Tattoos for Jesus?

What kind of Christian continues to get tattoos?

It is one thing to have tattoos left over from a pre-Christian life but what does it say about a believer who continues to get body art after claiming to be a believer?  Both Apostle Paul as well as Peter wrote some advice regarding women's dress, jewelry etc. (1 Tim. 2:9-10, 1 Pet. 3:3-4).  They spoke of modesty.  One of the Greek words used was KOSMEO, where we get the word cosmetics.  So from first glance we might consider all adornment as an issue.  So does that mean no body lotion or hand cream?  Fifty years ago we would look through a National Geographic magazine and see the tattoos, piercing and nose rings of pagan tribes in Africa with disgust for such primitive behavior.  But now western cities are filled with shops who provide all of the above for both men and women.  It is no longer merely the sailors on ships that wear ink.  We no longer have to go to the circus to see people decorated from head to toe with ink and piercings.  While our cities are covered with graffiti now so are our bodies.

So what do we do with Esther who submitted to the kings demand and went through a beautification process where she had to wear an assortment of cosmetics (Est. 2:12) for such a time as this?  When a bride was chosen for Isaac she was given a gold ring and two gold bracelets, and the ring was for her nose (Gen. 24:22,47).  When Aaron made the golden calf he got the gold from the rings of the ears of their sons and daughters, (Exod. 32:2) therefore it must have been fashionable among the Jews in Egypt.

But back to tattoos, what does the Bible actually say?  Actually there is very little.  In Leviticus when addressing forbidden things related to cult practices we read "You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord." (Lev. 19:28)  I doubt many tattoo artists are doing any such thing for the dead or some religious tradition, it is more likely just art, which brings up another issue.  Who are we glorifying ourselves or God.  Is this a vanity issue, as in "please look at me"?  Are we lovers of selves rather than lovers of God?  Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit therefore we are to glorify God in our body and take care of the one we have been given.  So how about tattooing bible verses all over our body?  After all we are living sacrifices right?  There is no end to the justification people can dream up for crazy behavior and some of it causes people to stumble.  So what is your game?

Having a problem getting a job?

That reaping and sowing thing.

 

Jefferson and the Bible

 

Throughout Jefferson's life he often referred to God and the Bible and would consider himself a Christian yet he was never much of a church goer.  Educated as he was he could see through the fallacies of  the Catholic "Abracadabra" and the jihad of Mahomet.  He was fearful of expressing his opinion on religion as a politician even in his old age because he was well aware of the fire and faggots of Calvin and his victim Servetus.  His Unitarian views are well known.  He quite literally pasted biblical texts to blank pages avoiding the supernatural element of Christ in a publication that came to be known as the Jefferson Bible printed after his death.  Thus presenting a humanistic view of biblical morality without the atoning power of Jesus.

Elephantine Papyri and Nehemiah

While most bible students are aware of Nehemiah and his struggles with the sons of Sanballat (governors of Samaria) during the restoration of Jerusalem's walls and temple, few are aware that during that time there was a group of Jews in Egypt at Elephantine that were wanting to build a temple of their own. 

There is actually a papyri that came to light in 1947 that confirms communication with Sanballat in effort to get approval for a temple at Elephantine.  The religious practices of these Egyptian Jews was far from orthodox yet it does confirm the history of Israel during this time.  These papyri found at Elephantine written in Aramaic date to about 400 B.C. much older than even the Dead Sea Scrolls.  It is interesting that 1947 was about the same time of the discovery of many of the Dead Scrolls and shortly after came the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948.

Cataclysmic History of the Ancient World

 The Bible speaks of several cataclysmic events that shook the civilized world.  We read of the destruction of the tower of Babel and the flood of Noah.  Then there are smaller events that destroyed more localized areas like Sodom and Gomorrah, and the walls of Jericho.  In AD 363 an earthquake put an end to the city of Petra leaving us with more modern mysteries.  While the bible addresses the first man Adam, and Jesus as the last Adam there is much that the bible simply does not address.  How one is to fit the ancient South American pyramids and cultures into a biblical context is a bit of a challenge unless you are willing to fabricate a false narrative as the Mormons have done.  Josephus (A.D. 37- A.D. 100) goes into detail describing where the descendants of Noah settled but it is confined to Europe, Africa and Asia.  There is no mention of the American western hemisphere.  In the bible we read of fallen angels and demons, of giants and or Nephilim, which parallels the legion of Greek giants.  The God of the universe is outside of time and the bible gives only vague hints of the actual timeline of the early events.  How much of Greek mythology, Hindu tradition and American native traditions are based on some distant reality is merely an educated guess.  Josephus makes mention of historical writers outside of Jewish tradition that mention the flood story.

1943

Sphinx with no face and no feet

1867

Covered in sand with face disfigured

1843

Face unmolested, body covered in sand

2012
The limestone that makes up many of these Egyptian treasures
contain marine fossils call nummulites (little coins)

Feet exposed showing lack of weathering but walls of limestone around it, as Dr. Robert Schoch points out in his book Forgotten Civilization, show water erosion from a much earlier time.  Egypt was not always a desert.  Oyster fossils can be found on the Giza Plateau not far from the pyramids.  Later upper level erosion is from wind driven sand.  Much of the other dynastic era tombs and temples dating back to as early as 3,000 BC show little or no water erosion yet much of the wind driven variety, and huge statues toppled by earthquakes and other unknown events. As in other megalithic sites around the world such as South America, at some point about the time of the end of the ice age something happened that brought civilization to a screeching halt.  Then technology changed.  While huge pre-bronze age megalithic stones were being fit together with some unknown ability, and signs of highly advanced machining, then suddenly there was a step backward in craftsmanship.  As Brian Foerster in his book Aftershock points out the following people stacked much smaller recycled stone on top or used softer stone like limestone and sandstone rather than the granite or basalt of earlier builders.  Often man resorted to baked bricks instead of cut stone.  That certainly does not fit with the idea of man evolving upward.

Something like the Stonehenge of England, the Gobekli Tepe limestone columns of southeastern Turkey were mysteriously backfilled about 8,000 BC almost as though man was preserving a time capsule.  The artwork has been preserved in fine detail. What had been going on there for hundreds of years remains a mystery.  Did it have something to do with the stars?  One of the oldest text of the bible refers to the constellations of Orion and Pleiades (Job 38:31 and Amos 5:8) and it appears from the layout of megalithic stonework that quite sophisticated study of the stars was common in cultures around the world.

Easter Island carvings, what was the point?

Who carved them and why did they stop?

There are nearly a thousand of these guys facing inland with backs to the sea

Where did all the dirt come from that covered them from eight to ten feet on a small island out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and how much time was required to do so?  Are they downwind of volcanoes that could have covered them in ash? No.  The amount of time required to bury these huge moai might very well put them back at the time of the ice age.  Why did the people suddenly decide to neglect their precious work?  Why were their unfinished pieces left still lying in the quarry?  Did they suddenly lose faith in some ancient vision or god?

Some moai statues are as much as 32 feet tall and 82 tons.  How were they moved from the quarry?  Some have suggested that there was some paranormal power employed.  While that might sound rather farfetched we have biblical stories of Moses dealing with magicians in Egypt and the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea on dry land.  Do we throw that out as fantasy as well?

Pre-Inca stonework in Peru

When the Spanish rode into town like gods on horseback carrying steel swords the locals were overwhelmed.  So what was the global fascination with pyramids?

When Antifa pisseth against the wall

Numerous times in the King James version of the Old Testament we see references to those who "pisseth against the wall".  In the case of the house of Ahab the prophet Elisha proclaimed judgment on him, "For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel" (2 Kgs 9:8).  We see the same language in 1 Kings 14:10 where God proclaims judgment against the house of Jeroboam.  In effort to avoid such vulgar language newer bible translations use more polite words and it comes across as simply "males" instead of those who piss against the wall.  So what are we missing here?  If God brings judgment against someone house does he only judge the males?  That doesn't seem likely.  But in 1 Samuel 25:22,34 we read where David had sworn to kill all that pertain to the house of Nabal, those who pisseth against the wall.  In this case it does seem to suggest only males because they had wronged David and his men and Nabal's wife came out to reason with David regarding the foolishness of her husband.

In more modern terms we hear of those who are having a "pissing contest" or simply challenging someones authority or masculinity.  We see Antifa and others challenging the police and civil authority of our day, and it will not end well.  Those who challenge God's authority will be met with judgment which will address not just the males of the house but the women and children as well.  In fact God's judgment can often be seen on the whole of society upon the children down to the third and fourth generation.

Fish, Bread and the Poor

"For you always have the poor with you;

 but you do not always have Me." 

 Jesus Christ (Matt 26:11)

Anyone who has worked at a mission in a large city will soon discover that there are people you can help others you cannot.  Some will learn all the right bible verses and tears will stream down their face all the while they are looking for a way to lift your wallet.  Some will never follow advice and you can throw piles of money at them and they will flush it down the toilet.  They would rather live with their pets in poverty then to build relationships with humans.  Their pets will put up with them but other humans will not.  They can never keep a job because they can never learn to keep their mouth shut.  They always know more than the boss.  I have housed such people, and I have had to throw some out in the middle of the night.  Some people will follow Christ and go to church as long as they are getting something.  Jesus had people who followed him merely because he had fish and bread.  If you are not a good steward of the resources God gives you the Devil will send parasites to bleed you dry.  This is one of the tests of being a Christian, knowing when to be gracious and knowing when to guard your assets. 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

 I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

  Jesus Christ (John 10:10)

Covid-19 and Tonic Water

Long ago the British learned while in India that quinine was useful in fighting malaria, but because quinine derived from the bark of the South American cinchona tree is not very tasty they dreamed up a mixed drink of gin and tonic that was less offensive to the taste buds to give to their soldiers and staff.

Chloroquine is the synthetic version of quinine and some tests claim to be a possible remedy to the Covid 19,  coronavirus.  Most grocery stores carry various brands of tonic water but not all contain quinine (read the fine print).  It has been found to help with leg cramps and restless legs at night.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Every Christian should have some understanding of
the Dead Sea Scrolls

In a day and age when the reliability of the Bible is under such attack these manuscripts found in the late 1940's and early 1950s are some of our most valuable assets.  While the Muslims claim Israel has no historical claims to Jerusalem and the Mormons argue that the bible is only as reliable as far as it is translated correctly this pile of texts found in various caves around the Dead Sea prove otherwise.  In harmony with the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 this material sheds light on both the religious and political ideas of the Jews during the days in which they were hidden.  They compile a library of over 800 texts that date back to nearly two centuries before the time of Christ and are housed in the "Shrine of the Book" in Jerusalem.

Shrine of the Book

They were found in numerous caves in the cliffs above Wadi Qumran.  A wadi is simply a dry creek bed.  Though most were in pretty bad shape buried under hundreds of years of dust and bat dung others such as the book of Isaiah is pretty much complete and can be seen on display to this day.  The first scrolls were found by some Bedouin shepherds in 1947 looking for some lost sheep but soon the word got out to the authorities and a serious search began by a list of scholars. The first pieces to be examined by Professor E. L. Sukenik at the Hebrew Univeristy were found to be that of the book of Isaiah dating a 1,000 years older than any manuscript of its kind. The only Old Testament book not found in this collection is the book of Esther.  Other books found fall into the pseudepigrapha category, which means they appear to be of a religious nature but fall outside the historical Jewish Bible.  First Enoch and the Book of Jubilees would be in this list.  Something called the Manual of Disciples and the Temple Scroll bring insight into tradition of the community as well as to their view of the temple establishment in Jerusalem.  The Copper Scroll is possibly the most fascinating, it is a list of temple treasures and a guide to where it is all hidden.  How to make sense of it presents a list of difficulties.  Because of the turmoil during those early years it took decades for much of this material to be translated and released to the public.

The ruins of an ancient settlement lies near Wadi Qumran.  It appears to have been some sort of religious community possibly linked to the scrolls.  Much of the sectarian texts found may have been connected to a Jewish community called Essenes which some have suggested where John the Baptist may have spent some time.  There is no mention of Jesus in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Not All that Glitters is Gold

One of the most challenging problems one has as a Christian evangelist is, where do we direct people if they are interested in getting connected to a church?  In order to have a basic understanding of safe church tradition and doctrinal creeds one needs not only an understanding of basic bible but a bit of understanding of church history as well.  Over the years I have often found myself turning to the Handbook of Denominations by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill and Craig D. Atwood.

One will quickly find that not all Baptists are on the same page.  Nor are those who fall in the Pentecostal category.  Many of those which have a "Christian" name are far outside the lines of historical orthodoxy.  Which brings up another question what is orthodox?  This handbook can help you wrap your head around the various Catholic traditions as well.  Many religions are offshoots of something else.  Lutherans and others came about as an effort to clean up the Church of Rome during the Reformation.  Buddhism sprang from Hinduism.  The Bahaii Faith is an offshoot of Islam, and so on.  Understanding the roots of a movement often gives us a clue as to what we are looking at.  Many church groups are merely a result of a spiritual revival in which people were simply trying to get back to basic biblical truths.  There has been enough time in some cases for these to have drifted of into the far left liberal world we live in, but for the most part this Handbook of Denominations gives us a place to start.  Someone once said that as Israel was scattered to the nations, the church has been scattered to the denominations.  It is like a river that starts crystal clear in the mountains but as it moves down stream it begins to slow down and becomes contaminated with the run off from the farmer's fields as well as the pollution of every town along the way.

Catch the foxes for us,

 the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards.

Song of Solomon 2:15

The Mountains of Moses

A cautionary remark in archaeology is

"If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is."

The two Mountains of Moses are first, the historical one on Sinai where there is the Saint Catherine Monastery, then there is another mountain in Saudi Arabia with similar more recent claims.  On Sinai at the Saint Catherine Monastery there is a document call the Ashtiname of Muhammad which is alleged to be a covenant granted by Muhammad protecting the Christian monks of the monastery from pillage by Muslims.  This raises a number of questions.  If there was a real mountain of Moses in Saudi Arabia why would Muhammad acknowledge this place on Sinai?

Ashtiname of Muhammad

Above is the Muslim Masjid (mosque) on Sinai claiming their part of history.  This is typical of Islam.  They laid claim to the temple mount in Jerusalem as well by building the Dome of the Rock on the foundation of the ancient Jewish temple.  They have also built shrines over many biblical burial sites in Israel and throughout the Middle East.

The place in Saudi Arabia has been getting more recent attention because of the likes of Ron Wyatt and his followers. Wyatt made some very wild claims in his day.  He supposedly found chariot wheels under the Red Sea, the arch of the covenant, Noah's arch, and even some of the blood of Jesus left behind in Jerusalem.  The Red Sea crossing that many point to is actually in the Gulf of Aqaba at Nuweiba where they point to what they refer to as a shallow bridge.  This bridge however is still a whopping 2,509 feet deep.  About 100 miles southeast of the Gulf of Aqaba crossing there is a mountain called Jabal al-Lawz (mountain of almonds 8,460 ft.).  Like most of the mountains in the area it is composed of alkaline granite but it differs slightly from others because it has a darker volcanic dike (likely basalt) covering the top.  This has led some to believe it was burnt by God during a visit by Moses.  There are actually numerous ancient volcanoes in Saudi Arabia so this is not an uncommon occurrence.  Much of this area is fenced off due to numerous archaeological sites.  Among these sites are petroglyphs of various animals carved in the rocks.  These type of artifacts are rather common in Arabia and can be seen on videos of other ancient sites but those who are eager to find easy solutions to biblical stories are quick to apply them to biblical history.  One should be cautioned against believing stories of Bedouins who have been brainwashed by hundreds of years of Muslim propaganda. Many pre-Islamic cultures were known to sacrifice animals and worship idols and that is what Muhammad set out to destroy.  It is said by some that the Saudi government simply wants to protect this prize from the outside world or from becoming a place of worship.  Well, Mecca has become a place of worship where Abraham supposedly built an altar.  I would think that the Muslims would want to capitalize on this prize possession and make it a pilgrimage site as well considering how often Moses is mentioned in the Quran.  There is some rumors of plans to build a major city in the area so maybe that is what they have up their sleeve.  Saudis have a plan to reduce dependence on oil by including tourism and recreation in a project called Saudi Vision 2030.  So they appear to be trying to revise the previously ruling of the Hejaz region and the entire Red Sea coast which did not allow non-Muslims.  Underwater diving could bring in lots of cash to the Muslim coffers if they could simply be polite to us kaffirs.  Some of the sites around Tabuk that are related to those of Petra and the ancient Nabataeans could bring in lots of tourist kafir cash as well.

Saint Catherine Monastery

www.saudi-archaeology.com

Flat Earth Cult? Examined by Dale Brown

I once had a Muslim mock my Christian faith by claiming we believe in a flat earth.  I reminded him of Columbus, a Catholic who believed in the Bible, believing he could sail west to reach India.  Columbus understood the movement of the earth and the moon which cause the rise and fall of ocean tides.  Understanding the logic I was soon praying with this Muslim man.

Anyone who has sailed offshore in a boat discovers that mountain peaks can be seen for a very long distance while the base of the mountains are hidden by the curve of the ocean surface.  It is for this reason navigators would send a man up to the crows nest to look for land.  Those on deck would not be in a position to see very far even on a clear day.

I took this picture of Mt. Fairweather

at daybreak after crossing the Gulf of Alaska

One will notice the further one gets from the direct rays of the sun at the equator the colder things get.  The obvious curve of the earth makes solar panels less effective as one gets closer to the poles.
Another navigation tool that has been used since the beginning of time is the North Star.  This bright star remains stationary as all other stars revolve around it because of the rotation of the earth.  If one goes south of the equator this star is no longer visible because of the curve of the earth therefore a group of stars called the Southern Cross is used as the reference.  If the earth was flat this northern and southern hemisphere issue would not be a problem.

Lighthouses found on navigation charts are shown with information regarding its height so that the sailor will know at what distance the light will dip below the horizon.   Normally on deck the sailor will not be able to see the direct light unless he is closer than about 18 nautical miles (depending on how high it is from tide water).  Further than this one might see only a faint glow upon each flash thus giving the navigator some idea of his distances from the shoreline.  This was understood thousands of years ago when the famous four-hundred-foot lighthouse stood near Alexandria, Egypt.  It could be seen for thirty-eight miles.  One might notice that the farther one gets from the equator the more pronounce are the ocean tides which of course are caused by the gravitation force of the moon pulling on the oceans as the earth rotates.  The KJV of Genesis uses the word "seas" in place of oceans which presents a problem.  Seas differ from oceans in that they do not have tides because they are surrounded by land masses that hinder this pull toward the equator.  Oceans of the northern and southern hemisphere also exhibit circular currents that are influenced by the fact the earth is turning on its axis.  The Japanese current constantly flows north and eastward toward Alaska then south to the equator, then westward again.  South of the equator the direction is reversed.  A flat earth would not display this kind of movement.  On a smaller scale the direction water spins in a drain in a sink in the northern hemisphere is clockwise whereas in the southern hemisphere it is the opposite direction.  This suggests that Genesis should be more correctly read like the Psalms which are more poetic in nature and not meant to be taken so literal.  In Genesis 1:6 the firmament (land) divides the waters, whereas in Genesis 1:8 the "firmament" is called Heaven by God.  In Genesis we read of the "generations" of the heavens and the earth, as though it is talking about the generation of a person.  This is referred to as a toledoth, which in the bible is usually referring to the genealogy of a certain person.  Modern versions use "account" in place of generation in Genesis 2:4 to avoid such confusion.  Flat-earthers like confusion however because it creates a word salad that is hard to debate. 

Today we have tide books that tell us when the tide is at its peaks and lows

We would often take advantage of the tides to do maintenance inspections on the bottom of our boat.

I remember once flying from Fairbanks, Alaska to London over the northern icecap.  One can actually see the curve of the earth from such a high altitude.  Obviously there is no flat earth from up there.  When a Christian begins to promote this flat earth business to an educated adult he has lost all credibility in the eyes of an unbeliever.  Why would they listen to the gospel from such an unreliable  source?  How can a Christian feel comfortable promoting what is obviously a lie?  I remember when I was a kid hearing my grandfather claim that God would never allow man to land on the moon.  A few months later when the first moon landing happened my grandfather had to come up with some other strange ideas.  He was no longer one that I would turn to for advice.  Yes, we have actually been to the moon and the GPS in your smart phone is tracking you from a couple dozen satellites that orbit the earth.  A flat earth would require only three satellites, but let's not get technical.  All that is necessary is to look up into the dark sky and one can see some of these satellites moving along in their orbit.

People often argue that the picture above is fake because we can see no stars.  Can anyone see stars in the light of day?

Astronauts who trusted God

Many of the astronauts who went to the moon were believers in God.  John Glenn (NASA's first crewed orbital flight), Frank Borman - Apollo 8, (first flight around the moon) read bible verses from space, Jim Irwin - Apollo 15 (eighth person to walk on the moon, spoke of the presence of God there), Charlie Duke - Apollo 16 (tenth person to walk on the moon) gave his life to Jesus in the front seat of his car in New Braunfels, Texas.

Now and again the earth passes between the moon and the sun causing a shadow across the moon and for a short time the moon appears a dull red which we call a blood moon.

There are places in Washington and Oregon state where one can see the tips of volcanoes such as Mt. Rainier, Adams and Mt. Hood when they are hundreds of miles away, but only the tips, because of the curvature of the earth. 

 

People who reject basic scientific logic are often the same people who cannot understand what gender they are.  The LGBTQwxyz folks keep adding letters to their alphabet.  We are having a hard time keeping the holy water from running off the edge of a flat earth.  Though some of the bible one must accept on faith, there are other things that are pure logic and have archaeological proof in their favor.  We do not serve a New Age gospel of fiction.

Auroras or lights that are seen around the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres further debunk the flat earth conspiracy nuts.  Notice that this interaction with radiation from the sun does not appear in the same way near the equator.  I painted the painting below which is a typical scene while cross country skiing during my many years in Alaska.  The magnetic field of the earth is created by the rotation of the earth thus we have a magnetic north and south.

King James Bible only?

Evolution of King Jimmy
by Dale Brown

It is common persuasion, usually by those unfamiliar with the difficulties of translating ancient languages, that the Bible translated in 1611 under the authority of King James was not merely authorized by the king of England but rather the "King of the Universe." They compare the style of modern English to that of 1611 and come to the conclusion that all modern translations have been tampered with and are therefore corrupt. Though it is possible for scholars to make mistakes it is generally not their intention. Even within the same language, over time there are spelling and definition problems that arise. Compare the following styles of "Englysh."

The Lord’s prayer in Old English of A.D. 1000:

Fæder ure, thu the eart on heofonum, si thin ama gehalgod . . . Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg.

1300 English:

Fader oure that is i heuen, blessid be thi name . . . Oure ilk day bred gif us to day.

1600:

Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name . . . Give us this day our daily bread.

Modern:

Our father who is in heaven, may your name be hallowed . . . Give us our daily bread today.

The evolution of English can be seen in general greetings outside the Bible as well. The origin of the modern phrase, "Good Bye," shortened to simply "Bye!" came from the gesture, "God be with you," which in 1659 was "God b ‘wy" and later in 1687 was "B’w ‘y." 

Most would be offended by the King James description of men, as those who "pisseth against the wall." (1 Sam. 25:22,34, 2 Kg 9:8) However, to urinate in 1611 was nothing other than to piss, and that is how the Bible scholars spelled it. Thus we might haply peraventure to be holden to aforetime terms that no longer make for pleasant communication.  What most English translations have translated "wild ox" the KJV translates unicorn in Job 39:9 and other places.  This gives ammunition for critics who claim the Bible is nothing more than a book of myths.

Geneva Bible
King James Bible Authorized by Who?

The first Bible brought to America by the Puritan Separatists in 1620 aboard the Mayflower was the Geneva Bible.
Few people understand that the Authorized King James Version Bible of today is not an exact copy of the 1611 edition. Most people today would have a very difficult time reading the Bible as it was translated in 1611 simply because of it’s archaic style. This is especially true for people which English is their second language. It was originally printed including the Apocrypha which nearly all Evangelicals reject. Compare John 3:7 with a modern KJV. The 1611 reads, "Marueile not that I saide vnto thee, Ye must be bourne againe." The KJV went through a major revision in 1769 to correct problems in translation, wording and punctuation; and several other revisions since then, yet there are minor problems that remain to this day. In Acts 19:37, is one example. Where the Greek reads hirosulous, "robbers of temples," the KJV incorrectly renders "robbers of churches." The Greek word for Passover pasch has been mistranslated in Acts 12:4 to Easter.

A Hot Topic!

A word study of the word hell in any good concordance of the KJV reveals that there was a bit of confusion regarding hades and gehenna. Though they are two different things they are both translated hell. Revelation 20:14 further adds to the confusion by stating that hell is to be cast into the lake of fire, whereas it should read hades is to be cast into the lake of fire. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are quick to point out this problem. 

How many Devils are there?

The KJV presents us with another problem in the way it translated Devil and demons.  DIABOLOS is the word used for Satan or the Devil, whereas another word Daimon, a demon, is often mistranslated devil.  Therefore we see devils being cast out of people when in fact it should read that demons are being cast out.  There is only one Devil but many demons.  Jesus cast out an unclean spirit and then it is later called simply the devil. (Mark 1:34, 5:2,15)  

The KJV even has God repenting of doing evil in Exodus 32:14.  When did God become an evil doer?

In Matt. 9:17 we see wine bottles breaking when in fact it should be wine skins.

Recognizing the weaknesses of the KJV we now have a New King James Version on the market. It must be understood that the apostles did not speak English.

Though we hold to the idea that the scripture is accurate in its original language "All scripture is given by inspiration of God"(1 Tim. 3:16), we unfortunately do not have those originals available to us. We therefore strive to examine manuscripts dating as close to the originals as possible.

It’s All Greek Anyhow

It is claimed by some that the KJV was translated from superior manuscripts, mainly the Texus Receptus (or "Received Text"). This is a Greek translation by Catholic priest and scholar Desiderius Erasmus published in 1516, based on a few Greek manuscripts, along with the Catholic standard Latin Vulgate. This group of manuscripts is generally referred to as the Byzantine family of manuscripts. The Hebrew (Masoretic) text used in 1611 is still considered the Old Testament standard.

Since then a family of other manuscripts have been collected which come from outside the Byzantine tradition which are the Alexandrian, Western and Caesarean families. They shed new light on the scripture for a number of reasons. First, they strengthen the credibility of the Bible because though many are much older than previous manuscripts, they still harmonize, differing mainly in style but not content. Where one might say Jesus Christ, another could say Christ Jesus, etc. The 1948 discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls dating about 200 B.C. make them the oldest Jewish (Hebrew/Chaldean) manuscripts of the Old Testament. They are hundreds of years older than the standard Masoretic text yet tell the same story. Secondly, these all help clear up some areas that in the past the translators, because of ambiguity in the text, were left scratching their heads. By comparing the most reliable and oldest Greek and Hebrew text we can come up with a clearer picture of what the original author had in mind. Studying the letters or legionaries of early church fathers (especially those who were direct disciples of the apostles) is helpful because we can see how they understood the text.

In order to make the transition from a language which has a different alphabet, different structure, and is addressed to a culture of a different time period, one must use certain liberties yet within the confines of rather strict rules of textual criticism. Should lamp be translated "torch" or "flashlight" or should it remain lamp and simply let the reader bridge the gap for himself. It is often impossible to translate exactly word for word from the original language to the receptor language because one language might have no word equivalent. Or, where one language might have one word, it may require several in the other to get the point across. In English we have only one word "love" to express three Greek words, agape, phileo, and eros.  If a guy says he loves his truck, we usually understand this is something quite different than his love for his wife.
Though the KJV has served us well, one needs to be careful not to elevate any translation to the point of idolatry, and end up straining at gnats and eating camels. Nor do we want to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Modern translations have approached the task of communicating a message to a diverse people using different philosophies. A "word-for-word" approach might be more accurate but makes readability wooden. The "thought-for-thought" method makes for easier reading yet leaving more room for error in translation. The "paraphrase" version is an attempt to bridge the cultural and historical gap. It serves well those who do not read well but misses the mark as far as literal meaning. A good study Bible of any version will have notes in the margin where there is discrepancy among manuscripts. It has been said that the devil is in the details. The cults who are critical of the scripture are famous for zeroing in on these minor details, and thus missing the whole picture.

Translations with an obvious cult bias such as the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses), The Clear Word Bible (Seventh-Day Adventist) and the George Lamsa version based on the Peshitta (Syriac Bible) with it’s Nestorian and anti-Greek bias are best avoided.

Some of the manuscripts housed in the British Library in London that were not available to the translators of the KJV:

The Codex Sinaiticus This is one of the two earliest complete Bibles in Greek. Constantine Tischendor discovered it in the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai where it had been for a thousand years. It was transferred to the Czar of Russia in 1859. The Russians sold it to Britain in 1933 for £100,000.
The Codex Alexandrinus This 5th-century Greek Bible was in the Patriarchal Library of Alexandria for 300 years. It was presented to Charles I in 1627 by Cyril Lucar, the Calvinistic Patriarch of Constantinople.

A comical illustration of language evolution

Books helpful in understanding the difficulties in Bible translations:
History of the New Testament in Plain language, by Clayton Harrop, Word Inc. 1984
How to Read the Bible for all its Worth, by Gordon D. Fee; Douglas Stuart, Zondervan 1993
So Many Versions?, by Sakae Kubo and Walter Specht, Zondervon, 1983
The King James Version Debate, Donald Carson, Baker, 1979
The Men Behind the King James Version, by J.S. Paine 1959
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English by Geza Vermes 1997
The Story of the Scrolls by Geza Vermes 2010
Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason L. Archer Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9a76n-xzqg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp0yeV_uWSU

Rock of Ages?

It has been said that it is better to know the Rock of Ages
 rather than the age of the rocks.

Debates abound as to the age of the earth and it's rocks, and none of us were around when God spoke it into existence.  Considering that God is outside of time, us trying to relate to his procedure of things is like an ant climbing up a blade of grass in a golf course and proclaiming he now understands the size of the earth.

Coastal redwoods of California as the one above can be dated by its growth rings showing some over 2500 years old and still going strong.  So while Christ walked the earth this tree was just getting started.  Then, there are petrified fossils of such trees like the one below 12.5 feet in diameter found at 8,200 feet above sea level at the Florissant fossil beds in Colorado that were buried by volcanic ash and lahar mud-flows long before there were pyramids in Egypt.  Similar stumps can be see at the Ginko Fossil beds of eastern Washington left over from when there were no Cascade Mountains to hinder the flow of marine air to what is now a desert climate.  How many thousands of years did it take for these mountains to push up to where they are today?  Many of them are volcanoes which have been dormant for hundreds of years.  But not all of Washington's mountains are volcanic, some are due to upheaval of the earth's crust and the layers of various levels of history are clearly displayed.  When Mount St. Helen erupted in 1980 it was a reminder of our ancient past that created petrified wood with the help of hot mud flows.

 For a thousand years in Thy sight are like yesterday 

when it passes by, or as a watch in the night. (Psm. 90:4)

Mastodon and Woolly Mammoth tusks are dug out of the ground every year in Alaska such as the ones below that I turned into pieces of art.  The last of these big hairy elephants disappeared over 10,000 years ago and those that we find today have been frozen in the tundra for all of these years.

This scrimshawed drawing above is on a piece of ancient mammoth/elephant tusk measure about 5 inches tall.  These disappeared about 13,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age.  The Ice Age may have been linked to some degree to the gyroscopic precession, or wobble, of the earth as it spins, considering a complete wobble takes 26,000 years.  This would cause the sun to shine more directly on different places on the surface of the earth because of the nature of the poles have a different location.  Below I did a relief carving on this large tusk sitting on my work bench which was then mount on two pieces of Alaska jade for the late Mel Quakenbush of Fairbanks, AK

Lower jaw of Mastodon 

Skeletons of ancient extinct whales have been found in the Egyptian desert from a time when there was an inland sea large enough for whales.  But these are whales nothing like what we have today.

Wadi El Hitan - Whales in the desert

Many types of fossils have been found high in the mountains around the world.  Most often they are found in sedimentary type rock that at one time was lying flat on an ocean floor and now it is elevated at every possible angle thousands of feet in the mountains.  A global flood is one explanation but it is more complicated than that.  I don't recall God giving Noah any instructions about dinosaurs or woolly mammoths.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice,
 beloved, that with the Lord  one day is as a
 thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
(2 Pet. 3:8)

Those that argue for 24 hour days in Genesis, when God created the world and everything in it, claim that the bible is so simple even a child can understand it.  However when they get to chapter three of Genesis where God is recorded "walking in the garden in the cool of the day" most children (like the Mormons) are going to think God is a big man, with hands, feet, eyes and ears.  The bible clearly teaches that God is spirit and is not a man.  So the "day" (or should I say "hour") has come when the simplistic approach to interpretation suddenly gets a bit more complicated.
 
Peggy Brown standing next to one very large fossilized bone,

Saber tooth cat found near White Bluffs along

 the Columbia River up stream from the Tricities

Dinosaurs in the Bible?

For those who try to find dinosaurs in the bible there presents many problems.  They point to dragons in the KJV as the solution.  But, are you seriously saying that the den of dragons mentioned in Jere. 9:11, 10:22 and dragons of the wilderness in Malachi 1:3 were anything other than figurative language?  Job said, he was a brother to dragons (Job. 30:29).  So did he really have dinosaurs for relatives?  The New Testament, Rev. 12:3,4,7, etc. clearly uses the dragon as a picture of the Devil not a literal creature walking on all fours.  The word dragon in the Old Testament is a King James translation issue.  Modern translations use the word jackal rather than dragon for obvious reasons.  Job was probably not a brother to Satan or dinosaurs but referring to his enemies as a brood of vipers as did Jesus in the NT.  The King James bible does similar things with the words for Devil and demons which I have addressed in my article about the King James Only problems.

There are many problems in trying to connect the biblical flood with the age of dinosaurs and ancient history.  To start with the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods produced different kinds of fossils which came to a rather sudden end and beginning which speaks to three catastrophic events or floods not just one.  They appear to be global events not simply local floods.

https://youtu.be/RKiRPCexdZk

https://dale-apologetica.blogspot.com/2018/09/king-james-bible-only.html

http://dale-apologetica.blogspot.com/2018/08/reading-between-lines.html