Openly Teaching Error

Last week I tried to show that our ministers are indeed teaching the basic truths and doctrines necessary to bring individuals to salvation. I also tried to convey my concern that much of their additional teaching often lacks accuracy -- and far too often it even lacks truth -- but is this also according to the will of God?

It is not my desire to open anyone up to ridicule; neither do I have any desire to offend; however, there are times when I must choose to discuss a subject which may strike close to a particular individual or group. I sincerely regret any discomfort this may cause.

One of the off-shoot Churches of God has been offering the six-volume “Bible Story.” It was written by Basil Wolverton and first offered during the 1970’s by the Worldwide Church of God. Almost two years ago, when I learned this group would be adding the “Bible Story” to their website it pleased me greatly. I remembered it from many years ago and looked forward to reading it again.

When it was posted and I began to read, I was shocked by the amateurish writing and the multitude of errors the story contained. Because I believed a mistake had been made by this group in posting the six-volume story to the web I decided to edit it myself and offer my observations to those individuals responsible for the website.

The first thing I did was to contact the Church website manager; I also contacted a deacon of the local Church and informed them of the more glaring errors in the story and suggested that something be done to correct the flaws as quickly as possible. It was my hope that I could save them and their Church unnecessary embarrassment. They ignored my concerns.

During the month that followed I continued to edit “Volume I” of the story in the hope that someone would eventually be willing to discuss my concerns. When my edit of “Volume I” was complete, I contacted them again. This time they did not even acknowledge my e-mailed messages.

I next separated what I considered to be the most glaring errors and sent yet another e-mail suggesting that if they do nothing else they should at least act on these few specific errors. Once again I was ignored. More than a year has passed since that time and the “Bible Story” with all of its flaws and errors is still being offered by this Church group; therefore, I shall now place a portion of the results of my edit before those of you who are my brethren.

I shall refrain from discussing many of the doctrinal questions prompted by the “Bible Story” and concentrate on errors of content and the more obvious errors of Scripture -- some of these are so egregious that those responsible for leaving them to mislead or deceive the readers should be ashamed! If you read nothing else of this posting, you should check out the passage concerning the bones being carried out of Egypt by the Israelites in Volume 1 -- Chapter 21 -- Page 4; and the discussion concerning “the third day” from Volume 1 -- Chapter 26 -- Page 2.

Excerpts from the “Bible Story”

Volume 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Page 9: “Adam lived a long time to see some of the results of his disobedience. He was nine hundred and thirty years old when he died. That’s only thirty years short of a thousand.”
Note: This is either a typographical error or carelessness. Obviously 930 years is 70 years short of 1,000 not 30.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 5 -- Page 2: “[The Tower of Babel] was to be the highest temple ever built, and a monument to the sun god in the center of a world-ruling government (Gen. 11:4).”
Note: It may be that the Tower of Babel was intended to be a temple to the sun god, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that it was. Many people having read “The Bible Story” will thereafter believe that the Tower of Babel was in fact such a temple. If God intended the scriptural record of this tower to have a special meaning for mankind, that meaning could very easily be hidden, or confused, if the true reason for the tower was something other than as a temple!

Volume 1 -- Chapter 6 -- Page 4: “Melchizedek, king of Salem, also came out to meet Abram. Melchizedek’s servants brought out bread and wine to Abram and his weary men (Gen. 14:13-16).”
Note: The correct supporting verses should be Genesis 14:18-20.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 6 -- Page 8: “Other asphalt deposits were set on fire, causing a chain reaction that made devastation there complete (Gen. 9:24-25).”
Note: The supporting verses are found in Genesis chapter 19 not Genesis chapter 9.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 8 -- Page 3: “The Bible refers to eight children Abraham had. All were sons. If there were others, the Bible doesn’t mention them (Gen. 25:1-4). Most of those sons were born to Abraham’s second wife.”
Note: Genesis 25:1-2 lists the names of the five sons that were born to Abraham by Keturah! Keturah is the wife referred to in this passage, but the Bible nowhere refers to Keturah as Abraham’s second wife! On page 5 of chapter 6 of “The Bible Story” it says: “Sarai told Abram that he should take Hagar as a second wife…” Anyone following along with this story will believe that Hagar, “Abraham’s second wife” bore him five more sons. It is recommended that this whole paragraph be edited to clarify who were the mothers of the eight sons of Abraham.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 9 -- Page 5: “Laban didn’t find out what had happened until the caravan had been gone for three days.”
Note: I find it fascinating how easily the words “on the third day” are consistently changed by our ministers to read “after the third day.” Genesis 31:22 clearly says: “And Laban was told “on the third day” that Jacob had fled.” “The Bible Story” suggests that the caravan “had been gone for three days” the implication being that three full days had passed before Laban found out the caravan had gone. Does this short sentence from a children’s story give us some insight into the workings of the Spirit of God? Is this but a small part of one of God’s great mysteries? In an earlier posting on this site I discussed the “Three Days and Three Nights” Jesus spent in his tomb. In that posting I wondered at the desire of the ministry to teach a resurrection “on the fourth day” rather than “on the third day” as Jesus himself said so many times. This apparent confusion within the ministry over the “third day” or the “fourth day” continues to fascinate me.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 9 -- Page 7: “Next morning Laban said good-bye to his daughters and their children, and set back toward Haran (Gen. 31:35). Jacob’s caravan moved on westward.”
Note: Genesis 31:35 refers to the refusal of Rachel to rise from her saddle when Laban was searching for his idols. The correct supporting verse for this passage is found at Genesis 31:55

Volume 1 -- Chapter 10 -- Page 1: “When Jacob’s family saw that the two brothers had met as close friends, the wives, children and servants came near and bowed. Jacob explained that they were his two wives, his twelve children and his servants.”
Note: On his return from the land of Laban to his father’s home in Canaan, Jacob brought with him his two wives, “his eleven children,” and his servants! Benjamin, Jacob’s second son by his wife Rachel, had not yet been born.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 13 -- Page 1: “Several years later Joseph’s brothers arrived safely at their home in Canaan. When Jacob their father saw that eleven of them had returned safely, he was very happy.”
Note: To travel from Egypt to the land of Canaan may have taken several weeks, or even several months, but it most certainly “did not take several years”!

Volume 1 -- Chapter 19 -- Page 3: “Pharaoh then asked them how many of their people were expected to leave. He hoped only the women and children would have to go, so that he could keep the men working.”
Note: Nowhere does the Bible even suggest that Pharaoh or anyone else thought it possible that only the Israelite women and children would leave without the men. Such a suggestion by “The Bible Story” is ludicrous! Exodus 10:11 tells us that Pharaoh wanted “only the men” to go into the desert. The implication being that if the women and children remained in Goshen, the men would have no choice but to return.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 19 -- Page 4: “Then go!” Pharaoh exploded, angered by the reply. “But you’ll regret leaving! You’ll soon wish you had stayed in Egypt!”
Note: Notice that Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron they could go (into the desert); however, God still had Moses bring on the plague of locusts. Moses had said to Pharaoh: “We will go with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds…” Pharaoh had replied: “Not so! Go now you who are men and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” The permission from Pharaoh “that only the men” could go was unacceptable to God!

Volume 1 -- Chapter 21 -- Page 4: “The Israelites divided themselves into their twelve tribes, formed rough ranks, and started on their way. With them were taken the bones of Jacob and his twelve sons, according to Jacob’s wish many years previously.”
Note: This error should be corrected immediately; “the Israelites did not carry the bones of Jacob” with them when they left Egypt! The 50th chapter of Genesis describes the death of Jacob and his burial in Canaan many years before the children of Israel left Egypt. Joseph had asked Pharaoh for permission to take the body of his father Jacob for burial and after a seventy day period of mourning did exactly that. “It was the bones of Joseph” that were to be carried with them when the people of Israel finally left Egypt.
It may be possible, perhaps even probable, that Joseph’s brothers made this same request. However, it must be noted that the Bible nowhere says that the bones of the other sons of Jacob were removed from Egypt. It should also be noted that if we count the bones of Joseph first, we cannot have another twelve sons of Jacob! You would either have Joseph and eleven more; or you would have Joseph and thirteen more if you count both Ephraim and Manasseh.

Volume 1 -- Chapter 26 -- Page 2: “After three days had passed, the more than two million people on the valley floor out from and below the mountain nervously wondered what would happen. The first thing unusual was that thick, dark clouds formed to obscure all but the base slopes of Mount Sinai. The clouds weren’t merely masses of water vapor. There was much smoke mixed in, causing growing alarm to the onlookers. Flashes of lightning, followed by stunning peals of thunder, caused every man, woman and child to tremble.”
Note: The way this paragraph has been presented is both fascinating and disturbing. Much of what Jesus came to understand during his lifetime was revealed to him from the ancient scriptures; scriptures such as the passage from Exodus 19:10-11 where it says: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.’”
It is my belief that from this scripture and others like it, Jesus came to understand that after his death he would be resurrected “on the third day!” The ministers of the many Churches of God teach that Jesus rose from the dead “after” or “at the end of” three days. This belief originated with the teaching of Herbert W. Armstrong and has been perpetuated to this day; I believe this to be an erroneous understanding and teaching!
No matter how many times the writers of the New Testament tell us that Jesus rose, would rise, or has risen “the third day,” our ministers steadfastly maintain that the resurrection took place “after three days.” (Note: A resurrection “on the third day” in no way contradicts the fact that Jesus spent 3 days and 3 nights in his grave -- as he said he would!)
In the scripture recorded at Exodus 19:11 there should be no doubt whatsoever that it says “For on the third day the LORD will come down…” Nevertheless, “The Bible Story” records the event as happening “After three days had passed…”

Finally: Those who strive to honour and serve our Heavenly Father must choose whether we are to continuously search for truth -- or we are not! Either our ministers should do their utmost in God’s service to preach and teach only the truths of God -- or they should not! Either we are to accept and believe only the perfect truths of God -- or we are not! But if we fail to maintain a burning desire in our hearts and minds for the absolute truths of God -- then we deserve to believe a lie!

2nd Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish -- because they did not receive the love of the truth…”

Note: At this time I have not yet decided what to publish in next week’s posting. I was prepared to discuss the revealing of “that man of sin, the son of perdition.” However, the continuing escalation of troubles in Iraq makes me wonder whether now may not be the best time to address this problem instead.

I have resisted adding to the abundance of those warning of the last days and the soon-coming “Day of the Lord” and I don’t intend to begin now. Nevertheless, there was an article published in the May 1968 Plain Truth Magazine which bears directly on the problems America is facing today in Iraq. I had thought to eventually discuss the scriptural truth contained in the statement “The way of peace they know not” as it pertains to Iraq -- and next week I may try to connect this thought with the Plain Truth article -- we’ll see!