In the Authorized Version (old King James Bible), John 20:17 is rendered as follows: “Jesus saith unto her [Mary], Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, and He made these comments to Mary when she met Him after she had discovered that His tomb was empty.

One explanation given in times past was that Christ did not want  Mary to touch Him because He was not yet glorified and had not gone to heaven to be glorified and presented as a weave sheaf offering before God. Although this  explanation may sound feasible at first sight, it doesn’t stand the test of scriptural  application.

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In casually reading passages dealing with the staff of Moses and the staff of Aaron, we might perhaps not think that any important significance should be attached to them. However, upon careful scrutiny, some amazing revelations may come to light.

The Hebrew word for the staffs of Moses and Aaron, is “mattheh.” It can mean staff or rod, and it can also mean “tribe,” showing the connection between the staff and the person and even the tribe which is represented by the person. Of course, both Aaron and Moses were of the tribe of Levi.

We are introduced to Moses’ staff in the early chapters of the book of Exodus. We read in the episode with the burning bush, that Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian (Exodus 3:1). (The Midianites were descendants of Abraham and his second wife, Keturah (Genesis 25:2).) Moses had a staff or a rod in his hand (Exodus 4:2), and God told Moses to throw it to the ground, and it became a serpent. When taking it by the tail, it became a rod in his hand (verses 3-4).  This was one of the signs which Moses was to perform in front of his people in Egypt, so that they would believe that God had sent him.

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It is true to say that the Church of God has never been part of mainstream Christianity, and it would be equally true to say that for the last 2,000 years, the doctrines of the Church have been taken purely from the Bible. 

Syncretism has become commonplace in mainstream Christianity and is defined by Webster’s as “the combination of different forms of belief or practice.”   This word syncretism does not appear in the Scriptures, but the subject is certainly addressed and condemned.  We have to see the faulty trap of syncretism (combining right aspects of godly worship with wrong practices).

Since syncretism has been a part of “Christianity” for nearly 2,000 years, the Nineteenth-century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote that “millions of people through the centuries have little by little cheated God out of Christianity.” 

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In the last two Q&A’s, we discussed the significance of numbers 1 to 7 and 10 in the Bible. In this final Q&A of this series, we will conclude with pointing out the biblical importance of numbers 12 and 40.

Number 12 is generally understood as being the number of foundations. Twelve is a combination of the number 2 (which can symbolize union) and the number 10 (which symbolizes godly judgment).

Jesus tells us that a day has twelve hours (John 11:9)—referring to the daylight portion—adding that the day is followed by the night (verse 10)—another period of twelve (dark) hours.

In the first book of the Bible, we are introduced to Jacob, who was later renamed Israel, and his twelve sons who are the foundation of the tribes of Israel (Genesis 35:22-26; 49:28; compare Acts 26:7; James 1:1). To be protected from the plagues of the Lord, God will seal 144,000 Israelites (12 times 12)—twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes (Revelation 7:1-8; since Dan is not mentioned, Joseph is listed with his son Manasseh, reaching again the number 12).

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In the last Q&A, we discussed the significance of numbers 1 to 6 in the Bible. In this Q&A, we will continue with pointing out the biblical importance for numbers 7 and 10.

Number 7 belongs to the most important numbers in the Bible.

It stands for completion and perfection, and it is generally understood and recognized in this way.

As we already mentioned in the previous Q&A, the number 6 can refer to something which lacks completion. For instance, God’s re-creation week was only completed on the seventh day with the institution of the Sabbath. Jericho was destroyed on the seventh day, after the Israelites had marched around the city for six days. Man was given six “days” of 1,000 years each to rule himself, but God will begin His rule over man and this earth with the Millennium (the seventh “day” of 1,000 years). In Old Testament times, individual debts were cancelled every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:1).

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Even though one has to avoid the “temptation” to attach a symbolic meaning to just about every number or combination of numbers, as used in the Holy Scriptures, there can be no doubt that a particular significance exists in regard to certain numbers or numerical combinations. This concept is known as biblical Numerology. The Bible itself makes this clear when it talks about the famous figure “666” (as will be discussed below)—the number of the end-time beast in the book of Revelation—or when it refers to certain numbers in the book of Daniel (for instance, 1260 days, 1290 days, and 1335 days).

In this series, we will discuss obvious significance associated with certain numbers, and we will see that the biblical choice of those numbers in a particular context is by no means “accidental.” The lists are not meant to be exhaustive, but might be used as a guideline or a basis for the review of other instances where these numbers are mentioned in the Bible. We will also see that some ascribe “significance” or “interpretation” to certain numbers, where they do not exist.

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In the last two Q&As, we discussed several variations of the concept of parallelism in biblical Hebrew Poetry, namely identical and similar synonymous parallelism, and introverted and antithetic parallelism.

As we will recall, Synonymous Parallelism describes the repetition of identical or similar thoughts; while in Introverted Parallelism, the order of thoughts is reversed, and in Antithetical Parallelism, opposite thoughts are expressed.

In this final Q&A in our series about Hebrew Poetry in the Bible, we will discuss further concepts of poetic devices.

One of these devices is the concept of SYNTHETIC PARALLELISM, which is also sometimes referred to as constructive or epithetic parallelism.

In Synthetic Parallelism, the word “synthesis” describes a combination of separate parts or elements into a whole. In other words, thoughts are built upon each other.

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In the last Q&A, we discussed one aspect of Hebrew Poetry in the inspired pages of the Old Testament—that of Identical and Similar Synonymous Parallelism.

In this Q&A, we will address INTROVERTED and ANTITHETIC PARALLELISM.

In INTROVERTED PARALLELISM (a/k/a chiasmus), the order of the thoughts is reversed. In the first line, thought 1 is followed by thought 2. In the second line, thought 2 is followed by thought 1.

Let us look at a few examples:

Psalm 51:1:

“Have mercy upon Me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness;
“According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgression.”

We see in this statement, that to “have mercy” (thought 1 in line 1)  is identified with blotting out transgression (thought 2 in line 2), and lovingkindness (thought 2 in line 1) is equated with “the multitude of Your tender mercies” (thought 1 in line 2). When we have mercy, we overlook and are willing to forgive and forget transgression, and God’s lovingkindness can be seen in the multitude of His tender (not brutal or cruel) mercies.

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The Old Testament of the Bible contains Hebrew Poetry, but it is not to be compared with the kind of today’s poetry which rhymes at the end of each verse. Rather, Hebrew Poetry is designed to express more clearly and by emphasis certain aspects of the truth. It is important to realize when and how Hebrew Poetry is used, so that we do not misunderstand the intended meaning of a particular passage.

In this series, we will discuss in depth the beauty and wisdom of inspired Hebrew poetry. It can be generally described as PARALLELISM. In Hebrew, the rhyme is the repetition of thoughts or the extension of similar thoughts.

In this Q&A, we will show biblical examples of the concept of Synonymous Parallelism. In subsequent Q&A’s, we will discuss additional concepts within Hebrew Poetry.

Continue reading "How are we to view Hebrew Poetry in the Bible? (Part 1)"

Much confusion exists as to whether true Christians are to attempt and do what they can to make this world a better place—to improve sad conditions by voting for “better” leaders; to fight against dictatorships to replace them with democratic politicians or to invade democratic countries to replace them with dictators; to engage in missionary […]

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