians, we confess that Jesus Christ was "conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary." The central theme of the whole Bible and of primeval astronomy was the way of salvation through the promised Messiah, the Gospel of the grace of God through his only begotten Son. So it is that this Constellation stands first, representing the virgin who would bring forth the promised One. In all ancient cultures, she is clearly understood to be a Virgin.

Most noteworthy in the constellation is what the maiden is holding. In her left hand is the spica, which represents the ear of grain, the best seed, which when sown, would bring forth the harvest of salvation.

In John 12:21-24 the Lord himself witnessed that he was as the seed, which needed to fall to the ground and die in order to bring forth fruitfulness. In her right hand is a branch, or a sprout of a plant or root. This is another reoccurring theme through out the scriptures.

"In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious" Isaiah 4:2

"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. " Jeremiah 23: 5

"Then speak to them saying: Behold, the man whose name is the Branch! From His place He shall branch out, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall rule and sit on His throne. " Zechariah 6:12.

The Major stars in this constellation are named as follows: Al Zimach, "the shoot," AI Azal, meaning "the branch," and Subilon, which means "the ear of wheat."

The Birth of Christ & The Heavenly Signs

The date of the birth of Jesus Christ has been a subject of much debate for hundreds of years. Science has come up with the date September 11, 3 B.C.

Revelation 12:1 is pronouncing the heavenly sign that was taking place at the birth of Jesus Christ. The actual birth of the Messiah would show up in the heavens.

Revelation 12:1-2 (NIV) 'A great wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars can her head -'She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.

Scientific computer generators confirm this celestial event occurred in the constellation Virgo (The Promised Seed of the woman) on September 11, 3 B.C. (Tishri 1), shortly after sunset. Note: Tishri 1 is one of the months on the Religious Calendar that was used in the past. I will cover the calendar in depth later.

The woman is clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet. Venus (The Promised Seed arriving) and Mercury (Gabriel) are in the upper part of the woman, between her breast and her head. Venus and Mercury are also in conjunction with the constellation Coma. Jupiter is seen in near conjunction with the star Regulus (anciently known as the king star) in the constellation Leo (representing the tribe Judah). Jupiter, Venus and Mercury were seen in the eastern sky, before sunrise, on the morning of September 12 (Tishri 1), 3 B.C. Venus and Mercury were still in conjunction with Coma on the morning of September 13 (Tishri 2), when Jupiter was in conjunction with Regulus.

OK, hang with me folks... I know this is intense!

The eighth century Arabian astronomer Albumazar wrote, concerning Coma, "There arises in the first Decan, as the Persians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians, and the two Hermes and Ascalius teach, a young woman, whose Persian name denotes a pure virgin, sitting on a throne, nourishing an infant boy, said boy having a Hebrew name, by some nations called IHESU, with the signification IEZA, which in Greek is called CHRISTOS." On the mornings of September 12 (Tishri 1) and September 13 (Tishri 2), 3 B.C., Venus (Jesus Christ the Promised Seed) was in conjunction with the infant boy in Coma. Mercury (Gabriel) was in conjunction with the woman in Coma, even the woman's womb on September 12 (also in the evening of September 11, though set below the western horizon and not seen from Israel until its rising just before sunrise). The heavens at this time were announcing the birth of the long desired Promised Seed. It was Gabriel (most likely) who literally announced this good news to the shepherds on the evening of September 11 (Luke 2:8-20).

The position of Jupiter in Leo puts emphasis on the Promised Seed, the King of the Judeans, coming from the tribe of Judah. This is foretold in Genesis 49:8-12, and is also mentioned in Revelation 5:5.

Revelation 5:5 (KJV) And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Matthew 2:1-2 (KJV)'Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east (anatole) to Jerusalem, 'Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east (anatole), and are come to worship him.

The word east in the text is from the Greek word anatole, which can mean the direction east, or the heliacal rising of a planet, star, or constellation (the rising of a planet, star, or constellation at or just before sunrise so that it can be seen in the morning sky). Jupiter was seen in the heliacal rising in late July, 3 B.C., throughout the Mid-East area. As the days went on, Jupiter was seen higher in the sky at sunrise. The conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on August 12 in Leo was most likely well noted by the Magi. As they continued to watch Jupiter as it neared its first conjunction with Regulus, they would have seen Venus and Mercury in the heliacal rising and in conjunction with the constellation Coma on the morning of September 12 (Tishri 1).

Tishri 1 is Rosh Hashanah and New Year's Day (civil year) on the Hebrew Calendar. It is designated as the Day of Trumpets. During this day, trumpets would be blown in Jerusalem from morning to evening. Since Tishri 1 was also considered the beginning of a king's reign (no matter what time of the year the king actually began reigning), at certain times the blowing of the trumpets on that day were part of the coronation ceremony for a new king. On this day the trumpets blew for the King of Kings, though most Judeans were not aware that the Promised Seed, the Messiah, the King of the Judeans had arrived.

Science Proves the Kings of the East DID INDEED follow a star event!

Keep in mind, if you thought the 3 Magi came to Christ at his birth night, you haven't read your Bible correctly. At the exact time of the birth of Jesus, the heavens gave a sign. The sign was noted by the experts, and they knew a messiah, a king, had been born. They took off on their trip and arrived to see Jesus as a child (not a newborn).

The celestial events continued to announce the birth of the Messiah for many months after his birth. Those most notable were in the sign Leo (Judah), and mentioned above. The Magi (wise men) did not arrive in Bethlehem at the time of the Lord's birth as traditionally taught, for when they saw Jesus he was a young child in a house, not an infant in the manger (Matthew 2:11). It was most likely in December, 2 B.C., about one year and three months after the birth of the Messiah, that the Magi arrived in Jerusalem and then proceeded to Bethlehem. This is why Herod had all the male children killed who were two years old and under in the Bethlehem area according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Magi of when the Messiah was born (Matthew 2:16). As the Magi were proceeding from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, the star which they saw in the east or rising, well over a year before, went before them and came and stood over where the young child was (Matthew 2:9).

In December of 2 B.C., Jupiter in its nightly course, would come to a point in the sky which would appear to be directly over Bethlehem to anyone approaching the city from the north. This point would be on the meridian (a line passing from north to south which intersects the celestial equator at a right angle).

Thank God for Science... Cuz we've got the proof

As the Magi were traveling to Bethlehem, which is about 6 miles south of Jerusalem, Jupiter was approaching the meridian, and finally reached that point and stood over the town of Bethlehem. Jupiter was in the sign Virgo at this time and in conjunction with the constellation Coma. When Jupiter was on the meridian above Bethlehem, so was the constellation Coma (the woman and child -the Desired).

September 11, 3 B.C. Mars is in the sign Capricornus, which is giving witness to the fact that this is the Promised Seed, he who will be the "Atoning Sacrifice" for Israel. Saturn is in the sign Taurus and in a relative position over Orion which will come up again in the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ; and also in the beginning of the "Millennial Reign" of Jesus Christ. Saturn is between the forehead and the club of Orion. Orion is actually looking in the direction of Saturn's position in most drawings of the constellation. Saturn seems to be in this position when the Devil fails to defeat God's purposes (when the Devil gets hammered). In this case, he failed to cut off the birth of the Promised Seed. As earlier mentioned, he tried with all of his cunning wisdom and might for four thousand years to cut off the bloodline to the Messiah, but here the Messiah has arrived.

OMG, Please Stop Already!!

OK, that is some heavy crap:) I know. And it really doesn't even to begin to do this topic justice. I just needed to make the point again... even though it was painful:)

Maybe you've already skipped to the bottom of this page. The point of this study was to show you that God has a master plan, and even the heavens speak of it. Are you getting the big picture yet? This universe and everything in it was designed to glorify its maker. We are privileged to be able to have a personal relationship with this Creator... that, I am not able to fully grasp!

I want to make sure you get the point that the stars and the zodiac were designed by God to show us the dates of His appointments with man. Over time, this was perverted so much that today people are reading their horoscopes, looking to the stars for guidance and not God. What a huge mistake and an abomination. With the aid of computers, research on nearly every major event of Christ's life is now able to coincide with the exact heavenly signs. The stars were not responsible... God was!

What man could have invented this up in the texts that are thousands of years old?

Once again, no man would have the ability to control the heavenly bodies on the exact dates of events in his life! Let us be sure to make the point... this is science proven by computer analysis.

And, once again... mankind took something spectacular and made a mess of it. Are you beginning to see this as a theme throughout my writing so far? Man doesn't get to make up crap... or the rules!

OK... time to take a valium and then check in with me next time:)

Divine Authorship

Well, you kinda know by now I'm a detail guy. I think we'll stay on this science angle for a bit since so many folks get hung up with this. If you are new to the blog, it isn't that long yet so I encourage you to start at the beginning.

I sometimes just for kicks (ok, I have no life) like to see how the original Greek or Hebrew texts have been translated into English in our modern versions of God's word. You’ll see a problem already at the first verse in the old testament.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" Gen 1:1

Well, not so fast. If we look at the original the way it was written, it is translated better into:

"At the beginning of time, God created from nothingness, space and matter, the heavens and the earth."

The notion of a "beginning" has plagued science for years. This very first verse written thousands of years ago lets us know that time had a beginning, and that God transcends time and space. Think about long ago God gave these words to us. It was before mankind had any knowledge of science, time, matter, gravity, a round world… let alone an infinite universe. But, there it was in the ancient texts and it holds up to the latest science even with today’s computer technology. Again and again, over and over, with 100% accuracy. Man's theories and laws come and go, but the Lord does not change.

Throughout its text the Bible claims to be the exclusive word of God. To many, such claims by the writers of the Bible may seem pretentious. However, the Bible authenticates that its text is an extra-dimensional message system from a transcendent Creator in several ways.

First, because the Bible declares that God is omniscient (all knowing), He possesses a perfect understanding of the physical universe. Consequently, one of the ways that the Bible authenticates its divine authorship is by revealing an accurate and detailed knowledge of the physical universe. Throughout the Biblical text there are highly specific and accurate statements regarding the laws of physics, the nature of our solar system, planet earth, and life forms. What's more, these statements were penned thousands of years ago... before any scientific discovery by any living human. This phenomenon, called foreknowledge, is present throughout the texts. And what is even more outstanding?

Every scientific statement so far has been without error and 100% accurate.

The second way the Bible shows its divine authorship is through its supernatural design. The Bible is 66 books, penned by over 40 authors, over thousands of years, but despite this, in thousands of different ways, every number, every place name, every word and every letter is there by supernatural design.

And finally, the Bible shows its divine authorship revealing information outside our space time dimension. The designer is able to see the beginning and the end of our time dimension simultaneously. Not to mention prophecy... predicting events in our dimension before they actually happen. History written in advance.

So when someone tells you "Oh, the Bible was just written by men" you can explode with laughter... or knock them upside the head. Permission granted. No other book or writing of any kind in human existence authenticates in thousands of different ways simultaneously. Today’s most advanced computer couldn’t come up with the stuff we’re learning about these texts.

Oh man… hang on to your butt cheeks... we're just getting started.

More Cool Stuff

So, to continue on my case building… the 66 books which we call the Bible constitute a highly integrated message system. What makes this so astonishing is the fact they were penned by more than 40 different people over a period of several thousand years! Yet we now discover that virtually every detail of the text evidences a highly skillful integrated design from cover to cover. In fact, every word, every placed name, every detail was placed there deliberately as a part of an overall intricate plan.

When I write about these things, you need to know that I am referring to the original texts… not the hundreds of translations and languages we now read around the world.

We’ve learned that we live in 4 known dimensions (height, width, depth and time). Only since Albert Einstein have we really uncovered the last dimension of time and proven its physical properties. We now know that time varies with mass, acceleration and gravity.

We also know that God is outside the limits of these properties. He is not subject to gravity, or mass or acceleration. Since God had the ability to create us in the first place, he certainly has the technology to get a message to us. But how does he authenticate his message? How does he assure us that it is really from him and not a fraud?

One way to authenticate the message is to demonstrate its source is from outside our time domain. God basically told us he “knows the beginning from the end which includes history in advance”. The Bible has repeatedly described history before it happens.

There are literally new codes and hidden texts found in the Biblical texts continually. Recall how I said earlier that this book is alive and dynamic… unlike any other writing known in human existence? Codes and messages take hundreds of different forms and we have no idea of how many really exist.

Food for Thought: You have probably read about one of these code types called skipped number sequences. For example, you take every 12th word or 12th letter, etc. I don’t believe that anyone alive has figured this out yet but it does sell a lot of books and make a lot of people rich! And, we know for certain there is something going on. When Moses was given the original law or “Torah” it was given in a stream of information from God himself. We would typically think to write down these letters and words on a paper, from left to right, page after page, chapter after chapter. But that is how we English speaking/writing individuals think. But what if that stream of data was actually given in a shape… say a triangle or a sphere, or a double helix like our DNA? There is a group of scientists studying exactly that. But that is just the beginning. The thought is that when ‘believers’ are written in what the Bible refers to as the “book of life”… it may actually be that every person’s ENTIRE life story is encoded into the Bible. Every believer that has ever lived may have his entire life history written in the same book. Now that is CRAZY wild stuff!!! And it doesn’t even end there. They believe that not only is your entire life possibly encoded, but each possible decision you did or could have made along the way. This is too mind-boggling to even consider…. but we may know more about this in a few years as they get further along in the research. And, perhaps God doesn’t want us to know everything anyway! It just shows how awesome the Lord is and that this just isn’t a book of words and stories.

You may recall me mentioning that the most accurate family record of geneology in the world is written in the Bible. In fact, descendants from Genesis are known to be alive in Israel today. That is how accurate the record is! Here is just another example of hidden information and supernatural authorship:

The record of people, Adam to Seth to Enosh… later Enoch… later Noah, etc. are given in chronological order. Outside of Adam, every other child was named by their parents. And each name has a meaning. For example, Adam means “man”. Noah means “to provide rest or comfort”. If you take the composite list of people born in chronological order and put the meaning of their names one after the other, this is what we get:

“Man is appointed mortal sorrow, but the Blessed God shall come down to earth and teach us that his death shall bring the despairing people rest and comfort”.

Did this click with you at all??? By chance, all of these people and generations were born and were named… but their names provide a summary of God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. And believe me, if you think somehow these families conspired in advance to name their children this way for generations, while they were Jewish rabbis… would have provide us with a Christian Gospel within their venerated Torah… you are indeed nuts!! Again, this is just a sampling of what is going on in this supernatural book.

We’ve just covered 1/1000th of what we know to exist in this book. The Bible is an integrated message system, the product of supernatural engineering. Every number, every place, every name, every detail, every story, every “jot and tittle”, is part of a tightly engineered design that is tailored for our learning, or discovery and our amazement.

And if this Lord is not the kind of dude you’ll want to party with at some point… I guess my convincing little study is just going to have to continue…. More to come!!

Are you spreading the word??