YHWH's Janitor's Posts - All About GOD2024-03-28T23:10:14ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitorhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/136563194?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.allaboutgod.net/profiles/blog/feed?user=1svhw24pd9qu1&xn_auth=noGod in the Ancient World: Monotheism is the Oldest Religiontag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-05-04:1383940:BlogPost:17921082020-05-04T14:30:19.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>Find more articles and Bible studies at <a href="http://www.yhwhjanitor.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">www.yhwhjanitor.com</a>. :-)</p>
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<p>What was the first religion? Monotheism. Yep. </p>
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<p>Many of you were probably told in school that it was something like animism, ancestor worship, or shamanism, which then evolved over time into the religions we have today. It’s a gut punch to the Christians in the room, if they take the Bible seriously. After all,…</p>
<p>Find more articles and Bible studies at <a href="http://www.yhwhjanitor.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.yhwhjanitor.com</a>. :-)</p>
<p>***</p>
<p></p>
<p>What was the first religion? Monotheism. Yep. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Many of you were probably told in school that it was something like animism, ancestor worship, or shamanism, which then evolved over time into the religions we have today. It’s a gut punch to the Christians in the room, if they take the Bible seriously. After all, anthropologists declaring definitively that monotheism is only the last in a long line of religious development can be downright disturbing. </p>
<p></p>
<p>However, you may be <em>shocked</em> to learn that this “religious evolution” idea is over 130 years old and was vigorously and successfully challenged over 100 years ago! With no substantive response!</p>
<p></p>
<p>In fact, the best evidence actually points to the following conclusion:</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Monotheism, or the acknowledgement and worship of one supreme creator god, is humanity’s oldest religion!</strong> </p>
<p></p>
<p>Of course, today, not all monotheistic religions are alike, so it would be naive to think that the oldest monotheism of ancient hunter-gatherer societies was somehow the same across all continents and all times. Islam and Judaism, after all, are both monotheistic, but both worship very different gods with distinct characteristics. </p>
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<p>Christians should know that proving Original Monotheism does <em>not</em> necessarily mean all hunter-gatherers worshipped Yahweh, the God of the Bible, per se. However, the case for an Original Monotheism is a powerful aid in developing Christian apologetics in the fields of anthropology, ethnology, and historical analysis....</p>
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<p>To read the rest, <a href="http://yhwhjanitor.com/2020/05/03/god-in-the-ancient-world-original-monotheism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>!</p>
<p></p>The Image of God and Human Origins, Part 2: Imagers Outside the Garden?tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-04-21:1383940:BlogPost:17919252020-04-21T13:56:10.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>For the whole article, <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.com/2020/04/20/the-image-of-god-and-human-origins-part-2-imagers-outside-the-garden/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">click here</a>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>If there were people outside the Garden of Eden, would they be made in the Image of God?</p>
<p>Humans have had questions about their origins for thousands of years and, for thousands of years, have engaged in intense debates over these questions. Christians, in particular, have sparred with…</p>
<p>For the whole article, <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.com/2020/04/20/the-image-of-god-and-human-origins-part-2-imagers-outside-the-garden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>If there were people outside the Garden of Eden, would they be made in the Image of God?</p>
<p>Humans have had questions about their origins for thousands of years and, for thousands of years, have engaged in intense debates over these questions. Christians, in particular, have sparred with the culture over new scientific discoveries and theories that explicate human descent from non-human creatures. While I don’t believe that my wading into this debate with my humble opinions and research will change the world, I do think the conclusions I’ve reached concerning the archaeological, genealogical, and theological data will give many people much needed food for thought. </p>
<p>As outlined in my article<span> </span><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.com/2020/04/06/the-image-of-god-the-representational-view-and-implications-for-human-origins-part-1/"><em>The Image of God and Human Origins, Part 1: The Representational View</em></a>, we humans represent God here on Earth by virtue of our existence, just like the<span> </span><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.com/2020/03/31/reclaiming-supernatural-christianity/">heavenly host</a><span> </span>images God in heaven. God chose humanity as His “shadow/reflection/representative” here on Earth, representing an immaterial Creator to a material world. </p>
<p>Because of this, He has given us the vocation of taking care of this world in His stead as He would (i.e., according to His will). For a brief description of this understanding of the Image of God, I recommend this short<span> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp-Ku-_ekAY">video</a><span> </span>by The Bible Project. </p>
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Great description of people as “Imagers” of God<br />
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<p>If this understanding of the image of God is correct, what are the implications for Christians in the Human Origins debate?</p>
<p>.....</p>
<p>Find out more at <a href="http://www.yhwhjanitor.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.yhwhjanitor.com</a> :-) </p>God in Ancient Northern California, Part 1: Who Were Eas and Pok-e-wip?tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-04-13:1383940:BlogPost:17914922020-04-13T14:26:23.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4411372220?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4411372220?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>All the oldest cultures have a "Sky Father"; California is no exception. The Yuki tell of Eas the Creator and His Son.…</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4411372220?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4411372220?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>All the oldest cultures have a "Sky Father"; California is no exception. The Yuki tell of Eas the Creator and His Son.</p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.com/2020/04/13/god-in-ancient-northern-california-part-1-who-were-eas-and-pok-e-wip/">https://yhwhjanitor.com/2020/04/13/god-in-ancient-northern-california-part-1-who-were-eas-and-pok-e-wip/</a></p>The Image of God: The Representational View and Implications for Human Origins, Part 1tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-04-09:1383940:BlogPost:17912692020-04-09T00:07:27.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>Hey everyone! If you've ever wondered what being made in the "Image" of God means, and who... or what... qualifies... read on! God bless!</p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/the-image-of-god-the-representational-view-and-implications-for-human-origins-part-1/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Click here for YHWH's Janitor's latest post!</a></p>
<p>***</p>
<p><span>I love tough questions. </span></p>
<p><span>“Is a newly fertilized embryo…</span></p>
<p>Hey everyone! If you've ever wondered what being made in the "Image" of God means, and who... or what... qualifies... read on! God bless!</p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/the-image-of-god-the-representational-view-and-implications-for-human-origins-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for YHWH's Janitor's latest post!</a></p>
<p>***</p>
<p><span>I love tough questions. </span></p>
<p><span>“Is a newly fertilized embryo human?”</span></p>
<p><span>“Were Neanderthals human?”</span></p>
<p><span>“If Adam and Eve lived over 100,000 years ago, what does that say about the Bible?”</span></p>
<p><span>"What about Artificial Intelligence?"</span></p>
<p><span>And, one of my favorites: “What would you do with your faith in Jesus if aliens suddenly showed up?”</span></p>
<p><span>All of these particular questions deal with something called the ‘Image of God.’ How we understand and apply this little phrase has a</span> <i><span>huge</span></i> <span>impact on how we, as Christians, answer these tough questions. To hold positions on</span> <i><span>any</span></i> <span>of these questions, or to make culturally relevant arguments on issues like abortion, euthanasia, or even aliens, it is crucial to understand what being made in the ‘Image of God’ actually means. ..... (<a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/the-image-of-god-the-representational-view-and-implications-for-human-origins-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click for more!</a>)</span></p>Reclaiming Supernatural Christianitytag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-04-01:1383940:BlogPost:17912482020-04-01T20:13:43.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/reclaiming-supernatural-christianity/">https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/reclaiming-supernatural-christianity/</a></p>
<p>I have loved doing research for this topic, and I hope you join me! Let's dive deeper into the Bible!…<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4296819309?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" height="504" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4296819309?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="325"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/reclaiming-supernatural-christianity/">https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/reclaiming-supernatural-christianity/</a></p>
<p>I have loved doing research for this topic, and I hope you join me! Let's dive deeper into the Bible!<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4296819309?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4296819309?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full" width="325" height="504"/></a></p>
<p></p>God in Ancient China - Who is Shang Di? Part 2: Moral Attributestag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-03-29:1383940:BlogPost:17913152020-03-29T03:32:17.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/god-in-ancient-china-who-is-shang-di-part-2-moral-attributes/">https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/god-in-ancient-china-who-is-shang-di-part-2-moral-attributes/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Working through the book "Faith of Our Fathers" by Dr. Chan Kei Thong. Great stuff!</p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/god-in-ancient-china-who-is-shang-di-part-2-moral-attributes/">https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/god-in-ancient-china-who-is-shang-di-part-2-moral-attributes/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Working through the book "Faith of Our Fathers" by Dr. Chan Kei Thong. Great stuff!</p>Alright, Music Teachers... Let's Do This! #covid19tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-03-23:1383940:BlogPost:17910762020-03-23T03:42:52.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/alright-music-teachers-lets-do-this-covid19/">https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/alright-music-teachers-lets-do-this-covid19/</a></p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/alright-music-teachers-lets-do-this-covid19/">https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/alright-music-teachers-lets-do-this-covid19/</a></p>Hiatus OVER! What's Next?tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2020-03-19:1383940:BlogPost:17909242020-03-19T11:51:57.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>To read the article, visit my page! <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/18/hiatus-over-whats-next/">www.yhwhjanitor.com </a> </p>
<p>I haven't posted in a while. I'm excited to get back into it and share what I've learned the past couple of years. :-)</p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/18/hiatus-over-whats-next/"></a></p>
<p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>To read the article, visit my page! <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/18/hiatus-over-whats-next/">www.yhwhjanitor.com </a> </p>
<p>I haven't posted in a while. I'm excited to get back into it and share what I've learned the past couple of years. :-)</p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2020/03/18/hiatus-over-whats-next/"></a></p>5 (More) Nuggets About the Jewish Trinitytag:www.allaboutgod.net,2019-02-10:1383940:BlogPost:17748522019-02-10T12:25:53.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/5-more-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Reposted from YHWH's Janitor, 2/9/19</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1019133393?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1019133393?profile=RESIZE_710x" style="padding: 4px;" width="400"></img></a></p>
<p>If you haven’t read the first <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/5-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/">5 Nuggets on the Jewish Trinity,<span> …</span></a></p>
<p><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/5-more-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reposted from YHWH's Janitor, 2/9/19</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1019133393?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1019133393?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-center" style="padding: 4px;"/></a></p>
<p>If you haven’t read the first <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/5-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/">5 Nuggets on the Jewish Trinity,<span> </span></a><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/5-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/">click here</a>.</p>
<p>After the great initial response from the first article, I modified this one to focus more on the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament based on some questions folks asked. It’s amazing what you can dig out of familiar passages, even if you’ve read them many times. These were presented originally in<span> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz8J4DTIkEg&t=13s">this Dr. Michael Heiser talk</a><span> </span>about the Jewish Trinity, so if you like this short primer, I highly recommend you dig into the talk.</p>
<h3><strong>1. Isaiah 63:7-16 – Blatant Jewish Trinity</strong></h3>
<p>In the 63rd chapter (starting at verse 7), Isaiah is discussing the lovingkindesses (חֵסֵד, chêsêd) of YHWH right after presenting a picture of judgement for the sinful Edom. As a side-note, it’s important to point out that all the bloody, harsh ‘judgement’ sections discussing God’s wrath in the Bible are <em>always</em><span> </span>couched in (1) a passionate plea from God to<span> </span><span>stop </span>the sin causing the judgement and (2) a declaration of God’s love for the sinner. Every time! Remember that when someone tells you that the Bible is full of violence and features an angry God. He certainly doesn’t<span> </span><em>want</em><span> </span>to do those things! I digress…</p>
<p>Here are the verses in question:</p>
<blockquote><p><span id="en-HCSB-18875" class="text Isa-63-8"><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>He said, “They are indeed My people,</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-8">children who will not be disloyal,”</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-8">and He became their Savior.</span><br/><span id="en-HCSB-18876" class="text Isa-63-9"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>In all their suffering, He suffered,<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote e" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+63&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-18876e">e</a>]</sup></span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-9">and the<span> </span><strong>Angel of His Presence</strong><span> </span>saved them.</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-9">He redeemed them</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-9">because of His love and compassion;</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-9">He lifted them up and carried them</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-9">all the days of the past.</span><br/><strong><span id="en-HCSB-18877" class="text Isa-63-10"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>But they rebelled</span></strong><br/><strong><span class="text Isa-63-10">and grieved His Holy Spirit.</span></strong><br/><span class="text Isa-63-10">So He became their enemy</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-10">and fought against them.</span><br/><span id="en-HCSB-18878" class="text Isa-63-11"><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>Then He<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote f" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+63&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-18878f">f</a>]</sup> remembered the days of the past,</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-11">the days of Moses and his people.</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-11">Where is He who brought them out of the sea</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-11">with the shepherds<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote g" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+63&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-18878g">g</a>]</sup> of His flock?</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-11">Where is He who put His Holy Spirit among the flock?</span><br/><span id="en-HCSB-18879" class="text Isa-63-12"><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>He sent His glorious arm</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-12">to be at Moses’ right hand,</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-12">divided the waters before them</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-12">to obtain eternal fame for Himself,</span><br/><span id="en-HCSB-18880" class="text Isa-63-13"><sup class="versenum">13 </sup>and led them through the depths</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-13">like a horse in the wilderness,</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-13">so that they did not stumble.</span><br/><span id="en-HCSB-18881" class="text Isa-63-14"><sup class="versenum">14 </sup>Like cattle that go down into the valley,</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-14">the Spirit of the <span class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> gave them<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote h" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+63&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-18881h">h</a>]</sup> rest.</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-14">You led Your people this way</span><br/><span class="text Isa-63-14">to make a glorious name for Yourself.</span></p>
<p>–<span> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+63&version=HCSB">Isaiah 63:8-14, HCSB</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Isaiah in this passage introduces us to three distinct characters.</p>
<ul>
<li>YHWH – The Father (whom he is directing this dialogue with, as seen in v. 16)</li>
<li>The Angel of the Presence</li>
<li>His (YHWH’s) Holy Spirit</li>
</ul>
<p>It is clear that there are three entities in view based on the grammar. It is the Father who is quoted speaks in verse 8. It is the Father, interestingly enough, that is labeled as the Savior. Then notice<span> </span><em>right after that</em> in v. 9 the Angel of the Presence is the one who saved Israel!</p>
<p>Is Isaiah confused? No. He is clearly making a point to include them both, filling the same role and purposefully “melding” the identities of the two. The Angel of the Presence is also the one who is credited with lifting Israel up and carrying them all the days of the past (which includes the Exodus, which we’ll discuss another time).</p>
<p>In addition to this, we see that The Father’s Holy Spirit here is the one who was<span> </span><strong>rebelled against</strong><span> </span>and who was<span> </span><strong>grieved</strong><span> </span>by Israel. If this was read in a vacuum, one might just shrug this off and say, “Fine, the author is just trying to use an analogy to help us understand that God’s “heart” was hurt by Israel’s actions.” This was certainly not the case: as we’ll see, “rebelled against” in conjunction with “grieved” was a phrase used in the scriptures to refer to YHWH Himself!</p>
<h3><strong>2. Psalm 78 – Where “Grieving the Holy Spirit” Comes From</strong></h3>
<p>The words used in Isaiah 63 for “rebelled against” and “grieved” are used in Psalm 78 to describe what Israel did to YHWH. The author of Isaiah, as well as the other prophets, were well-versed in the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible), the Histories (Judges, Chronicles, etc.), the Psalms and Proverbs. They knew that their holy God was multiple persons, and had no problem writing ambiguous passages that conflated the identities of the Father, the Second YHWH, and His Spirit.</p>
<blockquote><p><span class="top-1"><span id="en-HCSB-15154" class="text Ps-78-40">How often they<span> </span><strong>rebelled</strong> (<strong>מָרָה</strong><strong>, mârâh)</strong><span> </span>against Him</span></span><br/><span class="text Ps-78-40">in the wilderness</span><br/><span class="text Ps-78-40">and<span> </span><strong>grieved</strong> <strong>(עָצַב, ‛âtsab)</strong><span> </span>Him in the desert.</span></p>
<p>–<span> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+78&version=HCSB">Psalm 78:40, HCSB</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Isaiah 63 used the exact verbiage of Psalm 78 to describe “His Holy Spirit.” However, in the Psalm, the author is clearly talking about “the Most High God,” a title reserved for the<span> </span><span>Father</span><span> </span>(see v. 35)! This is another example of the Biblical authors using phrases and words to carry meaning and theological weight to their writings. To further the point, this tradition was carried on into the New Testament. This same word (in Greek, of course) is also used by Paul in Ephesians 4:30, commanding believers not to “grieve” the Holy Spirit.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Ezekiel 8:1-4 – The Spirit of YHWH<span> </span><span>IS</span>YHWH</strong></h3>
<p>A great example of using the technique of equating certain descriptions of YHWH to convey certain theological truths is found in Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 1, God is described in the following way:</p>
<blockquote><p><span id="en-HCSB-20490" class="text Ezek-1-25"><sup class="versenum">25 </sup>A voice came from above the expanse over [the living creature’s] heads; when they stood still, they lowered their wings. </span><span id="en-HCSB-20491" class="text Ezek-1-26"><sup class="versenum">26 </sup>The shape of a throne with the appearance of sapphire<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote c" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+1&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-20491c">c</a>]</sup> stone was above the expanse.<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote d" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+1&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-20491d">d</a>]</sup> <strong>There was a form with the appearance of a human on the throne high above.</strong></span><strong><span id="en-HCSB-20492" class="text Ezek-1-27"><sup class="versenum">27 </sup>From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around. From what seemed to be His waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around Him. </span></strong><span id="en-HCSB-20493" class="text Ezek-1-28"><sup class="versenum">28 </sup>The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the<span> </span><span>form of the <span class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>’s glory</span>. When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.</span></p>
<p>–<span> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+1&version=HCSB">Ezekiel 1:25-28, HCSB</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>This passage describes YHWH Himself, since the “form of the Lord’s glory” sitting on<span> </span><span>the</span><span> </span>throne of Heaven could belong to no other. Now, compare this description with the following passage:</p>
<blockquote><p><span class="text Ezek-8-1"><span class="chapternum">8 </span>In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting in front of me, and there the<span> </span><span>hand of the Lord <span class="small-caps divine-name">God</span></span> came down on me. </span><strong><span id="en-HCSB-20607" class="text Ezek-8-2"><sup class="versenum">2 </sup>I looked, and there was a form that had the appearance of a man. From what seemed to be His waist down was fire, and from His waist up was something that looked bright, like the gleam of amber.</span></strong><span id="en-HCSB-20608" class="text Ezek-8-3"><strong><sup class="versenum">3 </sup>He stretched out what appeared to be a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then<span> </span><span>the Spirit</span>lifted me up</strong><span> </span>between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner gate that faces north, where the offensive statue that provokes jealousy was located. </span><span id="en-HCSB-20609" class="text Ezek-8-4"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>I saw the<span> glory of the God of Israel</span> there, like the vision I had seen in the plain.</span></p>
<p>–<span> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+1&version=HCSB">Ezekiel 8:1-4, HCSB</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here, the Spirit, who is the same character as the “hand of the Lord God,” shares the same exact qualities as YHWH from Ezekiel 1:</p>
<ol>
<li>The appearance of a man/human</li>
<li>Fire from the waist down</li>
<li>Gleaming amber from the waist up</li>
</ol>
<p>Yet, even after equating the “form of the Lord’s glory” of chapter 1 with “the Spirit” here, he then describes seeing<span> </span><span>another</span><span> </span>character, the “glory of the God of Israel,” waiting at the entrance of Jerusalem’s North Gate… the same one that he saw in the vision “seen in the plain” (chapter 1)!</p>
<p>This is incredible to me. <strong><span> </span>It’s as if Ezekiel wanted to make sure his readers knew that the “form of the Lord’s glory” and the “Spirit” of YHWH are <em>different,</em> even though they are the <em>same</em>. </strong></p>
<h3><strong>4. Ezekiel 1 – Who Controls the Throne of YHWH?</strong></h3>
<p>Another fascinating glimpse into the workings of the Jewish Trinity are found in Ezekiel 1:12.</p>
<blockquote><p><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote a" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+1&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-20477a">a</a>]</sup> wanted to go, they went without turning as they moved.</p>
<p><sup class="versenum">20 </sup>Wherever the Spirit<sup class="footnote">[<a title="See footnote b" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+1&version=HCSB#fen-HCSB-20485b">b</a>]</sup> wanted to go, the creatures went in the direction the Spirit was moving.</p>
<p>–<span> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+1&version=HCSB">Ezekiel 1:12, 20, HCSB</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>These phrases occur amongst Ezekiel’s description of the four living creatures who accompany the movement of the throne of God, as described in 1:24-26. We see here that the Spirit has a will of His own, and that the direction of travel of the throne of God was<span> </span><span>His</span><span> </span>to decide. Who else but YHWH could control the throne of YHWH?</p>
<h3>5. How Can God BE Love? The Trinity is the Best Explanation.</h3>
<p>Some food for thought. The Love of God is extremely apparent in both Old and New Testaments. It is, indeed, a fundamental attribute of God’s nature, right alongside His holiness, justice, and mercy. If you have any doubt about this, this article entitled “<a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/17-love-god#P2181_723405">17. The Love of God</a>” by Bob Deffinbaugh, is a fantastic resource if you want to study God’s love or<span> </span><a href="https://bible.org/series/let-me-see-thy-glory-study-attributes-god">any of His other attributes</a>.</p>
<p>My favorite example of God’s unconditional love for us are actually found in the Old Testament. In Genesis 15, God performs a one-sided Covenant Confirmation with Abraham. In the ancient Middle Eastern, when you confirmed a covenant between multiple parties,<span> </span><span>all</span><span> </span>parties of that covenant were supposed to pass through several split carcasses to show that they would uphold whatever promise or relationship was being confirmed… or else their lives would be as forfeit as the dead animals through which they passed. When God sets this up with Abraham, however, he then <em>puts Abraham to sleep</em><span> </span>and then passes through split carcasses alone, thereby taking<span> </span><span>all of the responsibility</span><span> </span>for their relationship<span> </span><em>upon Himself!</em> For more information on this amazing display of selflessness on God’s part, Growing Christian Ministries has a<span> </span><a href="https://www.growingchristians.org/devotions/cutting-calves-and-chasing-crows/">great article</a><span> </span>on the history of this practice.</p>
<p>How can the Creator of the universe<span> </span><em>know</em><span> </span>this kind of love, this unconditional commitment to someone else? How can a Spirit being know and understand how love works before the existence of any other thing?</p>
<p>For that matter, why would God desire to want relationships at all, given He was<span> </span><strong>perfect and whole</strong><span> </span>before the creation of anything? (This isn’t just coming from the Bible… philosopher Alvin Plantinga’s<span> </span><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/05/05/ontologi-whaaa/">Ontological Argument</a><span> </span>indicates that God is a Maximally Great Being that necessarily exists and is perfect in every possible world.)</p>
<p>I believe the answer lies in the Trinity.</p>
<p><strong>If God is <span>a three person relationship</span> at the very core of His being, then there is nothing more fundamental to our understanding of His nature aside from His holiness. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Relationship and love actually <span>define</span><span> </span>how God exists. </strong></p>
<p>The Jewish writers of the scriptures understood this. We should too. <span> :-)</span></p>
<hr/><p><em>The first<span> </span><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/5-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/">5 Nuggets on the Jewish Trinity</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>If you found this information interesting, check out</em> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Realm-Recovering-Supernatural-Worldview/dp/1577995562/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1548565437&sr=1-2&keywords=the+unseen+realm+by+dr.+michael+heiser">The Unseen Realm</a><em> by Dr. Michael Heiser. </em><em>You can also watch his series of lectures on “</em>The Jewish Trinity<em>,” which much of this topic is pulled from, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz8J4DTIkEg&t=13s">here</a>. Enjoy!! </em></p>5 Nuggets About the Jewish Trinitytag:www.allaboutgod.net,2019-01-27:1383940:BlogPost:17739562019-01-27T13:48:32.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>Repost of <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/5-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">YHWH's Janitor, 1/27/18.</a></p>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;">5 Nuggets About the Jewish Trinity<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/899191310?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/899191310?profile=RESIZE_710x" style="padding: 10px;" width="400"></img></a></h1>
<p>In Christian doctrine, God is comprised of three persons. Not only is this difficult to fully…</p>
<p>Repost of <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/5-nuggets-about-the-jewish-trinity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YHWH's Janitor, 1/27/18.</a></p>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;">5 Nuggets About the Jewish Trinity<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/899191310?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/899191310?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" style="padding: 10px;" class="align-center"/></a></h1>
<p>In Christian doctrine, God is comprised of three persons. Not only is this difficult to fully comprehend since we humans are only one person, but from where does that idea even arise? Was it an invention of the early church fathers later in history? Was it some kind of polytheistic doctrine that crept into the church over time? Or was it an idea deeply embedded in the Jewish scriptures that we use as part of the Bible today? Here are 5 things about the Trinity that you may not have known. (I sure didn’t!)</p>
<p><strong>1. The<span> </span><span>Jewish</span><span> </span>Idea of “Two Powers” in Heaven</strong></p>
<p>Jewish Rabbis in the Second Temple Period (ie, the time between when Nehemiah’s and Ezra’s rebuilding of the second temple and when it was destroyed by the Romans shortly after Jesus’ time in 70 AD) were very clear about worshiping the One True God, who’s Name is YHWH (see Deuteronomy 6:4 for the<span> </span><em>shemah</em>). But they were<span> </span><span>also</span><span> </span>clear that there were “Two Powers” or two YHWH’s in Heaven! Now, this doesn’t mean that the Jews weren’t monotheists. Jesus believed this too… and in fact, he claimed the mantle of the second YHWH, which we’ll see later.</p>
<p>The idea that God was more than one individual or power was uniquely Jewish and caused a lot of famous (back then) theorizing of how their ONE GOD could be two. It was a generally well-understood property of YHWH that He was a multi-personal being.</p>
<p>Jewish rabbis certainly wouldn’t say this<span> </span><em>now</em>, for obvious reasons. According to scholar Alan Segal in his book<span> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Two-Powers-Heaven-Christianity-Christology/dp/1602585490/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1548557860&sr=1-10">Two Powers in Heaven</a>, he claims that, “The idea of the 2nd power was not considered heretical [to Jews] until the 2nd century AD.” That’s<span> </span><span>after</span><span> </span>Jesus claimed to be that second YHWH, died, and rose again! The rabbis had to do<span> </span><em>some</em>thing, I suppose, given that thousands of Jews at a time were converting to Christianity after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The rabbis even changed the Jewish<span> </span><em>calendar</em><span> </span>so that Jesus’ death wouldn’t fulfill a prophecy in Daniel that proved He was the Jewish Messiah (a whole different article I’ll have to do some time! The change is chronicled in the<span> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Seder-Olam-Translation-2000-year-old/dp/144992784X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1548558856&sr=1-2&keywords=seder+olam">Seder Olam</a>, a Jewish text from around 160 AD).</p>
<p>This Two Powers thing sounds crazy, but there are many Old Testament examples that we tend to skim right over.</p>
<p><strong>2. The word<span> </span><em>elohim</em><span> </span>is interesting.</strong></p>
<p>Elohim in Hebrew is generally translated to English as ‘god.’ It is used just like in English to describe “spirit beings.” For instance, we might say that Elohim (God) called all His elohim (gods) together to tell them that He’s going to punish them for leading the Gentiles astray. (btw, that’s Psalms 82 and 89, if you’re interested). This is why when the Hebrew authors of the Scriptures want to talk about YHWH as a spiritual being, they’ll use the two terms together so you know Who they’re talking about (<em>YHWH elohim</em>, for instance, or another term like<span> </span><em>El Elyon (Most High God)</em>). <span> </span><em>El</em><span> </span>is another generic term for ‘god,’ or ‘God.’</p>
<p>But the interesting thing is that, regardless of whether you grammatically refer to a singular entity or multiple spirit beings, the word<span> </span><em>elohim</em><span> </span>itself is<span> </span><span>always</span><span> </span>plural (kinda similar to deer or sheep in English). So the multi-personal aspect of YHWH is already built into the language, and therefore the minds and theology, of Hebrews from the very beginning.</p>
<p><strong>3. Genesis 19:24 – Who Called the Fire from Heaven?</strong></p>
<p>In Genesis 18, the LORD (Yahweh, Jahovah, YHWH… depends on the rendering of your Bible version) and two other angels visit Abraham and eat a meal with him. They discuss the fact that Sarah will become pregnant and then the other two angels leave while the LORD discusses the ‘cities of the plain’ and their sin. He tells Abraham that He will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the terrible things they are doing. Abraham knows his nephew, Lot, and his family are down there, so he discusses with the LORD about whether He’ll spare the city for the sake of any innocents that are within their walls.</p>
<p>In Genesis 19, Lot and his family are rescued by God. Then we come to verse 24.</p>
<blockquote><p>“Then the LORD [YHWH] rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD [YHWH] out of heaven…” (King James Version, Gen 19:24a)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Now, while this may seem awkward, and may seem like a small thing, it’s actually a huge deal if you study the Hebrew grammar. The structure of this phrase is deliberate. You have two clear individuals that share a Name, and therefore a Nature, working together to accomplish a task. These two communicate and interact. Yet they are both the sovereign God of Israel.</p>
<p>And it’s not a mistake, as we’ll see in #4…</p>
<p><strong>4. Amos 4:11 – 1st<span> </span><span>and</span><span> </span>3rd Person!</strong></p>
<p>Amos, the prophet, is giving warning to the rich and powerful Samaritans concerning their greed and treachery toward their poor, needy, and thirsty serfs. He calls them “the<span> </span><em>kine</em><span> </span>of Bashan,” which were a breed of stubborn and strong cattle. God had already disciplined them and pleaded with them to turn from their ways (“<em>… yet you have not returned unto me…</em>” over and over again) despite His signs. Hence calling them stubborn cows.</p>
<p>Amidst all this, we arrive at verse 11. Amos is recording YHWH speaking to the Samaritans. He says,</p>
<blockquote><p>“I have overthrown some of you, as God [Elohim] overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning…” (King James Version)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Now, as we saw in #3, the only person credited with destroying Sodom and Gomorrah is YHWH (Genesis 19:24). And the grammar in Amos 4:11 is no accident. YHWH (through Amos the prophet) is referring to YHWH both in the 1st<span> </span><span><strong>AND</strong></span><span> </span>the 3rd person! If you’re not reading this critically, you would miss it, but Jewish teachers for hundreds and now<span> </span><em>thousands</em>of years knew of these these and other passages and their significance.</p>
<p><strong>5. Genesis 48:14-16 – Even Jacob Understood!</strong></p>
<p>As the previous two verses illustrate, there was an understanding of the Jewish writers of the Old Testament scriptures concerning the identity of the individual who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. As we’ll see here, this understanding was illustrated in other ways.</p>
<p>The Angel of the Lord (malak YHWH) makes several appearances in scripture, and though some of them are ‘just’ messengers of God doing errands, there’s one Angel that seems to be identified directly with YHWH… as YHWH Himself!</p>
<p>Jacob understood this, and was so comfortable with it, that as he was blessing Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh on his deathbed as progenitors of future tribes of Israel, he makes the following prayer to God:</p>
<blockquote><p>“…God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,<span> </span><span><strong>The Angel </strong></span>which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads…” (King James Version, Gen. 48:15b-16a)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Jacob addresses God point-blank as “The Angel,” the one who wrestled him in Genesis 32! Jacob was comfortable enough with the knowledge that the Angel<span> </span><em>was</em><span> </span>YHWH that he’d address Him as such in a public prayer in front of his family, but not only that, he acknowledged that his<span> </span><em>redemption</em><span> </span>comes from The Angel<span> </span><span>specifically</span>!</p>
<p>Many of these theophanies (or appearances of the second person of the Trinity in the Old Testament) are sprinkled throughout the OT, but this acknowledgement of His redeemer status all the way back in Genesis strikes me. Even Jacob understands that the “Second Power in Heaven” (whom Christians will later identify as Jesus Christ) is the one who saves him.</p>
<p><strong>I’ll be sharing 5 more Nuggets about the Jewish Trinity in the future. Stay tuned!</strong></p>
<hr/><hr/><p><em>If you found this information interesting, check out</em><span> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Realm-Recovering-Supernatural-Worldview/dp/1577995562/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1548565437&sr=1-2&keywords=the+unseen+realm+by+dr.+michael+heiser">The Unseen Realm</a><em><span> </span>by Dr. Michael Heiser. <span> </span></em><em>You can also watch his series of lectures on “</em>The Jewish Trinity<em>,” which much of this topic is pulled from,<span> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz8J4DTIkEg&t=13s">here</a>. Enjoy!! </em></p>
<p><em>Lastly, the image is the Hebrew of Deuteronomy 6:4, or<span> </span></em>The<span> </span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shema">Shema</a>,<span> </span><em>which is often said as a prayer by the Jews all around the world.</em></p>The Prodigal Studenttag:www.allaboutgod.net,2019-01-19:1383940:BlogPost:17730562019-01-19T14:37:58.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/19/the-prodigal-student/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Repost from YHWH's Janitor, 1/19/19</a></strong></span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The Prodigal Student</span></h1>
<br />
<div class="entry-content"><p>Psalm 27:14 says to wait for the Lord, that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.</p>
<p>Well, last night, I got a…</p>
</div>
<h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/19/the-prodigal-student/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Repost from YHWH's Janitor, 1/19/19</a></strong></span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The Prodigal Student</span></h1>
<br />
<div class="entry-content"><p>Psalm 27:14 says to wait for the Lord, that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.</p>
<p>Well, last night, I got a wonderful example of what this means.</p>
<p>Years ago, one of my favorite (not that I have favorites… teachers don’t do that, bruh ;0)) students graduated. We’ll call her Violet. Violet had been through some tough circumstances as she grew up. Her father left when she was young and her mother passed away during band camp her senior year. My wife and I, along with a few of her closest friends, went and sat with her outside of the hospice facility late into the night after her mom passed, talking and laughing and crying and figuring out what was next.</p>
<p>Violet even came to camp the next day for a few hours. I asked her, “Why are you here?” And she said, “You guys are the only family I have, now.”</p>
<p>Anyway, she graduated with big plans for her life. She was an amazing singer and played guitar very well. Violet was going to open a cafe one day and have open mic nights so that people like her could have a place to perform. She was going to go to school for business and perform all kinds of music with all kinds of people and it was going to be great! She was going to conquer the world.</p>
<p>Violet got several jobs locally, mostly waiting tables, not because that was all what she find but also because that’s the smart thing to do if you’re going to open a restaurant one day. Violet started looking into some classes at the local community college. She was staying with one of her mom’s friends and their family and it was going well.</p>
<p>But things started to unravel.</p>
<p>Turns out, staying with people with their own families and their own problems is difficult over time. So Violet relocated to a different house with a friend. That didn’t work out, either.</p>
<p>Meanwhile she’d reconnected with her dad, which caused another level of stress and heartache. He lives up north, and though he maintained contact with her after her mom died, he didn’t provide much in the way of emotional support. After all, he had his own family that he had to care for now, too.</p>
<p>All these people in her life had families, none of which she felt a part.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the new friends she was making at her job were not as… wholesome… as I would have liked. Her evening activities were becoming less and less focused on her goals and more focused on other things. Her old friends from high school that I keep in touch with told me what was going on, but eventually they didn’t know, either. Violet’d stopped talking to them, too.</p>
<p>After a couple years of this, she up and moved without telling anyone. She headed for other part of the US with a boy she’d fallen in love with. He was pretty cool; I met him once. It was sudden and sad, but it was kind of exciting for those of us who care for her. Maybe getting out of her current situation and trying out her wings would help her finally make it, realizing her dreams or even making some new ones.</p>
<p>My wife and I watched all of this from the tables of the restaurant that Violet had worked at for so long.</p>
<p>When she got the job not long after graduation, we tried to go once a week to visit. We’d go and request her table, and she’d sit and chat with us if she wasn’t busy. Even when we didn’t get her table, she’d always come over and say hi. She was kind to our kids and always seemed to be smiling and having a good time.</p>
<p>Then we went to the restaurant one day and she wasn’t there. She’d left with her boyfriend, as I mentioned.</p>
<p>And she was gone for a while… until she came back.</p>
<p>My wife and I saw her at the same restaurant one night. Apparently they had given her her job back. We were shocked! We hadn’t seen her in a long time. We made some attempts to get her attention, but she didn’t make eye contact. We didn’t know what to do, since we weren’t sure if we had upset her in some way or not. She didn’t answer our texts and calls welcoming her back, asking how she was. Eventually we stopped reaching out, giving her space and patiently hoping and praying that the relationship could be restored. Psalms 27, remember. <span> :-)</span></p>
<p>That was about two years ago that Violet came back. Then last night happened.</p>
<p>My little family rolled up into the parking lot of that same restaurant. The parking lot was full, so my wife parked the car while I ran inside to see how long the wait was. And it was pretty full… so I asked the hostess how long the wait was.</p>
<p>“No wait. How many?”</p>
<p>“Four, please.”</p>
<p>She took me back to the table. I sat down and called my wife letting her know we had a table.</p>
<p>I put my phone down and looked up. I saw Violet coming over. We were at her table! We hadn’t been at her table in years! I had a moment of panic. What was she going to do? Would this be awkward beyond belief?</p>
<p>She stopped. “Is it okay to hug?” she said.</p>
<p>“Of course!!” I said, jumping out of my chair.</p>
<p>My fears melted away. She apologized for being so standoffish. She was embarrassed for the choices she’d made and was worried about how my wife and I would react. I told her that she never had to worry about that with us, that we would always be there for her. We both smiled and laughed and she sat down for a second but then my wife and kids came in. Violet jumped back up and hugged my wife and then said hi to our kids. My oldest girl didn’t remember her, and was shy… I think that hurt most of all… she used to love Violet and would ask about her all the time.</p>
<p>So we stayed, we ordered, we ate. Though it was pretty busy, Violet came over a lot. She mostly made small talk with my oldest daughter, making faces, noises, silly jokes… it was awesome. We stayed way longer than we usually do. The dinner rush died down and Violet spent more time with us. It was lovely.</p>
<p>At the end of dinner, we put on our coats. Violet came out and gave us her new phone number (ahhh, so<span> </span><em>that</em><span> </span>explains all the unanswered texts over the years! :-)) and hugged us goodbye. My oldest daughter gave her a ferocious hug, as she does, and even our adorable bundled-up two-year-old tottered over to Violet with arms outstretched. Violet told us she was “gettin’ it togetha” and would stay in touch. She missed us and loved us. <span> </span><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/12/12/96/">We said the same</a>.</p>
<p>As I walked out to the car, fighting back tears, my heart full, I couldn’t help but thank God for all that He’s done for me. He’s allowed me to maintain relationships with my students long after they leave me. The impact that we teachers have on our students goes far beyond what we see in the classroom. It’s like having hundreds of surrogate sons and daughters that go out into the world each year, some of whom I’ll never see again.</p>
<p>And this all reminded me of the prodigal son from Luke 15. The father, whose son leaves the house and blows his entire inheritance, waits on the porch for him to return. And when that son comes back, the father runs out to meet him. The son, crying and begging for forgiveness, is cut off by the father, who is exuberant and immediately prepares a feast for his son. It didn’t matter to him that his son blew everything he had and made terrible decisions. He loved him and he was home… and that’s what mattered.</p>
<p>So I’m excited to see our relationship with Violet restored. And I’m hopeful that she will turn her life around and that she’ll do amazing things. Because she can. This young woman can do anything. And my wife and I will stand by her no matter what. Because that’s what we ought to do.</p>
<p>Wait for the Lord, and see what goodness He will do in this life.</p>
<hr/><p><em>If you liked the photo, visit</em><span> </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/hislightmedia/">His Light Media Productions</a>.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-108" src="https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=660" alt="let not your heart be troubled"/>https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=1320 1320w, <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=150">https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=150</a> 150w, <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=300">https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=300</a> 300w, <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=768">https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=768</a> 768w, <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=1024">https://yhwhjanitor.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/let-not-your-heart-be-troubled.jpg?w=1024</a> 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></p>
</div>God in Ancient Burma - Who is Y'wa?tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2019-01-13:1383940:BlogPost:17724512019-01-13T02:44:40.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>Reposted from <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/12/god-in-ancient-burma-who-is-ywa/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">YHWH's Janitor, 1/11/19</a>.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 2em;"><strong>God in Ancient Burma – Who is Y’wa?</strong></span></p>
<div class="entry-content"><p>So, I’m sitting in bed, reading<span> …</span></p>
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<p>Reposted from <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/12/god-in-ancient-burma-who-is-ywa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YHWH's Janitor, 1/11/19</a>.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 2em;"><strong>God in Ancient Burma – Who is Y’wa?</strong></span></p>
<div class="entry-content"><p>So, I’m sitting in bed, reading<span> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eternity-Their-Hearts-Don-Richardson/dp/0764215582/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547189486&sr=8-1&keywords=eternity+in+their+hearts"><em>Eternity in Their Hearts</em><span> </span>by Don Richardson</a>. It’s a book that compiles many documented indigenous tribes’ knowledge of the Creator God <em>before</em><span> </span>any Christian missionaries arrived to tell them about Him. Amazing stuff.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m sitting there, right? And I’m reading this chapter about the Karen people in Burma (modern day Myanmar in Southeast Asia). True story…</p>
<p>Back in 1795, there’s a British guy who visits the Karen with a Burmese interpreter. The British guy walks up to a village of the Karen, and the Karen people see him and suddenly rush over to him and start touching and inspecting him closely. They’re very excited and seem to be looking for something.</p>
<p>Quite uncomfortable, the British guy asks his Burmese interpreter what’s going on.</p>
<p>The elder Karen present tell this Englishman that they’ve been waiting for centuries, waiting for their “white brother” to bring them a book written by<span> </span><em>Y’wa</em>, the Supreme God that tells them how to follow Him.</p>
<p>Turns out, according to oral tradition passed down since the very beginnings of teh Karen tribe:</p>
<ul>
<li>Y’wa is an omnipotent, omnipresent, all loving, merciful, perfect-in-every-way Creator who wants to have relationships with them if only they’d repent and of their sins,</li>
<li>Y’wa created a garden at the beginning of creation with Thanai and Eeu, the first man and woman, who ate “fruit of trial” from a forbidden tree at the urging of a powerful evil being named Mu-kaw-lee who told them they wouldn’t die and that they’d ascend to heaven if they but eat the fruit,</li>
<li>they have a moral law almost identical to the Noahide Laws found in multiple Second Temple Jewish Literature (basically, the 7 commandments that Noah and the rest of the world were supposed to follow),</li>
<li>they await their King who will bring down a huge mountain to earth so the whole world can worship together their King, and</li>
<li>white foreigners would come and bring the words of Y’wa that were lost to their ancestors through neglect.</li>
</ul>
<p>Sounds like a Christian fairy tale come true, right? Crazy!</p>
<p>These people had resisted Buddhist teachings for over 2000 years, faithfully waiting on Y’wa to reconnect with them. And Y’wa (who is nearly identical to the Judeo-Christian Yahweh) followed through!</p>
<p>Well, the British guy gets spooked (he was a diplomat, not a missionary), and left.</p>
<p>The first Karen conversion to Christianity didn’t happen until 1817. His name was Ko Thah-byu. He met an American missionary named Adoniram Judson in the city of Rangoon, Burma. Once Ko Thah-byu was baptized, he became a one-man dynamo of missions, traveling nonstop for years on end, telling everyone in the hills and in every village he could find about Jesus. Mr. Richardson’s book details:</p>
<blockquote><p>“By 1858, tens of thousands of Karen Christians awakened to the realization that they were responsible to proclaim the good news of “the lost book restored” among other ethnic minorities of Burma besides themselves! Karen Christians from Bassein led the way into this new cross-cultural phase by sending teams of Karen missionaries – with an occasional American missionary as part of the team – to the 500,000 Kachin people living in Burma’s northern hump.” (p. 86)</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>The realization that Y’wa had sent His promised word to the people of Burma continued to spread for decades! Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people across Southeast Asia quickly accepted Christ as their savior because the groundwork had already been laid by God Himself.</strong></p>
<p>When I read all of this, I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to share this with you. <span> :-)</span></p>
<p>Here are some really cool things about the Karen’s understanding of God that I took away from all of this:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span><strong>Similar Names</strong></span></p>
<p>The names from the Karen tradition are remarkably similar to the Bible and ancient Jewish texts.</p>
<ul>
<li>Y’wa = Yahweh</li>
<li>Thanai = Adam (or<span> </span><em>adam</em><span> </span>אָדָם in Hebrew);</li>
<li>Eeu = Eve (or<span> </span><em>chavvah</em><span> </span>חַוָּה in Hebrew); the<span> </span><em>u</em><span> </span>and the<span> </span><em>v</em><span> </span>make a similar shape.</li>
<li>Mu-kaw-lee = Mastema (the proper name given for Satan in the ancient Jewish Book of Jubilees); the first syllable is very similar.</li>
<li>The first man and woman pair, outlined in<a href="http://thaimissions.info/gsdl/collect/thaimiss/index/assoc/HASH0aec.dir/doc.pdf"><span> </span>this paper I found on the Karen people</a> by Esther Danpongpee, were named<span> </span><em>Saw</em><span> </span>and <em>Naw</em> (which mean “male” and “female”) in another tradition. The woman’s name,<span> </span><em>Naw</em>, sounds similar to “Noah.” This is interesting given that in one Chinese mythology, the female originator of all people’s name was<span> </span><em>Nu-wa</em>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Obviously, I’m not saying that these are perfect matches, but that’s pretty close given that the traditions are thousands of years removed from one another.<span> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span><strong><em>Very</em> Old Monotheism</strong></span></p>
<p>These traditions “almost certainly” predate either Christianity or Judaism for a variety of reasons: (Richardson, p. 75)</p>
<ul>
<li>These oral traditions are<span> </span><em>deeply</em><span> </span>embedded into the Karen culture; they couldn’t have been caused by any fleeting missionary encounter in the deep past. The believes are foundational to their identity.</li>
<li>These oral traditions survived the onslaught of Buddhism and spiritism for over 2000 years, so these are incredibly robust beliefs.</li>
<li>No mention of Moses or Jesus; this would be expected if these beliefs originated with some visiting Jew or Christian from the distant past.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span><strong>Thoughts on the Younger White Brothers</strong></span></p>
<p>The “white foreigner” who would bring Y’wa’s word, according to the Karen traditions, would be descended from the younger brothers of their own fore-fathers. Though it is unclear from Jewish sources which of Noah’s sons’ descendants settled beyond the Ganges River (for instance, it can be argued using indigenous genealogies and linguistic study that the Chinese are descended from either Japheth<span> </span><i>or </i>Shem, or<span> </span><em>both</em><span> </span>(<em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Post-Flood-History-Historical-Documents/dp/1449927939">Ancient Post-Flood History</a></em>, Ken Johnson, Th.D, p. 116)), it is interesting to point out that each of Noah’s sons and grandsons were allotted specific geographical areas: Japheth, the oldest, and his sons were given Europe and northern Asia, while Shem, the second son, and<span> </span><em>his</em><span> </span>sons were given the Middle East and southern Asia (including India) up to the Ganges River (Josephus,<span> </span><em>Antiquities of the Jews</em>, 1.6.4). The youngest of Noah’s sons, Ham, and his descendants, were given the entire continent of Africa.</p>
<p>The point is that, according to the Bible and other Jewish sources, the descendants of Noah spread out and populated the world following the Tower of Babel incident according to their family groups. These descendants of Noah were responsible for passing on the Noahide laws and the revealed knowledge of God to their families (some did, many did not). Writings containing that knowledge existed at that time and it’s plausible that some of the descendants of Japheth or Shem who arrived in modern day Myanmar (Burma) had family whose light-complexioned younger brothers lived in Europe.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span><strong>… And There’s More!</strong></span></p>
<p>Dude, I’m not even two whole chapters into<span> </span><em>Eternity in their Hearts<span> </span></em>yet… page after page of accounts of indigenous tribes around the world waiting for the Creator God’s good news. I’ve written about the ancient<span> </span><a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/07/11/god-in-ancient-china-introduction/">Chinese worshiping<em><span> </span>Shang Di</em></a>… but it wasn’t just them, either! I will continue to share what I learn, but I highly recommend that you just get this book yourself if you’re interested. It’s incredible.<span> </span></p>
<p>Atheists and agnostics will sometimes argue saying, “Well, what about the guy on the deserted desert island who never heard of Jesus? What about all those tribes in Africa who never experience your God??”</p>
<p>While I certainly can’t answer for every single person in every tribe or every lone dude on every forgotten desert island (how’d he get there, anyway?), it’s becoming clear to me that that objection to God’s goodness or His existence based on His absence from other world cultures just doesn’t hold water anymore.</p>
<p>It’s 2 am. I’m going to edit this tomorrow and send it out.</p>
<p>To bed! To bed, I said!</p>
<p>Stay tuned! Love you all, and God bless!</p>
<p></p>
<p><em>Reposted from <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2019/01/12/god-in-ancient-burma-who-is-ywa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YHWH's Janitor, 1/11/19</a>.</em></p>
</div>The Wise Men, Chinese Records, and Prophecytag:www.allaboutgod.net,2018-12-28:1383940:BlogPost:17716872018-12-28T20:12:28.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Repost from <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/12/27/the-wise-men-chinese-records-and-prophecy/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">YHWH's Janitor, 12/27/18</a></span></p>
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<h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wise Men, Chinese Records, and Prophecy</span></h1>
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<div class="entry-content"><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Have you ever wondered about the Wise Men that we hear about at Christmas time?…</span></p>
<p></p>
</div>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Repost from <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/12/27/the-wise-men-chinese-records-and-prophecy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YHWH's Janitor, 12/27/18</a></span></p>
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<h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wise Men, Chinese Records, and Prophecy</span></h1>
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<div class="entry-content"><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Have you ever wondered about the Wise Men that we hear about at Christmas time?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have always been fascinated by the mystery of the Magi of the East and I wanted to share some of the information that I’ve gleaned from my study of the subject.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">First of all, I think many Christians and non-Christians alike would be shocked to find that the Messiah’s coming was not at all a hidden thing. After all, when Jesus entered a packed Jerusalem (hundreds of thousands of Jews from around the world would have come to Jerusalem for Passover) on a donkey (Mark 11) (which, by the way, was foretold in prophecy in Zechariah 9:9), the people <strong>knew</strong> He was the Messiah! They shouted “Hosanna!” which is a combination of the Hebrew words יָשַׁע (yasha) and נָא (na) which basically means “Save Us!” By that time Jesus had a huge following around Israel, and the main reason Jesus was not accepted by the Jews at the time is because He didn’t look like what they expected, dying on a cross instead of liberating them from the Romans. But that’s another study for another time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My point is, the reason so many people started following Jesus is because he fulfilled, against all odds, so many prophecies from the Hebrew scriptures that it was almost undeniable (though many did anyway)! Aside from the coming of Messiah prophecies like in Isaiah 9 which told about a future hoped-for Savior, there were many details of Jesus’ life that were foretold as well.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For instance, both Joseph and Mary were of the Davidic line (2 Chronicles 17:11, Ezekiel 17:22-24), born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1, Numbers 24:8), raised in Nazareth (Isaiah 11:1, Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12), and born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Jeremiah 31:22, and Genesis 3:15 since, you know, women don’t have “seeds”), etc. And in case anyone had fallen asleep in synagogue leading up to Jesus’ birth, God sent John the Baptist before him to remind everyone that Messiah’s on His way!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What does this have to do with the Magi in the first Christmas account?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Daniel and the <em>Chartom</em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Not only did the rabbis in Israel have a good handle on what to look for concerning the identity and workings of Messiah, but so did people in other places around the ancient world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For instance, we can surmise that these men (a) came from the kingdom of Sheba, near modern day Yemen (if you’re interested to see the evidence for this, check out Dwight Longenecker’s article <a href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2014/01/where-did-the-wise-men-come-from.html">“Where Did the Wise Men Come From?”</a>), (b) came to worship Him as God, and that (c) this child was to die for the sins of the world. You can see this last point from the significance of the frankincense, gold, and myrrh. The myrrh especially demonstrated that they knew Messiah had to die for their sins, since myrrh was used to embalm dead bodies… what a gift for a little kid, right? I highly encourage you to listen to David Jeremiah’s Turning Point episode <a href="https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/turning-point/listen/why-the-gifts-of-the-wise-men-part-2-727845.html">“Why the Gifts of the Wise Men?” especially Part 2</a>).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But what fascinates me more is how these Magi even knew about the Jewish Messiah and that He would die for the sins of the <em>world</em>, not just the Jews. Most scholars attribute this knowledge to Daniel’s years as the “master of the חַרְטֹם (<em>chartom</em>, or magicians)” (Daniel 4:9) in Babylon during the exilic period of Israel’s history (c. 607 – 537 BC).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Daniel was gifted with prophecy and how to interpret dreams. He was visited by the angel Gabriel several times, giving him insights into how the world was and would be in the future. As master of the astrologers and magicians of his day in Babylon, he was well respected and would have taught and shared all of his revelations to those learned men who were under him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">They would’ve heard the information that Daniel gained from God that we read in Daniel chapter 9, which talks of how the Messiah will be “cut off (killed)” but not for himself (v. 26). Daniel had access to the writings of Isaiah (c. 740 – 681 BC) and would have shared his writings with the group of astrologers that he was master over, especially Isaiah 53, which tells of a Rejected and Suffering Redeemer. <em>And</em> he would’ve taught them Isaiah 60, which talks of how the Gentiles are subject to Israel’s God YHWH and His Messiah. These men cared about what Daniel taught, having proved himself and his God to them (read Daniel chapters 1-3 to see how), and passed down that information to their progeny for hundreds of years.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">From this scenario, we surmise that those <em>chartom</em> of Jesus’ day, 600 years later, would have been looking for two things:</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Messiah they were looking for would be killed exactly 483 prophetic years, or 173,880 days from the commandment of Artaxerxes to rebuild the temple (which was decreed on March 14, 444 BC, resulting in the Messiah’s death date of April 6, 32 AD) (Daniel 9:25), and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>That</em> man’s birth would be marked by a star in the sky. (Numbers 24:17-18).</span></li>
</ol>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These men knew to watch for Messiah, Savior of the world, a descendant of Jacob/Israel, within a man’s lifetime before 32 AD.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As an aside, the Numbers prophecy above was actually given by Balaam, a Gentile sorcerer, to Balek, a Gentile king, after trying unsuccessfully to curse Israel multiple times! God was making it known to the rulers of the world that Jesus was coming, and that he was to be worshiped as God.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Here’s the Kicker</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In “Faith of Our Fathers” by Dr. Thong, which <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/08/11/god-in-ancient-china-who-is-shang-di-part-1/">I’ve written about previously</a>, who has an interesting note on this whole Christmas star thing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">According to the <em>Astronomy Records of the Book of the Han Dynasty</em>during the reign of Emperor Xiao Ai (who reigned in China from 7 – 1 BC) and <em>Zi Zhi Tong Jian</em>, Volume 34, <em>Chronicles of Han Dynasty</em> no. 26, a <em>bei</em> comet or “comet with no tail”, burned for about 70 days between March 9 and April 6, in the year 5 BC. Because of the significance of astronomical events to the Chinese, it was recorded that some of the “imperial ministers proposed changing the name of that year from the ‘Second Year of Jian Ping’ to the ‘First Year of Tai Chu’, which literally means ‘Genesis’ or ‘the Grand Beginning.'” (p. 313)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Not only that, but the 70 day burning “star” was out of Altair. Altair is one of the brightest stars and according to Chinese historical records, “the Chinese interpreted all phenomena associated with Altair as having to do with sacrifice, that is, the Border Sacrifice…” (p. 314) I will do another article on the Border Sacrifice in a future article, but suffice it to say that the ancient Border Sacrifice matches the sacrifices that the likes of Noah and Abraham performed!!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Furthermore, according to Chinese records, <em>another</em> star, or bei comet, appeared out of Altair on April 24, 4 BC, about 13 months after the first event. In Matthew 2 it discusses how the magi had been on the road to find Jesus because of the first star and that Herod, learning of the magi’s journey, ordered all children born in Bethlehem ages two and younger were to be killed (Matthew 2:16). This is amazing corroborating evidence for the events of Jesus’ birth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Romans 1-3 discourses on how our consciences and the splendor of God’s creation declare the existence of our Creator to us <em>and</em> that we are held accountable to Him. In addition, He loves us so much so that He made known through prophecy and signs from heaven, throughout the world and throughout history, that He would provide the way to be saved from our sins. The Wise Men of Sheba knew it; the ancient emperors of China knew it…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Do you? :-) </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A big thank you to Dr. Thong for his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Our-Fathers-Chan-Thong/dp/7801865065">“Faith of Our Fathers”</a> and also <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Prophecies-Revealed-Listed-Fulfilled/dp/143825346X">“Ancient Prophecies Revealed: 500 Prophecies Listed in the Order of When They Were Fulfilled” by Ken Johnson, Th.D</a>.</span></p>
</div>Sodom: An Interesting Developmenttag:www.allaboutgod.net,2018-11-27:1383940:BlogPost:17683472018-11-27T10:22:03.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>Reposted from <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/sodom-an-interesting-development/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">YHWH's Janitor, 11/27/18</a>.</p>
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<p>I've been following the archaeologist Steven Collins for a long time. He first grabbed my attention when he was studying which Pharaoh was the Pharaoh of the Exodus (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxna5ro7FUk">Thutmose IV of the 18th Dynasty is his contention</a>). But the last decade of his focus has…</p>
<p>Reposted from <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/sodom-an-interesting-development/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YHWH's Janitor, 11/27/18</a>.</p>
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<p>I've been following the archaeologist Steven Collins for a long time. He first grabbed my attention when he was studying which Pharaoh was the Pharaoh of the Exodus (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxna5ro7FUk">Thutmose IV of the 18th Dynasty is his contention</a>). But the last decade of his focus has been on the <a href="https://tallelhammam.com/">Tall el-Hammam</a>, which he believes is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge8_JUrWWcU">site of the real Sodom from the Bible</a>.</p>
<p>There are many scholars, Biblical and otherwise, who disagree. <a href="https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/arguments-against-locating-sodom-at-tall-el-hammam/">This article</a> by Todd Bolen, a writer for Bible History Daily, gives several rebuttals against Dr. Collin's work, and they're good arguments. Personally, Dr. Collins' arguments resonate with me more at the moment.</p>
<p>Well, on November 20th, 2018, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/exploding-meteor-may-have-wiped-out-ancient-dead-sea-communities?tgt=nr">Science News reported a study on the site that indicates that there was a massive air blast</a> from a meteor that wiped out the whole civilization in the "disc" North of the Dead Sea about 3,700 years ago. It sounds surprisingly like the biblical account of the destruction of the "cities on the plain" from Genesis 18:23-25:</p>
<blockquote><p><span id="en-NIV-481" class="text Gen-19-23"><sup class="versenum">23 </sup>By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land.</span> <span id="en-NIV-482" class="text Gen-19-24"><sup class="versenum">24 </sup>Then the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> out of the heavens.</span> <span id="en-NIV-483" class="text Gen-19-25"><sup class="versenum">25 </sup>Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Also, with some quick math acrobatics using <a href="http://biblefacts.org/video.html">Ken Johnson</a>'s <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v47HQzZyZ6DrhWama7u2FkH3Z0PeNKf_ga0jIOQ_sYE/edit#gid=152623296">timeline resources</a>, I noticed that the date given by the carbon dating (2018-3700 = around <strong>1682 BC</strong>) and the range for the events of Sodom's destruction given between when Lot and Abraham moved to Canaan and when Isaac was born (<strong>1902 - 1877 BC</strong>) are quite close considering the <a href="https://www.allaboutarchaeology.org/is-carbon-dating-accurate-faq.htm">reliability of radiocarbon dating past a couple thousand years</a>.</p>
<p>Anyway, just thought you other Bible nerds out there might think that was nifty. Thanks!</p>Happy Thanksgiving!tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2018-11-22:1383940:BlogPost:17679012018-11-22T16:23:28.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p>Reposted from <a href="https://wordpress.com/post/yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/85" rel="noopener" target="_blank">YHWHs Janitor</a>:</p>
<p>As I sit here on Thanksgiving watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (I have three former students in the JMU Marching Royal Dukes and they just marched by! WOO!), I wanted to jump on here and touch base with all of you.</p>
<p>I am thankful for a lot of things in my life, especially my family, my job, and all the students I have had over the years. …</p>
<p>Reposted from <a href="https://wordpress.com/post/yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/85" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YHWHs Janitor</a>:</p>
<p>As I sit here on Thanksgiving watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (I have three former students in the JMU Marching Royal Dukes and they just marched by! WOO!), I wanted to jump on here and touch base with all of you.</p>
<p>I am thankful for a lot of things in my life, especially my family, my job, and all the students I have had over the years. But I am also thankful for this blog and the opportunity to reach out to the world and share what God has shown me. Even if one person finds encouragement or is strengthened by one post, then it will have served its purpose.</p>
<p>I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on here. As I move forward with this endeavor, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be taking annual hiatuses every fall, as my work schedule (i.e. marching band) eats up my life. However, I’ve been doing lots of research and have tons of cool stuff to share with you!</p>
<p>Join me weekly for new blog entries as I get back in the saddle!</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving and God bless you! :-) </p>A Christian's Thoughts on Agnosticismtag:www.allaboutgod.net,2018-08-21:1383940:BlogPost:17590962018-08-21T12:15:45.000ZYHWH's Janitorhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/YHWHsJanitor
<p><span>Reposted from: <a href="http://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">YHWH's Janitor Blog</a></span></p>
<p><span>I have a wonderful friend who is an agnostic Unitarian Universalist. My friend is willing to debate me one-on-one as well as on social media about all kinds of topics and I find her thoughts extremely helpful and even inspiring. She brings up points I’ve not considered and appeals to a basic ethic of common decency that humans should follow. Her…</span></p>
<p><span>Reposted from: <a href="http://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YHWH's Janitor Blog</a></span></p>
<p><span>I have a wonderful friend who is an agnostic Unitarian Universalist. My friend is willing to debate me one-on-one as well as on social media about all kinds of topics and I find her thoughts extremely helpful and even inspiring. She brings up points I’ve not considered and appeals to a basic ethic of common decency that humans should follow. Her beliefs (as I understand them, of course!) are similar to the beliefs of Dr. Michael Shermer, as expressed in</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKKofNwvt1k"><span> </span><span>this debate</span></a><span> with Dr. Frank Turek. I have many concerns about the philosophy of the Unitarian Universalists which I’ll look at in another post, but I am more interested in her agnosticism.</span></p>
<p><strong>An Agnostic Argument</strong></p>
<p><span>The word “agnostic” is made up of two parts: </span><i><span>a- </span></i><span>(meaning no, or not) and the Greek </span><i><span>gnotos</span></i><span>, or “known”. Most agnostics would assert that we as humans cannot know whether there is a god/God or not since we don’t have access to knowledge outside of our materialistic framework. While the Christian worldview offers a moral argument against this in Romans 2:12-16 (in a nutshell, God has given every person a sense of right and wrong and that they will be held accountable based on what their conscience says at the final Judgement), that argument assumes that the Bible is authoritative; this would not be apparent to an agnostic. I contend, instead, that a person </span><span>can</span><span> know truth concerning an entity one might call God while avoiding</span><i><span> any mention</span></i><span> of ‘religion’!</span></p>
<p><span>First, you certainly </span><span>can</span><span> know truth outside the material world. (And before you say, “there is no truth,” I would ask you “Is that true?” Regardless of your answer, you’ve made a truth claim!) For instance, abstractions like mathematical concepts, the laws of nature and logic, and even “love” and “justice” are all independent of our physical world. Their existence is discovered and verified through philosophy, science and human interaction. This counters the first premise of the agnostic argument.</span></p>
<p><span>This brings us to the second premise of the agnostic argument. An agnostic might then say you could know about things that are independent of the universe, but the existence of </span><i><span>God </span></i><span>is certainly not discoverable like numbers or logic are. On the contrary, again without resorting to religion, you could argue the existence of God from various angles. </span></p>
<p><span>For instance, Aristotle, in</span><a href="http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/metaphysics.12.xii.html"><span> </span><span>part 7 of Book 12</span></a><span> of his </span><i><span>Metaphysics</span></i><span>, claims that an Unmoved Mover, or Prime Mover, </span><span>must</span><span> exist to set in motion everything else as a logical and philosophical </span><span>necessity</span><span>. Moreover, the</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CulBuMCLg0"><span> </span><i><span>Kalam Cosmological Argument</span></i></a><span> </span><span>states that:</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span>Whatever begins to exist has a cause.</span></li>
<li><span>The universe began to exist.</span></li>
<li><span>Therefore, the universe has a cause.</span></li>
</ol>
<p><span>This simple philosophical argument has been fleshed out both in the sciences of cosmology and physics. Aristotle’s work and the various cosmological arguments for God’s existence converge to give us a </span><i><span>Necessary First Cause</span></i><span> to our universe that is not a part of the material world. (And before you say “What if the universe has always existed?”, I’d invite you consider the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the consequences of an eternity of rising entropy… if the universe has existed eternally in the past, then our universe would be a very cold, dead place; it is, however, not.)</span></p>
<p><strong>So what?</strong></p>
<p><span>While all of this certainly does not prove a Judeo-Christian God, it ought to give pause to an atheist when they emphatically state that “there is no god.” You will find that famous atheists, when drilled down to defend their atheism, make honest yet logically fallacious statements like “nothing created something” (Richard Dawkins in the Q and A session of his</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v34QjYPuiEA"><span> </span><span>debate</span></a><span> with Cardinal George Pell in 2012) or resort to distraction or disruption to stymie honest dialogue (see debates featuring</span><a href="https://youtu.be/uDCDTaKfzXU?t=44m1s"><span> </span><span>Christopher Hitchens</span></a><span> and</span><a href="https://youtu.be/V82uGzgoajI?t=40m35s"><span> </span><span>Lawrence Krauss</span></a><span> as examples). Even atheist physicists will make ridiculous statements like “philosophy is dead”, which is itself a philosophical statement, to avoid the issue altogether like Stephen Hawking</span><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8520033/Stephen-Hawking-tells-Google-philosophy-is-dead.html"><span> </span><span>does</span></a><span> at the 2011 Google Zeitgeist Conference.</span></p>
<p><span>One final point for the agnostic to consider. Even if you acknowledge that there is a “God” out there, many would argue that “All religions lead to God!” so it doesn’t matter if you pick one or not. If that’s the case, I’d invite you to watch this</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRlwcr7fprg"><span> </span><span>video</span></a><span> by Ravi Zacharias which explores the fallacies of the Baha’i faith and the Law of Non-Contradiction or this</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5qJPZySo7A"><span> </span><span>video</span></a><span> where he addresses the question directly. Basically, if at least one religion is wrong, then it is impossible that all religions can be right. And even if you claim that all religions are correct, that inclusiveness automatically excludes the exclusive religions, thereby nullifying your own statement!</span></p>
<p><span> </span><span>If you are still agnostic, I urge you to make a decision. Jesus warns in Matthew 12:30 that “Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.” Contrary to cultural norms, there actually is a</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence_of_God"><span> lively debate</span></a><span> with many convincing arguments for God’s existence, and startlingly few against (the most popular and potent of which is the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil"><span>Problem of Evil</span></a><span>. Check out this fantastic </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQOUa2-D224"><span>debate</span></a><span> between Dr. Michael Brown and Dr. Bart Ehrman on the subject)! Finally, if you choose not to engage in that debate, consider</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager"><span> </span><span>Pascal’s wager</span></a><span>: If there is no God, you have nothing to worry about. But, if there is a God, you just might have to answer to Him for your life with eternal consequences. Eternity is a long time… Are you willing to take that wager?</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span> Original Post: <a href="https://yhwhjanitor.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/hop-off-the-fence-agnostics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hop Off the Fence, Agnostics!</a></span></p>