Whine much? Complain about your day to anyone who will listen? Tell you what, if you ever have a year that matches Job’s day, I’ll let you get on this blog and complain all you want.

Job was a morally wholesome person (Job 1:1).  I won’t say he was faultless, but we can conclude that he was an example for all of us, even before the events that made him famous.  He was a family man (Job 1:2), prosperous (Job 1:3-4), and a man of considerable spiritual maturity (Job 1:5).  He is a fine enough role model that when when Satan arrives to stir up trouble, God picks Job out as an example of a model person (Job 1:6-8)

Satan, who lives to accuse, says that Job is only a good man because of his numerous blessings and that in their absence, he would disappoint (Job 1:9-12).

The result is the worst day – the worst hour!! – of Job’s life.  His servants are slaughtered and his property stolen (Job 1:13-15).  Next, other servants and livestock are consumed by an inexplicable “fire from heaven” (Job 1:16).  More slaughtering of his servants follows quickly on the heels of the last disaster (Job 1:17), until the final blow is dealt when a tornado crushes the home where all his children were feasting, killing them all (Job 1:18-19).

How can a person respond to such tragedy?  Job grieved, as would any of us (Job 1:20).  What Job didn’t do was accuse God of injustice or malice.

Job 1:21-22 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.   In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Could we have survived so much adversity with such a patient disposition?

The story continues in chapter two as we find that Satan is not satisfied with the results of the trial.  This time, Job’s misery is to be compounded by boils that covered his entire body, bringing him to the brink of despair (Job 2:1-8).  As always, when a person reaches the bitter edge of hopelessness, there is someone waiting to nudge you right over!  Job’s own wife tells him to curse God and die (Job 2:9-10).  When she leaves, she is replaced by Job’s “friends,” who spend the next 31 chapters trying to get Job to admit whatever sin he had committed to deserve all this!  The combined force of all of this misery pushes Job dangerously close to blaming God over the next several chapters, to the point that God responds to a despondent Job out of a whirlwind in chapter 38.  Even in this, God will give Job no explanation of the events that have transpired, only a forceful reminder to Job that he is the creature, not the Creator.

How can a person spiritually survive such a series of tragedies and miseries?  Job does.

Job 42:1-6 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.  Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.  Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.  I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Job’s patience was a rock to which he could return even after his faith wavered.  He remembered that God is good and always wise.  He remembered that it is good to wait on the Lord, even when it seems that life has taken Him far from us.  Endure your trials, like Job, and you will find in the end that God has not forsaken you.

James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

{Note:  This is meant to be a useful Scripture reading, not an exhaustive list of events.  Some parts are left out due to length.  Think it through as you read, and remember what we are supposed to be doing as Christians.}

GETHSEMANE:  FRIDAY, NEAR MIDNIGHT

Matthew 26:36-46 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

JEWISH TRIALS:  FRIDAY, EARLY MORNING

Luke 22:66-71 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,  Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:  And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.  Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.  Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.  And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.

ROMAN TRIALS:  FRIDAY, MORNING

Luke 23:1-11 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.  And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.  And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it.  Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.  And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.  When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.  And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.  And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.  Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.  And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.  And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.

SCOURGING:  FRIDAY, MORNING

Matthew 27:26b-31 … and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.  And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.  And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.  And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

ROAD TO THE CROSS:  FRIDAY, 8AM

Luke 23:26-32 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.  And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.  But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.  For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.  Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.  For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?  And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

GOLGOTHA:  FRIDAY, 9 AM – 3 PM

Matthew 27:33-54 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, …  they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. …  And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.  Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.  The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.  … Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

THE EMPTY TOMB:  SUNDAY, MORNING

John 20:1-9 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.  Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.  So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.  And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.  Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.  Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.  For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

{Greek Geek is a new and irregular article category for our blog.  While I don’t intend for this blog to become a “Greek blog,” I will drop in an article now and again under this heading for those with an interest.  Those who don’t care for Greek gibberish, feel free to ignore this post and read the others!}

In the English expression, “You never know,” the word “you” is a second person pronoun functioning as a third person pronoun.  When you say, “You never know,” you don’t actually mean “you” as in the person you are addressing.  You actually mean, “One never knows.”  This little nuance of English is not often discussed, but it is interesting that it does NOT exist in Greek.

The text that brought this to my attention is Daniel Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics.  Wallace’s grammar is a great read for the intermediate Greek student, and he covers this subject well (p. 392-393).  The funny thing is that Wallace will not make a fair application of his own point (if I, a Greek novice, may so humbly point out)!  Consider Romans 8:13:

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  Romans 8:13

Wallace says of this verse, “Paul is not referring to an indefinite third person here, but to his Christian audience in Rome.  In 1:7 he identifies them as ’saints.’ ” (Emp. in original)  So, we see that Paul tells Christians that if they sin, they are in danger of death.  The natural interpretation of that statement is that a Christian may sin (“live after the flesh”) so as to lose his salvation (“die”).  The problem?  Wallace and many others don’t believe that such is possible.  He says of this view, “Such an interpretation, however, seems to fly in the face of Pauline theology, especially as seen in this very chapter.”  Rather than deal with the notion that a Christian may lose his salvation, Wallace then asserts the awkward view that the death referred to here is a physical death.  In other words, Paul is telling Christians that sin will kill them, but Christianity will preserve their physical life.

Think a moment about that concept.  I understand that many sins lead to an unnaturally short life, while wholesome living in our day and age might extend it.  However, was this the case to a Christian under persecution in the first century?  Was a Christian in pagan Rome more likely to die by being a Christian or by being just like everyone else?  Truth be told, being a Christian made you more likely to die physically in Rome!

Our conclusion is this, Christians are told explicitly in this passage that they may live in such a way as to lose their spiritual life.  Wallace and other Greek scholars have correctly diagnosed the grammar of Romans 8:13, but don’t really know what to do with it.  What will you do with it?

Christianity is a religion of peace, but it is set in the midst of tremendous conflict between good and evil. In order to be a Christian, you have to keep fighting. Today, we want to identify the battle you should be fighting.

Not a Physical Fight

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12

This is not a battle that can be won through physical conflict. This is not a battle that will be fought for us by our government. This is not a political battle for or against a specific party. This is not a legal battle to be won in the courts. This is not a fight to gain territory in this world (John 18:36). This is a not a fight for personal property or personal power (James 4:1-3). This is a fight unlike any other the world has ever known.

Fight the Good Fight

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12

This is a fight that is good and virtuous and must be conducted in that manner. If you find yourself doing something evil to promote Christianity, you are not fighting the good fight. This is a fight for eternal goals, but temporary agendas. Nothing is as important as that goal.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. … I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 9:24, 26-27

We must fight the real battles. No shadow boxing with wispy “straw men”! We don’t have time to waste on false errands or imaginary evils. This is a fight we intend to win, and to do so we must fight to win. Our goal is not to stalemate sin or quarantine iniquity. Our goal is overcome sin by submission to Christ in His blood.

The Fight for The Faith

… [I] exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 3

The phrase “earnestly contend” comes from a Greek root from which we get our word “agonize”. When we fight for the faith, it will not be easy. It will require fervent dedication and patient endurance. It is not easy to love in a world of malice or to preach truth in the face of convenient lies. It is not easy to overcome personal temptation or to be active in works of virtue. But we fight for the faith, and that faith delivered to us by God is well worth it. So is the promise to those that endure.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

All those that keep the faith and finish the fight are promised a victory crown. Are you still fighting?

I preach a lot on the importance of personal growth and of always trying to do better.  However, it is good sometimes to reflect on the fact that a faithful Christian can always look back and feel confidence in knowing that they have grown.  You are doing better than when you started.

Remember Where You Started

In the days before you became a Christian, you were in as bad a state as you’ve ever been.  Listen as Paul describes the general state of the lost world and see if some of it sounds familiar.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.  Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.  Romans 3:10-18

You were lost in sin, and you didn’t even know it.  You did no good with your life.  When you spoke, you spoke curses and lies.  You harmed others and didn’t know how to live at peace.
You did not know God.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  Romans 7:24

Remember What You Overcame

After you started out as a Christian, you found out that things did not immediately become easier. In the parable of the sower, Christ lists the various causes of a premature end to a person’s faith.

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.  Matthew 13:19-22

If you remained a Christian and didn’t fall into any of that, you’ve come a long way!  You overcame the attempts of Satan to lure you from Christ, and that is no small feat.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  James 1:12

Look at What You’ve Gained

You have grown.  It may not be as much as you wish, but you have grown as a Christian.  When you do a before and after comparison of your life, you may be surprised by how much has changed.  The blessings of Christianity, while sometimes subtle, are boundless.

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.  Matthew 13:31-32

You may have had a humble beginning, but the kingdom blooms within the Christian’s heart and influences every facet of his life.  Everyone you know is better off for having a Christian in their lives.

Look at Where You Are

The most important improvement in your life is the forgiveness of sins.  Without Christ, this would have been impossible.  If you stand today with your sins washed away in His blood, then you are definitely doing better.

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.  Romans 4:7-8

That said, I don’t want to discourage you from improving yourself!  By all means, continue to grow and mature in your service to Christ, but also take heart by the fact that you have been through a lot and have overcome it.  It is good to be able to say, “I am doing better.”

Brief update for anyone still checking the site. My schedule is back to normal this year, so expect more articles and updates to come soon. Let 2010 be the year of the blog!

OUTLINE for Hebrews 10:22-39

How To Stay Faithful
1.  Draw Near, v. 22
2.  Hold Fast, v. 23
3.  Consider One Another, v. 24

• Consider: 1) to perceive, remark, observe, understand, 2) to consider attentively, fix one’s eyes or mind upon
• Provoke: 1) an inciting, incitement, 2) irritation

Not Forsaking, v. 25

• The assembling process was being forsaken as Hebrews returned to Judaism.
• “The day approaching” = Destruction of Jerusalem? (among other alternatives)

No More Sacrifice

• Sin willfully, v. 26 = forsaking, v. 25.  If you leave Christianity to go back to Judaism (or anything else), then you have left the only sacrifice that will pay for sin, v. 4.
• If you forsake the sacrifice of Christ, then you must face God’s judgment without mercy, v. 27.

Sorer Punishment

• Violators of the inferior covenant were put to death, v. 28.
• Three witnesses of forsaking Christ, v. 29:

1. trodden under foot the Son of God,
2. and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,
3. and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

A Fearful Thing

• A Lord has the right and privilege to judge his own people, v. 30.
• Hebrews 10:31  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
• Deut. 32:35-36
• What motivation to leave Christianity could be greater than the fear of God’s judgment?

The Former Days

• These Hebrew Christians had already suffered for their faith, v. 32-33.
• Some were persecuted directly.
• Others were shunned as associates of those who were persecuted.
• They endured and even aided the apostles because they believed in Heaven, v. 34.

Cast Not Away

• The qualities that we have developed through the hard times should not be thrown aside just when it is about to pay off, v. 35.
• Patience must cause us to endure until God’s promise come to pass or else we will not receive them, v. 36.

A Little While

• Hebrews 10:37  For yet, a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
• God’s judgment does not slumber.
• Hab. 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
• The destruction of Jerusalem was just a few years in the future.  This was a REALLY bad time to decide to go back to Judaism!

Now The Just Shall Live By Faith

• NOW is the time to live by the faith that saved us.  Now is NOT the time to give up, v. 38.
• CHOOSE, v. 39:

1. Draw back unto perdition
2. Believe to the saving of the soul

• Christians are not of them that draw back unto perdition.
• The only sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin of forsaking God’s plan for forgiveness.

Bill Maher, skeptic extraordinaire,  is making a new documentary on religion titled, “Religulous”, as in “RIDICULOUS”.  He uses the absurd and often immoral behavior of religious people as a tool to attack religion in general.  Here are some examples to set the record straight.

1)  The Crusades

The Catholic Church engaged in a grand war to reclaim the “Holy Lands.”  The problem?  The Mideast was never theirs!  The result was a long line of atrocities and bloody wars.  Does this disprove that the Bible is a valid guide to morality?  No.  The Bible condemns this behaviour.

John 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

2)  Leaders Caught In Sin

Whether its priests molesting children or preachers robbing churches blind, the behavior of those in leadership positions can be a shame to all religious people.  What would the Bible say about this?  Well, as an example, when corruption occurred in the early church, Peter struck the liars dead (Acts 5).  The Bible opposes immorality on all levels.

3)  The Fringe Preachers

On street corners around the world, “preachers” stand yelling ridiculous accusations against people they have never met.  I’m all for preaching to the lost, but the Bible condemns condemning people for specific sins when you don’t even know them (Matt. 7:1-5).  Furthermore, we know that the truth is always to be taught in love (Eph. 4:15).

4)  Scientology & The Crazies

Yes, there are religious people who believe that evil thoughts are the results of the spirits of angry aliens that have been thrown into volcanoes.  Really.  It is dishonest to use the silly ideas made up by con-artists to reproach the Bible that condemns such false teachers (II Pet. 2).

In conclusion, when people sin, the Bible tells them to repent.  If they don’t, you can’t blame the Bible!

Many of the alleged errors in the Bible are the result of a Bible statement not agreeing with a modern Scientific term or classification.  We should remember that scientific accuracy is relative to the degree of precision that is intended.  We should also remember that modern terms and classifications are just as arbitrary as many ancient ones.  Here are some favorite examples.

(1) Rabbits don’t chew cud.
Deuteronomy 14:6-7  And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.

The term “cud” has the modern significance of diverting food to a specialized compartment in the body to be brought up again to chew later.  Animals that do this, called ruminants, are part of a speciallized class of which rabbits are not members.  However, rabbits do carry out a very similar process.  They process their food through their intestines, excrete it, eat it again, and process them more fully the second time.  The Hebrew terminology used here for “chew” means something so vague as to be defined by Strong in the following way:

A primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or active (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literally and figuratively: – arise (up). (cause to) ascend up, at once, break [the day] (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, + shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up), grow (over), increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, [make] up, X mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, + perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.

So clearly there is room to interpret this description beyond the narrow modern description of the ruminant.  The rabbit is one member of the class of animals that “eats” it food twice to digest it.  That is the type of animal being described.

(2) No insects (including grasshoppers) are 4-legged.
Leviticus 11:20-22  All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

The expression “that creep” is also translated “insect” to the confusion of many, since by arbitrary modern definition, insects have six legs.  However, that does not mean that the ancient classification was any less accurate.  These creatures are described as having four legs for walking and other legs “above their feet, to leap.”  Take a look at grasshoppers to see if you think this is an accurate description.  We say six legs, whereas the Bible says four legs and two leaping legs.  ToMAYto … ToMAHto.

(3) Seeing all the kingdoms of the world at once from a high mountain is only possible on a flat earth.
Matthew 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Seriously?  First, we don’t know whether this is a vision or a physical scene.  Second, the phrase “all the kingdoms of the world” depends on the meaning of the word “world.”  Consider that Augustus taxed all the world in Luke 2:1.  What “world” would that be?  Roman?  Probably.  Both the English and Greek term “world” can be limited by context or (perish the thought) common sense.  Adam Clarke comments, “What renders this more probable is, that at this time Judea was divided into several kingdoms, or governments under the three sons of Herod the Great, viz. Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip; which are not only called ethnarchs and tetrarchs in the Gospels, but also … kings, and are said … to reign, …”

(4) pi does not = 3.
1 Kings 7:23  And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

If you use the information recorded in this verse, you can calculate pi to be equal to three (C=pi*d, where C = 30 and d = 10).  So what is pi?  If you are dealing in 3 significant figures, pi is 3.14.  If you are dealing in 51 significant figures, then pi is 3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510.  So what pi would use when you are dealing in cubits?  If the unit of measurement being employed is based roughly on the distance of a man’s fingertip to his elbow, how many decimal places do you need for pi?  If the measurement only uses one significant figure, why use any more for pi?  Saying that pi is 3 is accurate to within 5% of the actual value.  Incidentally, we were taught in my college physics and astronomy courses that for 99% of all problems dealing with astronomical data, the speed of light (299 792 458 m/s) was most usefully represented by 3×10^8 m/s or even “pi”x10^8 m/s.  That is how real science is done.  Nobody uses 300 digits of pi.

(5) The earth moves. It does not have a foundation.
Psalms 104:5  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Let me ask a related question.  What did Lord Byron mean in the following lines:

SHE walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

Do you suppose that “all that’s best of dark and bright” was literally floating around in this woman’s eyes? No.  It’s called poetry, and it is what the Psalms contain.  The earth, in terms of what we stand on from day to day, seems very stable. It’s foundation never gives way.

We start off Anti-Bible Week with consideration of some specific alleged contradictions.  Here are some favorites of the “anti-Bible” crowd.

2 Kings 2:11     And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
John 3:13     And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

The word “heaven” can be used in many senses in the Scriptures.  In some places it will simply mean the sky or even regions above the atmosphere.  In other instances it refers to the abode of God.  In the story of Elijah, we see him ascending in to the sky (“heaven”).    On the other hand, Jesus came from the spiritual abode of God to which he ascended again and where he reigns today.

Numbers 23:19     God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Exodus 32:14     And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Once again, the words “repent” and “evil” have more than one meaning in the original languages.  Repentance is simply a change of mind that results in a change of action.  However, because it is most commonly used to describe the turning of man from his sin, it comes to mean just that in many passages.  In the Numbers passage above, God is said to have never lied, so He does not need to repent of lying as a man would.  The word “evil” can mean either morally bad or physically calamitous.  In the Exodus passage, the Lord changed his mind (resulting in a change of action) with regard to the physical calamity He had been prepared to bring on the people.

Ephesians 2:8-9     For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
James 2:14-17     What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Revelation 22:12     And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Guess what!  There is more than one kind of work!  There are works of which a man might boast, and there are humble acts of obedience.  Man is not saved by any kind of meritorious work that earns him Heaven.  It is not possible.  However, man is saved when his faith is made alive by works of submission to God (repentance for example).  Our works of obedience are in fact how our faith will be judged.

Matthew 5:16     Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 6:1     Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

These two passages actually explain themselves.  We should do good works to glorify God, and yes, men must see them to do that.  However, being seen of men is not to be the purpose of those works.  If we seek to appear holy rather than simply to glorify God, our Father is not pleased.

John 14:27     Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Matthew 10:34     Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

You guessed it:  two kinds of peace!  He even explains that in the passage from John.  Jesus is the prince of spiritual peace.  However, he never promised physical peace (“as the world giveth”).  People who find peace with God will often find that their new way of life will cause turmoil among others.  The first century Christians were heavily persecuted for their faith, but they had an internal peace in spite of all that.

Genesis 32:30     And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Exodus 33:11     And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
John 1:18     No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Jacob is said to have seen an angel in other passages (Hosea 12:4 for example) who was a representative of God.  Likewise, Moses saw some manifestation of God that was so profound in all physical perception of it that he declared that the meeting seemed to be face to face.  However, God is in fact a spirit (John 4:24), and no man may perceive Him directly with physical eyes.  We wait to see Him as He is in Heaven when we shall be spiritual like Him (I John 3:2).

John 5:31     If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
John 8:14     Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

This one is a little tricky.  The first passage is a reference to the Law of Moses that stated nothing was to be believed without two or three witnesses.  Jesus makes the case that John the Baptist bore him witness.  However, in the second passage, Jesus makes the case that though he might seem to stand alone, the Father bore record of him through miracles.  He even makes reference to the same Old Testament principle of witnesses in the successive verses.  Furthermore, Jesus is not merely a man to be judged by man’s standard for witnesses.  Since Jesus was in fact God himself, he is also pointing out that he needed no further witness in the absolute sense (“I know whence I came”).

Truthfully, you will find most of the answers to the Bible’s critics in the verses that they mention!