2011 – Volume 22
From Jordan to Golgotha
"And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:22, 23). How long was the spirit-begotten life of Jesus Christ? Nobody knows precisely. But from Autumn 29 AD [...]
The Law of the Offerings
"This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meal offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the Peace offerings" (Leviticus 7:37). The book of Exodus closes with a record of building the Tabernacle, almost a year after the Israelites left Egypt. "In the first month, in the second year, [...]
The Beauty of Holiness
"Laid on Thine Altar, 0 my Lord Divine, Accept this gift today, for Jesus' sake. I have no jewels to adorn Thy shrine, Nor any world-famed sacrifice to make; But here I bring, within my trembling hand, This will of mine - a thing that seemeth small; And Thou alone, 0 Lord, canst understand How, when I yield Thee this, I yield mine all." [...]
Psalm 48, Mount Zion
"Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north" (Psalms 48:2). King Hezekiah was surrounded "like a bird in a cage." 1 Jerusalem was besieged by the armies of Assyria led by king Sennacherib in the 7th century BC as recorded in Isaiah chapters 36, 37. To bolster morale within the city, the sons of [...]
Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel, Related Antitypes
"Elijah ... and all of his doings were a type on a small scale of greater things which came afterwards" (R5741).1 Divine providence may arrange a forceful method of conveying lessons when an illustration is needed respecting moral conduct and its consequences. God can overrule so that men acting with complete moral free-will have their words and actions preserved in the Bible. History by [...]
Explaining Scripture in Light of Gnostic Heresies
"Laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). During the latter stages of their ministries the Apostles constantly battled counterfeit Christian heresies. This is well documented in Scripture. Less understood is the specific nature of these heresies. The early stages of heretical thought recorded especially in Paul's and [...]
Keener Vigilance
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (Hebrews 2:1). The letter to the Hebrews contains the longest sustained argument of any book in the Bible. With a careful and closely knit discussion, the author moves with confidence step by step through an elaborate proof of Christianity's [...]
Reader Reply on Gnosticism
Some research from years ago. Your article on Gnosticism ... Beauties of the Truth, Volume 22, No. 2 (May 2011) reminded me of some research I did many years ago. I had a developing interest on how various ancient false systems of thought impinging upon the Bible's Ransom teaching influenced so called "orthodoxy" into error; and researching along these lines developed a special interest [...]
Why Waldo?
"I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy Patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first" (Revelation 2:19). Of all the messengers to the seven stages of the Church, one of whom we know little was the fourth, Peter Waldo, for records of him and his work are scant from this dark period of the [...]
Gnosticism: “Science Falsely So Called”
"Avoid ... oppositions of science falsely so called" (1 Timothy 6:20).1 When the Apostle Paul wrote to condemn "Science falsely so called" (1 Timothy 6:20, he referred to the confused spiritual beliefs of "Gnosticism." The very name "Gnosticism" comes from the Greek word here translated "science" (knowledge, Strong 1108, gnosis). "Gnosticism" is a deceptive path of inner "knowing" that was bitterly fought against from [...]
Translating No-Verb Sentences
Many languages do not require every complete sentence to have a verb, among them Hebrew and Greek, although English is not such a language.1 In the absence of a verb, the tense is usually unimportant or irrelevant. Therefore it is important that italics (or brackets) be used to indicate that a verb in English has been added in the translation. Grammatically, the tense of [...]
Return of the Jews to Israel
A brief look at what made possible the Jewish return to their homeland. Beginning with the Autumn 1874 planting and the Spring harvest of the winter crops in the Balkans, a number of seemingly-unrelated but rapid-fire events enabled the Jews to return to their land for the first time in about eighteen centuries. Within four years the first Jews were making Aliyah (return). BACKGROUND [...]
When Jesus became God
(Addendum to the article "Development of the Trinity," November 2010 issue) When Jesus Became God: the Struggle to Define Christianity in the Last Days of Rome. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1999; Harvest paperback, 2000. Paris: Editions Decouverte, 2001. The account of our Lord's life and the developments in the church during apostolic times are well known, as is the story of Christian persecutions during [...]
Luther and Russell
Brief comments regarding the decline of the Ottomans and return of Israel. MARTIN LUTHER ON THE LAST DAY "When the Turk begins to fail a little the Last Day will surely come [der jungste Tag gewisslich kommen]. For this is the way it must be according to Scripture. There is commotion enough in the political life at present. Lawyers never had more to do [...]
Why Waldo? (Continued and concluded from February, 2011)
Peter Waldo lived during the period of Thyatira, during the depths of Papal authority. The Catholic Church partnered with governments to rule with a heavy hand. This partnership is referred to in Revelation 2:20-23. "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and [...]
Ancient Hebrew Text
Discovery of a text that may be the most ancient example of Hebrew writing. An ancient text was discovered on a shard of pottery in Israel, and turned out to be the earliest known example of Hebrew writing. Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing - an inscription dating from the 10th century BC, during the period of King David's reign. The breakthrough [...]
832
The previous engaging article on Waldo draws to mind some thoughts about the Pergamos and Thyatira periods of the Church. Doctrinal corruption was formalized at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, a date which some consider began the Pergamos period. Political corruption in the Papal system was formalized in 539 AD, when Papacy entered upon their 1260 years of political influence. Peter Waldo, [...]
What Did the Magi See?
What the Magi may have seen around the time of Jesus Christ's Birth. Magi in the East saw the "star" of the King of the Jews (Matthew 2). But what was it that they saw, and how did they interpret it? That question has been around for centuries, but astronomical information recently pointed out may answer it. An improved chronology of Roman history around [...]