Bits and Pieces

This blogsite has given me a wonderful opportunity to place my thoughts and my understanding before those who may choose to read them; this is a personal blessing I had almost given up hope would ever happen in this lifetime. Each week I try to record what I have to say in not less than four and not more than six “Microsoft Word” pages. Some subjects require even more explanation; in these cases I have found that splitting them over two or more weeks works quite well. This leaves me with those subjects which are little more than snippets of information -- I have decided that these occasional little bits and pieces should be dealt with in this way!

The Hours of the Day

How perfectly do we understand the scriptural use of the word “hour” when referring to the timing of an event? I am somewhat concerned that the biblical passage which records the time of Jesus’ crucifixion may have created an error, or at least a misconception in the minds of many of us.

Mark 15:25 “Now it was the third hour, and they crucified [Jesus].”

In the Authorized King James Version of the Bible there is a marginal reference to this verse which states simply “9 a.m.” From this, many of us have come to accept that the third hour of the day is in fact 9 o’clock in the morning; the sixth hour would then be 12 o’clock noon; the ninth hour would refer to 3 o’clock in the afternoon; and so on and so forth. We may therefore have a mental picture of our Lord being crucified at 9 o’clock in the morning; the sun being blotted out at 12 o’clock noon; and the darkness remaining until the death of our Savior at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

For many years it has been my habit to use every little snippet of available information to better understand all that has been recorded for us in Scripture. Whenever I can better define my understanding by clarifying or perfecting even the smallest truth, I believe this adds to my overall understanding and therefore adds to and strengthens my faith.

Matthew 27:45-46 “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is [to say], ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’”

If the third hour of the day is in fact 9 a.m. then the second hour would be 8 a.m. and the first hour would be 7 a.m. making 6 a.m. the twelfth hour of the night. I am quite willing to accept all this as truth; but I wonder if it is really necessary to be so precise in stating that “the third hour is 9 a.m.” I believe it would have been far more instructive if the marginal reference had suggested “from 8 to 9 a.m.” instead of the more precise 9 a.m. The first hour would then have been from 6 to 7; the second hour would have been from 7 to 8; and “the third hour of the day” would have been the hour from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m.

It should be noted that if the following passage from the book of Amos refers not only to the end-time, but also to the time of the crucifixion, it does specify 12 o’clock noon as the time for darkness to cover the Earth. Whether or not this is helpful to our discussion is for each of you as individuals to determine for yourselves; but I would caution you to place the passage from Amos in its proper context before trying to equate it with the time of Jesus’ death.

Amos 8:9 “‘And it shall come to pass in that day,’” says the Lord GOD, ‘that I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight.”

I should also point to a passage from the New Testament book of John which has caused a little confusion in the minds of some; if only for a short time:

John 19:13-14 “When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And [Pilate] said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’”

We need to keep in mind that Jesus was brought before Pilate not long after his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. His various trials took place in the middle of the night; so when it says that Jesus was brought before Pilot at the sixth hour it is referring to the sixth hour “of the night.” According to the marginal direction of Mark 15:25 we must believe this means midnight; but then again, it may be a little more correct to say that Jesus was brought before Pilate about the sixth hour -- from 11 p.m. to midnight!

A Strange Reaction

Many years ago, an incident took place during one of the regular Worldwide Church Bible studies that had a profound and lasting influence on me. It involved the local pastor of the congregation I was attending before my disfellowship. To this day I still have difficulty trying to comprehend his reaction to what should have been a simple and easily answered question.

In the early 1970’s there was a 6-volume edition of the “Bible Story” being offered by the Worldwide Church; it was written and illustrated in a very entertaining way and I took pleasure in reading it to my children before settling them down to sleep. One evening we were reading about the feast of King Belshazzar of Babylon (as it is recorded in the 5th chapter of the book of Daniel) and we had come to the part where the fingers of a man’s hand supernaturally appeared and wrote on the wall the words: “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Notice the interpretation given by Daniel:

Daniel 5:25-28 “[Daniel said to the King:] ‘This is the inscription that was written: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and [to the] Persians.’”

To be perfectly honest, it was my eleven-year old son who noticed that the word first written on the wall as “UPHARSIN,” was now being referred to as “PERES.” He asked me for an explanation and I had absolutely no idea what to tell him -- it didn’t seem to make any sense to me so I had what at the time I considered to be an inspiration -- silly me!

I told him that when he had a question he couldn’t answer, and I was unable to help him, he should go to the ministry and ask them for an explanation. “In fact,” I told him, “this would be a perfect question for you to ask the ministers at the next Bible study.”

The evening of the next Bible study I prepared the question and put my son’s name on the request form. My son and I share the same name, and to this day I cannot remember whether I did or did not put (Jr.) after his name -- but in retrospect, I really don’t think it would have made any difference.

When the question was read out, the head pastor of our local congregation stepped to the lectern and began to personally respond with a belligerence that was most difficult to understand. He berated the person who would waste the time of the Church and the congregation with something so inconsequential and unedifying; he made it clear (at least to me) that his tirade was meant for me personally. He never did address the question!

To this day I still do not fully understand his reaction, but at the time my concern was for my son; I know he had looked forward to hearing his question asked at Bible study and I had no idea what this shameful exhibition from our pastor would do to him. I need not have worried; that evening, my eleven-year old son showed far more class, confidence, and control than did this Ambassador College trained professional.

By the way: the word “upharsin” has been translated from the Chaldean word “parac.” The word “peres” has been translated from the same word “parac.” According to the Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible the word “parac” means to split-up, or to divide, and refers to the rending away of the kingdom from Belshazzar to become the joint-kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. Why the translators have chosen to use two different words to explain the same meaning of “division” I have absolutely no idea!

Lucifer was their King

As I watched the excellent movie “David and Bathsheba” with Gregory Peck and Rita Hayworth there was a scene which describes with some eloquence a possible justification for the angels that sinned when they followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God.

For those who do not know the story, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite when she became the lover, then the mistress of David, King of Israel. When Nathan the prophet sought to condemn Bathsheba as an adulteress, King David (Gregory Peck) said in her defence: “I made her come to me. I was the king, could she refuse her king?”

At the time of Lucifer’s rebellion he had one-third of all of God’s angels under his direct command. God had placed Lucifer in a position of authority over these angels and had given them a commission that they should watch over the Earth. If Lucifer chose to rebel against God, and if he chose to lead his subjects in open rebellion against God, at what point would it have been correct for those angels to refuse to obey Lucifer?

If at any time they had refused, would they not have been in direct disobedience to Lucifer; and in so doing would they not have also been in direct disobedience to the commandment of God that they honour and obey Lucifer?

Consider for a moment that until the time leading up to Lucifer’s rebellion there may have been no such thing as sin! In fact, at the time leading up to Lucifer’s rebellion, disobedience to the edicts of God must have been completely unknown. If this is so, then I cannot even visualize the concept of disobedience being understood by the angels that followed him!

Job -- Righteous or Not

The LORD of the Old Testament was conversing with Satan about the man we have come to know as Job: and the Lord said in Job 1:8 “There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God and avoids evil.”

If ever a man could expect to be protected from all things evil then surely it should have been Righteous Job; however, God allowed Satan to afflict Job in the most horrible ways. The question must then be asked: “Why would God allow such a thing to happen?”

You need to read the whole story of Job, as it is recorded in the book of the Bible by that name; in it you may discover a very important lesson which all of us who strive to be true Christians need to learn. Many believe the sin of Job was an excess of vanity due to self-righteousness. This may be true; but God described Job to Satan as a truly righteous man! I doubt that any man can be truly righteous when he harbours within himself the sin of vanity -- or as is suggested by many “self-righteousness!”

It is true that no matter what we do in our service to God, no matter how obedient we are to His commands and desires, we can do nothing more than it is our duty to do. However obedient and righteous any mortal man may be we are still unprofitable servants -- we can only hope to return to God a small portion of that which is His due and nothing more.

Therefore, the question must remain that if Job was a truly righteous man, why would God allow Satan to afflict him so horribly? My honest answer is that I simply do not know -- except perhaps that the Jewish Talmud may be correct when it suggests that the book of Job is a parable, a story, and that Job as a real person never did exist!

The Fear of the Lord

How can the belief in a loving, forgiving, and benevolent God, square with the atrocities which exist in the world today and with the horrors prophesied for the days to come?

Many scriptures can be used to shed light on this question but perhaps we can use a short passage from the Proverbs of Solomon as a single definitive answer. Notice:

Proverbs 1:24-29 “Because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regards; but you have set at nothing all my counsel, and did not want my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear [6343] comes; when your fear [6343] comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when pain and sorrow come upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear [3374] of the Lord.”

In the previous passage the word “fear” is used three times but has been translated from two very different Hebrew words. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible tells us that “fear” [6343] = “pachad” = alarm (properly: the object feared) -and- “fear” [3374] = “yiraw” = fear: reverence.

With this in mind, the last part of the previous passage could have been rendered: “…for that they hated knowledge and did not choose to regard me with the deepest respect and affection!”

Note: I have enjoyed putting these bits and pieces together. Throughout my notes I have recorded many thoughts and comments not worthy of a full essay but which may well be of value in further offerings of “Bits and Pieces.” I hope to do this again sometime soon.

Next week I expect to begin a two part series on a subject I would much rather not have to discuss. The reasons for my separation from the Worldwide Church of 1974 have always been a very private matter to me; I have occasionally alluded to those reasons but have never discussed them fully and openly with anyone. Over the next two weeks I shall try to clarify my side of the story in the two-part series “Shearing the Sheep” and put to rest with one quick blood-letting a subject I don’t even enjoy thinking about.

Turning Water into Wine

The New Testament book of John records the first openly displayed miracle of Jesus; he miraculously turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Have you ever wondered why he would do such a thing? I can think of no spiritually edifying reason for such an open display of God’s powers; why it should be the first miracle of Jesus’ ministry has been a long time mystery for me. Surely this act can in no way suggest that we use the powers of Almighty God to further our pleasures through over-indulgence at a wedding party! Why did Jesus turn the water into wine?

John 2:11 “[Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding feast;] this beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

Here we are told that by turning the water into wine Jesus “manifested his glory” {i.e. he openly displayed His powers) and in so doing he convinced the disciples to “believe in Him” -- but what was it the disciples were convinced of?

No matter how often I consider these questions, or how deeply I meditate on them, I cannot help believing that by this miracle Jesus was not trying to convince anyone of anything -- except perhaps his mother Mary! In fact, I don’t believe this was a miracle Jesus even wanted to carry out; it was simply not in his nature or his character to openly display himself or his abilities in this way.

Do you remember when you first began to understand the truths and the mysteries of God? I don’t doubt that most of us experienced an almost overwhelming urge to share our good fortune with others. I also have no doubt that in almost every instance our desire to share ended in disaster -- in far too many instances our need to share these truths led to the alienation of close friends and members of our own family.

Jesus not only had a more perfect understanding than we will ever have in this lifetime, he also knew he could exhibit the powers and abilities which would one day become an important part of his ministry. And yet, I must believe that he felt no compelling need to share with others that which he knew they would be unable to understand or accept.

Do those of us who make up the “church” and the Churches of God truly understand all that can be known about the ministry of Jesus Christ? We know he was the Messiah; the Redeemer sent by God to become the embodiment of the Passover sacrifice. He was sent to die that all may one day live again. But do we truly understand why his ministry openly displayed the very powers of Almighty God? Sometime in the next few weeks I hope to discuss this very subject with you with far greater depth and purpose than we shall today. Is it possible that we have misunderstood the power and the spirit which motivated the ministry of Jesus? But first; the water and the wine!

Understanding the First Miracle

John 2:1-3 “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’”

Notice that it was Mary, the mother of Jesus, who made this request. But why should Mary be concerned if the wedding feast had run out of wine?

John 2:9-10 “When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, ‘Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, [he] then [sets out] the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!’”

This passage suggests it was the responsibility of the bridegroom to supply food and drink for his wedding guests. Is it possible that this feast was a celebration following the marriage of one of Mary’s other sons, one of Jesus’ younger brothers? If so, then by extension we may assume that Mary as mother of the groom, and Jesus as the elder brother would share in the groom’s responsibilities. Whatever the truth of the matter -- it was Mary who made the request that Jesus do something about the lack of wine!

However, I do not believe this was simply a matter of Mary wanting to provide more wine for the wedding guests? I do believe this was a conscious decision on her part to prompt Jesus to openly display his powers. Notice the reaction of Jesus to her request:

John 2:4 “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come’”

What was this “concern of Mary” if something other than providing wine for the feast? How do the writings of the Apostle John record Mary’s response to this seemingly negative reaction of Jesus? Did she back away from her request? She did not!

John 2:5 “[Mary] said to the servants, ‘Whatever he tells you to do, do it!’”

Every student of the Bible must be aware of the many wonders and miracles experienced by both Jesus and Mary in their lives. As a young woman, Mary had been in direct contact with an angel of God; she knew she had been a virgin when she conceived her son Jesus; she remembered the appearance of angels at the time of His birth; and she most certainly would have remembered the visit of the “Wise Men” who came to honour their new-born King.

Mary was with Jesus as he grew from a baby, to a child, to a youth, and then to a man. It should be fair to say that Mary knew Jesus as well as, or better than any other human could possibly have known him -- and she knew he was destined for greatness!

Luke 1:29-33 “Then the angel [Gabriel] said to [Mary], ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’”

So far so good; but does any of this bring us any closer to understanding why Jesus would carry out something as innocuous and seemingly unnecessary as the turning of water into wine? As far as miracles are concerned, surely this had little or no spiritual or instructional value. It may have helped everyone at the wedding enjoy the feasting a little more; but is this how we are to believe the miraculous powers of God should be used?

What was Jesus thinking when he agreed to turn the water into wine? Why would he want this act to be the first manifestation of his powers? Is it even possible that we could ever truly understand the very mind of Christ? Nevertheless, this much I do believe: until anyone successfully performs his (or her) first miracle, he (or she) must harbor at least an infinitesimal degree of doubt.

From Childhood -- to Manhood

Jesus spent the first thirty years of his life preparing for his ministry. When he was only twelve years old his understanding was already so advanced he was able to astonish even the learned men of the temple in Jerusalem with his understanding. And yet, can we appreciate what it must have taken even Jesus to perform his very first miracle?

Without going into a deep discussion concerning the need for faith in the working out of any supernatural event, let me offer you this singular comment: “Belief in a successful outcome is not enough to perform a miracle!” The addict who dives through a penthouse window may believe with absolute certainty that he or she can fly; but to my knowledge no one has yet succeeded. In a biblical sense, there is an account recorded in Matthew 17 and Mark 9 where the disciples of Jesus were unable to cast out an evil spirit which had taken possession of a young boy. Prior to this failure the disciples had successfully exorcised many spirits -- they must have ordered this spirit to depart fully expecting it to obey; yet they did fail!

Note: To those who feel the need to more fully discuss the question of faith, as it is required to do miracles, I would suggest that you first go to the “Archives” of this blogsite and read “A New Look at True Faith.”

In order to turn water into wine, it was necessary for Jesus to carry out a conscious act. I believe he knew beyond any doubt he would succeed; and as I said earlier it is my belief that he felt no compelling need to test himself -- and yet he did carry out this miracle!

Perhaps even Mary had no doubt that Jesus could do miracles. What if the only reason for her request was to force Jesus to manifest his powers before those who were his closest friends; those who were to become his most ardent followers and disciples?

It seems probable that prior to the time of the feast in Cana Jesus had shared many of his thoughts and meditations with his mother. Jesus clearly believed he was the fulfillment of someone prophesied to come and that signs and miracles would be part of his ministry. It may also be that Mary understood and agreed with everything Jesus believed -- then again, perhaps not -- how I wish we could know for sure!

As much as I would like to more perfectly understand all that can be known about this event, I wish even more that we could understand the emotion with which Jesus said the words: “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” How much longer was Jesus prepared to wait before displaying his God-given powers? How much longer would he have waited if not for the prompting of Mary?

Manifesting the Powers of God

For anyone, even Jesus, to successfully carry out a miracle, he or she would not only have to believe the miracle would work, but would also have to believe it was correct to make the attempt. If Jesus truly believed he was the living fulfillment of prophecy, he would not only believe it was correct to attempt such a miracle, he would also believe it was his duty and his responsibility to do so. With the scriptural record of Elijah and Elisha to follow, Jesus would even have many scriptural examples to guide him as to what form those miracles may take.

However, there was an even more compelling reason why Jesus knew his attempts would succeed. He had recently been the focal point of two incredibly miraculous events! He had survived a fast of forty days and forty nights, a feat no human could accomplish without the intervention of God; and at the completion of this fast God’s angels had appeared and had ministered unto him.

Both of these events were manifestations of miracles that had been carried out for Jesus -- not by Jesus! It is important to note that these same miracles had previously been carried out for, not by, the prophet Elijah!

Q...Have you ever wondered why Jesus performed the miracles that he did?

Q...Have you ever tried to consider how perfectly the miracles of Jesus parallel the miracles performed by the prophets Elijah and Elisha?

Q...Have you ever wondered why the writings of the Apostles never show John the Baptist as having openly displayed any of the powers of Elijah?

John 1:19-20 “Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not!’”

Q...Why is it that virtually everyone within the realm of nominal Christianity believes that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of the one promised to come in the spirit and power of Elijah? Is this belief based solely on the Scripture found at Luke 1:17?

Within the bounds of professing Christianity, there are few doctrines more widely accepted than that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of the “Elijah to come.” Because of my profound belief that the true identity of the end-time Elijah is of vital importance to all who are of the “church” and the Churches of God, I intend to present in an upcoming blog-offering a digest of a study-paper concerning the Elijah to come.

Note: From the inception of this blogsite I have tried to discuss my thoughts on a different subject each week. It was inevitable that not every subject would have the substance, or the instructive value, worthy of a full essay. I have been going over these snippets of information and have tried to flesh out some of them into what I believe may be a format you can enjoy. Next week I hope to offer a selection of these under the heading of “Bits and Pieces.”

And the Dry Land Appeared

It is important that you realize there is little or no scriptural evidence with which to prove much of the scientific theory put forth in the following essay. With that in mind, there are portions of this work which must be considered little more than fiction -- however, I would remind you that when it comes to science, many of the so called “scientific proofs” put forward as facts in the past, have since been replaced by more recent “scientific proofs.” These more recent “scientific proofs” therefore reduce the previous “scientific proofs” to little more than works of fiction.

If you are willing to accept the tongue-in-cheek disclaimer put forward in the previous paragraph, then perhaps we can barge ahead and have ourselves a little fun. Just don’t take too seriously the parts which (at this time) are obviously not provable; unless of course you have an overly-active imagination -- as I most certainly do!

The Original Creation

Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep…”

An in-depth study of the original inspired texts shows that the first sentence of Genesis 1:1 has been poorly translated. A more correct translation would have been…“And the earth became a wasteland and darkness was on the face of the deep...” Since God is not the author of confusion, and would not have created the world as we find it in Genesis 1:1, we must wonder how and why the Earth came to be in the state of chaos and confusion suggested by the words: “The earth was without form and void...”

Genesis 1:2 “And the Spirit of God [hovered] over the face of the waters.”

Genesis 1:6 “Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’”

Genesis 1:9 “Then God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so.”

From the pages of the Bible the ardent and determined searcher can discover the story of the original creation; it was a creation so perfect and so beautiful that the angels of God shouted for joy at the wonder of it. Unfortunately, that perfection was destroyed by the rebellion of Lucifer, one of three great Archangels created by God.

The Rebellion of Lucifer

Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! You are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations: for you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, then I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol [the grave], to the lowest depths of the Pit.”

Following the original creation, the Archangel Lucifer was given charge over the Earth and one-third of all of God’s angels were placed under his direct command. For reasons which may be discussed later, Lucifer rebelled against God. Lucifer led his angels in an attempt to place himself and his throne beside the very throne of God; and a great war was fought in the heavens, a war in which Lucifer and his angels were defeated and were cast back down to the Earth.

Revelation 12:7-9 “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

One-third of the angels which God created, under the leadership of one of the most powerful beings imaginable, made war against the angels of Almighty God. We cannot know how long it took for Lucifer’s rebellion to fail, but the resulting devastation is still clearly evident throughout the cosmos for all of us to see.

The Earth which had been created so perfect and so beautiful was destroyed; it was torn apart into innumerable heavenly bodies which were then scattered throughout the cosmos. That which we have come to know as our Earth is but a tiny speck of that original creation; as such, it is almost lost in the vastness of the universe!

The Re-Creation

It can be shown from an in-depth study of the scriptures that almost six thousand years ago God carried out a re-creation of the Earth. It was during this week-long re-creation that God created man:

Genesis 1:27-28 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

What we want to consider in this present study is this: “If there was a re-creation of the earth approximately 6,000 years ago, what was the state of the Earth and the cosmos immediately prior to that re-creation?”

The Time Between

In the depthless reaches of outer space, with little or no energy radiating from any nearby star that which remained of the Earth would have been little more than a frozen mass of rocks, metals, and gases. A state of zero degrees Kelvin (i.e. minus 273.16 degrees Celsius) would have been reached where no life could exist and where the gases of Earth’s atmosphere would have reverted to their liquid state. The surface of the Earth would have been completely covered by this frigid, fluid mass “...and darkness was on the face of the deep!”

Few of us ever consider the incredible thinness of the veil our atmosphere represents in relation to the size of the Earth. I have heard it described as being far less in comparison than the lacquer, or varnish, on a miniature globe of the world sitting on a student’s work desk. However, the importance of that veil to the survival of everything that exists upon the Earth cannot be over-stated.

The atmosphere of our Earth consists of a mixture of various gases. Each of these gases has an individual “boiling point”: conversely, each of these gases has a “point of liquefaction.” It is important to realize that none of these gases can reach a frozen state even at absolute zero -- they exist only as gaseous or liquid! The following chart shows the boiling point and the point of liquefaction for each of the gases in our atmosphere.

Note: I must apologize for the following chart; it is supposed to be separated into 4 individual columns but the format used by the blogsite would not allow me to do this. It may be that the fault is mine, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make it work -- as an old man, I can only plead computer illiteracy as my excuse.

Gas Symbol Boiling Point F Boiling Point C

Carbon Dioxide CO2 -109.3 F -78.5 C

Xenon Xe -160.8 F -107.1 C

Krypton Kr -243.2 F -152.9 C

Oxygen O2 -297.3 F -182.9 C

Argon A -302.3 F -185.7 C

Nitrogen N2 -320.4 F -195.8 C

Neon Ne -411.3 F -246.3 C

Hydrogen H2 -422.9 F -252.7 C

Helium He -452.2 F -269.0 C

Note: Any element found at a temperature higher than its individual boiling point would be found in its gaseous state. Any element found at a temperature lower than its boiling point would be found in its liquid state.

Scientifically speaking, “absolute zero” is reached at -459.4 F or -273.16 C; this state is referred to as “zero degrees Kelvin.” At zero degrees Kelvin, all atmospheric gases would exist only in their liquid state. If the temperature of the entire mass should rise from zero degrees Kelvin to -269.0 C or above, the Helium in the mass would be first to boil and would separate from the other liquids as it reverted to its gaseous state.

One by one, as the temperature of the entire mass increased, each of the elements would reach its boiling point and would separate from the others as it reverted from its liquid form to become an atmospheric gas. Can this in any way provide a clue to the mystery of the dividing of the waters from the waters?

Death of the Dinosaurs

Several billions of years passed from the time of Lucifer’s rebellion until God’s renewal of the Earth. What happened during those many eons can only be guessed at; but there are scientific hints which should be considered in the light of biblical understanding.

Science has proven that the many vast deposits of petroleum found scattered throughout the Earth are nothing less than the remains of ancient animal life -- specifically, dinosaurs from Earth’s pre-historic past. What science has so far been unable to explain is how those vast deposits of petroleum came to be.

In the world as we know it, when animals die they rot, they decay; their basic molecular components are returned to the earth -- they do not turn into petroleum! If science agrees on any one specific point with regard to this subject, it is that in the world as we know it today no further deposits of petroleum are being created.

There have been many theories put forward as to how the original deposits came to be; nevertheless, it is the general scientific consensus that the creative force of the substance known as petroleum remains a mystery. Consider this admission in the light of Scripture:

Romans 1:18-22 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.”

The intent of this passage is not to offend or insult anyone in the scientific community; it is to show our need to consider the truths of God with regard to anything and everything we do not fully understand. If there is even the slightest possibility that an omnipotent Creator Being may have been responsible for something that exists, then in the absence of any definitive scientific clarity we must consider the possibility of a biblical answer.

Rocks that Burn

Try to picture the Earth as it must have been in the time of the dinosaurs. It is known to have had a tropical or semi-tropical environment where huge creatures existed in vast herds; they fed on a thick growth of lush grasses, ferns, bushes and trees. Now picture the Earth as it experiences a sudden, overwhelming devastation; an event so cataclysmic that it completely and suddenly destroyed all life then in existence.

Huge rafts of vegetation would have been swept away either afloat on raging waters or quickly buried under many thousands of tons of earth as storms and earthquakes ravaged what was left of the Earth. Science has proven that the almost limitless deposits of coal found in vast quantities throughout the Earth are nothing more than pre-historic vegetation which in ages past had been quickly buried then subjected to incredible pressure for an unspecified period of time. What adds to the mystery is that in addition to great pressures, heat was required to turn that vegetation into coal!

There is one more interesting fact about coal which needs to be understood -- science has shown it requires a raft of vegetation 40 feet deep, quickly buried and subjected to immense pressure and heat, in order to produce a 1 foot thick seam of coal. In some of the world’s larger deposits, seams of coal have been found more than 6 or 7 feet thick!

When it was suggested that heat must be added to the pressure required to create coal my first thought was that a great conflagration must have accompanied the devastation of the Earth; however, this need not be so! Great pressures, of and by themselves, create an abundance of heat -- whether this would be enough to transform vegetation into the hard carbon of coal is questionable. Nevertheless, there is another possibility clearly evident in the structure of the Earth itself.

Even in this present day and age, the deeper we go into the Earth the higher the temperature rises. We can only begin to speculate as to the heat produced by the Earth’s core in the days of our pre-history. Add to this the absolute certainty that any great cataclysm would unleash eruptions and lava flows to an extent unheard of and beyond the imagination of any of us today.

That which would one day become the coal that has fuelled the homes and industry of our recent past, and which may yet become the fuel of tomorrow, would have been subjected to irresistible pressures from above and incredible heat from below -- but still, there may have been much, much more added to the equation!

If this speck of dust in the vastness of the cosmos which we call our Earth was to be cast off into nothingness, many light years from even the smallest star or other source of heat, the surface would quickly revert to the virtual death of absolute zero degrees Kelvin. Every gas in our atmosphere would be transformed into its liquid state and would flow as a great turgid sea to a depth of more than half a mile over the surface of the Earth -- the incredible weight of that sea could only be guessed at.

What would this do to the recipe for turning mosses and grasses into coal? For that matter, what would it do to the process required to transform the remains of animal life into petroleum? There would be great heat from below, trapped beneath incalculable weights and pressures from above; weights and pressures accompanied by temperatures lower than mankind has so far been able to measure. Time would not be a factor in the recipe; countless millennia would pass before the Earth would once again feel the warmth of any star -- or until the frigid Earth came within the orbit of our own life-giving Sun.

Genesis 1:2-4 “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God [hovered] over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good...”

Note: Next week I hope to discuss the first of many miracles performed by Jesus. Why would he choose something as seemingly unnecessary and spiritually unedifying as the turning of water into wine as the first manifestation of his powers?

The Seventy Week Prophecy

If there is one unquestionable truth I hope each of you take away from these weekly messages it is that at this time, in this life, I am far from perfect. Because of this, I accept that my understanding of many subjects may also be far from perfect. This realization drives me to a greater search of the Scriptures in an effort to more perfectly understand the mysteries of God; and prompts me to share with you the results of my studies rather than try to teach what I have come to believe. With this in mind, I shall place before you my understanding of the Seventy Week Prophecy of Daniel Nine -- and the reasons why I believe as I do.

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”

This single verse is the focal point of the entire prophecy which has become known as “The Seventy Week Prophecy of Daniel Nine.” As it is with many prophecies, this one can be especially difficult to understand; nevertheless, if there is truth to be found within any mystery recorded for us in the Bible it is our duty to put forth some effort to find it.

Daniel 9:1-2 “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans -- in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”

Before going on, it would be wise for you to go to your own Bible and read the whole of Daniel chapter nine. Understand that Daniel set out by prayer and supplications with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes to ask God’s mercy and forgiveness for himself and for the whole of Israel. He also wanted to better understand a prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah wherein Jerusalem would become a place of desolation and for seventy years its people would be made to serve the king of Babylon.

Jeremiah 25:11 “And this whole land shall be desolation and astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

The prophecy of Daniel Nine was God’s answer; specifically verse 24 which bears repeating: “Seventy weeks are determined upon your people, and upon the holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring everlasting righteousness, and to seal up [bring an end to] the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”

Bible scholars generally accept that Jesus was born in the year 4 B.C. He was thirty years old in the year 27 A.D., and at this time his ministry began. The ministry of Jesus lasted three-and-a-half years until his death by crucifixion. I agree with each of these facts and believe the seventy week prophecy of Daniel Nine gives us scriptural substantiation of what we have previously come to learn from history. For the sake of clarity, I have decided to use point form to explain my understanding:

1. History and Bible chronology suggest that Jesus began his ministry in the year 27 A.D. This was the time of Jesus’ baptism, his temptation by Satan in the wilderness, the time when he began to gather his disciples, and the time when he began to preach the gospel -- i.e. the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

2. Daniel 9:24…Seventy weeks are determined as the time period from the beginning of the prophecy until the end of the prophecy and the anointing of the Most Holy. It is important to realize that if the anointing of the Most Holy refers to Jesus being anointed as King over the Earth, this is an event that has not yet taken place; and will not until the time immediately before the setting up of His Father’s Kingdom. Remember what Jesus himself had to say in John 18:36 when Pontius Pilate asked him: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered: “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” In many other places the Bible clearly points out that Jesus will one day return to set up the Kingdom of God here upon the Earth. As of this moment in time, January 2007, Jesus has not yet returned; He has not yet set up his Father’s kingdom; He has not yet brought everlasting righteousness to the Earth; and He has not yet been anointed as king; therefore -- the prophecy of Daniel Nine has not yet been completed!

3. Daniel 9:25…Bible scholars recognize that several different decrees were given over a period of many years to rebuild Jerusalem and/or the temple; they agonize over which decree should be used as the starting point for the seventy-week prophecy. I have never seen this as a problem. Notice: the timing of the prophecy begins “…from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem…” Ezra was a scribe in the Law of Moses, and we are told that in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king of Persia, Ezra went forth with the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem -- he arrived in Jerusalem from Babylon with a letter, a decree, that Jerusalem was to be restored and rebuilt (Ezra 7:1-28). Historical records have shown that the seventh year of Artaxerxes coincides with the year 457 B.C. -- surely then, 457 B.C. is the starting point for the seventy-week prophecy!

4. Daniel 9:25…“From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks…” Seven weeks plus three-score and two weeks equals sixty-nine weeks (7 + 60 + 2 = 69). Therefore, according to the prophecy it would take sixty-nine weeks from the beginning of the prophecy until the Messiah the Prince.

5. The principle of a year for a day when determining time periods within prophecy is widely understood by Bible scholars. The reader should check the passages recorded at Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:1-8 to see where God himself explains this principle. If the principle of a year for a day applies to the prophecy of Daniel Nine then sixty-nine weeks from the starting point until the arrival of the Messiah would be 69 x 7 = 483 days = 483 years. If Ezra carried the decree from Artaxerxes in the year 457 B.C. then the 483 years would bring us to the year 27 A.D. the year Jesus was baptized and began his ministry. (Note: there can be some difficulty calculating time when passing from a date B.C. to a date A.D. I would therefore recommend that each of you do the calculation for yourselves.)

6. Turn your attention back to verse: 25 and the way the sixty-nine weeks to the arrival of the Messiah were calculated. Notice that it was to be seven weeks and (or plus) threescore and two weeks. Then in verse: 26 it states that: “After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (or killed), but not for himself.” What happened to the first seven weeks? Apparently it took 49 years (i.e. 7 weeks x 7 days = 49 days = 49 years in prophecy), from the beginning of the prophecy until the restoration of Jerusalem was completed. From that time (i.e. from the restoration of Jerusalem) until the coming of the Messiah was to be 62 weeks! Messiah would be killed after this; that is, after the 7 weeks and the 62 weeks. Therefore, Messiah would be killed, (i.e. “cut off, but not for himself”) -- after the 69th week of the prophecy!

7. What we must always remember is that the total time period of the prophecy, from the beginning to its conclusion, is to be seventy weeks. When verse: 26 tells us that Messiah would be cut off after seven weeks plus sixty two weeks, we need to realize there is still one full week left in the prophecy! Daniel 9:27 tells us that after the sixty-nine weeks: “He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week -- and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease…” Let’s try to be quite sure that we understand what the prophecy is telling us about this final week; and let’s remember that one week = 7 days = 7 years in prophecy. The Messiah would begin his ministry 483 years after the prophecy begins; 483 years from 457 B.C. brings us to 27 A.D. the date we generally accept as the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He was to confirm the covenant for one whole week, and was to be cut off (or killed) in the midst (or in the middle) of the week -- i.e. in the midst of the last week following the first 69 weeks -- i.e. in the midst of the last 7 years following the first 483 years! Again, it is generally understood that the ministry of Jesus lasted three-and-one-half years and ended the day he was crucified. Let us also remember that Jesus died “not for himself” and that the sacrifice made by him “once for all” made the continuation of the Old Testament blood sacrifices and oblations for sin no longer necessary. His sacrifice as “the lamb of God” caused the need for sacrifice and oblations to cease!

8. So then; following the death of the Messiah we are left with half a week, or three-and-a-half days = three-and-a-half years in prophecy, yet to be completed. I believe the completion of that final week will take place following the return of the Messiah when He shall gather together His brethren from the four corners of the Earth. For three-and-a-half years He “shall confirm the covenant” and “seal up the vision and the prophecy” by preparing those who are to reign with Him during the time of the Millennium.

9. Since the vision and the prophecy cannot be sealed up until the covenant has been confirmed (i.e. until the end of the final three-and-a-half years); and the anointing of the Most Holy must take place before he can rule over His Father’s Kingdom; it must therefore be true that everything Daniel saw must be completed prior to the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Jesus and His brethren!

Once again I must suggest that a more perfect understanding of the prophetic timing of the Autumn Holy Days as suggested in an earlier post here entitled The Incarceration of Satan is vital to understanding this and many other prophecies. To believe that the return of Jesus, the incarceration of Satan, and the beginning of the Millennium must all take place at one and the same time on one and the same day does not allow for the completion of the final three-and-a-half years of this prophecy!

Now is not the time, or the place, or even the format for a discussion into when we can expect the return of the Messiah. I shall even go so far as to say that anyone who would try to set dates for the fulfillment of any prophecy sets himself up to be a fool. However, this much I shall say: It is misleading when our ministers use the passage from Matthew 24:36 to “prove” to us that we cannot know the time for Messiah’s return. Notice:

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

If we study Matthew 24 with a view to understanding when these events may come to pass, I doubt we could even accurately determine the specific event expected to take place “at that day and that hour.” Nevertheless, it is my personal opinion that the event being referred to is “the initial return of the Messiah” when He shall return to gather together His brethren -- but I cannot know this with any certainty. This much I shall say: I am not overly concerned with “the actual day” or “the actual hour” of His return! However, if there is even the slightest chance that we might know the approximate time; or even the approximate year of His return, I believe it is our duty to find out!

We can even look with some justification of this hope to the Old Testament book of the prophet Amos where it records for us: “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (I shall continue to wonder!)

Note: Next week I hope to offer a somewhat tongue-in-cheek theory for the existence of the vast deposits of oil and coal located in such profusion throughout the world. Science cannot positively explain the process by which petroleum came to be; even with coal they admit to having a less than perfect understanding. Perhaps there is something hidden in the ancient biblical texts which may help us -- to this end, I have written: “And the Dry Land Appeared”!