Hebrews 8

Bible study with Pastor Terry Gray

THE BETTER COVENANT

Hebrews 8:1-2

Jesus is our High Priest. He is interceding for us in Heaven right now.

1 Timothy 2:5

There is only one intercessor for us. And that is Jesus Christ. There is only one way to heaven. Not through a human pope, not through Mary, not through Buddha, etc. The ONE way to Heaven is through Jesus.

Hebrews 8:3-6

Jesus does not offer sacrifices or carry out rituals of the Old Testament because He is a priest of a different order.

Jesus does not offer sacrifices because he IS our ultimate sacrifice, our ETERNAL sacrifice.

Jesus does not follow rituals of the Old Testament or the old covenant because Jesus is our NEW Testament, our NEW covenant.

Old Testament rituals and the Law were only a shadow of what goes on in Heaven, not the real thing!

Hebrews 8:7-12

Israelites followed the Mosaic Law, the Law of the Old Covenant. However, God made it clear that this Law, this old covenant was to be replaced with a new and better

covenant. Paul is quoting Jeremiah here, an Old Testament prophet who was living under the old covenant yet predicting the coming of the new! Other Old Testament prophets (e.g., Ezekiel, Joel, etc.) also prophesied about the coming of the new covenant, fulfilled by Jesus! These prophets all promised a new way of doing things that was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

The Old Covenant, the Mosaic Law, they were never meant to be permanent. They were always meant to be temporary. They were always meant to be replaced by something better, a new covenant. The Old Covenant Law and priesthood all pointed to the New Covenant and Jesus.

The New Covenant is based on what God does, not on what man does--Just look at all those "I will..." statements by God in Jeremiah 31:31-34!

Why? Because man could not remain perfectly faithful to God. Man, no matter how hard he tried, could never overcome his sin nature and redeem himself. This is why the Old Covenant was never enough. It was a shadow of the perfection to come. It was meant to show us why we need Jesus. So, let us all learn the lesson and look to Jesus. Do not hold on to an old replica.

The New Covenant is God saying, "I will; I'm going to do it." The Old Covenant was not like this. It was God giving man the Law, saying, "If you if you obey, then I will." No man could keep the Law perfectly.

The Old Testament was a covenant of works. It's about earning and deserving. The New Testament is a covenant of Grace. It's about believing and receiving. Jesus came and accomplished our salvation for us. It is us trusting his work that we get saved. Our salvation is dependent purely on what God has done, has FINISHED for us. There is nothing we could do to earn salvation. So, thank God (literally) it is not up to us. THANK GOD HE TOOK CARE OF IT ALL!

Hebrews 8:10-11

Under the New Covenant, God changes us from inside out. The Law was an external force, telling us to this and that, revealing how we will never be good enough. Jesus, however, is our internal force. His love changes us from inside out. His love encourages us to be like Him. He saves us from our despair. He welcomes us into His arms, even after we nailed Him to the Cross.

Under the New Covenant, we can directly know God and develop an intimate relationship with God. This was not possible through the Old Testament, because sin kept us apart from God. When Jesus came, He changed all that. He broke down the sin barrier, so that through Him, we can be in the direct presence of God.

Hebrews 8:12

Under the New Covenant, our sins are decisively dealt with and completely forgiven. God remembers no more. This does not mean God forgets. It simply means He no longer holds our sins against us. This is not true with the Old Covenant. Sins were cleansed with animal sacrifices,

animal blood, not once and for all, but every year. Bulls, goats, and lambs, these were not adequate substitutes for humans. The animal blood never atoned for sins. It just covered them. One day, every year, the high priest had to enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the nation. These are just one of the many clues that tell us the Old Covenant was never going to be good enough.

Hebrews 8:13

Clearly, the Old spoke of the New, and the New is way better than the Old.

Hebrews 7

Bible study with Pastor Terry Gray

Hebrews 7
THE BETTER PRIESTHOOD

Genesis 14:18-20
This passage is the only passage describing Melchizedek. His name shows up again in Psalm 110. This was a Messianic psalm, given to David about the coming Messiah.

Hebrews 6:20
1000 years later, the author of Hebrews links the prophecy of Psalm 110 to Jesus!

Descendants of Abraham grew into the 12 Tribes of Israel. God commanded them to initiate a priesthood on the order of Levite or Aaron. All Israelite priests thus came from the Levite Tribe. Levitical priests received tithes from other Israelite tribes.

Aaron was the very first high priest. Thereafter, one high priest, from the Levite Tribe, would be chosen to minister for life, to be replaced by another elected high priest when the previous one passes.

For hundreds of years, Israelites followed the spiritual guidance of Levitical high priests. Thus, to devout Jews, there was nothing more sacred than the Levitical priesthood.

However, with the arrival of Jesus, the Levitical priesthood was abolished. Because of Jesus, there was no more need for a human priesthood, or animal sacrifices, or any of the rituals defined in the Book of Leviticus to be carried out in the Temple. Jesus replaced it all! Sadly, this was a very hard truth for the Israelites to perceive.

Remember that the audience of this letter were 1st century Jewish Christians who were severely persecuted by non-Christian and Jews who had just nailed Jesus to the Cross. It is not hard to imagine them conflicted: They were God's people who grew up on Levitical Laws, given to them by God. When Jesus came, many were witnesses of Jesus, and that's why they followed Him, embracing Jesus as THE Word of God. However, upon His resurrection, He ascended into Heaven, and now, all of a sudden, they are forced to face their adversaries based solely on their faith in Jesus.

The reality these Jewish Christians faced from then on can be confusing. What they knew was the Levitical Laws. Jesus taught them better, but now, Jesus was not with them, and persecutions awaited. To make things even more confusing, Temple worships led by the Levitical priesthood was still carried out back then. Their brains may have known that Jesus made the Law obsolete and meaningless, that those Temple worships had no real meaning, but when facing persecutions, it is very easy to fall back on what was once comfortable. And so, many Jewish Christians wanted to revert back to the rituals and tradition they had become accustomed to. They wanted to conform just to avoid persecution. However, as we learned in Hebrews 6, apostasy is not a viable solution.

In Hebrews 7, the author hammers home how Jesus is the better priest from a better priesthood.

Clearly, Melchizedek was a priest outside the circle of the Levitical priesthood. Melchizedek foreshadowed Jesus. He was both a King and Priest. Jesus was declared a king and priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). In the Old Testament, these two positions were separated. One cannot be both a king and a priest. Kings came from the line of Judah, whereas priest came from the line of Levites. This separation, however, did not apply to Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was a king of righteousness and of peace, and so is Jesus

Melchizedek = king of righteousness

King of Salem = king of peace

Melchizedek foreshadowed Jesus

Hebrews 7:3
Melchizedek was "without father or mother, without genealogy."

Some scholars believe this is saying that although he was a real person, there was no record of Melchizedek's

genealogy or who his parents were. They thus take that phrase to allegorically mean that he would live forever.

Other scholars believe Melchizedek was not "just" a man. He was divine. Scriptural passages about him suggest he was special. Some believe he was an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament.

Regardless of the theories, at the very least, Melchizedek foreshadowed Jesus.

In Genesis 14:18-20, Melchizedek welcomed Abraham with with bread and wine. Jesus also offered his disciples bread and wine. We partake communion with bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus. The bread and wine uniquely symbolize Jesus and are clues that suggest Melchizedek foreshadowed Jesus.

Melchizedek was greater than any Levite priest

Hebrews 7:4-5, 8-10
Abraham, father of Levites, tithed to Melchizedek. In so doing, so did the Levites! That is, the entire Levitical priesthood tithed to Melchizedek, because they tithed through Abraham!

Melchizedek was greater than the Levitical priesthood, and Jesus came from the order of Melchizedek. To the Jewish Christians who were having a tough time leaving the Levitical priesthood to follow Jesus, the author of Hebrews pointed out, using Old Testament scriptures, that Jesus was greater than the Levitical priesthood that they had been following.

Hebrews 7:6-7
Melchizedek blessed Abraham, not the other way around. Again this shows that Melchizedek is the greater order, because only the greater blesses the lesser.

Hebrews 7:11-12
"If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come--one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?"


The Levitical priesthood and the Law were not good enough. If it were, why would it be prophesied that there would be a change in the priesthood, a change in the Law? The Law does not redeem but condemns. The Law merely points out how imperfect we are, and how impossible it is for us to fulfill it perfectly. The Law teaches us that only the blood of an innocent substitute can atone for our sins. Shedding the blood of innocent animals, a Levitical ritual, was not good enough because animals are not equal substitutes for humans. This was why this ritual needed to be done on a yearly basis. It was not a permanent solution. It was a horribly ineffective band-aid.

With the coming of Jesus, all the rules changed. As the perfect man, He was our perfect substitute. This is why Jesus is our permanent solution. This is why His blood is good enough to wash away our sins forever.

The Law itself does not redeem us. However, it teaches us that we are sinners and a perfect sacrifice must take our place to redeem us. The Law therefore points to Jesus, our savior who fulfills the Law perfectly and redeems us so that when we are in Jesus, we no longer stand under the Law.

Hebrews 7:13-14 The order and rules changed with Jesus. He was born of the tribe of Judah, a tribe that was NOT a tribe of priesthood, and yet He is a priest. The rules clearly have completely changed.

Hebrews 7:15-17
The Levitical priesthood was made based on flesh, on ancestry, on bloodline. When one Levitical priest dies, his duties are passed on to the next Levitical priest. Jesus, however, has eternal life. He therefore remains our High Priest forever.

The Law pointed to Jesus

Hebrews 7:18-28

The Law was abolished because it was weak and unprofitable. It could not make anyone perfect. It could not bring people into presence of God.

Jesus, however, can bring people into the presence of God.

Why then, if the Law does not fix anything, did God give it to the Jews? As explained above, the Law was a preparatory thing pointing to Jesus. The Law prepared us for the coming of the Messiah. The Law taught lessons and painted pictures that all point to the need of Christ.

Since the author of Hebrews kept hammering this message home, I believe it is important enough for me to repeat myself as well: All the Law does, and all it can do, is to prove to us that we are sinners and that there was no way we can ever live up to the perfect standards of God.

The Levitical priesthood was given to the Jews to teach them that they needed a mediator between them and God because sin separated them from God. (And the rest of the world would learn about God through the Jews, God's selected people. This is why it was so important for the Jews to stay true to the Word of God. But since they failed, the responsibility to produce fruit has been shifted to the Gentiles.)

The animal sacrifices taught the Jews that sin could only be atoned for through the blood of an innocent substitute. Jesus, the Lamb of God, came and provided the ultimate sacrifice: Himself.

All Old Testament laws point to Jesus. The Law couldn't save anybody. It couldn't make anyone perfect. It is like a mirror, reflecting and exposing our flaws to us so that we can see them. A mirror can't do anything else but reflect what is there. A mirror cannot fix the problem. This is why we all need Jesus. This is why the author of Hebrews earnestly told the Jewish Christians that once they have Jesus, there is no going back to the Law! Why in the world would anyone let go of the real thing for a cheap replica?

Jesus is our High Priest forever

Hebrews 7:20-22
Jesus was sworn in by God as a priest forever. No Levitical priest was sworn in by God, and no Levitical priest was a priest forever.

Hebrews 7:23-24
The Levitical priesthood has to be transferred from priest to priest because they were human, and their lives were numbered. This inevitably resulted in changes between offices. And as with all human affairs, this often led to more problems than solutions.

With Jesus, His priesthood is immutable and permanent because He does not die. His priesthood will never be transferred.

Jesus is our savior and perfect intercessor!


Hebrews 7:25
Jesus saves us and keeps us safe. Jesus intercedes for us! That is, when God looks at us, and if we have Jesus in us, God sees Jesus because Jesus hold us up on our behalf.

We pray for others, but we sometimes forget or get lazy about it. Jesus doesn't do that.

We pray for others, and we may not pray for the thing they really need. Jesus knows perfectly and prays for the things that best suit our needs.

Jesus is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens--He is a High Priest who meets our need!

Hebrews 7:26-28
See the supreme superiority of Jesus! Don't go back to the Law or to any old traditions or rituals! Keep our eyes on Jesus!

Hebrews 6

Bible study with Pastor Terry Gray


Hebrews 6 starts with the encouragement, "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity" (Hebrews 6:1-3). This is a logical buildup from Hebrews 5, where the author discusses the differences between an immature and mature Christians.


APPARENT CHRISTIANS (Hebrews 6:1-12)


Hebrews 6:4-6 are known as some of the darkest passages in the Bible, and it is surrounded by controversy. This passage suggests that a person may reach a "point of no return" in their walk of life.


Characteristics of this person include... (Hebrews 6:4-5)
1. Have been enlightened
2. Have tasted the Heavenly gift
3. Have become partakers of the Holy Spirit
4. Have tasted the Good Word of God
5. Have tasted the powers of which is to come


Many scholars believe these characteristics describe true born-again Christians. These Christians, because they have tasted the real fruit, will never become apostates (aka, fall away). They may back slide, but they will not fall away because they know who Jesus is.


Many pastors and theologians teach that it is possible for a Christian to lose his/her salvation. This loss is permanent. That is, the Christian who has lost his/her salvation cannot regain it ever again. They believe "Christians" who lose their salvation are those who have never truly gotten to know Jesus, who have never tasted the real fruit. Because once we have tasted the real fruit, there is just no way we would ever let go.


Hebrews 6:6 shows that Christians who have fallen away have reached a state where they have become enemies of Christ.


Christians who fall away are what some scholars call, "apparent Christian." Pastor Terry Gray believes this passage is talking about apparent Christians. They may walk and talk like a Christian--They may even know the Scripture better than a true born-again Christian--but they have never become a true born-again Christian. They are the ones Jesus turn away when they come knocking on the door (Luke 13:22-30). Jesus doesn't know them, because they never got to know Jesus (John 10:14)!


The following Scriptures give us an idea why some scholars believe true born-again Christians will not become apostates:


John 10:28
Jesus says that no one can snatch His people out of His hand.


Ephesians 1:13
Ephesians 4:30
2 Corinthians 1:21
2 Corinthians 5:5
Those who have accepted Jesus are sealed by the Holy Spirit.


Scholars who believe true born-again Christians will not completely fall away use these passages to support the idea that true believers cannot lose their salvation, because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and no one can snatch us out of Jesus' hand.


1 John 2:3-11 contrasts those who live in Jesus (true believers) and those who claim to live in Jesus (apparent Christians).


The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-13)
This parable speaks not just of apparent Christians. It also speaks of apparent conversions!


Pastor Terry Gray believes the 5 characteristics of true believers described above can be experienced by non-believers without them becoming true Christians:


For example...


Enlighten = to be given Light, to be exposed to the Truth When we evangelize to others, they are exposed to the Truth. We all know that just because we have heard the Truth does not mean we automatically become followers of Christ.


Taste the Heavenly gift (Jesus) = to experience Jesus and his blessings
There were plenty of people during Jesus' time who were blessed by Jesus but chose to go against Him anyway. If that happened when Jesus was present, how would things fare better without Jesus today?



John 16
Jesus says that the Holy Spirit convicts us all, even unbelievers, of their need for Jesus.


Taste the good word of God = experience the bible
Taste the age to come = experience miracles


Examples of people who can experience the above and still refuse Jesus:


1. Herod loved to listen to John the Baptist preach but still beheaded John.


2. Judas was Jesus' disciple (part of the chosen 12!) for years and still chose to walk with Satan.


3. 1st generation Israelites who made it out of Egypt


4. The Pharisees went as far as to accuse Jesus that he got his powers from Satan. At this point, Jesus told them they had crossed the line. Sins can be forgiven but the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit cannot. This is what Pastor Terry Gray believe is being discussed in Hebrews 6:4.


The unpardonable sin: man's complete rejection of God under full exposure to light.


In sum, the progression of a Christian's life should include...
Growth: Leave elementary matters and grow
Fruit: Christians should bear fruit. Those who do not receive the Word ("rain") will not (and bear only "thorns") (Hebrews 6:7) 
Good works (Hebrews 6:10) 
Endurance: Christians persevere through difficulties (Hebrews 6:11)




GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES (Hebrews 6:13-20)


Hebrews 6:17 
God's counsel is immutable, unchangeable, cannot be revoked. When God makes a promise, the promise cannot be changed. His promises are absolutely rock steady and reliable.


Examples:
Numbers 23:19
Psalm 119


Hebrews 6:18
God cannot lie. There are things that God cannot do because of His characteristics. God is perfect. He cannot sin. He cannot lie. He cannot cheat. Therefore, when God makes a promise, He will follow through. We can thus rest assured in God's promises and hold on to them. God's promises are  more real and reliable than anything else we can obtain from this world.. Count on His promises to take us through anything. 


Hebrews 6:13-15 
God made a promise to Abraham (Genesis 12-22). God swore an oath. Since God is immutable, His oath is immutable. And because of this, God has shown us that when we place our trust in Him, we know what we are
getting: promises that will be fulfilled because God does not  lie. We can rely on God.


God's Oath:


Hebrews 6:18
In Jesus, we have refuge. 


Hebrews 6:19 
In Jesus, we have the absolute guarantees of hope. This hope is an anchor of the soul. Jesus is the anchor in our lives that prevents us from drifting. He keeps us steady. When we place our faith in Jesus, we are anchored to Heaven, to the throne of God. 


Philippians 3:20 
Our citizenship is in heaven.


Because of Jesus, we have an open access to God. We have Jesus as our great high priest, and God is our Father who keeps his promises. These facts should give us great encouragement to endure difficult times. We should remember and turn to God when we face difficult times. It is not easy, having to go through trials. But let us learn from the greats in the Bible. For example, Abraham and Sarah wanted a son and tried to do it their way. They got impatient waiting for God's timing and hurried it up. Their tactics did not end well. However, when it came time, Isaac was born according to God's timing, and Isaac carried out God's plan. It is not easy enduring difficulties, but we must allow God to work through us, as opposed to forcing God to work for us. And that is what it means to place our faith in God--To just trust that He will take care of us, no matter the circumstances.

Hebrews 5

Jesus Christ is Our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-5:11)


A high priest... (Hebrews 5:1-4)
1. Has to be a man
2. Represents men before God
3. Atones for our sins through sacrificial offerings
4. Has to be compassionate and understanding (for even the high priest is only human and is thus subject to weakness)
5. Has to be called by God


Jesus was called to be our high priest (Hebrews 5:5-8):
1. Jesus was called by God.
2. Jesus was designated a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
3. Jesus was a man (Hebrews 5:7 speaks of His reincarnation).
4. Jesus learned experientially what it meant to obey, pray, and love God. (Although Jesus was God, when He became man, He willingly put aside His Godly powers and lived as man and never once used those powers as man. He therefore knew what it meant to suffer, for He suffered the worst for us. Jesus suffered not only persecution from ungodly men but also God's wrath for mankind for us!)
5. Jesus offered himself up as the ultimate and supreme sacrifice to atone for the sins of man forever.


(We will address the difference between the priesthoods of Aaron, Levites, and Melchizedek in Hebrews 7.)


Are we growing up? (Hebrews 5:12-14)


Just as we physically mature from babies to adults, we need to mature spiritually.


Immature Christians...
1. Are unskilled and ignorant of the word of God. "Milk" represents the first principles, the basics. Immature Christians never move beyond the milk; they never gain a deeper understanding of the Word beyond the basics.
2. Cannot discern between living righteously and wickedly. They consume everything, good and bad. They have no idea what is good and what is evil. They cannot discern between good and bad doctrine. Why? Because they have never gained a deeper understanding of the Word beyond the basics!
3. Contributes little to the work of the Lord.
4. Are dependent on others for their growth.


Note that if we are just beginning to establish our relationship with Jesus, it is absolutely reasonable for us to be immature Christians. We all have to start out as babies! However, if we never progressed, if we never move beyond the diapers, so to speak, then our immaturity represents stunted growth. Just as babies cannot effectively protect themselves from the world, if we never move beyond spiritual immaturity, we, too, will not effectively protect ourselves from Satanic and demonic attacks.


Mature Christians...
1. Are skilled in the way of righteousness. They have moved on to the "meat" of God's Word, the deeper principles of God's Word.
2. Discern between good and evil. Jesus warned us to be aware of false teachers. How do we do that? Know the Word.
3. Contributes to others; shares with others. Mature Christians can guide younger Christians. As young Christians, we benefit much from mature Christians. As we mature, we, too, can start reaching out to the in-coming young Christians and pass on what we have learned.

Revelation 7

Revelation 7
Sealing the 144,000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GtDDxKyDD4


“For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 7:17)
- Sealed Servants (144,000 from 12 Tribes) (Revelation 7:1-8)
- Saved Servants (from out of the Tribulation) (Revelation 7:9-17)


The 12 Tribes of Israel (Jacob)
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun (from Leah)
Dan, Naphtali (from Bilhah)
Gad, Asher (from Zilpah)
Joseph = Manasseh and Ephraim, Benjamin (from Rachel)


The Myth of the “10 Lost Tribes”
- There is no real Biblical basis for this. In fact, the Bible speaks otherwise: Epistles of James and 1 Peter all refer to the 12 Tribes.
- There are prophecies that speak of the 12 Tribes (If the Tribes are lost, why would the prophecies speak of them?): Genesis 49 (by Jacob); Deuteronomy 33 (by Moses)
- This myth is based on a misconception derived from the misreading of passages, such as 2 Kings 17:7-23, 2 Chronicles 6:6-11.


Israelite Kingdom Divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms
- 930 BC: Jeroboam rules the Northern Kingdom from his capital in Samaria (1 Kings 11:43-12:33).
- When Jeroboam turned the Northern Kingdom to idolatry, the Levites (and others who desired to remain faithful migrated south to Rehoboam) (2 Chronicles 11:14-17).
- Even before the Assyrian captivity, substantial numbers from the northern tribes remained loyal to the house of David (1 Kings 12:16-20; 2 Chronicles 11:16-17).
- Many of these people repudiated the Northern Kingdom and united with the Southern Kingdom in a common alliance to the house of David and to worship the Lord (2 Chronicles 19:4; 30:1, 10, 11, 25, 26; 34:5-7, 22; 35:17-18).
- Horrified that Jeroboam set up a rival religion with the golden calf worship at Bethel and Dan, many Northerners moved south, knowing that the only place acceptable to God was the Temple of Mt. Moriah (Deuteronomy 12:5-7; 16:2-6; Isaiah 18:7).
- Just like those who moved to the south for theological reasons, there were also those who favored idolatry that migrated north to Jeroboam.
- There was a lot of co-mingling of people between the different regions that were originally assigned to each specific 12 Tribes of Israel: When Asa reigned as king in the Southern Kingdom, another group of people came into the south from the Northern Kingdom (2 Chronicles 15:9).
- Years after the deportation by Assyria, King Hezekiah of Judah issued a call to all Israel to come and worship in Jerusalem and celebrate Passover (2 Chronicles 30:5-21). The call was to ALL Israel—not the Northern or the Southern Kingdom or the 10 lost Tribes, etc.
- 80 years later, King Josiah of Judah also issued a call, and an offering for the temple was received from “Manasseh and Ephraim and all the remnant of Israel…” (2 Chronicles 34:9).
- The point is, due to the long-term co-mingling of the 12 tribes (that is, for example, people of the Tribe of Manasseh didn’t just stay within the boundaries of their allotted land but moved according to theological, political, or other reasons), there are representatives of each of the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Southern Kingdom.


All 12 Tribes were represented in the Southern Kingdom
- God addresses the 12 Tribes in the south: “Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin…” (2 Chronicles 11:3) That is, all of Israel is represented in Judah and Benjamin (the Southern Kingdom).
- The “Tribe of Judah” is sometimes used idiomatically for the Southern Kingdom (2 Kings 17:18; Cf. 1 Kings 11:13, 32, etc.)
- When encountering tribal designations, it is important to distinguish between 1) the territories allocated to the tribes and 2) the people themselves. For example, a Californian can mean either a person from California or someone who lives in California. The same word is used to describe two people who can have different origins.


The Northern Kingdom Falls
- 724 BC: Shalmaneser V besieged Samaria 3 years (2 Kings 18:2). Note that Samaria is the capitol city of Israel.
- 721 BC: Sargon II seized power.
- The Assyrians implemented their infamous policy of mixing conquered people to keep them from organizing a revolt. Their tactic was to mix cultures and peoples so the entire population as a whole would be less likely to rebel. Israelite captives were mixed with Persians and Gentiles, etc.; strangers from far-off lands were resettled in Samaria. This allowed the mixing of Jews and Gentiles, giving forth to the Samaritans, the “half-blood” Jews that “pure-blood” Jews disdain (John 4) (pictured vividly in the New Testament but disapproved by Jesus).


The Babylonians Take Over
- 722 BC: When the Northern Kingdom went into captivity all 12 Tribes were also represented in the Southern Kingdom.
- 586 BC: When the Babylonians took the Southern Kingdom into captivity, members of all 12 Tribes of Israel were involved.
- Isaiah, prophesying to Judah, refers to them as the “House of Jacob, which is called by the name of Israel…” (Isaiah 48:1, 12-14)


Israelites and Jews
- Even before the death of Rehoboam, God looked upon all as a unity, seeing “all Israel in Judah and Benjamin” (2 Chronicles 11:3)
- After the Babylonian captivity, the terms Jew and Israelite are used interchangeably: Ezra calls the returning remnant “Jews” 8 times, “Israel” 40 times; Ezra speaks of “All Israel” (Ezra 2:70; 3:11; 8:35; 10:24); Nehemiah call them Jews 11 times, Israel 22 times; Nehemiah speaks of “all Israel being back in the land” (Nehemiah 12:47); the remnant who returned from Babylon is represented as “the nation” (Malachi 1:1)


God knows where those “10 lost Tribes” are
- In the New Testament, God is said to have offered Himself to the nation, “the lost sheep of the House of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24).
- The New Testament speaks of “Israel” 75 times and “Jew” 174 times, and the two terms are used interchangeably (Acts 21:39; 22:3; Romans 11:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Philemon 3:5).
- The 12 Tribes were mentioned in Acts 26:7 and James 1:1. These apostles were not aware of the “10 lost Tribes.”
Israelites know their tribal identity
- Anna knew she was from the Tribe of Asher (Luke 2:30). She was living in Jerusalem, yet she was from a tribe in the Northern Kingdom back in the day.
- Paul knew he was of the Tribe of Benjamin. Paul called himself a Jew and a Israelite (Romans 11:1).
- Peter cries, “Ye men of Judea” (Acts 2:14), “Ye men of Israel” (Acts 2:22), and “All the house of Israel” (Acts 2:36). Peter used these three terms interchangeably.


Israel is prophesied to be re-gathered as one
- The Dry Bones Vision declares Judah and Israel shall be joined as one in the re-gathering (Ezekiel 37:16-17, 21-22).
- This is true today.


The Tribe of Dan is not included in the 12 Tribes of Revelation 7
- Jacob prophesied about the Tribe of Dan as “a serpent” (Genesis 49:17), giving it a hint of Satanic influences.
- Moses prophesied that the Tribe of Dan will “leap from Bashan” (Deuteronomy 33:22). The Tribe of Dan had gone astray from Israel long before being taken over by the Assyrians. For example, because they could not manage the land allotted to them by God (which was originally near the Tribe of Benjamin, in the south), they moved up to the very northern part of all the Tribes (Judges 18). Also, in the book of Judges, we see Deborah admonishing the Tribe of Dan for not helping Israel fight the battle. The Tribe of Dan wouldn’t even get off the boat (Judges 5:17)!
- The Tribe of Dan is omitted from genealogies detailing the 12 Tribes of Israel in 1 Chronicles 1-8.
- The Tribe of Dan is not sealed in the Tribulation (Revelation 7).
- Dan is a tribe through which idolatry entered the land (Leviticus 24:10-16; Judges 18:1-2, 30-31).
- Dan is a tribe that led in apostasy under Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:28-30) and also again 100 years later (2 Kings 10:29).
- The Tribe of Dan was called the “Voice of Calamity” (Jeremiah 4:14; Amos 8:14).
- The Tribe of Dan was called a curse (Jeremiah 8:16).
- God has made it clear that idolaters, including tribes of idolaters, would have their names be blotted out (Deuteronomy 29:18-21). Perhaps the Tribe of Dan has been blotted out?
- However, the Tribe of Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel (Genesis 49:16) and will inherit land in the Millennium (Ezekiel 48:1).
- Hence, it appears that the Tribe of Dan will not be protected during the Tribulation, but those who survive the hard way will inherit these blessings.


The Tribe of Ephraim is also not included in the 12 Tribes of Revelation 7
- The Tribe of Joseph can be broken down to the Tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, because Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons as his own. Since Manasseh is one of the 12 Tribes protected through the Tribulation, then one would expect Ephraim to also be represented (to fully represent the Tribe of Joseph). However, Joseph is another one of the 12 Tribes protected instead, leaving out Ephraim. Why?
- Ephraim was also associated with jeroboam’s idolatry (Hosea 4:17). The golden calf in Bethel was located in Ephraim.


The Tribulation Saints are not the same as the 24 Elders (Revelation 7:14)
- Both the Tribulation Saints and the 24 Elders are redeemed, but they represent two different groups.
- The Tribulation Saints are those who served the Lord faithfully and martyred for their faith in the Lord. Although the Holy Spirit will be removed upon the Rapture, these saints will still be able to do God’s work because the Holy Spirit work through the Two Witnesses and also the 144,000 Jewish remnants who will then become hot for Jesus.
- The 24 Elders include those who served the Lord faithfully up to the Rapture.


The Tribulation Saints
- Not crowned
- Palms in their hands
- Saved “out of” the Tribulation
- Stand BEFORE thrones
- Serve Him day and night
- Not recognized by John (one of the Elders had to explain to John who they were; this suggests that John is not among the Tribulation Saints—another nugget to support the pre-Tribulation Rapture theory)


The 24 Elders
- Crowned
- Harps, no palms, in their hands
- “Kept out of the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10)
- Sit on thrones (1 Corinthians 6:2-3; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6)
- Reign as kings and priests (1 Corinthians 6:2-3; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6)

Scientists with faulty assumptions make faulty conclusions

My thoughts:
I think one of the most dangerous things to do in life is to assume things to be true just because other people believe it's true. Adults often get annoyed at children who ask one too many "why" questions. Why is that? I've found the case to generally be because they don't know the answers, and they could care less why. "That's just the way it is," they would often say. So, I side with the children. I applaud their curiosity and inquisitiveness. And I hope I never lose that, and I encourage everyone to never lose that. When we start taking things for granted, we stop thinking. And when we stop thinking, we start believing anything. If only Truth was determined by majority vote, right? Well, it's not. And therefore, just because 90% of the world believes that in a crash between a mortal human and a train, the man would win, that does not mean the man would actually walk out of that crash alive. In fact, if he did, people would gasp and call the event a miracle.


In science, to test a theory, the process involves 3 general steps: 1) We make an observation about something (say, Why do cancer cells proliferate better than normal cells?); 2) we make a hypothesis about the observation (say, Cancer cells proliferate better because they can circumvent signals to die); and then 3) we create models to best reflect the natural environment so that we can conduct experiments to test whether our hypothesis is correct.


The key word here is "model." The model is not the real thing. For example, a drug tested in a mouse model may work beautifully, but when it is administered to humans, the drug no longer performs as expected. Going back to the cancer hypothesis above, many experiments are done in cell line models or animal models. As a fellow researcher, I can assure you all that we do our best to use models that best reflect reality, but at the end of the day, there are limitations. The easiest way to think about those limitations is this: In terms of cancer drugs, testing in humans would be testing in THE natural environment. Obviously, that is not morally possible. Even if it was, certain humans react differently to the same drug. This means, even if we are able to run experiments in humans, the results are at best an average, expected result. It may work beautifully for individual A, it may not work for individual B, and it may end up killing individual C. Hence, no matter how we look at science, every scientist is well aware of the limitations of their experiments. If they are not, then I would not trust any conclusion they draw from their results.


Why do I bother talking about this? The article below discusses the theory of evolution. We come across words like, "assumptions." We may not think too much of it and just keep reading right along, but I'm asking us not do that.


Assumptions are an inevitable part of creating a model. When scientists construct a model to test hypotheses, we must make assumptions in order for the model to work. Going back again to the cancer problem above, by testing drugs in mouse models, we're making the assumption that drug metabolism in a mouse is the same in a human. There is nothing wrong with making assumptions, as long as we take them into consideration when we interpret our results. For example, if the drugs worked in a mouse but not in the human, we don't immediately conclude the drug doesn't work. We remember that mice and humans are different, and we then seek what is preventing the drug to work in humans. If we can discover the reason, we may potentially discover another molecule to target in the treatment against cancer.


As we read the article, I ask that we ask questions. Ask a lot of why questions. Think about the assumptions these models are making, look at the data provided, and ask "Would I come to the same conclusions?" Why or why not?


One of my professors once said that experimental data are meaningless. It is our job as scientists to interpret those data into meaningful conclusions. Otherwise, data are nothing but numbers and statistics. What this means is, if scientists do not objectively interpret experimental data, the conclusions they come up with can be dangerously misleading. And if the general public just believes anything handed to them by scientists, then scientists can easily deceive the public and move crowds to where they want them to. (Examples: Do cellular phones cause brain tumors? Does drinking diet soda cause cancer? Think critically and look at the experimental data. Remember to keep the assumptions made about the models in mind. And you will discover the answer yourself.)


Enough of my preamble, let us analyze the article below:




The Illusion Of The Cladogram
from the May 29, 2012 eNews issue
(Visit Koinonia House for a FREE subscription)


Most of modern scientists assume that all life today evolved from single-celled organisms over the past several billion years.


Since that assumption is pretty settled for the majority, biologists don’t bother questioning it. Instead, they assume it to be true, and spend time trying to figure out the evolutionary relationships of animals. What is the nearest common ancestor of both the frog and the newt? What are the ancestors of modern birds and how did they gain the ability to fly? How is this animal related to that animal, and where do they both fit in the evolutionary family tree?


Enter cladograms.


A cladogram is simply a branched, tree-like diagram that is used to put evolutionary relationships in order. Plants or animals are arranged along the branches according to the order in which they evolved from common ancestors. Cladograms can be useful in sorting out closely related creatures….provided there actually is a relationship.


The study of cladistics is based on the concept that animals with similar structures and body parts are related. (Me: This is another way of stating an assumption of the experimental model!) All vertebrates have a backbone, therefore evolutionists assume they all descended from a common ancestor with a backbone. Organisms are placed onto different branches based on similar characteristics, called "characters." Characters might include number of toes or number of sacral vertebrae. They might be, "has a jaw" or "chisel-like teeth". Characters can get very specific, like "Bifurcated neural spine in cervical vertebrae." The more similar characteristics different organisms have, the more closely they are considered related.


It would be nice for evolutionary theory if the taxa being placed on a cladogram lined up nice and neatly, step-by-step. But, that’s often not the case. Let’s say organisms A, B, and C are being ordered on the cladogram based on four different characters. If A had characters #1 and #2, B had characters #1, #2, and #3, and Organism C had characters #1, #2, #3, and, #4, it would be reasonable to say that C evolved from B, and B evolved from A in neat and tidy single-transition steps.


In real life, cladograms are not so simple. What if organism A has characters #1, #2, and #3, B has characters #1, #3, and #4, and C has #2 and #4? Which organism came first? Which came second?


If A is presumed to be the oldest organism of the three, then a significant bit of wriggling has to be done to demonstrate an evolutionary relationship; C has to lose characters 1# and #3, B has to lose character #2, and B and C both need a hypothetical transitional ancestor who possesses character #4. If you make C the oldest organism of the group, you have the same kinds of problems. Any way you work it, at least one organism has to lose a character and gain another for them to have been connected in the evolutionary past. 


The loss or gain of characters is called a "transition." In making a cladogram, all the possible arrangements are worked out, and the arrangement with the fewest total transitions is called "parsimonious."


Cladograms are an excellent tool for categorizing organisms according to shared and unshared characteristics. They cannot prove evolution, though, for several reasons:


1. Cladograms are notably free of true transitional forms. 
They are full of organisms with alleged common ancestors, but those common ancestors are never available for examination. In his article "Creationists Are 'Liars' (?)", Tas Walker analyzes a cladogram by Kevin Padian, and points out: the serious dearth of true transitional forms available for the diagram (after 150 years of looking for them.):


"So, does this diagram demonstrate that evolution is a fact as Padian claims? Let's look at the evidence. Is there evidence for the animals shown on the tips of the cladogram? Yes, lots of it. We have many examples of ray-finned fish, lungfish and living tetrapods. And we have fossil evidence of the other animals shown, such as tiktaalik. So the evidence exists and it is at the tips of the cladogram, or the tips of the bush.

"Do we have evidence of the common ancestors that are indicated by the intersection of the lines on the cladogram? For example, do we have evidence of the common ancestor that gave rise to the living tetrapods and fossil tulerpeton, as required by the intersection of their lines? No, we don’t. What about where the other lines intersect, do we have examples of those common ancestors? No, we have none at all."

Walter ReMine notes something similar in his book, The Biotic Message:

"Illusion is created with tree-structured imagery, such as cladograms and phenograms. These are said to be evidence for evolution, but they do not identify a single ancestor-descendant relationship."

Evolutionists will say that certain characters are more prone to rapid evolutionary change - change that hasn't been preserved in the fossil record, or are prone to converge with unrelated lineages, or have simply not yet been found just yet. The reality is that these scientists are still making up reasons for why they don’t have all the transitional forms they'd hoped for.

2. Cladograms give the illusion of relationship without any real evidence.

While evolutionists seek to find the most "parsimonious" path of evolution when constructing a cladogram, they are still choosing which characters to compare – and therefore are placing organisms in a specific order on the diagram - according to their opinions. Four cladograms constructed by four different scientists can give four different results.

In Padian’s cladogram on the origin of tetrapods, he shows the number of digits on the limbs of organisms in the lineup drop from 8 digits to 7 digits to 6 digits. If one just read that on paper, it could sound convincing. Yet a good look at the actual limbs that those 8,7, and 6 digits belong to show three very different skeletal structures. The humerus bones of the creatures get fat, then thin, then fat again. The radius and ulna bones go from relatively small, to large, then back to small and thin again. There are other ways in which these animals could be logically arranged. (That these bones even have the names "humerus" or "radius" and "ulna" is a human decision, an effort to find similarities between all vertebrates. The massive differences between the creatures, like the fact that the "distal elements" of the various organisms are all quite distinct from each other, doesn’t seem to bother Padian.)

3. It’s nigh impossible to falsify a cladogram, because reversals are allowed.

One organism in the order can gain a character, the next can lose it, and the next one can pick up that character again in order to make the cladogram "work". As John Jackson points out, "Lineages of animals have a way of evolving a feature, then removing it, and then re-evolving it again, in a way they have often had to be spoken to about."

Evolutionists who accept evolution as a fact a priori may not have a problem with reversals, because they believe that evolution is a driving force in nature. But for anybody skeptical of Darwinian evolution’s ability to produce brand new characters in the first place, reversals present a massive problem. To insist that the same character has evolved independently in different creatures, not just once but twice or three times, comes off as absolutely ludicrous. And since it can’t be proven by the fossil record, there is no legitimate scientific reason to accept it.

Cladograms can be a useful tool in categorizing animals, especially those that are truly closely related. The genetic code obviously allows plenty of variability for the adaption of plants and animals to different environments. However, cladograms only prove distant evolutionary relationships to those who already believe that organisms are all ultimately related. If one believes that the similarities between different plant and animal groups are due to specific engineering by a great Designer, then cladograms don't prove much.

Related Links:
• Padian's Cladogram On The Origin Of Tetrapods - GeoTimes
• Problems With The Use of Cladistic Analysis In Palaeoanthropology. - US National Library of Medicine
• Does A 'Transitional Form' Replace One Gap With Two Gaps? - The Journal Of Creation
• What Is Cladistics? - Mike Taylor
• Birds of a Feather - Science Against Evolution
• Basics of Cladistic Analysis - George Washington University

Isaiah 13-24

Bible study with Terry Gray


Isaiah 13-24
These chapters describe God's judgments against hostile nations surrounding Israel at the time of Isaiah around 740 BC.


740 BC
The Assyrian empire was the power to beat. They were located in what is today northern Iraq, which is northeast of Israel. They came southeast to Israel, conquering neighboring nations along the way. Judgments pronounced in Isaiah 13 were fulfilled by the Assyrian Empire.


TO BABYLON: Isaiah 13:1-14:23; 21:1-10
Babylon would be and was judged by the Medo-Persian empire. What was once the greatest city in the world is now laying in waste today.


TO ASSYRIA: Isaiah14:24-26
100 years after Isaiah wrote this prophecy, it was fulfilled. 


TO PHILISTIA: Isaiah 14:28-32
Philistia is southeast of Israel and includes some of today's Gaza Strip. Goliath was from Philistia.


The Philistines rejoiced whenever there is trouble in Israel. They make constant trouble for Israel. Philistia was indeed destroyed by famine and smoke (aka, the Assyrian Empire) (Isaiah 14:30-31).


Palestine is the Latin word for Philistia.


TO MOAB: Isaiah 15-16
Moab is east of Israel, in present day Jordan. The Moabites came from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters. Moabites were hostile toward Israelites, although they tried to maintain a better relationship with the Israelites for the sake of Lot.


Not all Moabites were bad: Ruth was a Moabite.


Isaiah 16:14
As predicted by Isaiah, 3 years after this prophecy was given, Moab was destroyed by the Assyrians.


TO SYRIA: Isaiah 17
Syria was represented by Damascus. Syria is northeast of Israel, where modern day Syria is. It had teamed up with the Assyrians to go against Judah.


Isaiah 17:1-4
Damascus was destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC


Isaiah 17:1-3
Damascus still stands today. In fact, it was beat up pretty bad by the Assyrians, but it was rebuilt. Paul even traveled to Damascus during His mission (Acts 9).


Therefore, this prophecy has yet been completely fulfilled. Damascus will be totally destroyed during the second coming of Christ. (Keep in mind though, that there is nothing to say that it wouldn't be completely destroyed before then.)


TO ETHIOPIA (Cush): Isaiah 18
Ethiopia is in the same location today as it was back then. Back then, however, it was a much bigger nation (which included Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and parts of Southern Egypt).


This is one of the most difficult chapters to understand.


Here is what most people think: In preparation for the powerful invasion of Assyrians from the north, Ethiopia sent ambassadors all over the world to form alliances against Assyria. Ethiopia wanted Judah to join them to fight against Assyria. However, God did not want Judah to join any alliance, because God alone is enough to take care of Judah.


One day, however, Ethiopians will bring homage to the LORD (Isaiah 18:7).


It is uncertain whether this actually happened. There is no record. Some believe this was fulfilled by the Church age. There is currently a vibrant church in Ethiopia.


Could this passage be talking about Acts 8:26-40?


Acts 8:26-40
The Holy Spirit sent Philip out from Jerusalem. On this trip, Philip met an Ethiopian. The Ethiopian was on a mission to offer homage to the Lord. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Philip explained Isaiah 53:7-8 to the Ethiopian. The Ethiopian was saved and started the Church movement that has lasted to this day.


TO EGYPT: Isaiah 19-20


Isaiah 19:1-5
Egypt indeed went through a civil war and declined, as prophesied. They were judged because of how they treated Judah.


Isaiah 19:16-25
Egypt will be restored. There will be a national revival of Egypt. Egypt will turn to the living God. Egypt and Assyria will form a trade route. The two nation will exist with Israel in harmony, worshiping God together.


These events have obviously not happened yet. These events will be fulfilled upon the second coming of Jesus. All nations will live in peace during Jesus' reign on Earth.


TO EDOM: Isaiah 21:11-12
Edom is now part of modern day Jordan. Edomites were descendants of Esau.


"The night"
The Assyrian empire was suppressing the Edomites, and they wondered when it would be over. God told them it would be over, but the night will return, which scholars propose it to be in the form of Babylon. The Lord therefore told them to return to Him, to repent.


TO ARABIA: Isaiah 21:13-17
Arabia is modern day Saudi Arabia.


TO JERUSALEM: Isaiah 22
Jerusalem is the Southern Kingdom of Judah.


Isaiah 22:15-19
Shebna was indeed cast out, as prophesied.


Isaiah 22:20-24
Jerusalem will remain blind until the end of days--and indeed, it still is. When Jesus ascended into Heaven after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit was sent out to the world (Acts 1:7-9; 2:1-4), just as prophesied in Isaiah 22:20-21.


TO TYRE: Isaiah 23
Tyre is modern day Lebanon and was one of the most important port cities back then.


The Assyrian Empire, as prophesied by Isaiah, will destroy Tyre. This chapter is a preview of what is going to happen in the last days, leading up to the second coming of Jesus.


ISAIAH'S APOCALYPSE EVENTS: Isaiah 24
These events have never been fulfilled in history. When the above 10 nations are completely judged, God will then judge the earth, which will take place during the 7-year Tribulation.


Isaiah 24:23
After all the judgment, Jesus comes and reigns. It will be a kingdom of peace and joy for a thousand years. Hallelujah! Satan has been allowed to run free and cause endless chaos long enough.