Author: Ragnar

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Leo in the Ancient Zodiac

In today’s horoscope if you are born between July 24 and August 23 you are a Leo, Latin for lion.  In this modern astrology horoscope reading of the ancient zodiac, you follow the horoscope advice for Leo to find love, good luck, health, and gain insight on your personality.

But how did the ancients read Leo? What did it mean to them?

Be Warned! Answering this will open up your horoscope in unexpected ways- embarking you on a different journey then you intended when just checking your horoscope sign…

Astrology of the Leo Constellation

Here is a picture of the star constellation that forms Leo.  Can you see anything resembling a lion in the stars?

Photo of Leo star constellation. Can you see a lion?

Even if we connect the stars in Leo with lines it is still hard to ‘see’ a lion.

Leo Constellation with stars joined by lines and named

Here is a National Geographic poster of the zodiac, showing Leo in the Northern Hemisphere.

National Geographic star chart with Leo circled

How did people first come up with a Lion from this? But Leo goes back as far as we know in human history.

As with all the other zodiac constellations, the image of Leo is not obvious from the constellation itself. It is not innate within the star constellation. Rather, the idea of the Lion came first. The first astrologers then overlaid this idea onto the stars to be a recurring sign.

Why?

What did it mean to the ancients?

Leo in the Zodiac

Here are some common astrology images of Leo.

Leo in the Stars
Leo ready to pounce

Consider the zodiac in the Dendera Temple of Egypt with Leo circled in red.

Leo in the Ancient Dendera Zodiac of Egypt

Leo in the Ancient Story

We saw in Virgo that the Bible states that God made the constellations. He gave them for guidance before written revelation. Adam and his sons taught them to their children to instruct them of God’s Plan.

Leo concludes the story.  So even if you are ‘not’ a Leo in the modern horoscope sense, the ancient astrological story of Leo is worth knowing.

Original meaning of Leo

In the Old Testament, Jacob gave this prophecy of the tribe of Judah

You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. Genesis 49:9-10

Genesis 49:9-10

Jacob declared that a ruler will come, a ‘he’ pictured as a lion. His rule would include ‘the nations’ and he would come from the tribe of Judah of Israel. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah and was anointed the Christ. But in that coming he did not pick up the ruler’s scepter. He is saving that for his next coming when he will come like a Lion to rule. This is what Leo pictured from the earliest times.

The Victorious Lion

Looking to this coming, the writings describe the Lion as the only one worthy to open the sacred scroll.

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Revelation 5: 1-5

The Lion triumphed over his enemy at his first coming and so now is able to open seals that usher in the End. We see this in the ancient Zodiac by noting Leo over his enemy Hydra the Serpent.

Lion Leo trampling the Serpent at Ancient Dendera
Leo pouncing on Hydra in Medieval Painting
Sketch of Constellations. Leo is going to seize the head of the Serpent

The Conclusion of the Zodiac Story

The intent of the Lion’s struggle with the Serpent was not simply to defeat him, but to rule. The writings picture the rule of the Lion with these words.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. Revelation 21:1-7

Revelation 21:1-7

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:22-27

Revelation 21:22-27

In this vision we see the fulfillment and completion of the Zodiac. We see the bride and her husband; God and his children – the double-sided picture image in Gemini. We see the river of water – promised in Aquarius. The old order of death – pictured by the bands around Pisces – is no more. The Lamb dwells there – pictured in Aries, and the resurrected people – pictured with Cancer – live with Him. The scales of Libra now balance since ‘nothing impure will ever enter’. We see the Kings of all the nations there as well, ruling under the authority of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Messiah – beginning as the seed of Virgo, and at the End revealed as the Lion.

The Hostages of the Zodiac Story

A question remains. Why did the Lion not simply destroy Satan the serpent at the very beginning? Why go through all the Zodiac chapters? When Jesus faced his adversary Scorpio he marked that hour with:

Now is the hour (horo) for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

John 12:31

The prince of this world, Satan, was using us as human shields. When confronted with a powerful military force terrorists will often take cover behind civilians. This creates a dilemma for the police in that they might kill the civilians while they take out the terrorists. When Satan succeeded in tempting Adam and Eve he created a human shield for himself. Satan knew that The Creator is absolutely just and if he punished sin then, to be righteous in his judgment, he must judge all sin. If God destroyed Satan, then Satan (which means The Accuser) could simply accuse us of our own wrongdoing, requiring our judgment along with him.

To look at it in another way, our disobedience brought us into Satan’s legal control. If God destroyed him then He would have to destroy us also because we also were caught up in Satan’s disobedience.

The Need for Rescue before Judgment

So we needed rescuing from Satan’s demand that any judgment on him must also come upon us. We needed ransoming from our sin. The Gospel explains it like this:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

Ephesians 2:1-3

OUR Ransom NOW PAID

In his sacrifice pictured in Capricorn Jesus took that wrath upon himself. He paid the ransom so we could go free.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesian 2: 4-9

God never intended the Judgment of Hell for people. He prepared it for Satan. But if he judges the devil for his rebellion then He must do the same for those not ransomed.

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:41

Our Way of Escape now Made

This is why Jesus achieved a great victory at the cross. He freed us from the legal right that Satan had over us. He can now strike Satan without having to also strike us. But we must choose to take this escape from Satan’s dominion. Leo is currently holding back from striking the serpent so that people can escape from that Judgment.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

This is why we find ourselves today still waiting for the final strike against Satan, pictured in Sagittarius, and still waiting for the final Judgment, pictured in Taurus. But the writings warn us.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 2 Peter 3: 10

2 Peter 3: 10

The Leo Horoscope in the Ancient Writings

Horoscope comes from the Greek ‘Horo’ (hour) and means the marking (skopus) of special hours or times.  The Writings mark the Leo hour (horo) in the following way.

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour (horo) has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Romans 13:11

This declares that we are like people sleeping in a building that is burning up. We need to wake up! This is the hour (horo) to wake up because Leo is coming. The roaring Lion will strike and destroy Satan and all still in his legal dominion.

Your Leo Horoscope Reading

You can apply the Leo Horoscope reading in this way

Leo tells you that yes, there are scoffers who, scoff and following their own evil desires. They say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that God has and will judge and then everything in this world will be destroyed. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of person ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise you need to look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation for you and those around you. Since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.

The Ancient Zodiac Story began with Virgo.

To go deeper in the written story of Leo see:

Download PDF of the Zodiac chapters as a book

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Why did a Good God create a Bad Devil?

The Bible says that it was the devil (or Satan) in the form of a serpent who temped Adam and Eve to sin and brought about their fall.  But this raises an important question:  Why did God create a ‘bad’ devil (which means ‘adversary’) to corrupt His good creation?

Lucifer – The Shining One

In fact, the Bible says that God created a powerful, intelligent, and beautiful spirit  who was chief among all angels. His name was Lucifer (meaning ‘Shining One’) – and he was very good.  But Lucifer also had a will with which he could freely choose.  A passage in Isaiah 14 records the choice he made:

How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the North.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”

Isaiah 14:12-14

Lucifer, like Adam, faced a decision.  He could accept that God was God or he could choose to be his own ‘god’.  His repeated “I wills” show that he chose to defy God and declare himself to be ‘Most High’. 

A passage in Ezekiel gives a parallel description of the fall of Lucifer:

You were in Eden, the garden of God.
…  I ordained and anointed you
as the mighty angelic guardian.
You had access to the holy mountain of God
and walked among the stones of fire.
“You were blameless in all you did
from the day you were created
until the day evil was found in you.
… and you sinned.
So I banished you in disgrace
from the mountain of God.
I expelled you, O mighty guardian,
from your place among the stones of fire.
Your heart was filled with pride
because of all your beauty.
Your wisdom was corrupted
by your love of splendor.
So I threw you to the ground.

Ezekiel 28:13-17

Lucifer’s beauty, wisdom and power – all the good things created in him by God – led to pride.  His pride led to his rebellion, but he never lost any of his power and abilities.  He is now leading a cosmic revolt against his Creator to see who will be God.  His strategy was to enlist mankind to join him. He did so by tempting them to the same choice that he made: become autonomous from God and defy Him.  The heart of Adam’s temptation was the same as Lucifer’s. It was just presented differently.  They both chose to be ‘god’ to themselves.

Satan – working through others

The passage in Isaiah speaks to the ‘King of Babylon’ and the Ezekiel passage speaks to the ‘King of Tyre’.  But from the descriptions given it is clear they do not speak to humans.  The “I wills” in Isaiah describe someone thrown to the earth in punishment for wanting to place his throne above that of God.  The passage in Ezekiel addresses an ‘angelic guardian’ who once moved in Eden and the ‘mountain of God’.  Satan (or Lucifer) often puts himself behind or through someone else.  In Genesis he speaks through the serpent.  In Isaiah he rules through the King of Babylon, and in Ezekiel he possesses the King of Tyre.

Why did Lucifer revolt against God?

But why did Lucifer want to challenge the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator?  Part of being ‘smart’ is to know whether or not you can defeat your opponent.  Lucifer may have power, but that would still be insufficient to defeat His Creator.  Why lose everything for something he could not win?  I would think that a ‘smart’ angel would have recognized his limitations against God – and hold back his revolt.  So why didn’t he? 

But consider that Lucifer could only believe that God was His all-powerful Creator by faith – the same as for us.  The Bible suggests that God created angels during creation week.  For example, a passage in Job tells us:

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:…

Job 38:1

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.

Job 38:4

…while the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels shouted for joy?

Job 38:7

Imagine that Lucifer was created, becoming sentient during creation week, somewhere in the universe. All he knows is that now he exists and is self-aware. Also another Being claims that He has created Lucifer and the universe. But how does Lucifer know that this claim is true?  Perhaps, this so-called creator had popped into existence in the stars just before Lucifer popped into existence. Since this ‘creator’ arrived earlier on the scene, he was (perhaps) more powerful and (perhaps) more knowledgeable than Lucifer. But then again maybe not.  Perhaps both he and the ‘creator’ just popped into existence simultaneously.  Lucifer could only accept God’s Word to him that He had created him, and that God himself was eternal and infinite. But in his pride he chose to believe his fantasy instead.

gods in our minds

Maybe you doubt that Lucifer could believe that both he and God (and the other angels) just ‘popped’ into existence.  But this is the same basic idea behind the latest thinking in modern cosmology.  There was a quantum fluctuation of nothing, and then out of this fluctuation the universe popped into existence. That is the essence of modern cosmology theories.  Fundamentally, everyone – from Lucifer to Richard Dawkins & Stephen Hawkings to you & me – must decide by faith whether the universe is self-contained or was created and sustained by a Creator God.

In other words, seeing is not believing.  Lucifer had seen and talked with God. But he still had to accept ‘by faith’ that God had created him.  Many people say that if God would just ‘appear’ to them, then they would believe.  However, in the Bible many people saw and heard God – but still did not take Him at His word.  ‘Seeing’ alone never resulted in trust. The issue was whether they would accept and trust His Word about Himself and themselves.  The fall of Lucifer is consistent with this.

What is the Devil doing today?

So, according to the Bible, God did not create a ‘bad devil’, but a beautiful, powerful and intelligent angelic being.   In pride he led a revolt against God – and in doing so was corrupted. Yet he retains his original splendor.  You, I and all of mankind have become part of the battleground in this contest between God and his ‘adversary’ (devil).  The devil’s strategy is not about wearing sinister black cloaks like ‘Black Riders’ in the Lord of the Rings. Nor does he put evil curses on us.  Instead he seeks to deceive us from the redemption that God has accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  As the Bible says:

Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15

Because Satan and his servants can masquerade as ‘light’ we are more easily tricked.  Perhaps this is why the Gospel always seems to run against our instincts and against all cultures.

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What is the History of the Jewish People?

Jews are one of the most ancient peoples in the world. The Bible, ancient historians outside the Bible, as well as archeology, all record their history. We have more facts about their history than that of any other nation. We will use this information to summarize their history.  To make the history of the Israelites (an Old Testament word for the Jewish people) easier to follow, we will use timelines.

Abraham: The Jewish Family Tree Begins

The timeline starts with Abraham. God promised that through him God would bless all nations. Then God tested him in the symbolic sacrifice of his son Isaac.  This was a sign pointing to Jesus by marking the future location of his sacrifice.  God then named Isaac’s son Israel.  The timeline continues in green when Israel’s descendants were slaves in Egypt. This period began with Joseph, son of Israel (the genealogy was: Abraham -> Isaac -> Israel (also known as Jacob) -> Joseph). He led the Israelites to Egypt, where later on the Egyptians enslaved them.

bible timeline with abraham and moses in history
Living in Egypt as slaves of Pharoah

Moses: The Israelites become a Nation under God

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt by the Passover Plague, which destroyed Egypt and allowed the Israelite Exodus from Egypt to the land of Israel. Before he died, Moses announced Blessings and Curses on the Israelites (when the timeline goes from green to yellow).  God would bless their obedience but curse them if they did not obey. These Blessings & Curses would follow the Jewish people ever after.

bible historical timeline from Abraham to david
Self-Rule as a confederation of Tribes with no king and no capital

For several hundred years the Israelites lived in their land but they did not have a King, nor did they have the capital city of Jerusalem. However, with King David at 1000 BCE this changed.

historical timeline Living with Davidic Kings ruling from Jerusalem
Kings of David ruling from Jerusalem

David establishes a Royal Dynasty at Jerusalem

David conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital city. He received the promise of a coming ‘Christ’. From that time on the Jewish people waited for the ‘Christ’ to come.  His son Solomon, rich and famous, succeeded him and built the First Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. The descendants of King David continued to rule for about 400 years. This was the period of Israelite glory – they had the promised Blessings.  They were a powerful nation; had an advanced society, rich culture, and a magnificent Temple. The timeline shows this period in aqua-blue (1000 – 600 BCE).

But the Old Testament also describes their growing corruption during this time.  Many prophets in this period warned the Israelites that the Curses of Moses would come if they did not repent. But the Isralite nation ignored their warnings.  During this time the Israelites divided into two separate kingdoms. There was the northern Kingdom of Israel or Ephraim, and the southern Kingdom of Judah. This is like Koreans today, one people split in two countries – North and South Korea.

The First Jewish Exile to Babylon

Finally around 600 BCE the Curses happened. Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful Babylonian King came just like Moses had predicted 900 years before when he wrote in his Curse:

The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. 51 They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or olive oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. 52 They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 28: 49-52)

Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, burned it, and destroyed the Temple that Solomon had built. He then exiled the Israelites to Babylon. This fulfilled the predictions of Moses that:

Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.

64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.

Deuteronomy 28:63-64
jewish historical timeline Conquered and exiled to Babylon
Conquered and exiled to Babylon

So for 70 years, the period shown in red, the Israelites lived as exiles outside the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. The term Jews began in this period in reference to their foremost tribe Judah.

Return from Exile under the Persians

After their exile, the Persian Emperor Cyrus conquered Babylon and Cyrus became the most powerful person in the world. He permitted the Jews to return to their land.

jewish historial timeline Living in the Land as a part of Persian Empire
Living in the Land as a part of Persian Empire

However they were no longer an independent country, they were now a province in the Persian Empire.  This continued for 200 years, shown in pink in the timeline. During this time the Jews rebuilt the Jewish Temple (known as the 2nd Temple) and the city of Jerusalem.  Though the Persians permitted the Jews to return to the land of Israel, many remained abroad in exile.

The period of the Greeks

Then Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire and made the Israelites a province in the Greek Empires for another 200 years. The timeline shows this period in dark blue.

jewish historical timeline Living in the Land as part of Greek Empires
Living in the Land as part of Greek Empires

The Period of the Romans

Then the Romans defeated the Greek Empires and they became the dominant world power. The Jews again became a province in this Empire. The timeline shows this period in light yellow. This is the time when Jesus lived.  This explains why there are Roman soldiers in the gospels. The Romans ruled the Jews in Israel during the life of Jesus.

jewish historical timeline Living in the Land as part of Roman Empire
Living in the Land as part of Roman Empire

The Second Jewish exile under the Romans

From the time of the Babylonians (586 BCE) the Jews had not been independent. A succession of other empires ruled them.  The Jews resented this and they revolted against Roman rule. The Romans came and destroyed Jerusalem (70 CE), and burned down the 2nd Temple. Then they deported the Jews as slaves across the Roman Empire. This was the second Jewish exile. With the vastness of the Roman Empire the Jews eventually scattered around the whole world.

Jerusalem and Temple destroyed by Romans in 70 AD. Jews sent into world-wide exile
Jerusalem and Temple destroyed by Romans in 70 AD. Jews sent into world-wide exile

This is how the Jewish people lived for almost 2000 years, dispersed in foreign lands and never totally accepted there. In these different nations they regularly suffered great persecutions.  This persecution of the Jews was particularly true in Europe.  From Spain, in Western Europe, to Russia the Jews lived often in a dangerous situations in these kingdoms.  Jews emigrated to India and Kaifeng, China to escape these persecutions.  The Curses of Moses back in 1500 BCE were accurate descriptions of how they lived.

… Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart.

Deuteronomy 28:65

God gave the Curses against the Israelites to make peoples ask:

All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?”

Deuteronomy 29:24

And the answer:

And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. 28 In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

Deuteronomy 29: 25-28

The timeline below shows this 1900 year period as a long red bar.

Historical Timeline of the Jews - featuring their two periods of exile
Historical Timeline of the Jews – featuring their two periods of exile

Note that the Jewish people went through two periods of exile. But the second exile was much longer than the first exile. an the first exile.

The 20th Century Holocaust

The persecutions against the Jews peaked when Hitler, through Nazi Germany, tried to exterminate all the Jews living in Europe. Six million Jews lost their lives in what today we know as the Holocaust. Hitler almost succeeded but he was defeated and a remnant of Jews survived.

Modern Re-birth of Israel

The fact that there were people who self-identified as ‘Jews’ after thousands of years without a homeland was remarkable. During this period the Jews even lost their native language, Hebrew. But this allowed the final words of Moses, written down 3500 years ago, to come true.  In 1948 the world, through the United Nations, saw the incredible re-birth of the modern state of Israel. This fulfilled what Moses had written centuries before regarding how their exile would end.

then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a] and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.

Deuteronomy 30:3-5

The Jews established their modern state of Israel in spite of great opposition. Most of the surrounding nations waged war against Israel in 1948 … in 1956 … in 1967 and again in 1973. Israel, a very small nation, was sometimes at war with five nations at the same time. Yet not only did Israel survive, but her territory increased. In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel regained Jerusalem, her historic capital city David had founded 3000 years ago.  The creation of the state of Israel, and the consequences of these wars, has created one of the most difficult geo-political tensions of our world today.

As Moses predicted (explored further here), the re-birth of Israel created an impetus for Jews to return to Israel.  Per Moses’ blessing they are being ‘gathered’ from the most ‘distant lands’ and being brought ‘back’.  Moses wrote that both Jews and non-Jews should note the implications.

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Pobočka: Pomenovaný stovky rokov pred jeho narodením

Videli sme, ako Izaiáš použil obraz Vetvy . Prichádzal „on“ z padlej dynastie Dávida, ktorý mal múdrosť a moc. Potom Jeremiáš pokračoval vyhlásením, že táto vetva bude známa ako samotný PÁN (starozákonné meno pre Boha).

Zachariáš pokračuje Vetva

Zachariáš v časovej osi dejín

Prorok Zachariáš žil v roku 520 pred Kristom, tesne po tom, čo sa židovský ľud vrátil do Jeruzalema zo svojho prvého vyhnanstva v Babylone . V tom čase židovský národ obnovoval svoj zničený chrám. Veľkňaz bol vtedy muž menom Joshua a znovu začal prácu kňazov. Zachariáš, prorok, spolupracoval so svojím kolegom Jozuom, veľkňazom, pri vedení židovského ľudu. Tu je to, čo Boh – prostredníctvom Zachariáša – povedal o tomto Jozuovi:

8Počúvaj teda, veľkňaz Jošua, ty aj tvoji druhovia, čo sedia pred tebou, lebo títo muži sú znamením. Pozri, privádzam svojho sluhu, zvaného Výhonok. 9Hľa, tu je kameň, ktorý som položil pred Jošuu: jeden kameň a na ňom sedem očí. Ja vyryjem naň znak,‘ znie výrok Hospodina zástupov, ‚a odstránim vinu tejto krajiny za jediný deň.

Zachariáš 3:8-9

Pobočka ! Zachariáš, ktorý začal Izaiáš pred 200 rokmi a pokračoval Jeremiášom o 60 rokov skôr, pokračuje ďalej s ‘Pobočkou’. Aj tu Boh nazýva ratolesť ‘ môj služobník ‘. Určitým spôsobom bol veľkňaz Jozua v Jeruzaleme v roku 520 pred Kristom, kolega Zachariáša, „symbolom“ tejto prichádzajúcej pobočky. 

Ale ako?

Hovorí, že v ‘jedinom dni’ budú hriechy odstránené PÁNOM. Ako by sa to stalo?

Pobočka: Spojenie kňaza a kráľa

11a vezmi striebro a zlato. Urob korunu a polož ju na hlavu veľkňaza Jošuu, syna Jocadáka. 12Povedz mu: ‚Takto hovorí Hospodin zástupov: Pozri, muž, ktorého meno je Výhonok, vyrastie na svojom mieste a vybuduje Hospodinov chrám. 13On vybuduje Hospodinov chrám, poctia ho slávou a bude sedieť a panovať na svojom tróne; kňaz bude pri jeho tróne a medzi oboma bude zhoda.

Zachariáš 6:9

Zaznelo ku mne slovo Pánovo:…

11a vezmi striebro a zlato. Urob korunu a polož ju na hlavu veľkňaza Jošuu, syna Jocadáka. 12Povedz mu: ‚Takto hovorí Hospodin zástupov: Pozri, muž, ktorého meno je Výhonok, vyrastie na svojom mieste a vybuduje Hospodinov chrám. 13On vybuduje Hospodinov chrám, poctia ho slávou a bude sedieť a panovať na svojom tróne; kňaz bude pri jeho tróne a medzi oboma bude zhoda.

Zachariáš 6:11-13

Oproti predchádzajúcemu precedensu mal Jozua, veľkňaz v Zachariášových dňoch, symbolicky obliecť kráľovskú korunu ako ratolesť . (Pamätajte, že Joshua bol „symbol vecí, ktoré prídu“). Joshua, veľkňaz, nasadením koruny prorokoval budúce spojenie kráľa a kňaza do jednej osoby. Táto prichádzajúca pobočka bude kňazom na Kráľovom tróne. Okrem toho Zachariáš napísal, že „Jozua“ bolo meno odbočky . čo to malo znamenať?

Meno ‘Joshua’ je meno ‘Ježiš’

Zhrnuli sme tu príslušné podrobnosti prekladu Biblie potrebné na ďalšie pochopenie. Pôvodná hebrejská Biblia bola preložená do gréčtiny v roku 250 pred Kristom a nazývala sa Septuaginta alebo LXX. Videli sme, ako Septuaginta urobila titul ‘Kristus’ známym . Tu sledujeme rovnakú analýzu pre „Joshua“.

joshuajesus-diagram
‘Joshua’ = ‘Ježiš’. Obidve pochádzajú z hebrejského názvu „Yhowshuwa“

Joshua je hebrejský prepis pôvodného hebrejského mena „Yhowshuwa“ . Kvadrant č. 1 ukazuje, ako Zachariáš napísal „Joshua“ ako „Yhowshuwa“ v hebrejčine v roku 520 pred Kristom. Učenci prepisujú hebrejské „Yhowshuwa“ v moderných prekladoch Biblie (#1->#3). „Yhowshuwa“ v hebrejčine je to isté ako Joshua v moderných jazykoch, ako je angličtina. Ale keď bola Septuaginta preložená z hebrejčiny do gréčtiny v roku 250 pred Kristom, Yhowshuwa bol prepísaný do Iesous (#1 -> #2). „Yhowshuwa“ v hebrejčine je to isté ako Iesous v gréčtine. Keď učenci prekladajú grécky Nový zákon do moderných jazykov (ako je angličtina), Iesous sa prepíše na „Ježiš“ (#2 -> #3).   Iesous je v gréčtine to isté ako Ježiš .

Ľudia nazývali Ježiša „ Yhowshuwa “, keď s ním hovorili po hebrejsky. Ale pisatelia gréckeho Nového zákona napísali jeho meno ako „Iesous“ . Bolo to presne tak, ako to meno napísala grécka starozákonná Septuaginta. V novozákonných prekladoch dnešných moderných jazykov (#2 -> #3) je ‘ Iesous ‘ prepísané na známe ‘Ježiš’.  

Takže meno: ‘Yhowshuwa’ = ‘Ježiš’ = ‘Joshua’ .

Meno „Ježiš“ prechádza gréckym prechodným krokom a „Jozua“ pochádza priamo z hebrejčiny.  

Stručne povedané, Ježiš Nazaretský a veľkňaz Jozua z roku 520 pred Kristom mali rovnaké meno. V ich rodnej hebrejčine sa volali „Yhowshuwa“ , ale v gréčtine sa obaja volali „Iesous“ . 

Pobočkou je Ježiš Nazaretský

Teraz dáva Zachariášovo proroctvo zmysel. V roku 520 pred Kristom predpovedal, že meno budúcej odbočky bude „Ježiš “. Pritom ukázal priamo na Ježiša Nazaretského.

Ježiš Nazaretský je známy aj mimo evanjelií. Židovský Talmud , Josephus a všetci ostatní historici pisatelia Ježiša , priatelia aj nepriatelia, ho vždy označovali ako „Ježiš“ alebo „Kristus“. Takže jeho meno nebolo vymyslené v evanjeliách. Ale Zachariáš predpovedal svoje meno 500 rokov predtým, ako žil.

Slúžil ako kňaz…

Tento prichádzajúci Ježiš by podľa Zachariáša zjednotil rolu Kráľa a Kňaza. Čo robili kňazi? V mene ľudí prinášali Bohu obete na odčinenie hriechov. Kňaz obetou prikrýval hriechy ľudu. Podobne aj prichádzajúca Odnož „ Ježiš“ mala priniesť obeť, aby PÁN mohol „odstrániť hriech tejto krajiny v jednom dni“. Toto bol deň, keď Ježiš ponúkol seba ako obeť.

Zatiaľ čo je známy ako Kristus

Teraz pomyslite na život Ježiša Nazaretského. Určite tvrdil, že je kráľ – v skutočnosti Kráľ. Toto znamená „ Kristus “. Ale to, čo robil, kým bol na zemi, bolo v skutočnosti kňazské. Kňaz priniesol v mene ľudu prijateľné obete. Ježišova smrť bola tiež obetou Bohu v náš prospech. Jeho smrť bola teda v jeho kňazskej úlohe. Vo svojej smrti splnil všetky požiadavky ako kňaz, aj keď ho väčšina pozná ako „Krista“ alebo Kráľa. Vo svojom vzkriesení ukázal svoju moc a autoritu nad smrťou. Spojil obe roly dokopy.

Pobočka, tá, ktorú Dávid dávno nazval ‘Kristus’ , je Kňaz-Kráľ. Je pozoruhodné, že prorok Zachariáš zapísal svoje meno do proroctva viac ako 500 rokov pred svojím narodením.

Proroci potom predpovedali, kedy príde Kristus. Ďalej sa na to pozrieme .

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Znamenie vetvy: Znovuzrodený mŕtvy peň

Ježiš mal kritikov, ktorí spochybňovali jeho autoritu. Odpovedal im tak, že ukázal na prorokov, ktorí prišli predtým, a tvrdil, že predpovedali jeho život. Tu je jeden príklad, keď Ježiš povedal svojim kritikom:

39Skúmate Písma, lebo si myslíte, že v nich máte večný život, a práve ony svedčia o mne.

Ján 5:39

Inými slovami, Ježiš tvrdil, že bol prorokovaný v Starom zákone, ktorý ho predbehol o stovky rokov. Starozákonní proroci tvrdili, že ich spisy inšpiroval Boh. Keďže žiadny človek nemôže s istotou predpovedať stovky rokov do budúcnosti, Ježiš to tvrdil ako dôkaz, aby si overil, či skutočne prišiel podľa Božieho plánu alebo nie. Pomocou tohto testu môžeme zistiť, či Boh existuje a či hovorí. Starý zákon, nezmenený a starší ako Ježiš o stovky rokov , je nám k dispozícii, aby sme si túto istú otázku sami preskúmali a zvážili.

Najprv nejaká recenzia. Už začiatok Starého zákona naznačoval Ježišov príchod . Potom Abrahámova obeta predpovedala miesto, kde mal byť Ježiš obetovaný, zatiaľ čo Veľká noc predpovedala deň v roku, kedy sa to stane . Videli sme, že Žalm 2 inauguroval titul ‘Kristus’, aby predpovedal prichádzajúceho Kráľa. Tým sa to však neskončilo. Neskorší proroci predložili ďalšie prorocké témy. Izaiáš (750 pred n. l.) začal tému, ktorú neskôr rozvinuli proroci – tému prichádzajúcej odbočky .

Izaiáš a ratolesť

Obrázok nižšie zobrazuje Izaiáša v historickej časovej osi s niektorými ďalšími pisateľmi Starého zákona.

isaiah-in-timeline
Izaiáš zobrazený v historickej časovej osi. Žil v období vlády Dávidových kráľov

Časová os ukazuje, že Izaiáš napísal svoju knihu v období Dávidovej kráľovskej dynastie (1000 – 600 pred Kristom). V tom čase (asi 750 pred Kristom) bola dynastia a kráľovstvo skorumpované. Izaiáš prosil, aby sa Kráľovia vrátili späť k Bohu a praxi a duchu mojžišovského zákona . Ale Izaiáš vedel, že Izrael nebude činiť pokánie. Tak tiež prorokoval jej zničenie a zánik kráľovskej dynastie.

Použil špecifickú metaforu alebo obraz pre kráľovskú dynastiu, pričom ju zobrazil ako veľký strom. Tento strom mal vo svojom koreni Jesseho, otca kráľa Dávida. Na Jesseho začala dynastia Dávidom a od jeho nástupcu Šalamúna strom ďalej rástol a rozvíjal sa.

Izaiáš použil obraz dynastie ako stromu

Najprv strom, potom peň, potom konár

Izaiáš napísal, že Boh čoskoro vyrúbe túto „stromovú“ dynastiu a zredukuje ju na peň. Takto začal obraz stromu, ktorý potom zmenil na hádanku pňa a konára:

1Z Izajovho pňa vzíde ratolesť

a z jeho koreňov vyrastie výhonok.

2Spočinie na ňom duch Hospodina,

duch múdrosti a rozumu,

duch rady a sily,

duch poznania a Hospodinovej bázne.

Izaiáš 11:1-2

Dynastia zobrazená ako Stump of Jesse – otec Dávida

K vyrúbaniu tohto „stromu“ došlo asi 150 rokov po Izaiášovi, okolo roku 600 pred Kristom. Potom Babylončania dobyli Jeruzalem a odvliekli jeho ľud do vyhnanstva (červené obdobie na časovej osi vyššie) . Jesse bol otcom kráľa Dávida, a tak bol koreňom Dávidovej dynastie. „Jesseho peň“ bol teda metaforou nadchádzajúceho rozbitia Dávidovej dynastie.

Vetva: Príchod ‘ho’ od Dávida s múdrosťou

Strieľajte z Jesseho mŕtveho pňa

Ale toto proroctvo sa pozeralo aj ďalej do budúcnosti, než len na zrezanie kráľov. Izaiáš predpovedal, že „peň“ bude vyzerať mŕtvy, ako to robia pne. Napriek tomu sa jedného dňa v ďalekej budúcnosti z toho pňa vynorí výhonok, známy ako Vetva . Niektoré stromy majú túto schopnosť vysielať výhonky z pňov. Izaiáš použil tento prirodzený proces, aby nám pomohol predstaviť si, ako príde Odnož . Izaiáš hovorí o tejto vetve ako o „jeho“ , takže Izaiáš hovorí o konkrétnom mužovi, ktorý pochádza z Dávidovej línie po páde dynastie. Tento muž by mal také vlastnosti múdrosti, moci a vedomostí, že by na ňom spočíval samotný Duch Boží.

Ježiš … ‘on’ od Dávida, ktorý má múdrosť

Ježiš vyhovuje požiadavke prísť „z pňa Izaiho“, keďže Izai a Dávid boli jeho predkami . To, čo robí Ježiša veľmi nezvyčajným, je múdrosť a pochopenie, ktoré mal. Jeho dôvtip, rozvaha a prehľad v jednaní s oponentmi a žiakmi odvtedy stále imponujú kritikom aj nasledovníkom. Jeho moc v evanjeliách prostredníctvom zázrakov je nepopierateľná. Človek sa môže rozhodnúť im neveriť; ale nemožno ich ignorovať. Ježiš zodpovedá vlastnostiam výnimočnej múdrosti a moci, o ktorej Izaiáš predpovedal, že jedného dňa príde z tejto vetvy .

Jeremiáš a Vetva

Izaiáš položil týmto proroctvom znamenie v histórii. Tým sa to však neskončilo. Jeho smerovník je len prvým z niekoľkých znamení. Jeremiáš, žijúci asi 150 rokov po Izaiášovi, keď bola Dávidova dynastia skutočne vyrúbaná pred jeho očami, napísal:

5„Hľa, prídu dni,“ znie výrok Hospodina,

„že vzbudím Dávidovi spravodlivý výhonok.

Bude panovať ako kráľ,

bude si múdro počínať

a v krajine bude konať podľa práva.

6Za jeho dní Júda dosiahne spásu,

Izrael bude bývať v bezpečí.

Toto je meno, ktorým sa budú volať:

‚Hospodin je naša spravodlivosť.‘

Jeremiáš 23: 5-6

Jeremiáš rozširuje tému odbočky o Dávidovej dynastii, ktorú začal Izaiáš pred 150 rokmi. Pobočka bude kráľom, ktorý bude vládnuť. Ale presne toto hovorí proroctvo Žalmu 2 o prichádzajúcom Synovi Božom / Kristovi / Mesiášovi . Je možné, že ratolesť a Boží Syn sú jedno a to isté?

Vetva: Hospodin, naša spravodlivosť

Ale ako sa má volať táto pobočka ? Bol by nazývaný ‘PÁN’, ktorý bude aj ‘našou’ (to je – my ľudia) Spravodlivosť . Ako sme videli u Abraháma, problémom pre ľudí je, že sme „skazení“ , a preto potrebujeme „spravodlivosť“. Jeremiáš tu pri opise Vetvy naznačuje, že v budúcnosti ľudia dostanú svoju potrebnú „spravodlivosť“ od PÁNA – samotného YHWH. (YHWH je meno pre Boha v Starom zákone). Ale ako by sa to dalo urobiť? Zachariáš vypĺňa ďalšie podrobnosti, keď sa ďalej rozvíja o Prichádzajúcej vetve . Dokonca predpovedá meno Ježiš – na ktoré sa pozrieme ďalej.

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Was Jesus the son of a virgin from the line of David?

We saw that ‘Christ’ is an Old Testament title.  Let us now look at this question: was Jesus of Nazareth that ‘Christ’ predicted in the Old Testament?

From the Line of David

David, author of Psalms, shown in Historical Timeline

Psalm 132 in the Old Testament, written 1000 years before Jesus lived, contained a specific prophecy.  It said:

10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne….
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion…,
17 “Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.  (Psalm 132:10-17)

Long before Jesus, the Psalms predicted that God’s anointed one (i.e. ‘Christ’) would come from David.  This is why the gospels show Jesus to be in David’s genealogy. They want us to see that Jesus fulfills this prophecy.

The New Testament begins with this right from its first verse.

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Matthew 1:1

Was Jesus really from the line of David?

But how do we know that they did not just make up the genealogies to get a ‘fulfillment’?  They were sympathetic to Jesus and so perhaps wanted to exaggerate the truth.

When trying to find out what really happened, it helps to have the testimony of hostile witnesses.  A hostile witness was on-hand to see the facts but does not agree with the overall belief. So such a witness has motive for refuting testimony that might be false.  Suppose there was a car accident between persons A and B.  Both blame each other for the accident – so they are hostile witnesses.  Person A says that he saw person B texting just before the accident, and person B admits this. Then we could assume that this part of the dispute is true since person B has nothing to gain agreeing to this point.

In the same way, looking at records of hostile historical witnesses can help us determine what really happened with Jesus.  New Testament scholar Dr. FF Bruce studied Jewish Rabbi references to Jesus in the Talmud and Mishnah.  He noted the following comment about Jesus:

Ulla said: Would you believe that any defence would have been so zealously sought for him (i.e. Jesus)?  He was a deceiver and the All-merciful says: ‘You shall not spare him neither shall you conceal him’[Deut 13:9]  It was different with Jesus for he was near to the kingship”  p. 56

FF Bruce makes this remark about that rabbinical statement:

The portrayal is that they were trying to find a defence for him (an apologetic note against Christians is detected here).  Why would they try to defend one with such crimes?  Because he was ‘near to the kingship’ i.e. of David.  p. 57

In other words, hostile Jewish rabbis did not dispute the Gospel writers’ claim that Jesus was from David.  They did not accept Jesus’ claim to ‘Christ’ and opposed the Gospel claims about him. But they still admitted that Jesus was in the royal family of David.  So we know that the Gospel writers did not simply make that up to get a ‘fulfillment’.  Even the hostile witnesses agree on this point.

Was he Born of a Virgin?

The possibility remains that Jesus fulfilled this prophesy simply ‘by chance’.  There were also others from the Royal family.  But being born of a virgin!  There is no possibility that this could happen ‘by chance’.  It is either:

  1. A misunderstanding,
  2. A fraud, or
  3. A miracle – no other option is open.

The Genesis account of Adam hinted at a coming virgin birth. In the New Testament, Luke and Matthew clearly state that Mary conceived Jesus while she was a virgin.  Matthew also claimed that this was a fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah (ca 750 BCE) which said:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (i.e. ‘God with us’)

Isaiah 7:14 (and quoted in Matthew 1:23 as a fulfillment)

Perhaps this was just a misunderstanding.  The original Hebrew הָעַלְמָ֗ה (pronounced haalmah), translated ‘virgin’, can also mean ‘young maiden’, i.e. a young unmarried woman.  Perhaps that is all that Isaiah meant to say, long ago in 750 BCE.  With a religious need on the part of Matthew and Luke to venerate Jesus they misunderstood Isaiah to mean ‘virgin’ when Isaiah had really meant ‘young woman’.  Add the unfortunate pregnancy of Mary before her marriage, and it developed into ‘divine fulfillment’ in the birth of Jesus.

The Witness of the Septuagint

Many people have advanced explanations somewhat like this. One cannot refute this because it is impossible to prove whether someone was a virgin or not.  But that explanation is too simplistic.  Jewish rabbis translated the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek around 250 BCE. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was called The Septuagint. So two hundred fifty years before Jesus lived Jewish rabbis wrote down their interpretation of Isaiah 7:14. How did these Jewish rabbis translate Isaiah 7:14 from the Hebrew into Greek?  Did they translate it as ‘young woman’ or ‘virgin’? Many people seem to know that the original Hebrew הָעַלְמָ֗ה can mean either ‘young woman’ or ‘virgin’. But few bring up the witness of the Septuagint which translates it as παρθένος  (pronounced parthenos), which specifically means ‘virgin’. 

In other words, the leading Jewish rabbis in 250 BCE, over two hundred years before Jesus’ birth, understood the Hebrew Isaiah prophecy to mean ‘virgin’.  The Gospel writers or by early Christians did not invent the virgin birth.  It was in Jewish thinking long before Jesus came.

The Rabbis knew what virgin entailed

Why would leading Jewish rabbis in 250 BCE make such a fantastic translation prophesying a virgin having a son? If you think it is because they were superstitious and unscientific, let’s think again. People in that time were farmers.  They knew how breeding worked.  Hundreds of years before the Septuagint Abraham knew that after a certain age came menopause and then childbearing was impossible. No, rabbis in 250 BCE did not know modern chemistry and physics, but they understood how animals and people reproduced. They would have known it was impossible to have a virgin birth.  But they did not shrink back and translate it as ‘young woman’ in the Septuagint. No, they stated it in black and white that a virgin would have a son.

Mary’s Context

Now consider the fulfillment part of this story.  No one can prove that Mary was a virgin. But remarkably, she was in the only and very brief stage of life where it could remain an open question.  This was an age of large families.  Families with ten children were common.  Given that, what was the chance that Jesus would be the oldest child?  Because if he had had an older brother or sister then we would know for certain that Mary was not a virgin.  In our day when families have about 2 children it is a 50-50 chance, but back then it was closer to a 1 in 10 chance.  The chance was 9 out of 10 that the virgin ‘fulfillment’ should just be dismissed by the simple fact that Jesus had an older sibling. But against the odds he didn’t.

Now add the remarkable timing of Mary’s engagement onto this.  If she had been married even for a few days, the virgin ‘fulfillment’ could again simply be dismissed.  On the other hand, if she became pregnant while not yet engaged she would not have had a fiance to care for her.  In that culture, as a pregnant but single woman she would have had to remain alone – if she had been allowed to live.

It is these remarkable and unlikely ‘coincidences’ that make the virgin birth impossible to disprove that strikes me.  These coincidences are not expected. Rather they show a sense of balance and timing as if a Mind were arranging events with plan and intent.

Witness of the rabbinical Writings

If Mary had been married before Jesus was born or if Jesus had older siblings, then hostile Jewish witnesses would surely have pointed that out.  Instead, it seems that, once again, they agree with the gospel writers on this point.  FF Bruce notes while explaining how rabbinical writings mention Jesus.

Jesus is referred to in rabbinical literature as Jesus ben Pantera or Ben Pandira.  This might mean ‘the son of the panther’.  The most probable explanation is that it is a corruption of parthenos, the Greek word for ‘virgin’ and arose from Christian references to him as a son of a virgin   (p57-58)

Today, as Jesus’ time, there is hostility to Jesus and the claims of the gospel.  Then, as now, there was significant opposition to him.  But the difference is that back then there were also witnesses, and as hostile witnesses they did not refute some basic points that they could definitely  refute, if these points had been made up or been in error.

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Simple but Powerful: What is the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice?

Jesus came to give himself as a sacrifice for all peoples so that we could escape our corruption and reconnect with God.  God declared this plan at the beginning of human history.  He then signed it in the sacrifice of Abraham by pointing to Mount Moriah where Jesus’ sacrifice would be provided.  Then the Jewish Passover sacrifice pointed to the day of the year when Jesus would be sacrificed.

Bad News … The Law of Sin and Death

Why is his sacrifice so important?  This is a question worth asking. The Bible declares a Law when it states:

For the wages of sin is death…

Romans 6:23

“Death” literally means ‘separation’.  When our soul separates from our body we die physically.  Similarly we are even now separated from God spiritually.  This is true because God is Holy (sinless) while we have become corrupted from our original creation and so we sin.

The diagram illustrates this. It pictures two cliffs with God opposite from us with a chasm between us.  Just like a branch cut from a tree is dead, so we have cut ourselves off from God and become spiritually dead.

We are separated from God by our sins like a chasm between two cliffs
We are separated from God by our sins like a chasm separating two cliffs

Merit from our Good Efforts is insufficient

This separation causes guilt and fear.  So what we naturally try to do is build bridges to take us from our side (of death) to God’s side.  We do this in many different ways: going to church, temple or mosque, being religious, being good, helping the poor, meditation, trying to be more helpful, praying more, etc. These deeds to gain merit can be very difficult – and living them out can be very complicated.  The next figure illustrates this.

Good Efforts – useful as they may be - cannot bridge the separation between us and God
Good Efforts – useful as they may be – cannot bridge the separation between us and God

The problem is that our hard efforts, merits, and deeds, though not wrong, are insufficient because the payment required (the ‘wages’) for our sins is ‘death’.  Our efforts are like a ‘bridge’ that tries to cross the gap separating us from God – but in the end cannot do it.  This is because good merit will not solve our root problem. It is like trying to heal cancer (which results in death) by eating vegetarian.  Eating vegetarian is not bad, it may even be good – but it will not cure cancer.  For cancer you need a totally different treatment.

This Law is Bad News – it is so bad we often do not even want to hear it and we fill our lives with activities and things hoping this Law will go away.  But the Bible stresses this Law of sin and death to get our attention to focus on the cure that is simple and powerful.

For the wages of sin is death but…

Romans 6:23

Good News of Life

The small word ‘but’ shows that the direction of the message is about to change directions, to the Good News of the Gospel – the cure.  It shows both the goodness and love of God.

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)

The good news of the gospel is that the sacrifice of Jesus’ death is sufficient to bridge this separation between us and God.  We know this because three days after his death Jesus rose bodily, coming alive again in a physical resurrection.   There exists historic, compelling evidence for this.  Abraham’s sacrifice and the Passover sacrifice prophetically acted out Jesus’ coming sacrifice.  God planned these signs pointing to Jesus to help us find the cure.

Jesus was a human who lived a sinless life.  Therefore he can ‘touch’ both the human and the God sides and span the gap separating God and people.  He is a Bridge to Life which the diagram illustrates.

Jesus is the Bridge that spans the chasm between God and man
Jesus is the Bridge that spans the chasm between God and man

Given as a Gift, not earned by Merit

Notice how God offers this to us.  He offers it as a … ‘gift’.  Think about gifts.  No matter what the gift is, if it is really a gift it is something that you do not work for and that you do not earn by merit.  If you earned it the gift would no longer be a gift – it would be a wage!  In the same way you cannot merit or earn the sacrifice of Jesus.  It is given to you as a gift.  It is that simple.

And what is the gift?  It is ‘eternal life’.  That means that God has cancelled the sin which brought you and me death.  Jesus’ bridge of life enables us to re-connect with God and receive life – which lasts forever.  God loves you and me that much.  It is that powerful.

The Gift Received

So how do we cross on this bridge of life that Jesus gives to us as a gift?  Again, think of gifts.  If someone gives you a gift it is something you do not work for.  But to get any benefit from the gift you must ‘receive’ it.  Every time a gift is offered to a recipient there are only two alternatives.  Either recipient refuses the gift (“No thank you”) or receives it (“Thank you for your gift.  I will take it”).  Likewise, you must receive this gift that Jesus offers to benefit from it.  You cannot simply believe, study, meditate upon it, or understood it.  The next figure illustrates this as we ‘walk’ on the Bridge by turning to God and receiving His Gift offered to us.

Slide4
Jesus sacrifice is a gift that each of us must choose to receive

So how do we receive this gift?  The Bible says that

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved

Romans 10:12

Notice that this promise is for ‘everyone’.  Since he rose from the dead Jesus is alive even now and he is ‘Lord’.  So if you call on him he will hear and give his gift to you.  You call out to him and ask him – by having a conversation with him.  Perhaps you have never done this.  Below is a prayer that can guide you. It is not a magic chant.  The specific words used do not give it power.  It is the trust like Abraham had that we place in him to give us this gift.  As we trust him He will hear us and answer.  The Gospel is powerful, and yet also so simple.  Feel free to follow this guide if you find it helpful.

Dear Lord Jesus.  I understand that with my sins I am separated from God.  Though I can try hard, no effort and sacrifice on my part will bridge this separation.  But I understand that your death was a sacrifice to wash away all my sins.  I believe that you rose from the dead after your sacrifice so I know that your sacrifice was sufficient.  I ask you to please cleanse me from my sins and bridge me to God so I can have eternal life.  I do not want to live a life enslaved to sin so please free me from sin.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for doing all this for me and would you even now continue to guide me in my life so I can follow you as my Lord.

Amen

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Odkiaľ pochádza „Kristus“ Ježiša Krista?

Niekedy sa ľudí pýtam, aké bolo Ježišovo priezvisko. Zvyčajne odpovedajú: “Myslím, že jeho priezvisko bolo ‘Kristus’, ale nie som si istý.”

Potom sa pýtam: „Ak áno, keď bol Ježiš malým chlapcom, vzali Jozef Kristus a Mária Krista malého Ježiša Krista na trh?

Keď to takto počujú, uvedomujú si, že „Kristus“ nie je Ježišovo priezvisko. Takže, čo je ‘Kristus’? Odkiaľ pochádza? čo to znamená To je to, čo preskúmame v tomto článku. Po ceste tiež uvidíme, odkiaľ pochádza titul ‘Syn Boží’.

Preklad verzus prepis

Najprv musíme poznať niektoré základy prekladu. Prekladatelia sa niekedy rozhodnú prekladať podľa podobného zvuku , a nie podľa významu, najmä v prípade mien alebo názvov. Toto je známe ako prepis . V prípade Biblie sa prekladatelia museli rozhodnúť, či jej slová (najmä mená a názvy) budú lepšie v prekladanom jazyku prostredníctvom prekladu (podľa významu) alebo prostredníctvom prepisu (podľa zvuku). Neexistuje žiadne špecifické pravidlo.

Septuaginta

Biblia bola prvýkrát preložená v roku 250 pred Kristom, keď židovskí rabíni preložili hebrejský Starý zákon do gréčtiny. Tento preklad je Septuaginta (alebo LXX) a ľudia ho široko používali v staroveku a dokonca aj dnes. Apoštoli napísali Nový zákon o 300 rokov neskôr v gréčtine. Preto citovali skôr grécku Septuagintu ako hebrejský Starý zákon.

Preklad a transliterácia v Septuaginte

Nasledujúci obrázok ukazuje, ako to ovplyvňuje súčasné Biblie:

To ukazuje tok prekladov z originálu do súčasnej Biblie

Pôvodný hebrejský Starý zákon je v kvadrante #1. Pretože Septuaginta bol preklad z hebrejčiny do gréčtiny (v roku 250 pred Kristom), ukazujeme šípku idúcu z kvadrantu #1 do #2. Autori Nového zákona napísali Nový zákon v gréčtine, takže to znamená, že #2 obsahuje Starý aj Nový zákon. V spodnej polovici (#3) je moderný jazykový preklad Biblie (napr. angličtina). Na získanie tohto prekladu lingvisti preložia Starý zákon z pôvodnej hebrejčiny (1 -> 3) a Nový zákon z gréčtiny (2 -> 3). Prekladatelia musia rozhodnúť o transliterácii alebo preklade mien a názvov, ako je vysvetlené vyššie.

Biblie preložené v pravoslávnej tradícii (vo všeobecnosti východoeurópske cirkvi) prekladajú Starý zákon z gréckej Septuaginty. Pre tieto Biblie teda Starý aj Nový zákon pochádzajú z gréčtiny (2 -> 3).

Pôvod ‘Krista’

Teraz nasledujeme rovnakú sekvenciu, ale so zameraním na slovo „Kristus“, ktoré sa objavuje v Novom zákone.

Odkiaľ pochádza „Kristus“ v Biblii

V pôvodnej hebrejčine (v kvadrante č. 1 ) bolo slovo použité pre Krista „ mashiyach “. Hebrejský slovník definuje „ mashiyach “ ako „pomazanú alebo zasvätenú“ osobu. Pasáže žalmov prorokovali konkrétny príchod mashiyach (s určitým členom ‘the’). V preklade Septuaginty z roku 250 pred Kristom rabíni použili grécke slovo pre hebrejské mashiyach s podobným významom, Χριστός = Christos . Toto pochádzalo z chrio , čo znamenalo obradné potieranie olejom.

Preto bolo slovo Christos preložené významom (a nie prepísané zvukom) z hebrejského „ mashiyach“ do gréckej Septuaginty, aby prorokovalo o tejto prichádzajúcej osobe. Toto je kvadrant #2 . Pisatelia Nového zákona pochopili, že Ježiš bol práve touto osobou, o ktorej prorokovali v Septuaginte. V gréckom Novom zákone teda naďalej používali výraz Christos . (opäť v kvadrante #2 )

Kristus v Bibliách iných jazykov

Ale pre iné jazyky bolo slovo „Christos“ prepísané z gréčtiny do angličtiny (a iných moderných jazykov) ako „Kristus“. Toto je spodná polovica obrázku s označením #3 . Moderný „Kristus“ je teda veľmi špecifický titul zo Starého zákona. Vzniká prekladom z hebrejčiny do gréčtiny a potom prepisom z gréčtiny do iných jazykov. Učenci prekladajú hebrejský Starý zákon priamo do moderných jazykov bez použitia gréčtiny ako stredného jazyka. Pri preklade pôvodného hebrejského „mashiyach“ použili rôzne slová. Niektorí zvukom prepísali hebrejské „mashiyach“ na slovo Mesiáš . Iní preložili „mashiyach“ jeho významom a tak majú aj „ Pomazaný “ v týchto konkrétnych pasážach. V žiadnom z týchto prípadov slovo „Kristus“ v moderných Starých zákonoch často nevidíme . Preto toto spojenie so Starým zákonom nie je zjavné. Ale z tejto analýzy vieme, že v Biblii:

‘Kristus’ = ‘ Mesiáš’ = ‘ Pomazaný’

Všetky majú rovnaký význam a odkazujú na rovnaký pôvodný názov. Je to podobné ako 4= ‘štyri’ (angličtina) = ‘quatre’ (francúzština) = 6-2 = 2+2. Toto všetko sú matematické a jazykové ekvivalenty ‘4’.

Pomazanie bol proces, ktorým prešiel dezignovaný kráľ, aby sa stal kráľom. Je to podobné tomu, ako zvolenie je proces, ktorým dnes premiér alebo prezident získava právo vládnuť. Mohli by sme povedať, že predseda vlády je „vyvolený“ rovnakým spôsobom, ako by sme povedali, že kráľ je „pomazaný“. Takže „Pomazaný“ alebo „Mesiáš“ alebo „Kristus“ určil Kráľa, niekoho, kto bude vládnuť.

Starozákonné proroctvá o „Kristovi“

Takže kde sa prvýkrát objavil titul „Kristus“? Vidíme to ako prorocký titul už v žalmoch, ktoré Dávid napísal asi 1000 pred Kristom – dávno pred narodením Ježiša.

Kráľ Dávid, autor žalmov, v historickej časovej osi

2Spolčujú sa pozemskí králi,

vládcovia sa spolu radia

proti Hospodinovi a jeho pomazanému:

3„Roztrhnime putá

a odhoďme ich povrazy!“

4Ten, ktorý tróni na nebesiach, smeje sa,

Pán sa im vysmieva.

5Vtedy v hneve prehovorí,

svojou prchkosťou ich vyľaká:

6„Ja som ustanovil svojho kráľa na Sione,

na svojom svätom vrchu.“

7Oznamujem rozhodnutie Hospodina.

Povedal mi: „Ty si môj syn,

ja som ťa dnes splodil.“

Žalmy 2:2-7

Pomazaný je tiež „Syn Boží“

Tu tiež vidíme, že Pánov výnos oslovuje Pomazaného ako „môjho Syna“. Inými slovami, Boh nazýva „Pomazaného“ svojím „synom“. Toto je miesto, kde pochádza názov „Syn Boží“, zo Žalmu 2. Preto ho nevymyslel Ježiš ani pisatelia Nového zákona. Je synonymom Pomazaného. Takže teraz:

‘Kristus’ = ‘ Mesiáš’ = ‘ Pomazaný’ = ‘Syn Boží’

Súvisiaci názov „Syn človeka“ skúmame tu .

Kristus očakávaný v 1. storočí

S týmto poznaním urobme niekoľko postrehov z evanjelia. Nižšie je reakcia kráľa Herodesa, keď mudrci z východu prišli hľadať židovského kráľa. Toto je súčasťou príbehu o narodení Ježiša . V závislosti od prekladu sa tu použije slovo „Mesiáš“ alebo „Kristus“. Všimnite si, že „ten“ predchádza Mesiáša alebo Krista, aj keď sa netýka konkrétne Ježiša.

3Keď to počul kráľ Herodes, rozrušil sa a s ním aj celý Jeruzalem. 4Zvolal všetkých veľkňazov a zákonníkov ľudu a vypytoval sa ich, kde sa má narodiť Mesiáš

Matúš 2:3-4

Všimnite si, že samotná myšlienka „ Krista “ (alebo „ Mesiáša “) bola už bežne chápaná medzi Herodesom a jeho náboženskými poradcami, dokonca ešte pred Ježišovým narodením. Používajú názov bez toho, aby sa konkrétne odvolávali na Ježiša. Je to preto, že, ako je vysvetlené vyššie, „Kristus“ pochádza zo starozákonných žalmov napísaných pred stovkami rokov kráľom Dávidom . Toto bežne čítali Židia 1. storočia (ako Herodes) z gréckej Septuaginty. Tento titul existoval stovky rokov predtým, ako existovali nejakí kresťania.

Kráľa Herodesa to ‚veľmi znepokojilo‘, pretože sa cítil ohrozený týmto Kristom, o ktorom chápal, že je jeho rivalom. Takže v reakcii kráľa Herodesa vidíme význam Krista (Kráľa) a jeho prastaré korene, pochádzajúce dávno predtým.

Kristus v žalme 132

Žalmy obsahovali ďalšie odkazy na tohto prichádzajúceho Krista . Položil som štandardnú pasáž vedľa seba s prepísanou pasážou s nápisom „Kristus“, aby ste ju mohli vidieť.

Žalm 132- Z hebrŽalm 132 – Zo Septuaginty
Pane,… 10  Pre svojho služobníka Dávida nezavrhni svojho pomazaného . 11  Pán prisahal Dávidovi, pevnú prísahu, ktorú neodvolá: „Na tvoj trón dosadím jedného z tvojich vlastných potomkov… 17  Tu nechám Dávidovi narásť roh a svojmu pomazanému postavím lampu . “Pane,… 10  Pre svojho služobníka Dávida nezavrhni svojho Krista . 11  Pán prisahal Dávidovi, pevnú prísahu, ktorú neodvolá: „Na tvoj trón dosadím jedného z tvojich vlastných potomkov… 17  „Tu dám narásť Dávidovi roh a postavím lampu svojmu Kristovi . “

Žalm 132 hovorí v budúcom čase („… vyrobím Dávidovi roh…“) ako mnohé pasáže v Starom zákone. Židia vždy čakali na svojho Mesiáša (alebo Krista). Skutočnosť, že očakávajú alebo očakávajú príchod Mesiáša, je dôsledkom proroctiev Starého zákona, ktoré sa pozerajú na budúcnosť.

Takže aby som to zhrnul. Nasledujúce názvy sú synonymá a všetky pochádzajú zo žalmov.

Kristus = Mesiáš = Pomazaný = Syn Boží

Starozákonné proroctvá: Špecifikované ako systém zámkov

To, že Starý zákon konkrétne predpovedá budúcnosť, z neho robí nezvyčajnú literatúru. Je to ako zámok dverí. Zámok má určitý tvar, takže ho môže odomknúť iba špecifický „kľúč“, ktorý zodpovedá zámku. Tak isto je Starý zákon ako zámok. Niečo z toho sme videli v článkoch o Abrahámovej obeti , Adamovom počiatku a Mojžišovej Veľkej noci . Žalm 132 teraz pridáva požiadavku, aby „Kristus“ pochádzal z Dávidovej línie. To vyvoláva otázku: Je Ježiš tým zodpovedajúcim „kľúčom“, ktorý odomyká proroctvá?

Tu sa pozrieme na to, či Ježiš zapadá do proroctva o príchode z Dávidovej línie . Tu začíname skúmať tému proroctiev The Branch .

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Moses’ Farewell Speech: History marching to the beat of its drum

Moses’ Blessings & Curses in Deuteronomy

Moses lived about 3500 years ago and he wrote the first five books of the Bible. We call them the Pentateuch or the Torah. His fifth book, Deuteronomy, contains his last proclamations made just before he died. These were his Blessings to the people of Israel – the Jews, but also his Curses.  Moses wrote that these Blessings and Curses would shape history. All peoples, not just by the Jews, should pay attention to them. So he wrote this for you and me to think about. The complete Blessings and Curses are here. I summarize the main points below.

Timeline with Moses. The Blessings and Curses given just before he died.

The Blessings of Moses

Moses began by describing the blessings that the Israelites would receive if they obeyed The Law.  He gave the law in the earlier books and they included the Ten Commandments.  The blessings were from God and would be so great that all other nations would recognize His blessing. The outcome of these blessings would be that:

Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.

Deuteronomy 28:10

… and the Curses

However, if the Israelites failed to obey the Commands then they would receive Curses that would match and mirror the Blessings. The other nations would see these Curses so that:

You will become a thing of horror, a byword and an object of ridicule among all the peoples where the LORD will drive you.

Deuteronomy 28:37

And the Curses would extend through history.

They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever.

Deuteronomy 28:46

But God warned that the worst part of the Curses would come from other nations.

The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed … until you are ruined. They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land.

Deuteronomy 28:49-52

It would go from bad to worse.

You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. … Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart.

Deuteronomy 28:63-65

God established these Blessings and Curses by a covenant (an agreement) between Him and the Israelites:

You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, 13 to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you 15 who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.

Deuteronomy 29:12-15

In other words this covenant would be binding on the children, or future generations. In fact God directed this covenant at future generations – both Israelite and foreigner.

Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it. The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger. All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?”

Deuteronomy 29:22-24

And the answer will be:

And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. 28 In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

Deuteronomy 29:25-28

Did The Blessings and Curses happen?

Nothing neutral about them. The Blessings were delightful, but the Curses were utterly severe. However, the most important question we can ask is: ‘Did they happen?’ The answer is not hard to find. Much of the Old Testament is the record of the history of the Israelites and from that we can see what happens in their history. Also we have records outside the Old Testament, from Jewish historians like Josephus, Graeco-Roman historians like Tacitus and we have found many archeological monuments. All of these sources agree and paint a consistent picture of the Israelite or Jewish history. Review the summary of this history, given through the building of a timeline here.  Read it and assess for yourself if the Curses of Moses came to pass.

The Conclusion to Moses’ Blessings and Curses

But this Farewell Speech of Moses did not end with the Curses. It continued. Here is how Moses final conclusion.

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors

Deuteronomy 30:1-5

After Moses, successive writers in the Old Testament continued with this promise that he first stated. There would be a restoration after the Curses.  These later writers made bold, troubling and detailed predictions. Together they make an astounding set of predictions that are happening today.