The Book of Hosea

From Koinonia House

Bible Study > Old Testament > The Book Of Hosea

When Moses asked Pharaoh to “Let my people go,” Pharaoh responded, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?”  If Pharaoh could have read the book of Hosea, he would have known that the Lord was a sovereign God (Chapters 1-3); a holy God (Chapters 4-7); a just God (Chapters 8-10); and a loving God (Chapters 11-14).

Pharaoh, of course, never had the benefit of the depth of knowledge that Israel was given through the mouth and pen of the prophet Hosea, and yet the people were as stony-hearted toward God as Pharaoh was those many centuries before.

Hosea is one of the most remarkable books of the Old Testament.  No other messenger gives so complete an outline of the ways of God with His earthly people as does Hosea:

1) God suffers when His people are unfaithful to Him;
2) God cannot condone sin;
3) God will never cease to love His own; and, consequently
4) He seeks to win back those who have forsaken Him.

Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah (for most of his ministry) and Amos (in his earlier years); he was the “Jeremiah” of the Northern Kingdom.  His main target was the Northern Kingdom, yet his message encompassed the entire people of God.

“Not My People”?

One of the pivotal insights occurs in the setting aside of his adulterous wife, and in the remarkable naming of his children: Jezreel, Lo-ruhamah (”not loved”), and Lo-ammi (”not my people”).  The blood of Jezreel figures prominently throughout Israel’s history and climaxes at Armageddon.  In the New Testament the Holy Spirit confirms the application of these prophetic names to the State of Israel since they have been cast out of their land.¹ Their restoration is one of the key pronouncements in Hosea.  Dr. Charles Feinberg, an outstanding Jewish believer and scholar, says of Chapter 3:

“It rightfully takes its place among the greatest prophetic pronouncements in the whole revelation of God.”

Hosea is frequently quoted in the New Testament and each time reveals some surprises.²

The Fatherhood of God

Among the provocative hermeneutical insights is the strange application of Hosea 11:1 by Matthew (2:15), which links the Fatherhood of God toward Israel and His calling His Son out of Egypt.³ He didn’t just adopt them; He cared for them.  How tenderly and compassionately the Lord taught and cared for His son, Israel.  These words seem to parallel Moses’ description of Israel’s being carried through the wilderness as a father carries his son.⁴

In response to the love of God as seen in their redemption from Egypt, Israel, like a prodigal son, turned a deaf ear to God’s prophets, choosing Baal and other idols instead.⁵

“The Best of Times and the Worst of Times”

Their material prosperity was unequaled since Solomon (2 Kgs 14:25-28; 2 Chr 26:2, 6-15).  Jeroboam had recovered all the territory lost to Israel, even the possession of Damascus.   Yet material prosperity is not a guarantee of safety to a people whose stability rests not on the moral basis of the fear of God and obedience to His laws.  Hosea’s warning was that God would use their enemies as His means of judgment.  (We have explored the apparent parallels with America in our briefing pack, “Hosea, Can You See?”)

An Incredible Book

The Lord’s self-disclosure in Chapter 11 is so intense that many rank it as one of the greatest in the Bible.  Perhaps among the most surprising of the prophetic insights in Hosea is the discovery of the prerequisites for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.⁶

It is truly an amazing book and, like all of the books of the Bible, the Holy Spirit always rewards the diligent student.  And Hosea is among the most rewarding.

*   *   *

1. Rom 9:26, “Not beloved”; 1 Pet 2:10, “nor having obtained mercy.”
2. Mt 2:15; 9:13; 12:7; Rom 9:25, 26; 1 Cor 15:55;  1 Pet 2:5, 10.
3. Jesus always called God “my Father”; (e.g., Jn 20:17). The only time Jesus didn’t call Him Father was when He was on the cross-in our shoes-and cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  (Cf. Ps 22). In the Old Testament, God is only called the father of Israel as a whole, never of individuals (14X: Ex 4:22; Ps 103:13; Isa 64:8; Jer 3:19,20; et al.)
4. Deut 1:31-32; 32:10-11.
5. Hosea 11:2, v.7; 2 Kgs 17:13; Jer 7:25; 25:4; Zech 1:4; et al.
6. Hosea 5:15ff See also The Next Holocaust and the Refuge in Edom.

Hosea - MP3 Download - Chuck MisslerExplore the book of Hosea verse-by-verse with Chuck Missler. Now in one, self-contained download. Click for more information - MP3 Download

Hosea, Can You See? - MP3 Download - Chuck MisslerChuck Missler sheds some light on the startling and humbling parallels between our society and that of the prophet Hosea. These are warning we would be wise not to ignore. Click for more information - MP3 Download

Hosea, Can You See?: Hosea’s Challenge to America - Chuck Missler

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Pattern, not Just Prediction: Midrash Hermeneutics

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > Midrash Hermeneutics

The interpretation of Scripture is called hermeneutics.  Our approach to hermeneutics will always be influenced by our worldview, our own culture, and the presuppositions we bring to the task.

The interpretations understood by Jewish rabbis like Jesus and Paul in the first century were largely based on something called Midrash.  The basic principles of Midrash were listed in the original seven points, called midoth, of Rabbi Hillel.¹ Hillel is regarded as the greatest of the Hebrew sages of the Second Temple period and was the grandfather of Rabbi Gamaliel, the tutor of Paul, who defended the rights of Jewish believers in the book of Acts.²

As the Gospel spread throughout the Greco-Roman world, the Church began to lose sight of its Jewish roots.  This, of course, proved increasingly tragic for the Jews - the subsequent atrocities perpetuated throughout the centuries in the name of Christ are virtually incomprehensible to the modern Christian who hasn’t done his homework.

But it was also tragic for the Church as it abandoned its Jewish heritage and understanding.  The increasing influence of the Greek worldview began to redefine Biblical truth on the basis of the philosophies of Aristotle and Plato, instead of the context that produced it.

Centuries later, the early Puritans recognized the limitations of Protestant hermeneutics, as did the later Plymouth Brethren who sought a proper understanding of Biblical typology.  In the 19th century the Plymouth Brethren tried to construct a model of Biblical interpretation that emphasized typology from the viewpoint of Old Testament foreshadowings of the new covenant.  This may have been the closest that the predominantly Gentile Church has ever come to returning to its Jewish roots in the area of interpretation.

In a similar manner, early Methodism, realizing the failures of Protestantism, attempted to restore mission to the Church, and the early Pentecostals tried to restore the charismatic gifts in their attempt to return to a New Testament Christianity.  The Puritans John Robinson and John Lightfoot were among the first to recognize the need to restore a Jewish approach to Biblical interpretation along Midrashic lines with its sensitivities to typological patterns.

Since that time, most Judeo-Christian scholarship has generally focused on the Judaic background of the Gospels.  This probably commenced with the Jewish Christians such as Franz Delitzche and Alfred Edersheim.  Today the trend continues in the work of Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Yakov Prasch and others.  Such scholarship is vital.

Pattern, Not Just Prediction

The western mind views prophecy merely as prediction and fulfillment.  The Jewish mind saw prophecy as a pattern being recapitulated, where a pattern of events illuminates a thematic replay in the future.  The “western” (Gentile) misunderstandings are crucial in understanding the errors of dominionism,³ restorationism, ⁴ and preterism,⁵ which continue to confuse current eschatology (the study of “last things”).

Among the illuminating warnings are the attribution by Matthew of the return of Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus from Egypt ⁶ to the quote from Hosea.⁷ There is no rational way to view the Hosea passage as Messianic in the traditional sense.  The academic overemphasis on context seems to break down when viewed too narrowly.  The answer is pattern, not just prediction. Matthew’s allusion to Jeremiah regarding Herod’s murder of the babies in Bethlehem is another example.⁸

The richness and understanding that accompanies the rediscovery of the Midrashic hermeneutic is one of the most exciting aspects of studying the Old Testament.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.  - Romans 15:4

Joseph as a Type

The life of the Messiah was prefigured by Joseph, the son of Jacob, in Genesis.⁹

As Joseph was betrayed by his Jewish brothers into the hands of Gentiles and God turned that betrayal around and made it the means for all Israel and all the world to be saved, so too Jesus was betrayed by His Jewish brothers into Gentile hands with the same - but more cosmic - result.  Joseph was betrayed by his brother Yehuda (Judah) for twenty pieces of silver.  Jesus, the son of Joseph, was also betrayed specifically by Yehuda (Judas) for thirty pieces of silver.¹⁰

Joseph and Jesus were both condemned with two criminals - one of whom lived while the other died.¹¹ Joseph was taken from a place of condemnation to a place of exaltation - after a three-day interval - as was Jesus in His resurrection.¹² Upon his exaltation, every knee bowed to Joseph as every knee shall one day bow to Jesus.¹³

Upon his exaltation, Joseph took a Gentile bride - as does Jesus as the Bridegroom.  Joseph was not recognized by his Jewish brothers at his first coming, but at the second they wept over him.  Jesus was not recognized by His Jewish brothers at His First Coming, but at the Second they, too, shall weep.

Joseph was beloved of his father - as is Jesus. Joseph was despised for his prophetic gift; Jesus was despised for who He claimed to be.  Joseph was falsely accused at an unfair trial, as was Jesus.  Joseph’s cloak was taken as proof that he was no longer in the pit, as Jesus’ burial cloak was taken as proof that He was no longer in the tomb.

Coming Out of Egypt

Just as the descendants of Jacob ultimately come out of Egypt, Paul tells us we, too, have come out of Egypt.¹⁴ Pharaoh, worshiped as God by the Egyptians, becomes a metaphor for the Devil, the god of this world.  Just as Moses made a covenant using blood sprinkled on the people, Jesus, a prophet like Moses, makes a new covenant in His blood covering His people.  Just as Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, Jesus leads us out of the world through baptism, etc.

The failure of Moses at Meribah in striking the rock the second time takes on an additional significance: he was to strike on the first occasion, but not on the second.  Had he followed God’s instructions more precisely it would have anticipated the First and Second Comings of “the Rock that was Christ.”¹⁵

In the book of Revelation we see the same judgments against Egypt replayed in the final judgments of God upon a sinful world.  Just as Pharaoh’s magicians were able to counterfeit the miracles of Moses and Aaron, so the Antichrist and the False Prophet will counterfeit the miracles of Jesus and His witnesses.

The Song of Moses sung by Mirian in the Exodus narrative is sung again in Revelation, where the destruction of Pharaoh and his army are seen as a type of the judgment of Satan and his demon cohorts.  Just as Joseph’s bones were brought out of Egypt, so the dead in Christ will rise first when we come out of the world at Jesus’ return.

The Exodus of Jesus from Egypt in Matthew’s nativity narrative fits precisely into the same pattern following the same theme.  A wicked king is again judged - this time Herod - and the Messiah comes out of Egypt where he had fled in time of trouble.  Here Jesus is pictured as the embodiment of Israel, in much the same way as the Church is the Body of Christ.

Old Testament citations such as “Israel, My Glory” and “Israel, My Firstborn” may now be understood for what they are: allusions to the Messiah.

Approaching Matthew’s nativity story from this Jewish perspective, instead of a western one, we can better understand how and why his words as found in the text of Hosea 11:1 apply to Jesus upon the death of Herod.

A Caveat

A serious caveat regarding the Midrashic hermeneutic stems from the misunderstanding and misuse of it by liberal theological writers.  The Midrash never uses typology or allegory as a basis for doctrine, only as an illustration of it. Paul’s Midrash on Sarah and Hagar in Galatians ¹⁶ and the Epistle to the Hebrews as a commentary on Leviticus are two examples.

Thus, Enoch, who was translated before the flood, was “pre-flood” in his eschatology, not post-flood or mid-flood!  But we don’t base our views on this illustration alone.

It really is a grand adventure, isn’t it?

*  *  *

I am deeply indebted to the personal tutoring of Yakov Prasch and his book, The Final Words of Jesus, St. Matthew Publishing Ltd., Cambridge UK, 1999.

1. R.  N.  Longenecker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period, Paternoster Press, Carlisle, UK 1995; Cf.  J. Bowker, The Targums and Rabbinic Literature, University Press, Cambridge, 1969; J.  W.  Doeve, Jewish Hermeneutics in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, Van gorecum, Assen, 1954.  Also, Encyclopedia Judaica, vol 8, pp.366-371; 482f.
2. Cambridge (Acts 5:34-39).
3. The view that it is the Church’s duty and destiny to take over the world as a preparatory step to the Second Coming.
4. The view that the Church has “replaced” Israel in God’s program of redemption (Cf. Revelation 2:9; 3:9).
5. The view that the prophecies of Matthew 24 and Revelation were already fulfilled in the past.
6. Matthew 2:15.
7. Hosea 11:1.
8. Matthew 2:17, 18; Jeremiah 3:15.
9. Arthur W.; Pink enumerates over 100 ways that Joseph is a “type” of Jesus.; See his Gleanings in Genesis, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago IL 1922, or our Expositional Commentary on Genesis.
10. Jesus is in all things preeminent (Col 1:18).
11. Genesis 40; Matthew 27:38; Luke 23:43.
12. Genesis 40:12, 19; Matthew 12:40.
13. Philippians 2:10; Zechariah 12:10.
14. 1 Corinthians 10.
15. 1 Corinthians 10:4; Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11-13.

Genesis - MP3 Commentary - Chuck MisslerRecent breakthroughs in the fields of physics, technology and biology led Chuck Missler to update and re-record this wonderful study in Genesis. Click for more information - MP3 on CD-ROM

How to Study the Bible - Chuck MisslerWhich translation is best? Which Study Bible? What are the secrets of resolving difficult or controversial passages? Click for more information - Audio Cassette

An Overlooked Study: The Book of Hosea - Chuck Missler

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Ruth: A Romance of Redemption

From Koinonia House

Bible Study > Old Testament > Ruth: A Romance Of Redemption

On May 21^st our Jewish friends will celebrate the Feast of Shavout.¹ The Book of Ruth is traditionally read at this holiday, also known as the Feast of Pentecost. For a number of reasons, this feast may have far more prophetic relevance than is commonly recognized.

A Classic Romance

This little four-chapter book is often studied (even in secular colleges) as a masterpiece in miniature for its romantic elegance and literary value- and its charming glimpse into life in ancient Israel.

It is a classic love story of loyalty and devotion, and yet it also contains some surprising insights that go far beyond the historical narrative itself.

One of the principal characters is Naomi, a Bethlehemite, who, because of a famine, migrates with her husband and her two sons to distant Moab. The two sons take Moabite women for wives. During the ten years that follow, Naomi’s husband and both her two sons pass away, leaving her destitute.

Upon hearing that things have turned for the better in her native Bethlehem, Naomi decides to return home. She encourages the two young girls to make new lives for themselves among their own people.

However, Ruth refuses, insisting upon remaining with Naomi, declaring one of the most famous commitments in the Holy Scriptures:

Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. Ruth 1:16, 17

Her persistent and devoted commitment to her mother-in-law leads to a dramatic romance, a prophecy of the coming King, her being included in the family tree of the Messiah, and her story also yields an incredible overview of God’s plan of redemption!

Upon returning to Bethlehem, Ruth encounters the hero of the tale, the handsome landowner, Boaz. To follow the narrative, one must understand several of the ordinances of the Torah and their associated customs: The Law of Gleaning;² the Law of Redemption,³ and the Law of Levirate Marriage.⁴

(These last two, particularly, have profound prophetic significance. Without this understanding, Revelation Chapter 5 will remain a mystery.)

Boaz is not only the “lord of the harvest,” he saves the day by performing the role of a Goel, a “Kinsman- Redeemer.” By his intervention, the forfeited lands are returned to Naomi, and he takes Ruth (a Gentile) to be his bride.

(How could Boaz take a Moabitess as a wife? Remember who his mother was: Rahab, the Amoritess that distinguished herself at Jericho!⁵ Both Rahab and Ruth are mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord.)

Prophetic Aspects

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Why was David associated with the town of Bethlehem? The answers are in this little four-chapter book.

How could Samuel, knowing from Genesis 49 that the Judah was to be the royal tribe,⁶ anoint Saul from the tribe of Benjamin? David wasn’t old enough, even through he was prophesied in the Book of Ruth, in the time of the Judges.

An Incredible Macrocode

A macrocode (sometimes called a “macro” in computereze) is an anticipatory instruction defining the relevance of forthcoming events.

(In a computer application, for instance, it can declare the format of a fax, email, or formal letter, etc.)

In Biblical literature, such allusions are sometimes called “types” which foreshadow coming events in the future.

The Akedah, Abraham’s offering of Isaac, a classic example.⁷ Two thousand years later, another father did, indeed, offer His son as on offering on that very spot.

The other remarkable example is the Book of Ruth. Naomi can be viewed as a “type” of Israel; Boaz, of course, is the Kinsman-Redeemer, who by his act of redemption returns Naomi to her land and takes a Gentile bride, Ruth.

Once one has gained that perception, re-reading the book reveals a long list of insights from hidden details that illuminate God’s entire program of redemption!

The Feast of Shavout

It is interesting that Ruth is traditionally read at the Feast of Shavout, which we know as the Feast of Pentecost. Those of you who have studied the seven Feasts of Moses know that they are not only commemorative, they are also prophetic.⁸

The Feast of Pentecost was, of course, prophetic of the birth of the church.⁹ Yet, could it be even more?

This day is also regarded as Enoch’s birthday. There is also a tradition, from Kabbalistic grounds, that he was “translated” on his birthday.

Could Enoch be a “type“-or foreshadowing-of the harpazo of the Church?

Is it possible that the church will also be “translated” on its birthday, too?

We encourage you to undertake a careful study of this fabulous little book. You will be in for some astonishing surprises tucked away in each of the details!

1. It should be 50 days after the Feast of First Fruits, which is supposed to be observed on the morning after the sabbath after Passover (Leviticus 23:15,16): thus, it should always on a Sunday. However, current Jewish practice doesn’t follow the Torah text, but observes it on the 6^th of Sivan.
2. Leviticus 19:9, 10; Deuteronomy 24:19, 21.
3. Leviticus 25:47-50.
4. Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
5. Joshua 2:1-22; 6:17, 23-25; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25; Matt hew 1:5.
6. Genesis 49:8-10.
7. Genesis 22.
8. Colossians 2:16, 17; Romans 15:4. See also our briefing package, Feasts of Israel on page 37 for a detailed study.

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• A Study of Bethlehem: The Kinsman-Redeemer
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A Glorious Macrocode: The Book of Ruth

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > The Book Of Ruth

by Chuck Missler

A Glorious Macrocode:

The Book of Ruth

This tiny four-chapter romance has been venerated in college classes for its elegance as literature, but it also reveals a craftsmanship of prophetic anticipation unrivaled anywhere in Scripture.  (Our commentary on this book endures as our most popular publication.)  One cannot really comprehend what is going on in Revelation Chapter 5 unless one understands the events involved in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament.

The story involves a hero, Boaz, who is in the role of a goel, or Kinsman-redeemer, whose ultimate commitment of redemption returns the land in Bethlehem to its disenfranchised former owner, Naomi, and who also takes a Gentile bride, Ruth.

To follow the plot, one must understand the Law of Redemption.  In ancient Israel, land wasn’t sold in fee simple,¹ as we are used to.  Since God was the real landowner, Israel was simply a tenant under conditions of obedience.  When land was “sold,” what the buyer received was only the use of the land, not clear title.  There were conditions under which a kinsman of the seller could “redeem” the land back to the original family.  These conditions were typically noted on the outside of the scroll defining the transaction.²

The scroll in Revelation Chapter 5 was written “within and on the backside,” which identifies it as a deed subject to redemption.  A Kinsman of Adam, in His role as a goel, a Kinsman-redeemer, is taking possession of what He had already purchased with His blood as the sacrificial Lamb.  He not only purchased the land; he also purchased a Bride.

In the Book of Ruth, Naomi is in the role of Israel, exiled from her land; Boaz is her kinsman, who performs the redemption of the land; and Ruth (a Gentile) is also purchased for a wife.³

This “macrocode” extends to virtually every detail of the book.  It is interesting that Ruth is introduced to Boaz through an unnamed servant (functioning as the Holy Spirit).⁴ The Church, as the Gentile “Bride of Christ,” is introduced to the ultimate Kinsman-redeemer by the Holy Spirit also.

It is interesting that Ruth learns how to deal with this situation from Naomi.  We learn of God’s plan of redemption through His dealings with Israel.  It is also provocative that, in the story, Naomi learns of Boaz through Ruth.  (The implications of that subtlety is left to the diligent.)

The exposition of the almost-inexhaustible “coding” aspects of this tiny book exceeds the space available here.⁵ It is also interesting that this pivotal book is also associated with the Feast of Shavout, the Feast of Pentecost.⁶ Coincidence?  Hardly.

*  *  *

Our exposition of the Book of Ruth has proven to be our most popular of all our publications.  It is available as a two-tape briefing pack, The Romance of Redemption, and it has also been included in our featured Expositional Commentary on Ruth & Esther, now on CD-ROM.

1. A fee simple estate of inheritance is one which devolves to the owner’s heirs and assigns forever without limitation.
2. An example of this was when Jeremiah, despite the impending Babylonian captivity, was instructed to purchase land from the son of his uncle Hanameel.  He, of course, would never benefit from this purchase.  The deed was secreted in an earthen jar in anticipation when his heirs would return after the captivity and claim it (Jeremiah 32:6-15).
3. In addition to the Law of Redemption (Leviticus 25:47-50), one must understand the Law of Leverite Marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).
4. It is interesting that the Holy Spirit always is modeled as an “unnamed servant”: In Genesis 24 He gathers a bride for the son.  (He is unnamed in Chapter 24, but we learn His name in Chapter 15: it is Eleazar, “Comforter.”)  He “shall not speak of himself” (John 16:13).
5. See The Romance of Redemption - Gleanings from the Book of Ruth, from this publisher.

Ruth and Esther - Audio Commentary - Chuck MisslerExplore Ruth and Esther verse-by-verse with Chuck Missler. Click for more information - Audio Cassette

The Romance of Redemption - Ruth - Chuck MisslerWhat does this famous love story from the Old Testament have to do with the Feast of Pentecost? Click for more information - Audio Cassette

Ruth and Esther - MP3 Commentary - Chuck MisslerChuck Missler’s commentary on Ruth and Esther now in MP3 format, with commentary notes in Adobe PDF format. All on one CD-ROM. Click for more information - MP3 on CD-ROM

The Feasts of Israel - Chuck Missler / Dan StolebargerThe Feasts of Israel, set by God, are not only commemorative in a historical context, but are also prophetic. Click for more information - Audio Cassette

A Favorite Old Testament Prophecy Book: Ruth: A Romance of Redemption - Chuck Missler

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Additions or Deletions? The Last 12 Verses of Mark

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > The Last 12 Verses Of Mark

There has been much controversy over the final 12 verses of the Gospel of Mark. Behind this dispute lies some astonishing discoveries of profound significance.

The oldest existing manuscripts of the Greek New Testament text are three that had their origins in Alexandria in the 4^th and 5^th centuries.¹ Since they are the oldest (in our present possession), many regard them as having an eclipsing authority. There are a number of passages that do not appear in these Alexandrian manuscripts, and therein lies an intense ecclesiastical debate.

Textus Receptus

At the end of the 3^rd century, Lucian of Antioch compiled a Greek text that achieved considerable popularity and became the dominant text throughout Christendom. It was produced prior to the Diocletain persecution (~303), during which many copies of the New Testament were confiscated and destroyed.

After Constantine came to power, the Lucian text was propagated by bishops going out from the Antiochan school throughout the eastern world, and it soon became the standard text of the Eastern church, forming the basis of the Byzantine text.

From the 6^th to the 14^th century, the great majority of New Testament manuscripts were produced in Byzantium, in Greek. It was in 1525 that Erasmus, using five or six Byzantine manuscripts dating from the 10^th to the 13^th centuries, compiled the first Greek text to be produced on a printing press, subsequently known as Textus Receptus (”Received Text”).

The translators of the King James Version had over 5,000 manuscripts available to them, but they leaned most heavily on the major Byzantine manuscripts, particularly Textus Receptus.

Textus Receptus Dethroned

Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort were Anglican churchmen who had contempt for the Textus Receptus and began a work in 1853 that resulted, after 28 years, in a Greek New Testament based on the earlier Alexandrian manuscripts.

Both men were strongly influenced by Origen and others who denied the deity of Jesus Christ and embraced the prevalent Gnostic heresies of the period. There are over 3,000 contradictions in the four gospels alone between these manuscripts. They deviated from the traditional Greek text in 8,413 places.

They conspired to influence the committee that produced The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881 revision), and, thus, their work has been a major influence in most modern translations, dethroning the Textus Receptus.

Detractors of the traditional King James Version regard the Westcott and Hort as a more academically acceptable literary source for guidance than the venerated Textus Receptus. They argue that the disputed passages were added later as scribal errors or amendments.

Defenders of the Textus Receptus attack Westcott and Hort (and the Alexandrian manuscripts) as having expurgated these many passages, noting that these disputed passages underscore the deity of Christ, His atonement, His resurrection, and other key doctrines. They note that Alexandria was a major headquarters for the Gnostics, heretical sects that had begun to emerge even while John was still alive.²

(It is also evident that Westcott and Hort were not believers and opposed taking the Bible literally concerning the Atonement, Salvation, etc. If you read their personal writings you wouldn’t dream of letting them lead your Sunday School class!)³

The Last 12 Verses of Mark

Among the disputed passages are the final verses of the Gospel of Mark (16:9-20). (Look in your own Bible: you are likely to find an annotation that these were “added later.”)

The insistence that Mark’s Gospel ends at 16:8 leaves the women afraid and fails to record the resurrection, Christ’s final instructions, and the Ascension. It is understandable why these verses are an embarrassment to the Gnostics, and why Westcott and Hort would advocate their exclusion, and insist that they were “added later.”

However, it seems that Irenaeus in 150 A.D., and also Hypolytus in the 2^nd century, each quote from these disputed verses, so the documentary evidence is that they were deleted later in the Alexandrian texts, not added subsequently.)

But there is even more astonishing evidence for their original inclusion that is also profoundly instructive for broader reasons.

The Fingerprints of the Author

Let’s examine these verses and explore their underlying design. Just as we encounter fingerprint or retinal scanners to verify an identity in today’s technological environment, it seems that there is an astonishingly equivalent “fingerprint” hidden beneath the Biblical text that is still visible despite the veil of the centuries.

(Fasten your seat belts!)

The Heptadic Structure of Scripture

Everyone who explores their Bible quickly discovers the pervasiveness of Seven: there are over 600 explicit occurrences of “sevens” throughout both the Old and New Testaments. As many of our readers are aware, there are also prevalent evidences of design hidden behind the text.⁴ The “Heptadic” (sevenfold) structure of Biblical text is one of the remarkable characteristics of its authenticity. What about these disputed 12 verses?

There are 175 (7 x 25) words in the Greek text of Mark 16:9-20. Curious. These words use a total vocabulary of 98 different words (7 x 14), also an exact multiple of seven. That’s also rather striking.

Try constructing a passage in which both the number of words and the number of letters are precisely divisible by seven (with no remainder)! The random chance of a number being precisely divisible by 7 is one chance in seven. In seven tries, there will be an average of six failures.

The chance of two numbers both being divisible by 7 exactly is one in 7², or one in 49. (This is a convenient simplification; some mathematical statisticians would argue the chance is one in 91.⁵ ) This still might be viewed as an accidental occurrence, or the casual contrivance of a clever scribe. But let’s look further. The number of letters in this passage is 553, also a precise multiple of seven (7 x 79). This is getting a bit more tricky. The chance of three numbers accidentally being precisely divisible by seven is one in 7³, or one in 343. This increasingly appears to be suspiciously deliberate.

In fact, the number of vowels is 294 (7 x 42); and the number of consonants is 259 (7 x 37). Do you sense that someone has gone through a lot of trouble to hide a design or signature behind this text?

As we examine the vocabulary of those 98 (7 x 14) words: 84 (7 x 12) are found before in Mark; 14 (7 x 2) are found only here. 42 (7 x 6) are found in the Lord’s address (vv.15-18); 56 (7 x are not part of His vocabulary here.

This is, conspicuously, not random chance at work, but highly skillful design. But just how skillful?

With 10 such heptadic features, it would take 7¹⁰, or 282,475,249 attempts for these to occur by chance alone. How long would it take the composer to redraft an alternative attempt to obtain the result he was looking for? If he could accomplish an attempt in only 10 minutes, working 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, these would take him over 23,540 years!

But there’s more. The total word forms in the passage are 133 (7 x 19). 112 of them (7 x 16) occur only once, leaving 21 (7 x 3) of them occurring more than once; in fact, these occur 63 (7 x 9) times.

If we examine more closely the 175 words (7x 25), we discover that 56 (7 x words appear in the address of the Lord and 119 (7 x 17) appear in the rest of the passage.

The natural divisions of the passage would be the appearance to Mary, verses 9-11; His subsequent appearances, verses 12-14; Christ’s discourse, verses 15-18; and the conclusion in verses 19-20. We discover that verses 9-11 involve 35 words (7 x 5). Verses 12-18, 105 (7 x 15) words; verse 12, 14 (7 x 2) words; verses 13-15, 35 (7 x 5) words; verses 16-18, 56 (7 x words. The conclusion, verses 19-20, contains 35 (7 x 5) words.

It gets worse. Greek, like Hebrew, has assigned numerical values to each letter of its alphabet. Thus, each word also has a numerical (”gematrical”) value.

The total numerical value of the passage is 103,656 (7 x 14,808). The value of v.9 is 11,795 (7 x 1,685); v.10 is 5,418 (7 x 774); v.11 is 11,795 (7 x 1,685); vv.12-20, 86,450 (7 x 12,350). In verse 10, the first word is 98 (7 x 14), the middle word is 4,529 (7 x 647), and the last word is 791 (7 x 113). The value of the total word forms is 89,663 (7 x 12,809). And so on.

Individual words also tell a tale. (click for Greek), deadly (v.18) is not found elsewhere in the New Testament. It has a numeric value of 581 (7 x 83), and is preceded in the vocabulary list by 42 (6 x 7) words, and in the passage itself by 126 (7 x 18) words.

This all is among the legendary results of the work by Dr. Ivan Panin. (See inset below). In fact, he identified 75 heptadic features of the last 12 verses of Mark.⁷ We have highlighted only 34 heptadic features. If a supercomputer could be programmed to attempt 400 million attempts/second, working day and night, it would take one million of them over four million years to identify a combination of 7³⁴ heptadic features by unaided chance alone.⁷

Authentication Codes

Just as we encounter coding devices in our high technology environments, here we have an automatic security system that monitors every letter of every word, that never rusts or wears out, and has remained in service for almost two thousand years! It is a signature that can’t be erased and which counterfeiters can’t simulate.

Why are we surprised? God has declared that He “has magnified His word even above His name!”⁸ We can, indeed, have confidence that, in fact, the Bible is God’s Holy Word, despite the errors man has introduced and the abuse it has suffered throughout the centuries. It is our most precious possession-individually as well as collectively.

And it never ceases to unveil surprises to anyone that diligently inquires into it.

* * *

1. Codex Alexandrinus: a 5^th century manuscript containing the entire New Testament, brought to England about 1630. Codex Siniaticus, discovered in St. Catherine’s Monastery at (the traditional) Mt. Sinai, has been dated around 350 A.D. Codex Vaticanus, dated about 325 A.D., had been in the Vatican Library since at least 1481, but was not made available to scholars until the middle of the 19^th century.
2. 1 John 1:1, 4:2,3; et al.
3. For a sampling of their correspondence, etc., see our Briefing Package, How We Got Our Bible, from which this article was excerpted.
4. Previous articles on Matt 1:1-11in this News Journal, as well as our recent book, Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages From the Edge of Eternity, etc.
5. Actually, it can be mathematically argued that it is 91. p = 1/7*[(n-1)/(7n-1)]*[(n-2)/(7n-2)]* . . . *[1/(7n-(n-1))] is far more restrictive than the assumptions here.
6. Ivan Panin, The Last Twelve Verses of Mark, B-761, Bible Numerics, Suite 206, 121 Willowdale Ave., Willowdale, Ontario, M2N 6A3, (406) 221-7424.
7. 7³⁴ = ~5.4 x 10²⁸ tries needed. There are 3.15 x 10⁷ sec/year; at 4 x 10⁸ tries/sec, it would take about 4.3 x 10¹² computer-years.

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The Bible in Shorthand?

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > The Bible In Shorthand?

We take for granted the ease with which we can make copies of documents today. Even before the revolution of our copiers and fax machines, it was the invention of Johannes Gutenberg’s movable type in 1454 that ushered in the printing techniques that we also have come to take for granted today. In the ancient world, all copies had to be accomplished painstakingly by hand. Thus, the term manuscript, “manu-script.”It was quite natural that these manual methods would also be accompanied by special shortcuts, aids, and techniques to facilitate the drudgery with which the scribes were faced.

And, like all the Greeks and Romans of the period, the Christian authors and their scribes employed trained secretaries or amanuenses, trusted helpers who were well-versed in contemporary literary techniques and scribal methods. Some of them are mentioned by name in the New Testament, and Luke refers to them generally at the beginning of his Gospel.¹

Notable is the importance he attributes to the eyewitnesses behind the written records, including those preceding his own.

The Hyperetai

The “ministers of the Word,” were the hyperetai, the helpers. In New Testament times, this word was often used to denote attendants or servants in the synagogues, or attendants of kings and magistrates. In this case, it clearly refers to those who helped spread the good news about Jesus in writing.

The word occurs again in the sequel to Luke’s Gospel, Acts 13:5. R. O. Taylor was the first to notice that John Mark, traditionally identified as the author (or Peter’s amanuensis) of the oldest Gospel, is referred to as a uphrethV hyperetes (literally, “under-rower” or subordinate rower) as a member of the missionary team organized by Paul and Barnabas in about 46 A.D. He may be so designated not just to indicate that he was merely an assistant to either of these men, but apparently to declare a title or qualification.

(Could this refer to the possibility that, by this time, he had already composed his - or Peter’s - Gospel, or at least a first version of it, and that he was therefore entitled to be called a true “servant of the Word”? There are other evidences that his Gospel was in evidence even before Peter was martyred in Rome.²)

Highly qualified assistants are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament.³ Thus, 1 Peter 5:12: “By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.” Paul’s letter to the Romans, 16:22, reads: “I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord.”⁴

These were more than ordinary scribes; they were trained professional editors, comparable to the modern-day political speech-writer. The contrast between the polished Greek of 1 Peter and the gritty, Hebraic style of 2 Peter was due to Silvanus, an experienced secretary who had already proved his worth in Paul’s first and second letters to the Thessalonians.

To assuage any doubts about the final editorial authenticity, Paul would frequently add his personal signature in his own handwriting.⁵

It may come as a surprise to many of our readers that one of the common, virtually obligatory, qualifications among the professionals in the Greco-Roman world was that of a tachygráphos, or shorthand writer.⁶

Among the disciples, Matthew, a former customs official, would also likely have had a working knowledge of tachygraphy, and thus may have been able to transcribe the Sermon on the Mount verbatim, just as Tertius and others were able to transcribe Paul’s more verbose utterances.⁷

Even in the Old Testament, in Psalm 45:1, the Hebrew, sopher mehir, the “ready writer (KJV),” or “skillful writer (NIV),” is translated in the Greek Septuagint, oxugrafoV, oxygràphos, a synonym for tachygràphos, or shorthand writer. The technical term must have been common enough among Greek-speaking Jews in the 3rd century B.C. for its use in the Septuagint to have any purpose.

Paul also mentions a technical term, membranae, a Latin word transcribed into Greek, referring to a parchment notebook.⁸ This was apparently a predecessor to the codex, or “book” that we know today. These were written on both sides of the sheet and were small and often pocket-sized. They were easy to handle, to skip through for reference, and to store, and thus led to the ultimate departure from the traditional scrolls.

Nomina Sacra

The tedious, painstaking tasks of record-keeping in the ancient world is difficult for us to imagine today. Thus, it is understandable that abbreviations were even more common in antiquity than today.

Even in our linguistic world, when a technical term emerges, or a complex phrase is used with substantial frequency, we indulge in abbreviations or acronyms: NATO for North Atlantic Treaty Organization; DNA for deoxyribonucleic acid; or the alphabet soup associated with governmental organizations: CIA, FBI, DOD, et al.⁹

One of the more significant incidences of abbreviated words, found even on the earliest samples of formalized writing, is the use of nomina sacra, holy names.¹⁰ One example is the chi-rho, Cr, a monogram of Christ consisting of the first two letters of His name in Greek, CristoV, Christos. Others include:

Jesus, IhsouV Iesous = IV

God, qeoV, Theos = qV

Holy Spirit, pneuma, Pneuma = pna

Why are these “holy names” important? They were deliberate; their use was regular and systematic from the start. The scribes did not employ these to simply save space on a sheet of papyrus: the key point is that these “holy names” reflected a theological position.

The word “Lord,” kurioV, kurios, could be applied to many different persons far removed from the Trinity; however, when abbreviated kV, it became a divine name, referring to Jesus.

In the Old Testament, we note a more subtle abbreviation in the use of the heh, for the Ruach Elohim, the Holy Spirit. An example of this occurs in Genesis 17. When the names of Abram¹¹ and Sarai¹² were changed to Abra(H)am¹³ and Sara(H)¹⁴ it was accomplished by simply inserting the heh into their names, marking the involvement of the Spirit of God into their lives.

The First and the Last

In numerous places in both the Old and New Testaments, God refers to Himself as “the First and the Last.”¹⁵ This is also explicit in the New Testament identifiers, “Alpha and Omega,” the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.¹⁶ (In several of these references, they are unquestionably references to Jesus Christ Himself.¹⁷)

In the Old Testament, we frequently encounter the letters aleph, and the tau, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. When used with a connector-bar, a maqqeph, the two-letter prefix, at-,is used as a grammatical element to indicate a direct object. There are also instances, however, where aleph tau is used as a pronoun to indicate the second person masculine singular; a hypocatastasis (”putting down underneath”), a kind of grammatical pun: “a hidden declarative implied metaphor expressing a superlative degree of resemblance.”¹⁸ For example, in Zechariah 12 we find the prophecy of the Messiah’s climactic appearance to Israel:

…and they shall look upon me [aleph tau] whom they have pierced… Zechariah 12:10

The untranslated aleph tau could be translated as follows:

“… and they shall look upon me, the aleph and the tau, whom they have pierced.”

…in which the aleph and the tau, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, are, thus, equivalent to the alpha and the omega in the Greek.

We also find the same untranslated letters in Genesis 1:

In the beginning God [aleph tau] created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1

This Aleph and Tau, that created the heavens and the earth, is the same Aleph and Tau whom they pierced on the wooden cross erected in Judea almost 2,000 years ago.¹⁹ And this Ultimate Nomina Sacrum is scheduled to return when He is least expected.

What About Us?

Have you ever noticed that a professional secretary never enters her boss’s office without her note pad? She never enters his presence without being prepared to receive an assignment.

Do you approach the Throne Room of the Universe without a note pad nearby to jot down your own assignments or the insights you might receive? Do you enter His presence without an expectation of receiving an assignment or insight?

Pray about it. Discuss it with the King Himself.

* * *

This article was excerpted from our Briefing Package, How We Got Our Bible, and from C.P. Thiede and Matthew d’Anacona’s book, The Jesus Papyrus, Wiedenfeld and Nicolson, London UK, 1996.

1. Luke 1:1, 2.
2. C.P. Thiede and M. d’Ancona, The Jesus Papyrus, Wiedenfeld & Nicolson, UK, 1996, pp.170-2.
3. 1 Corinthians 1:1 (”Paul … and Sosthenes”); 2 Corinthians 1:1 (”Paul … and Timothy”); Philippians 1:1 (”Paul and Timothy”); Colossians 1:1 (”From Paul …and…Timothy”); 2 Thessalonians 1:1 (”Paul, Silvanus and Timothy”); and Philemon 1:1 (”From Paul … and from our brother Timothy”).
4. On the strength of this declaration, Gary Burge wrote an article on Tertius entitled, “The Real Writer of Romans,” Christian History, 47/XI, No. 3 (1995), p.29.
5. 1 Corinthians 16:21; Galatians 6:11; Colossians 4:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:17; Philemon 19.
6. E. R. Richards, The Secretary in the Letters of Paul, Tübingen, 1991, pp.26-47, 169-72 (q.v. Thiede and d’Ancona, p.240).
7. E. J. Good-speed, Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Philadelphia, 1959, pp.16-17; and R. H. Gundry, The Use of the Old Testament in St. Matthew’s Gospel, Leiden, 1967, pp.182-4; B. Orchard and H. Riley, The Order of the Synoptics, Macon GA 1987, pp.269-73 (q.v. Thiede and d’Ancona, p.240).
8. 2 Timothy 4:13.
9. This bandwidth compression effect, observable in any corpus of text or phonetic compilation, follows a predictable mathematical function known as Zipf’s Law, or the Principle of Least Effort. See Cosmic Codes, Koinonia House, 1999, p.79-80.
10. This term was coined by German scholar Ludwig Truabe, Nomina Sacra: Versuch einer Geschichte der christlichen Kürzung, Munich, Germany, 1970. For the technical differences between “abbreviation,” “contraction,” and “suspension,” see also A. H. R. E. Paap, Nomina Sacra in the Greek Papyri of the First Four Centuries A. D. - The Sources and Some Deductions, Leiden, 1959; F. Bedoldi, “I’nomina sacra’ nei papiri geci veterostestmaentari precristiani,” Studiea Papyrological, 13 (1974), pp.89-103, and A Pietersma, “Kyrios or Tetragram: A Renewed Quest for the Original LXX,” in A. Pietersma and C. Cox, eds, De Septuaginta. Studies in Honour of John William Wevers, Mississiauga, Ont., 1984, pp.85-101; A. Millard, “Ancient Abbreviations and the Nomina Sacra,” in A. Leany and E. J. Eyre, eds, An Unbroken Reed, Essays in Honour of A. f. Shore, London 1995, pp.221-6 (q.v. Thiede & d’Ancona, p.242).
11. “Exalted father.”
12. “Princess.”
13. “Father, or chief, of multitude.”
14. “Noblewoman.”
15. Isaiah 41:44; 44:6; 48:12; Revelation 1:11; 22:3; et al., (below).
16. Revelation 1:8; 1:17, 18; 2:8; 21:6; 22:3.
17. Revelation 1:17, 18; 2:8.
18. E.W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1898, p.833. See also, Cosmic Codes, p.111-112.

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Textual Surprises: Treasures in the Family Tree

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > Treasures In The Family Trees

So often in the Bible we encounter genealogies which, to most of us, aren’t particularly exciting reading. And yet they often contain hidden treasures to reward the diligent.

The Book of Ruth

In the Book of Ruth, the joyous climax occurs when Boaz, the Kinsman-Redeemer and the hero of the narrative, redeems the land to Naomi and takes Ruth as his Gentile Bride. In addition to providing us a charming romantic story, we quickly discover that this brief little book holds numerous insights and background essential to understanding God’s broader plan of redemption. (I feel that one cannot really understand Revelation Chapter 5 until they have studied this fascinating book.)

In the festivities during the wedding celebration of Ruth and Boaz, someone ostensibly toasts,

And let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.

…an apparent reference to the events of Genesis 38. (However, if you are familiar with that sordid episode, you might have been tempted to exclaim, “Same to you, fella!”) But there’s more to the tale.

Judah and Tamar

In Genesis 38, Tamar had married Judah’s firstborn son, Er, who died without having any children. Under Mosaic law, Judah was expected to provide Tamar a brother to raise up issue and failed to do so.¹ Tamar then resorted to posing as a prostitute and Judah unknowingly got her pregnant. When confronted with the evidence, he confesses that his sin was greater than hers.² Tamar gives birth to two sons, Zarah and Pharez. Both are, of course, illegitimate. The Torah provides that a bastard results in being cast out of the congregation for 10 generations.³ The strange remark in Ruth 4:12 was, in fact, a prophecy: the tenth generation from Pharez was none other than David. And to emphasize this, the book closes with David’s genealogy:

Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

The inheritance of David is here prophesied before the days of Samuel.⁴ But there’s more.

The Hebrew Text of Genesis 38

One of the reasons that the sordid tale of Judah and Tamar has been included in the Scriptures is because this incident is included in the family tree of the Messiah.⁵ It is interesting that hidden within the text of Genesis 38, at 49-letter intervals, are the names of Boaz, Ruth, Obed, Jesse, and David-in chronological order ! [See figure] ; note that Hebrew goes from right to left, and the names are coded backwards.)

These names anticipate, five generations in advance, the next five generations climaxing in David, a total of ten generations. Here in the Torah we find the names of the principals of the Book of Ruth, and a delineation of their descendants leading up to the royal line. How did Moses know all this centuries before the fact? We know that Moses himself wrote the Torah: Jesus verified that very fact numerous times.⁶)

The presence of such features of the Biblical text is a profound demonstration of its supernatural origin. There is absolutely no way that these details could have been anticipated in advance except by Divine guidance and the control of the most subtle aspects of the recorded text-far outstripping any insights of the authors themselves. In addition to the astonishing specifics themselves, the discovery of these features underscores the confidence we may have in the precision of the text, and the overwhelming implications that it is a skillfully crafted integrated message-from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.

The unfortunate promotional sensationalism by some authors over the “Bible Codes” has caused many conservative scholars, as well as unbelieving skeptics, to disparage-and overlook-the many authentic treasures hidden underneath the Biblical text. Truly,

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the honor of kings to search them out.

This article has been excerpted from our Expositional Commentary on Genesis, currently featured on our Berean Online Fellowship.

This discovery was first highlighted in an article by Daniel Michelson, “Codes in the Torah,” B’Or Ha’Torah, Number 6, SHAMIR, Association of Religious Professionals from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 1987. For additional examples of similar “Hidden Treasures,” see also Cosmic Codes on CD-ROM.

Cosmic Codes in MP3 on CD-ROM - Chuck MisslerRead the implications of our finite universe and the shocking discoveries of quantum physics at the very boundaries of reality and learn their significance to our origin and personal destinies! Click for more information - MP3 on CD-ROM

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A Book of Mysteries: Something Hidden

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > Something Hidden

1. Esther 4:16-17.
2. Esther 7:3-6.
3. Esther 9:26; 3:7.
4. Cf. Josephus, Antiquities, xi 6, § 5.
5. Gen 14:7.
6. Genesis 25:21-34.
7. 1 Cor 15:46; Eph 2:3; Gal 5:16, 17
8. Genesis 36:12 Cf. 1 Chron 1:36.
9. Ex 17:8-18.
10. 10.Num 24:20.
11. Deut 25:17-19.
12. Judges 5, 6, and 10.
13. 1 Sam 15:1-3.
14. 1 Sam 15:7-28.

Esther is an obscure book to many, even though it is a story of romance and palace intrigue set in the glory days of the Persian Empire.  A Jewish maiden, elevated to the throne of Persia as its queen, is used by God to preserve His people against a Hitler-like annihilation.

To this day, the Feast of Purim commemorates the memory of this deliverance.  Even the works of Shakespeare’s dramatic genius cannot compare with the drama and irony in this captivating epic.

However, the book deals with real historical events, not just a story to highlight a moral.  It deals with an escape from genocidal annihilation after their return from Babylonian captivity.  Chronologically, Esther makes possible Nehemiah.  It was Esther’s marriage to the king of Persia that ultimately leads to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and enables the chain of events that led to the appearance of the Messiah five centuries later.

The Mysteries of the Book

However, the Biblical mysteries abound: There is no mention of the name of God in the book.  There is no reference to worship or faith.  There is no mention or prediction of the Messiah; no mention of heaven or hell; there is nothing “religious” about it.  It is a gripping tale, but why is it here in the Bible?  Martin Luther believed it should not be part of the Canon!

The name Esther gives us a clue: it means “Something Hidden”!  And we discover that there are numerous surprises hidden behind, and underneath, the text itself.

Summary of the Drama

Orphaned as a child and brought up by her cousin Mordecai, Esther was selected by King Ahasuerus to replace the queen when Vashti was disgraced. Haman, the prime minister, persuaded the king to issue an edict of extermination of all the Jews in the Persian Empire.  Esther, on Mordecai’s advice, endangered her own life by appearing before the king-without being invited - in order to intercede for her people.¹

Seeing that the king was well disposed toward her, she invited him and Haman to a private banquet, during which she did not reveal her desire but invited them to yet another banquet, thus misleading Haman by making him think that he was in the queen’s good graces.  Her real intention was to take revenge on him. During a second banquet, Queen Esther revealed her Jewish origin to the king, begged for her life and the life of her people, and named her enemy.²

Angry with Haman, King Ahasuerus retreated into the palace garden.  Haman, in great fear, remained to plead for his life from the Queen. While imploring, Haman fell on Esther’s couch and was found in this ostensibly compromising situation upon the king’s return.  He was immediately condemned to be hung on the very gallows which he had previously prepared for Mordecai.

The king complied with Esther’s request, and the edict of destruction was then changed into permission for the Jews to avenge themselves on their enemies.

The Feast of Purim was instituted by Mordecai to celebrate the deliverance of the Jews from Haman’s plot to kill them.  Our Jewish friends continue to celebrate this feast to this day, which is based on the events in the Book of Esther. Purim (from Akkadian, puru, “lots”) is so called after the lots cast by Haman in order to determine the month in which the slaughter was to take place.³

Surprising Roots Behind the Tale

The two principal protagonists are, of course, Haman and Mordecai.  We are surprised to discover that this narrative has its roots several generations earlier.  Haman was an “Agagite,” a royal Amalekite, the last of his proud house to occupy a position of influence and power.⁴ “Agag” was the name given to the kings of Amalek, the people “against whom the Lord hath indignation forever.”  We first read of the land of the Amalekites, in the valleys of southern Palestine, involved in the great conflicts of the Elamite ascendancy from which ultimately the Persian Empire emerges.⁵

To fully understand the cosmic drama taking place, one must begin with the birth of Esau and Jacob.⁶ The twins - Jacob and Esau - struggling together picture the flesh and Spirit struggling against one another.⁷ Amalek descended from Esau.⁸

Amalek fought with Israel at Rephidim. “YHWH will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”⁹ Both Balaam¹⁰ and Moses¹¹ foretold the doom of this haughty foe.  Every time Israel rose up in their own power, they were clobbered; whenever they rose up in faith and the lowliness of self-judgment, Amalek’s power was broken.¹²

Saul’s Failure

Samuel commissioned Saul to “go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not.”¹³ But Saul failed to carry it out.  He spared Agag, and so God took the kingdom from Saul.¹⁴ Had Saul been obedient, Haman could never have appeared on the scene. Although Samuel subsequently showed Agag no mercy, some of his children escaped him.  Haman is witness that Samuel likewise failed to exterminate the rest of the royal family.  Sin unjudged, evil propensities unmortified, will result in grave trouble later. It is also important to realize that Mordecai was a descendant of Shimei, who was a recipient of David’s grace when he refused to take vengeance upon him.¹⁵

Now 600 years later, Mordecai, a descendant of the house of Kish, the father of King Saul, and a royal Amalekite by the name of Haman, a final descendant of Agag, confront each other!  With Haman’s death, and that of his ten sons, the name of Amalek will be blotted out from under heaven.

Microcodes

One of the many surprises hidden within the text itself are the presence of eight microcodes: five acrostics and three “equidistant letter sequences” that spell out the name of God and with some surprising designed-in relevances!

Macrocodes

Of even more personal impact than the microcodes are the macrocodes which seem to be hidden behind the narrative.   Paul reveals that the historic incidents that happened to Israel are intended as types (or models) for us:

Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [as a warning]: and they are written for our admonition [instruction]…  - 1 Corinthians 10:11

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. - Romans 15:4

The Book of Esther also seems to foreshadow the Book of Romans as the story-behind-the story: the classic struggle between the flesh and the spirit.  The Bible is given to us (1) to know God; and (2) to know ourselves!  And it is our very selves which also seem to be in view in some surprising - yet practical - ways.

It is not only a gripping and enjoyable drama, but a challenging puzzle to unravel, and it can be a deeply impacting influence on our Christian walk!  Good hunting!

*  *  *

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System Design of the Scriptures?: Our Holographic Bible

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > Our Holographic Bible

In previous articles, we noted how scientists have been attracted to the strange properties of a hologram to help explain the bizarre properties of quantum physics and even the organization of the human brain.¹ It shouldn’t come as such a surprise, then, to discover that the Ultimate Architect may have also employed some of these concepts in the design of the Scriptures themselves.

What is a Hologram?

A hologram is a form of lensless photography in which a laser simultaneously illuminates an object and a piece of film. The film records the interference between the light waves hitting it directly and the light waves reflected from the object. It is, in effect, a frequency record rather than a spatial image.

Fourier Transforms

There are mathematical transforms that can alter the domain of a message or image into a form that has unusual and attractive properties. We take advantage of a Lorentz Transform when we calculate the time dilation of hypothetical astronauts in interplanetary travel. Engineers frequently exploit Fourier Transforms to change a time series into a frequency series. The use of frequency response curves in the evaluation of audio equipment is a common example. Fourier had developed a mathematical way of converting any pattern, no matter how complex, into a language of simple waves. He also showed that these wave forms could be converted back into the original pattern, just as a television set converts those frequencies back into the original images. The equations he developed are known as Fourier Transforms.

One of the most remarkable examples of a Fourier Transform is the hologram. The principles were first formulated in 1947 by Dennis Gabor (who later won a Nobel Prize for his efforts) as he was trying to improve the electron microscope, then a primitive and imperfect device. His approach was a mathematical one, leaning on a type of calculus invented by an 18^th century Frenchman, Jean B. J. Fourier. Modern holographic images are derived from the work of Emmet Leath at the University of Michigan. (I had the pleasure of exploring computer-generated holograms with him in his laboratory in the early ’60s.)

Informational Properties

The hologram exhibits some very profound properties beyond the three-dimensional image. In fact, it is one of the most profound means to distribute information throughout a given media. All of the information it contains is distributed over the entire image surface. One can remove a portion of the hologram without losing the image! Drill a hole in the hologram, and one can still view the entire object by simply moving one’s eye to a more convenient angle (some resolution, or sharpness, will be lost however). Cut the film into pieces, and each piece contains the complete image.²

An engineer who is designing a communication system in anticipation of hostile jamming, or other countermeasures, needs to employ several critical techniques to be effective. In addition to taking advantage of available error detection and correction techniques, he will also attempt to spread his message throughout the available bandwidth. He will avoid clustering his message into areas which would increase his vulnerability to jamming or interference.

It is provocative to notice that the Biblical text evidences these same techniques. Where is the chapter on baptism? Or salvation? Or any specific critical doctrine? Every major theme is spread throughout the 66 books making up the total message. There is no concentration of any critical element in any single location. One can tear out a surprising number of pages and still not lose visibility of the essential message. (Some resolution or clarity would be lost, however.) This design intent of distributing the vital elements throughout the entire message system is even highlighted by Isaiah:

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Isaiah 28:9,10

A Biblical Analogy

When one examines a hologram in natural (uncollimated, noncoherent) light, it has no apparent form nor attractiveness. However, when one examines it with the laser with which it was formulated, a three-dimensional image appears. When one examines the Bible in unaided, natural light, it “has no form nor comeliness that we should desire it.”³ But when we examine it illuminated by the Light that created it, the Spirit of God that put it all together in the first place, we see an image: the image of the One that every detail in it illuminates, the promised Messiah Himself.

From Genesis to Revelation, God’s program for the redemption of mankind is carefully distributed throughout 66 books,⁴ penned by more than 40 different individuals spanning several thousand years! And, indeed, this abused collection has survived the jamming and interference of its enemies over many centuries without material damage!

(However, if we illuminate the hologram with a laser of a different frequency, it will yield a false or distorted image. So, too, the Scripture!)

Religious Adversaries

And there are knowledgeable, resourceful adversaries that are very committed to preventing it from achieving its objective. And you are the target of their malicious designs. Lies and deceit are their primary weapons.⁵ And, surprisingly, religion has been the deceptive packaging to prevent mankind from perceiving the truth of God’s grace and mercy.

(Jesus Christ was the most anti-religious person who has ever walked the earth. The only hostility He ever evidenced-and He almost invariably did so-was toward the professional religionists of that day.) Religion is man’s attempt to reconcile himself to God. It began when Adam and Eve attempted to clothe themselves to hide their nakedness.6

God’s response was to replace their efforts with coats of skins,⁷ teaching them that they would ultimately be covered by the shedding of innocent blood. The concept of a substitutional sacrifice, which would later be codified in the Levitical system, and climaxed at Golgatha, was introduced before they left the Garden of Eden. You and I are also the beneficiaries of that love letter, written in blood on a wooden cross that was erected in Judea about 2,000 years ago.

The holographic paradigm thus seems to give us a glimpse into the interconnected relationships of the human mind (reviewed last month), and even the very nature of physical reality itself (see Personal UPDATE 8/98) also appears to leave its imprint within the Word of God itself. This would appear to be a subtle, but significant, fingerprint of the Author of it all.

This article was excerpted from Cosmic Codes - Hidden Messages From the Edge of Eternity.

1. See Personal UPDATE 2/99, pp. 12-15; 8/98, pp. 5-9.
2. This is only true for a hologram invisible to the naked eye. Synthetic holographic-like images used in normal light displays do not have these properties.
3. Isaiah 53:2.
4. Seventy, if one recognizes that the Book of Psalms is actually assembled from 5 books.
5. John 8:44, et al. This began in Eden when the adversary cynically inquired, “Yea, Hath God (really) said…” Genesis 3:1ff.
6. Their “nakedness” may be referring to their loss of their original nature: they may have been clothed with light, walking with God, etc. There may be far more involved than most theologians have ever imagined.
7. Genesis 3:21.

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Cosmic Codes: The Code of Blood

From Koinonia House

Technical > Bible Codes > The Code Of Blood

The famed double-helix DNA typically includes three billion rungs of a digital, error-correcting code.  A digital (symbolic) code derives its significance from arbitrary, but consistent, definitions.  A digital language requires context; conventions external to the code itself.  An effective digital code demands careful, skillful design.

The genetic alphabet is a 3-out-of-4 design employing four nitrogenous bases: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine for DNA (Uracil is substituted for Thymine in the RNA).   These bases will be abbreviated as A, U, G, and C in the chart in Figure 1. Sugar molecules (ribose or deoxyribose) bind the chemical alphabet; phosphate molecules bind the sugar molecules together to form the now- famous double helix.

There are 20 amino acids that are assembled into the over 100,000 various functional proteins observed.  The DNA/RNA code is shown in Figure 1.

The genetic alphabet of the four nitrogenous bases are taken three at a time to form one of 64 possible triplets.  Each triplet has a specific meaning: 61 specify one of the 20 amino acids; three are used as punctuation codes to parse its sentences.  UAA, UAG, and UGA are used as “stop” codes; GUA and GUG, depending upon their position in the molecule, can also act as “start” codes.

There is also redundancy, in the form of homonyms (alternative codes for a given amino acid), to improve its   error-correction characteristics.

(It is interesting that evidence to date indicates that this alphabet and its associated codes have not changed throughout the history of the earth.)

These codes are stored in the DNA “master blueprint” and copied by transcription machinery into the working copy RNA, which is then translated into the “sentence” which assembles the amino acids into the necessary proteins.  The translation process is similar to a magnetic recording head reading a computer tape.  Most proteins involve a specific amino acid chain between 100 to 500 amino acids long.

The Transcription Process

Recent articles reviewed the remarkable transcription process.¹ While the unwinding and rewinding of the DNA takes place, an equally sophisticated process of reading the DNA code and “writing” new strands occurs.  The process involves the production and use of messenger RNA.

The DNA coding sequences are separated by intervening sequences, which must be detected and removed.  (These are similar to the “equidistant letter sequences” that we find hidden in the Biblical texts.² )  The remaining coding sequences are then spliced together to form the messenger RNA molecule.³

An Example of Specificity

The DNA/RNA coding system must arrange the amino acids into specific sequences to form each required protein.  While similar to letters of an alphabet in sentences, only a specific sequence of amino acids will produce the essential result.  The precision of this sequence is its specificity.  Since they involve a fixed alphabet in very specific sequence, it is quite straightforward to mathematically analyze the specificity.

One of the most important proteins - perhaps the most important - is hemoglobin.  It is responsible for both the red color of our blood and for the oxygen chemistry based on our breathing.  The Torah notes that “life is in the blood.”⁴

The formula for hemoglobin is detailed in Figure 2:

In the chart there is only one specific sequence of the amino acids that is hemoglobin.  Hemoglobinopathy occurs if even one amino acid is replaced; it is usually lethal. (Sickle cell anemia being but one example.)

Using the formula for alternate linear arrangements⁶ of these amino acids indicates that there are about 10⁶⁵⁰ permutations possible, but only one of them is hemoglobin.

(The actual number is 7.4 x 10⁶⁵⁴.   There are indications that some of the amino acid positions may be “neutral,” like spaces, which are less significant.  The current research indicates that these may be up to 10% of such positions, which would indicate that there are only 516 rather than 574 significant amino acid positions, in which case the specificity would reduce to 7.9 x 10⁵⁰³.)⁷
This is still a pretty good finite approximation for infinity!  The likelihood of this specific sequence occurring by chance is clearly absurd.⁸

(In speculating about obtaining this precise sequence by 10⁵⁰⁰⁺ random trials, remember that there have been only about 10¹⁷ seconds in the generally accepted age of the universe, so you would have had to work rather quickly.  Also, realize that there are only about 10 ⁶⁶ atoms in the universe, so you can’t waste material on false tries!)

Think about it.  It isn’t just unlikely; it really is impossible.  It was very skillfully designed.  If you really want to be a skeptic, you need to practice like the Red Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass , who said:

“I practice believing impossible things at least twice day…[check]”

It takes a lot of commitment to blindness and fallacies to be an atheist.  There are, of course, no dead atheists (James 2:19).

If someone claims to be an atheist, ask him to prove it.  It must include a claim to know everything - since God could be hiding behind any area of knowledge the claimant has overlooked…

I personally don’t have the guts to gamble my eternity that the Bible might be wrong.

*  * *

1. See “Unraveling DNA’s Design,” Personal UPDATE, 12/97, p.14-17, excerpted from Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal , 1-800-350-3232
2. See Chuck’s briefing package Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity
3. Denton, p.242-243.
4. Leviticus 17:11.
5. Derived from C. U. M. Smit, Molecular Biology, p.109, (q.v. David Foster, The Philosophical Scientists , Dorset Press, New York, 1985, p.80.)
6. The formula for n things, p being a like of one kind, q alike of another kind, and r alike of another kind, etc., then the total number of ways in which all the n things can be arranged so that no arrangement is repeated is N = n!/(p! x q! x r!…), where “!” indicates a factorial.
7. In their book Evolution from Space, Sir Fred Hoyle and Professor N. C. Wickramasinghe use very similar arguments, but use a simplified formula for estimating biological specificities, 20n where 20 represents the alternative possible amino acids and n the number of amino acids in the chain.  This estimate is less accurate than the one shown which takes into account the known proportions of each.  Their formula results in an even higher estimates of 10⁸⁵⁰ and 10⁶⁵⁴, respectively.

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