Church of God News

John Martin’s 1834 version of the Deluge

COGwriter

Does the amount of water on and in the Earth support the view of the flood of Noah’s time?

Yes.

Consider also the following:

While about 71 percent of the earth is covered with water, 96.5 percent of it is saline and undrinkable ocean water. Surface water is constantly being recycled through evaporation and rainfall. Even the water we use from wells is mostly recycled as part of this process.

But if, as more scientific studies suggest, “primary water” deep beneath the mantle or crust of the Earth exceeds the amount found in all the planet’s oceans, there is hardly a shortage. If it can be extracted to the surface through natural processes or through deep-well drilling, supplies would be unlimited for a thirsty world.

“It’s actually the confirmation that there is a very, very large amount of water that’s trapped in a really distinct layer in the deep Earth,” said Graham Pearson, lead author of the 2014 study and a geochemist at the University of Alberta in Canada. “It translates into a very, very large mass of water, approaching the sort of mass of water that’s present in all the world’s oceans.”

More scientists and researchers are coming to the conclusion that some of this “primary water” is still breaking through to the surface as a result of earthquakes just as the Genesis account of the Flood explained how the entire world was once covered with water. They are also theorizing that the vast reserves of highly pressurized “primary water” are actually causing quakes – again, just as the biblical Flood account described in Genesis 7:11 when “all the fountains of the great deep [were] broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”

Of course, many people today consider that account simply a myth, legend, superstition.

What does science say?

It’s left with two options for what accounts for all of the Earth’s water:

• It came from extraterrestrial sources – namely comets and asteroids;
• The Earth itself is actually manufacturing water

The latest studies pointing to vast reserves of fresh water – or “primary water” – are being used to lend credence to the second option. Why? Because the previous theory could not begin to explain how water equivalent to or exceeding the water in all of the Earth’s oceans could have found itself deep beneath the planet’s mantle.

So maybe there is another explanation – God made the water. …

Andrew Snelling, a Ph.D geologist from Australia who serves as director of research for Answers in Genesis. He, too, noticed these recent studies and came to conclusions similar to my own.

“It is ironic that secularist scientists are still seeking to explain where the Earth’s water came from,” he writes. “For many years now, they have endeavored to fill in the difficult-to-explain pieces of their ‘story’ about how our home Earth ‘just happened’ to become so habitable for life over the course of its supposed billions-of-years history. Secularists believe the Earth condensed from clumpy matter flung out of the solar nebula 4.56 or so billion years ago. It was thus originally a hot, molten blob that cooled. They used to suggest that most of the water came from inside this cooling Earth, but not enough to fill the oceans we have on the Earth’s surface today. A once popular theory was that comets (which are essentially large, dirty snowballs) collided with the Earth and deposited their water on its surface.”

But that explanation, as I wrote, could not possibly explain oceans of water deep beneath the surface of the planet. With the new evidence for just that, a new explanation was needed – especially because the discovery would, in fact, lend scientific credence to the Genesis account of Creation and the explanation for the Flood. After all, the Flood account specifically says that much of the water broke free from deep inside the Earth.

“Of course, these same secularists and Bible skeptics say, as predicted in 2 Peter 3:3-6, that there never was a global flood on the Earth, even though it is still 70 percent covered in water, which averages more than two miles deep,” writes Snelling. “But ironically, they also say that, due to the many evidences of massive water erosion on Mars, there was a watery flood ‘of Biblical proportions’ on that planet in the past, even though that planet’s surface is dry today!”

Snelling, too, sees the recent studies as evidence of the biblical Flood account.

“The Bible’s description of that outbursting event is merely confirmed by the latest findings of the secular scientists,” he writes. “So the waters that came from inside the Earth, combined with the waters in the original, created oceans to produce the Genesis Flood.” http://www.wnd.com/2017/09/water-science-and-the-bible-2/

The Bible teaches:

7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (Genesis 7:7-11, NKJV)

11 When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. (Genesis 7:11, NLT)

Water from the flood included rain as well as the waters below the ground coming up.

Scientists realize that there is enough water for the great flood of Noah’s time, though most will not make that connection publicly.

While biblical critics have suggested that Noah’s flood was only a local matter, last year some researchers claimed there is evidence to support a great flood that affected the Chinese, prior to the start of later Chinese civilization:

August 5, 2016

A Chinese myth that speaks of a flood so high “it threatens the very heavens” may be rooted in fact after all.

Some 4,000 years ago, legend says, the flood tore through a large are of central China washing away cities and inundating farmland.

Enter a hero named Yu the Great, who earned his sobriquet by spending decades organizing a campaign to dig canals to channel the floodwater, supposedly passing his home three times as he traveled the region, but never setting foot inside until the job was done.

Yu was so revered for these public works that he passed into legend as emperor of China’s supposed first dynasty, the mythical Xia Dynasty.

Now, researchers in China say they may have found evidence that the great flood that sparked the myths was, in fact, a real event on the region’s Yellow River. https://weather.com/science/news/scientists-find-evidence-china-legendary-great-flood-was-real

Analysis of the crushed skeletons of children have revealed that an earthquake 4,000 years ago could be the source of a legendary “great flood” at the dawn of Chinese civilisation.

A Chinese-led team found remnants of a vast landslide, caused by an earthquake, big enough to block the Yellow river in what is now Qinghai province, near Tibet. …

The authors put the Yellow river flood at about 1920 BC by carbon dating the skeletons of children in a group of 14 victims found crushed downstream, apparently when their home collapsed in the earthquake. …

The evidence of a massive flood in line with the legend “provides us with a tantalising hint that the Xia dynasty might really have existed”, said one of the authors, David Cohen of National Taiwan University.

Deluges feature in many traditions, from Hindu texts to the biblical story of Noah. In pre-history, floods were probably frequent as ice sheets melted after the last ice age ended … https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/05/chinas-great-flood-tests-on-childrens-bones-support-4000-year-old-legend

“The flood is pouring forth destruction. Boundless and overwhelming, it overtops hills and mountains,” goes a quote attributed to the legendary Emperor Yao. “Rising and ever rising, it threatens the very heavens.”

If civilization was to survive, the people needed a hero who could tame the floodwaters and restore the land. That man was Yu, founder of China’s first dynasty, the Xia. Over the course of decades, Yu organized a dredging campaign, dug channels that would carry the water back to its source, and pioneered a tradition of great Chinese public works.

“He brings order out of the chaos and defines the land, separating what would become the center of Chinese civilization,” said David Cohen, an anthropologist and early Chinese history expert at National Taiwan University. “He is essentially establishing the political order and the ideologies of rulership.”

It is a powerful foundation myth, but many believed that was all it was. Some 4,000 years after the flood was supposed to have happened, historians had found no archaeological evidence of its effect or firsthand accounts of its destruction. There are no historical artifacts from Yu, or the Xia dynasty he founded. All researchers had to go on were stories written long after the fact, dramatized and politicized to justify the ends of those who wrote them.

Until Wu Qinglong, a geologist at Nanjing Normal University, found signs of the flood in the sediments beneath his feet.

In a new paper published Thursday in the journal Science, Wu and his colleagues describe geological evidence for a catastrophic flood on the Yellow River in about 1900 B.C. — right around the time the “Great Flood” was said to have taken place.

“This expands our understanding,” said Andrew Sudgen, deputy editor of Science, “not only of civilization’s origins, but also the environment in which ancestral societies emerged.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/08/04/legends-say-china-began-in-a-great-flood-scientists-just-found-evidence-that-the-flood-was-real/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_1_na

The Bible tells of a massive worldwide flood that occurred (Genesis chapters 6 -8). This seems to have been around 2325 B.C. (see Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

Since carbon dating has its flaws, it could be that the remains found were related to the flood in Noah’s time, or perhaps a different, more local flood, that occurred a few centuries later.

However, there is other evidence in China that the Chinese were aware of the biblical flood.

Notice a couple of statements in the Bible concerning the flood:

1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. (Genesis 7:1).

20…in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water (1 Peter 3:20).

A Chinese word chuán for a type of boat is made up of symbols as described:

It may be of interest to note that one of the Chinese symbols for flood (chong) is a combination of an inverted symbol meaning “first Earthly branch” and eight (the term for eight may instead mean “person remaining””–that of itself is interesting as the symbol for eight and “person remaining” look about the same–recall that on the ark there were only eight persons remaining alive).

After the flood, humans stayed together and built a tower:

1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-4).

But God did not care for this:

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:5-7).

It is highly likely that when people saw others speaking foreign languages, that they thought that somehow something at this tower affected their mouths. The Chinese symbol of a tower is made up of symbols as described:

The tower of Babel was built with bricks (grass and clay) and humans originally had one language (or mouth). It is possible that this symbol is showing that the ancient Chinese recognized a connection to the biblical tower of Babel. The Bible shows that after God confused the languages in Babel that He scattered humans all over:

8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth (Genesis 11:8-9).

The Bible also mentions:

25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan (Genesis 10:25).

Now whether it was just the scattering of humans that occurred in Peleg’s time, or that the earth had continental divisions at that time is not completely clear. What is clear, however, is that humans did separate essentially by language and ethnicity thousands of years ago.

When I tried to copy each of the Chinese characters into this post, they did not copy properly.

To see them, however, simply go to my article China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters.

That article also has evidence, via Chinese characters, that the ancient Chinese knew about Adam & Eve and more in Genesis.

Of course, other cultures tell of a great flood:

The greatest tale of all is that of the Flood. Noah finds his roots in older legends. Three hundred Flood narratives are known, from the Americas to Australia (from whence comes the tale of the frog that swallowed the world’s water only to spew it out when the other animals made him laugh). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/steve-jones/7887202/Gods-floods-and-global-warming.html

The biblical accounts can be trusted, even if certain ‘experts’ wish to pretend that they are only tales.

There was a flood that affected the entire world. And yes, scientists realize that there is enough water for this to be so.

Some items of potentially related interest may include:

China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters Where did the Chinese people come from? This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel. Here is a link to a version of this article in Spanish: ¿Prueban los caracteres chinos la exactitud de la Biblia?
Have the Turks and Chinese Just Found Noah’s Ark? Some have so claimed. If true, this could change how much of the world views events from the Bible.
Is God’s Existence Logical? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true? Here is a link to a YouTube sermon titled Is it logical to believe in God?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge. Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Is There Another View of Evolution? and another titled Quickly Disprove Evolution as the Origin of Life.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here is a link to a sermon: Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha?
Did Angels Marry Human Women? Many insist this is so and also that this mating caused giants to be born. Did this come from the ‘Book of Enoch’? What does Genesis 6:4 really mean? A related video is also available: Did Angels Marry Women and Produce Giants?
Where Did God Come From? Any ideas? And how has God been able to exist? Who is God?
How is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient? Here is a biblical article which answers what many really wonder about it.
Has time been lost? It Saturday the seventh day of the week?
Study the Bible Course Want to learn more about the Bible? This new course is for you! It is also available in French (Leçon 1 En francés), Kiswahili (Somo 1 Katika Kiswahili), Mandarin Chinese (首页 › 中国), Tagalog (KURSO SA PAG-ARAL NG BIBLYA), and Spanish (Lección 1 En castellano).
Read the Bible Christians should read and study the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading. Here is a link in Mandarin Chinese: 读圣经 Here is a link in the Spanish language: Lea la Biblia.
Bible: Superstition or Authority? Should you rely on the Bible? Is it reliable? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2026 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?

1997 Feast Location and Brussels, Belgium

COGwriter

Retired teacher Bert Otten, who was once part of the old WCG, sent me a paper with his reasons why he feels that many in Belgium and Luxembourg are the descendants of the biblical tribe of Asher. He told me that I could edit and/or use what he sent in any way.

Here is some of his article, along with the ten clues, with portions of the explanations edited out, mainly for space considerations:

Looking at the ‘prophetic clues’ one has to conclude that a core of the tribe of Asher once found its way to the people living in Belgium and Luxemburg (especially in the triangle Roermond-Lille-Nancy-Roermond)…

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1^st Clue: Asher – happy

And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, HAPPY am I [b_ashri], for the daughters will call me BLESSED [ishruni]: and she called his name Asher [asher: blessed, happy] (Gen 30:12-13).

And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bore Jacob a second son. And Leah said: ‘HAPPY am I! for the daughters will call me HAPPY.’ And she called his name Asher [HAPPY or BLESSED] (Gen 30: 12-13, JPS, Jewish Publication Society).

After four sons Leah has two more sons by her maid-servant Zilpah. Asher is Jacob’s 8th son. They will call me happy, and she names him ‘blessed, happy’, Asher! This predicts Asher’s nature: jovial, genial, friendly.

‘Burgundian’ lifestyle

The national character of most Belgians in general, and Walloons in particular, is that they are jovial, genial, friendly…

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2^nd Clue: Asher – his bread shall be fat

As for Asher, his BREAD [lechem] shall be FAT [shamen] … (Gen 49:20a, KJV).

Asher’s FOOD will be RICH … (Gen 49:20a, NIV).

Literally it says that Asher’s bread will be fat. It is noteworthy that bread in England and Holland has the form of a big brick, a loaf. In France they sell the typical French bread, long thin pieces of bread. In Belgium they sell bread in big, round, ‘fat’, loaves.

However, lechem also means food in general, and not just bread. Asher’s food would be rich in content, and it would be plenteous…

3^rd Clue: Asher – royal dainties

Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal DAINTIES (Gen 49:20b).

[Asher] will provide DELICACIES fit for a king (Gen 49:20b, NIV).

This is up to a point a repeat of the fact that Asher’s food would be fat or rich. We think of all the delicacies – fries, mussels, oysters, fish, venison, etc. – served in the Belgian cuisine, but ‘delicacies’ contains much more…

Belgian Beers

Wikipedia: For a comparatively small country, Belgium produces a very large number of beers in a range of different styles – in fact, it has more distinct types of beer per capita than anywhere else in the world. In 2011, there were 1,132 different varieties of beer being produced in the country…

Belgian Chocolate

Wikipedia about Belgian chocolate: Belgium is famed for its high quality chocolate and over 2,000 chocolatiers, both small and large…

Waffles and sweets

There are also Belgian waffles (Brussels, Liège), speculoos, vlaaien (Limburg), sweets, etc. Asher’s food would be rich and he would yield royal dainties.

Tapestries, lace, comic books

Delicacies or dainties is a translation from ma’adan:

Ma’adan – or (feminine) ma’adannah {mah-ad-an-naw’}; from ‘`adan’ (Strong, 5727); a delicacy or (abstractly) pleasure (adverbially, cheerfully):–dainty, delicately, delight.

Some writers about the tribes link this with the typical Belgian delicate tapestries (made for royalty!) and with Belgian lace…

4^th Clue: Asher – friendly & favoured

And of Asher he said: Blessed be Asher above sons; let him be the FAVOURED of his brethren … (Dt 33:24, JPS).

And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be ACCEPTABLE to his brethren, … (Dt 33:24, KJV).

About Asher he said: “Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be FAVOURED by his brothers, …”(Dt 33:24, NIV).

Belgians – kind, friendly

Although Belgians may fight between themselves about language problems – a bloodless struggle – they are perceived by others as kind, friendly people. To my knowledge there are not many people who hate Belgians. The French and the Dutch may joke about Belgians, but they do not dislike them. The fact that they are liked by their neighbours, by other tribes, has favourable to them over time…

5^th Clue: Asher – … iron … under your shoe

Thy shoes shall be IRON and brass … (Dt 33:25).

YZER en koper zal onder uw schoen zijn … (Dt 33:25, SVV, Dutch Staten Vertaling: IRON and copper will be under your shoe).

An important prophecy concerning Asher is about metal. And of Asher he said … IRON and brass (or copper) will be your shoe, or will be under your shoe. The triangle Roermond – Lille – Nancy – Roermond is closely connected with iron, coal and industrialisation. To speak of Wallonia is to speak of iron. A lot can be read about the Wallonian steel industry…

Wikipedia: Wallonia is rich in iron and coal, and these resources and related industries have played an important role in its history…

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6^th Clue: Asher – … brass … under your shoe

Thy shoes shall be iron and BRASS … (Dt 33:25).

Yzer en KOPER zal onder uw schoen zijn … (Dt 33:25, SVV, Dutch Staten Vertaling: iron and COPPER will be under your shoe).

As we saw: In the Middle Ages, Wallonia became a center for brass working and bronze working, with Huy, Dinant and Chimay being important regional centers (Wikipedia).

Belgium – Congo – Katanga – Copper

The Katanga Province of Belgian Congo was one of the world’s most important copper producing areas in the twentieth century until the 1960’s. Belgium became an important importer and exporter of copper. The copper was extracted by the Union Minière du Haut Katanga...

7^th Clue: Asher – … dip his foot in oil

And of Asher he said … and let him dip his foot in OIL (Dt 33:24).

Many of the Lost Tribes prophecies are for the endtime only (acharit haYamim), for the last days…Palm oil

The modern fulfilment of this statement concerning Asher’s oil can be found in palm oil which Belgium extracted from the Belgian Congo for years. Wikipedia: Palm oil production in the Congo increased from 2,500 tons in 1914 to 9,000 tons in 1921 and 230,000 tons in 1957.

Palm oil is an important ingredient in food and non-food products like margarine, chocolate, cleaning products and cosmetics. Palm oil has become one of the most important vegetable oils.

In 1959 Belgian Congo was the sixth biggest palm oil producer of the world … Asher … let him dip his foot in oil.

8^th Clue: 8. Asher, 9. Issachar, 10. Zebulun

… and [Leah] called his name Asher [8^th son] … and [Leah] called his name Issachar [9^th son] … and [Leah] called his name Zebulun [10^th son] (Gen 30:13-20).

… of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, … of the tribe of the children of Issachar … of the tribe of the children of Asher … (Nu 34:25-27).

And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun … And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar … And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher … (Josh 19:10, 17, 24).

Leah Tribes

Leah had eight sons, six of herself and two by her maidservant Zilpah. She named all eight of them. So there are eight Leah tribes (and five Racheltribes)… There is a bond between Asher, Issachar and Zebulun in both antiquity and in modern times…Over the past 60 years there has been a close cooperation between these peoples within the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg). They live closely together as they once did in Galilee, in Erets Yisrael.

9^th Clue: Asher – mighty men of valour

All these were the children of Asher, heads of their father’s house, choice and MIGHTY MEN OF VALOUR, chief of the princes. And the number throughout the genealogy of them that were apt to the war and to battle was 26,000 men (1Chron 7:40).

And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, EXPERT IN WAR, 40,000 (1 Chron 12:36).

There were a few militaristic tribes, but Asher was not one of them. However, the Asherites were brave fighters. Although not an aggressive tribe, they could hold their ground when called upon…

Belgae – Julius Caesar

In his book Commentarii de bello GallicoJulius Caesar divides the Celts into three groups. The most northern group are the Belgae living in the area between the North Sea, Rhine, Seine and Marne. According to Caesar the Belgae were the bravest of the three groups. This quote from Caesar became very popular in the 1830’s in an attempt to enflame Belgian nationalism…

Belgium in WW I

The Belgians fought bravely under Soldier King Albert I against the German invasion.

10^th Clue: Asher – peaceable, peaceful

And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of SHELOMI (Strong <08015>, shlomi, peacable) (Num 34:27).

The tribe of Asher is a peaceful tribe, not looking for war or trouble. This can first of all be concluded by the absence of things. There are no violent, negative, warlike stories or individuals known from the tribe of Asher in the Bible. Asher has a modest Biblical history with an absence of ringleaders in evil. The prince of Asher in Numbers 34 is even called Ahihud ben Shlomi, son of Shlomi (peaceful).

Asher is very modest in The Testament of Asher. There is no bragging like in some of the other testaments of the twelve patriarchs.

The olive tree is the symbol of Asher. This can also be connected to peace, as the olive branch is a symbol of peace.

Belgians – neutral & peaceful

The Belgians were more or less given their independence and their colonies. They were neutral twice and were invaded twice by the Germans. They fought bravely in WW I and WW II to defend themselves and their colonies, but they never attacked other nations.

I should add that we have been to Belgium at least twice and Luxembourg at least once. There may also be some of Zebulon and Reuben in Belgium.

The Bible records various promises made to the tribes of Israel in Genesis 48, Genesis 49, and Deuteronomy 33. Many seem to have overlooked those, but those prophecies have been, and will be fulfilled.

While there are various ways to look at those and other prophecies, let me conclude by stating that I do believe that those of Belgium and Luxembourg are essentially descended from biblical Asher, though there is ethnic intermingling.

Knowing where various peoples have come from, help us better understand how the Bible teaches that various ones will be affected by end time events that are still to come to pass.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? What is the origin of this in France? What is prophesied to happen to them? A two-part sermon related to history and prophecy is available online: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben and France and Prophecy.

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce this sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:19:44

Africa: Its biblical past, present, and future

Here is a link to the video sermon: Africa: Its biblical past, present, and future.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans? A sermon of possible interest would be: Africa: Its biblical past, present, and future. Another video of possible interest is: Nairobi Conference: All About Love.
Nairobi Conference: All About Love This is the beginning of the 2017 African conference for the Continuing Church of God in Nairobi, Kenya for leaders from eight nations. The agenda and introductions are the first portion of this video, and then there is a sermon explaining why the Philadelphia remnant is all about love. Though given in English, most of the messages are translated into the African language of Kiswahili on this video.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy?
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. To see how CCOG has done so far, here are links to two sermons Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished? and The Continuing Church of God: Two Years of Proclamation. Here is a written link to a version of that sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。 Here is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.
CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
CCOG.NZ This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.
CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos as well as some ContinuingCOG channel sermons. It is also available as a mobile app.
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced many YouTube video sermonettes for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. And you can find them there.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced scores of YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos.

On this vase from 350 B.C., one of the Hesperides, Greek nymphs, tends to a serpent as another tends to a tree. The parallel to Genesis is obvious here. (WND)

COGwriter

World Net Daily (WND) reported the following:

WASHINGTON – Some among modern people regard the book of Genesis as a “myth,” but what if evidence exists for the creation story beyond the Bible?

What if non-Christians kept historical records detailing the biblical account of creation?

According to one author, they did.

In the new book “Genesis Characters and Events in Ancient Greek Art,” Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr., outlines the plethora of evidence in Greek art that backs the Genesis story.

According to Johnson, “Ancient Greek religious art boasts of the triumph of the way of Cain over Noah and his God-fearing offspring after the flood, telling the same story as the early chapters of the book of Genesis.”

“The Greeks remembered the original paradise calling it the Garden of the Hesperides, always depicting it with a serpent-entwined apple tree. The book of Genesis doesn’t say what kind of fruit it was: It’s from the Greek tradition we get the idea that Eve ate an apple,” Johnson continues.

The evidence for Johnson’s claims are vast: numerous works of art and Greek legends mirror the account found in Genesis.

“Both the Judeo-Christian tradition and the Greek religious tradition insist that their respective first couples came from an ancient paradise with a serpent-entwined fruit tree. Two opposite spiritual standpoints – the former looking to the Creator as the source of truth, and the latter looking to the serpent for it – share the same factual basis,” Johnson posits. http://www.wnd.com/2017/08/ancient-art-documents-evidence-of-biblical-creation/

There are other stories in other cultures that also support the accounts in Genesis.

For example, the idea of a worldwide flood is in the literature of many ancient cultures as the following confirms:

Gods, floods – and global warming

By Steve Jones

The new science of geomythology sets out to tie such tales to ancient disasters. Often, geology and legend fit remarkably well…

The greatest tale of all is that of the Flood. Noah finds his roots in older legends. Three hundred Flood narratives are known, from the Americas to Australia (from whence comes the tale of the frog that swallowed the world’s water only to spew it out when the other animals made him laugh). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/steve-jones/7887202/Gods-floods-and-global-warming.html

While I have long known that there were many accounts of the great flood in Noah’s time, the above piece mentions a few details that seem interesting.

Of course, the account that we in the Continuing Church of God rely on is the biblical account.

But the fact that there are hundreds of flood accounts all across the world should demonstrate to any who are willing to think that a worldwide flood did occur.

There is also even evidence in ancient Chinese characters of not only the flood, but various accounts of matters from the time of Eden through the Tower of Babel (see China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters).

The account in the Book of Genesis is accurate. And while we are not required to have collaboration of the events, the reality is that for many things we do.

(There also is for the next book in the Bible, the Book of Exodus.)

On other matters, it is possible that a house of:

Archaeologists think they may have found the lost Roman city of Julias, the home of three apostles of Jesus: Peter, Andrew and Philip (John 1:44; 12:21). A multi-layered site discovered on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in the Bethsaida Valley Nature Reserve, is the spot, the team believes.

The key discovery is of an advanced Roman-style bathhouse. That in and of itself indicates that there had been a city there, not just a fishing village, Dr. Mordechai Aviam of Kinneret College told Haaretz.

None other than the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius – in fact the only source describing this city’s existence … http://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/1.805402

It may take more time to determine if this was a house that the Apostles like people lived in.

Since Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, it is interesting that this report is coming out.

We are seeing reports from various unbelievers that archaeology is providing support of accounts in the Bible. Both the Old and New Testaments.

Some items of potentially related interest may include:

GENESIS Questions and Answers from Genesis Many wonder about certain early events that this article discusses.
EXODUS When was the Exodus? Did it Happen? Some deny the biblical account of the Exodus. Was Ramses II the pharaoh then? When did the Exodus occur?  Is there proof outside of the Bible that there was an Exodus? Here is a related article in the Spanish language: ¿Cuándo fue el Éxodo? ¿Ocurrió realmente? Also: Reasons, Proofs, and Ramifications of the Ten Plagues of Exodus What do you know about these plagues? What happened to the ‘gods of Egypt’? Is there any confirmation outside the Bible? Might something worse be coming? A related two-part sermon is available: Egypt and the Plagues (Part 1) and Exodus Plagues and Prophecy (Part 2). Also: Exodus and the Days of Unleavened Bread This article discusses parts of the Book of Exodus with some connections to the Days of Unleavened Bread. A related sermon is available and is titled: Unleavened Bread: Lessons in Exodus. Another sermon is Exodus, Judgments, and Jesus.
Have the Turks and Chinese Just Found Noah’s Ark? Some have so claimed. If true, this could change how much of the world views events from the Bible.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters Where did the Chinese people come from? This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel. Here is a link to a version of this article in Spanish: ¿Prueban los caracteres chinos la exactitud de la Biblia?
Is God’s Existence Logical? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true? Here is a link to a YouTube sermon titled Is it logical to believe in God?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge. Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Is There Another View of Evolution? and another titled Quickly Disprove Evolution as the Origin of Life.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here is a link to a sermon: Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha?
Study the Bible Course Want to learn more about the Bible? This new course is for you! It is also available in French (Leçon 1 En francés), Kiswahili (Somo 1 Katika Kiswahili), Mandarin Chinese (首页 › 中国), Tagalog (KURSO SA PAG-ARAL NG BIBLYA), and Spanish (Lección 1 En castellano).
Read the Bible Christians should read and study the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading. Here is a link in Mandarin Chinese: 读圣经 Here is a link in the Spanish language: Lea la Biblia.
Bible: Superstition or Authority? Should you rely on the Bible? Is it reliable? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
How to Study the Bible David Jon Hill wrote this initially and Dr. Thiel added scriptures, tips, and suggestions to it. A 2015 sermon is available and is also titled How to Study the Bible.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2024 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?

1670 artist rendition of Zedekiah chained before Nebuchadnezzar

COGwriter

Biblical archeology has been in the news a fair amount this week. Readers have sent me links to a couple of different reports.

One has to do with the identification of DNA of the ancient Canaanites:

When the pharaohs ruled Egypt and the ancient Greeks built their first cities, a mysterious people called the Canaanites dominated the Near East. Around 4000 years ago, they built cities across the Levant, which includes present-day Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and part of Syria. Yet the Canaanites left no surviving written records, leaving researchers to piece together their history from secondhand sources.

One of those sources is the Bible’s Old Testament, which suggests a grisly end for many Canaanites: After the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, God ordered them to destroy Canaan and its people (though other passages suggest that some Canaanites may have survived). But did that really happen? Archaeological data suggests that Canaanite cities were never destroyed or abandoned. Now, ancient DNA recovered from five Canaanite skeletons suggests that these people survived to contribute their genes to millions of people living today.

The new samples come from Sidon, a coastal city in Lebanon. Marc Haber, a geneticist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, U.K., extracted enough DNA from the ancient skeletons to sequence the whole genomes of five Canaanite individuals, all around 3700 years old. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07/ancient-dna-counters-biblical-account-mysterious-canaanites

The ancient Canaanites, who were commanded to be exterminated in the Bible, did not die out, but lived on to become modern-day Lebanese, according to the first study to analyse their DNA. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2017-07-28/canaanites-survived-biblical-slaughter-ancient-dna-shows/1689420

The fact that they have found proof of the Canaanites and that there descendants live today is no surprise. Let me add that the New York Times also had an article about this and essentially implied that since there are modern survivors of the Canaanites that the Bible is wrong (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/ancient-canaanites-bible-lebanon.html).

Yet, the truth is that although God told the Israelites to utterly destroy the Canaanites, the Bible also records that they failed to do so.

To demonstrate this, first, let’s look at what God commanded the Israelites:

1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.^a You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. 3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. 5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire. (Deuteronomy 7:1-5, ESV)

God wanted them and all associated with their religion utterly destroyed. He also warned if that did not happen they could corrupt the children of Israel.

However, the Israelites, according to the Bible did not destroy them:

10 However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor. (Joshua 16:10, ESV)

27 Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. 28 When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.

29 And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.

31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, 32 so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.

33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them. (Judges 1:27-33)

34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, 35 but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. 36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them. (Psalm 106:34-36, ESV)

So, those of us who believe the Bible realized that there would be survivors of the Canaanites, and archaeology has confirmed this. And perhaps it should be added that not only did the ancient Israelites adopt pagan practices that God condemned, we have seen many, sadly, also do this during the church age (for details, check out the free online booklet Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?).

There was another archeological report to also mention.

29 July 2017

Nebuchadnezzar II’s army breached the defenses of Jerusalem. As this was in fact a revolt against him and his previously established rule, this time the king took drastic actions.

The people who were there in Jerusalem and environs were a motley crew. Among other peoples living in that area we now call Israel and Palestine, a rag tag band of refugees from various conflicts and abuses that cobbled together a community in the hill country. A small kingdom grew there, not really a lot different than any of the others in that area.

Until, that is, the Babylonian armies marched through. As often happened in those days, we’re talking the sixth century before our common era, after that siege which ended on this day by our best calculations two thousand, six hundred, and four years ago, the conquerors took the cream of the local crop, the artisans, the poets, the intellectuals and carried them captive to Babylon. Oh, and they burned the temple in Jerusalem to the ground. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2017/07/nebuchadnezzar-ii-takes-jerusalem-sets-magical-stage.html

Archaeologists have found evidence that the Babylonians were responsible for the burning of Jerusalem more than 2,600 years ago.

The researchers discovered charred wood, grape seeds, fish scales, bones and pottery along with numerous other artefacts which excavating the City of David.

The findings confirm the scene as described in the Bible, which states that the Babylonians ‘burned all the houses of Jerusalem.’http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4739152/The-Babylonians-DID-burn-Jerusalem.html#ixzz4oEDgZ3yz

This type of evidence is not unexpected. Yet, with various Palestinians making the false assertion that the Jews have no historical claim to Jerusalem, this is of note.

As far as the Bible goes, here is some of what it records about the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, as well as some of why it happened:

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. (Jeremiah 52:1-13, ESV)

So, again, archeology has demonstrated the accuracy of the Bible.

As we get closer to the end, we see that archeologists continue to find more evidence of biblical locations, figures, and events.

Of course, for those of us who believe the Bible, no further proof is needed. But for some who have heard statements from pseudo-archaeologists that deny the biblical accounts, it may be helpful for them to realize that as time goes on, more and more archaeological evidence surfaces that supports the Bible.

The current issue of Bible News Prophecy magazine has a lot of information related to archeology and the Bible.

Here is a link to the July-September 2017 edition of Bible News Prophecy magazine. Its front cover shows an ancient stela that mentions King David, and contains more information about why true science supports the Bible.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Read the Bible Christians should read and study the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading and discusses translations. Here is a link in Mandarin Chinese: ‹ûW#~Ï Here is a link in the Spanish language: Lea la Biblia..
Bible: Superstition or Authority? Should you rely on the Bible? Is it reliable? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
How to Study the Bible David Jon Hill wrote this initially and Dr. Thiel added scriptures, tips, and suggestions to it. A related sermon is available and is also titled How to Study the Bible.
Biblical Archaeology This is a website that has more information on biblical archeological as is sometimes known as the Bib Arch site.
Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. A related sermon is Which Spring Days should Christians observe?
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
Old Testament History This is a link to articles that essentially back up the historical accuracy of the Hebrew scriptures (AKA The Old Testament).

COGwriter

Many people have questions about the Bible in general and the first several chapters of the Book of Genesis in particular.

The first six chapters of Genesis present a sum­mary of vital high points of approximately the first 1600-1700 years of mankind — from Adam’s creation to just before Noah’s Flood (details on calculations can be found in the article Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

We in the Continuing Church of God have looked at various questions that were taken from authentic letters emanating from Ambassador College sponsored programs and publications or received as emails by us. This particular set of questions and answer is an update strongly based upon those in the 1973 booklet (shown above) written by the late John Ross Schroeder, but with most answers partially updated by Dr. Bob Thiel in 2014. Biblical quotes are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.

We addressed some of this before, and here are five more questions and answers:

• “Where is the Garden of Eden today?”

It’s gone! Adam was ordered to dress and keep it (Genesis 2:15). He sinned and was driven out. We do not know how long it existed after the first humans were exiled, but if it was not destroyed earlier, the flood probably erased all traces of it. God planted this garden in Eden about 6,000 years ago.

Where was it located? John Ross Schroeder claimed:

The Bible does not dogmatically tell us. However, there is reason to believe that it existed somewhere in the area where much later Jerusalem was built God has consistently used this area of the Holy Land to work out His plan of salvation.

When Christ returns, the center of His earthly kingdom will be at Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:17; Jeremiah 3:17). Ezekiel 47:1-12 shows a river will be flowing out from Jerusalem during Christ’s future reign, just as it did from the ancient Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:10-14). Since this is the time of the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21), we have a possible indication that God will re-establish His presence in the same locality as before (see Genesis 3:8, 23-24; 4:16).

The Bible itself seems to indicate that Eden was in the area known as Iraq.

Why?

Notice that Genesis 2:10-14 connects the Euphrates river with Eden:

10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. (Genesis 2:10-14)

The Euphrates is mainly now in Iraq and does not connect with Jerusalem. The prophecy concerning the drying up of the Euphrates river in Revelation 16:12 indicates that the biblical Euphrates river is the one currently in Iraq and Syria.

Either way, Eden is not currently on the earth.

• “Can you tell me where Cain got his wife?”

The answer becomes obvious when one considers the time factor of Genesis 4. Time obviously had elapsed since Adam’s and Eve’s creation. Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel were not the only human beings on the earth when Cain killed Abel.

By this time other children had been born to Adam and Eve. Genesis 5:4-5: “And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: and all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” Notice that Adam begat daughters. It is quite obvious that Cain married one of his sisters — Adam’s daughter. There simply weren’t any unrelated females for him to marry.

Adam was the first man (1 Corinthians 15:45), and Eve was the mother of all humans with the exception of Adam (Genesis 3:20). Perhaps because of modern laws concerning marriage to those near of kin, many have not seen this obvious solution. But it was not wrong for brothers and sisters to marry at that early time in human history. Abraham married his half sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12). His brother Nahor married his brother Haran’s daughter (Genesis 11:29).

There was no genetic harm to the children. In fact, it was the manner in which the various racial characteristics were brought out of the original human stock. These early humans had great genetic variability, but as new generations appeared, mankind began to show definite racial groups and subdivisions.

As humans became more racially distinct, it has become genetically harmful for close blood relatives to marry (see Leviticus 18), and for the sake of future generations it should not now be done.

• “How many sons and daughters did Adam have?”

The Bible gives us an abbreviated account of the lives of Adam’s dominant children — Cain, Abel, and Seth — because of their profound effect on history. Aside from this we are only told that Adam “begat sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:4). No exact number is given. However, one Jewish tradition relates that Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 23 daughters.

• “What was Cain’s mark mentioned in the book of Genesis?”

This enigmatic question has puzzled many people for hundreds of years. The word “mark” in Genesis 4:15 in the King James Version of the Bible is a translation of the Hebrew word owth.

According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the Hebrew word owth may be rendered “mark,” or “signal, flag, monument, sign, or beacon.” Young’s Analytical Concordance renders this word “sign.”

The Critical and Experimental Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset and Brown shows that this word can be translated “sign,” “token” or “pledge.” The Hebrew word owth could indicate a boundary marker that God set up to separate or segregate Cain and his descendants from the rest of mankind.

Genesis 4:12, 16 shows that God banished Cain to the land of Nod (Nod meaning land of “wandering”) east of Eden or the Holy Land. The owth — mark or sign — that God made for Cain could also have been something to carry on his person, perhaps around his neck — from which the ancient and modern custom of wearing a charm or talisman for protection may be derived.

The Jewish Publication Society translation renders Genesis 4:15, “And the Lord said unto him [Cain]: ‘There­fore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.’ And the Lord set a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.” The original Hebrew conveys both meanings — a mark on the person of Cain, or a sign set up to segregate him from others. Some have thought that Cain’s mark involved skin color. Cain’s mark was not the changing of his skin color. Cain, in accordance with certain West African traditions, may well have been dark, but his sin was a matter of character.

God created ALL races — white, yellow and black, to serve and glorify Him with their own particular abilities. God intended races from the very beginning by putting within Adam and Eve the genetic material to begin various races. Racial differences are not due to the “mark of Cain.” Remember God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth . . .” (Acts 17:26). And He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11).

God’s race is for all (see also the article God’s Grace is For All).

• “Why did God create different races?”

God likely created different races for the same reason that He created different kinds of birds, or varieties of roses. Each has a special beauty, usefulness and contribution to make. The racial problem we see today is not a skin problem, but one of the human heart. Prejudice and hatred come from the mind. God created the different races to serve and help one another.

The racial problem is but one more evidence that humans needs a change of heart. Only then will everyone see that variety is the spice of life and racial differences were put there by a loving Creator to add to human happiness.

Some additional questions and answers are found in the article: Questions and Answers from Genesis.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Questions and Answers from Genesis Many wonder about certain early events that this article discusses.
Did Angels Marry Human Women? Many insist this is so and also that this mating caused giants to be born. Did this come from the ‘Book of Enoch’? What does Genesis 6:4 really mean? A related video is also available: Did Angels Marry Women and Produce Giants?
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Where the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here is a link to a sermon: Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha?
Where Did God Come From? Any ideas? And how has God been able to exist? Who is God?
Is God’s Existence Logical? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true? Here is a link to a YouTube sermon titled Is it logical to believe in God?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge. Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Quickly Disprove Evolution as the Origin of Life.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Where the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long?
How is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient? Here is a biblical article which answers what many really wonder about it.
God’s Grace is For All Is being Jewish a hindrance to salvation? What about not being a descendant of Israel? What does the Bible really teach? Here is a link to a related sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?
Has time been lost? It Saturday the seventh day of the week?
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? There is also a video titled What is the meaning of your life?

COGwriter

Amazon.com has the following about the alleged Book of Jasher:

There are 13 ancient history books that are mentioned and recommended by the Bible. The Ancient Book of Jasher is the only one of the 13 that still exists. It is referenced in Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18; and 2 Timothy 3:8. This volume contains the entire 91 chapters plus a detailed analysis of the supposed discrepancies, cross-referenced historical accounts, and detailed charts for ease of use. As with any history book there are typographical errors in the text but with three consecutive timelines running though the histories it is very easy to arrive at the exact dates of recorded events. It is not surprising that this ancient document confirms the Scripture and the chronology given in the Hebrew version of the Old Testament, once and for all settling the chronology differences between the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek Septuagint. The Ancient book of Jasher is brought to you by Biblefacts Ministries, Biblefacts.org

Canadian Coat of Arms

COGwriter

What are the origins of the non-indigenous peoples of Canada?

Since the word ‘Canada’ is not mentioned directly as such in the Bible, in order to find out about Canada in the Bible, we need to try to identify the ancestors of the Canadians. Now, like many nations, Canada is made up of peoples of all races, so to be more specific to Canada, the identity of the primary ancestors of the Canadians needs to be identified.

As far back as the Book of Genesis, God promised Abram that he would be the father of many nations:

As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you (Genesis 17:4-6).

Notice that the promise was for Abraham’s descendants to be “many nations”—this simply is not fulfilled by the split into the two nations of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 12:17-20) in the Old Testament. Also, since Sarah Abraham’s wife was promised to be the mother of “nations” (Genesis 17:16) this shows that there are nations descended from Sarah’s only son Isaac—hence the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael is not what God was referring to.

And Canada is one of those “many nations” that descended from Abraham.

Furthermore, notice what God promised to Sarah’s grandson Jacob:

14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 28:14).

11 Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body (Genesis 35:11).

Thus it should be clear to those willing to see that the descendants of Jacob would include multiple nations, and not be limited to just the area of Palestine. The old British Commonwealth would seem to fit the description of “a company of nations” better than any other group throughout history because of its vast size and its wealth. And the nations of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (who were all part of that Commonwealth) still do to this day.

This expansion to a group of nations simply did not happen to the ancient nations of Judah and Israel in Palestine. Thus, many of the prophecies in the Bible are referring to places other than the tiny nation of Israel in the Middle East.

Moses himself wrote that God promised blessings to Joseph’s sons:

13 And of Joseph he said:

“Blessed of the LORD is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce of the months,
15 With the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’
17 His glory is like a firstborn bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
Together with them
He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

Thus, blessings were promised to these peoples. These are blessings that history seems to show were given to the British and American-descended peoples.

Furthermore, notice these prophecies for the latter days by Jacob for his descendants:

1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father…

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.
24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers (Genesis 49:1-2,22-26).

It is only the United States and the groups of English nations now composed of the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand who have historically fulfilled these prophecies given to Abraham and his descendants (and they are separated from their “brothers” on continental Europe). Perhaps it should be pointed out that a “fruitful bough” with “branches run over the wall” implies a colonizing people–and perhaps no peoples did more colonizing than the British.

Jacob also taught about two of Joseph’s sons:

16 Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth…

19 “…He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” (Genesis 48:19-20).

It should also be mentioned that since Jacob’s name was changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28), that in the first statement above he is clearly indicating that biblically one or both of the sons of Joseph could be referred to by the name Israel. And although Manasseh was born first, God had Jacob give the “right hand” blessing to Ephraim (Genesis 48:13-14) and God later declared, “Ephraim is my firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9). This may be why Ephraim (the British Commonwealth, including Canada) emerged as a major power before the USA (and of course it lost its position as the top international power).

Notice also the following related to origins:

JOSEPH – Canada.

Canada, on the whole, belongs to the Domain of Joseph.

The motto means from “Sea to Sea” and refers to the extent of Canada’s area but the phrase itself is a quotation from the Bible where it is used three times, once (Amos 8 12-13) describing the future thirst before the Messianic era and twice (Zechariah 9:10 and Psalms 72:8) in conjunction with the Reign of Messiah in the Future. (Davidy Y. The Tribes. Rabbinical approbation: Rabbi Abraham Feld of the Maccabee Institute Jerusalem, July 4, 1993. Russell-Davis Publishers, Hebron (Israel), pp. 390-392)

While I would have preferred that the above author specified ‘millennial era’ as opposed to ‘Messianic era,’ the motto of Canada is consistent with biblical prophecies. Ephraim is mentioned in Zechariah 9:10, though the dominion from sea to sea appears to be a reference to Jesus. The motto from “Sea to Sea” is on the Canadian Coat of Arms (shown at the beginning of this article).

What about the French speakers of Quebec?

What about Quebec?

The French-speaking (Francophone) peoples in Canada may be made up of the descendants of Jacob through his son Joseph (via his son Ephraim) and/or his son Reuben along with some of other groups. Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob, but because of his sexual misbehavior (Genesis 35:22), he lost that birthright (Genesis 49:3-4; 1 Chronicles 5:1-2).

At least one writer has asserted that those in Quebec are primarily descended from those of Ephraimite background, as well as from Benjamites and Simeonites. Notice the following:

The French Canadians originated mainly in the Provinces of Normandy and Britanny. Normandy had been settled by the Normans who later conquered England and who derived from Benjamin while Brittany had previously been populated by the Samnete (from Simeon) and was later occupied by “Celtic” refugees from Britain who gave it its name (“Britanny” and Britain) and who also comprised contingents from Simeon, such as the Simeni, Semoni, Iceni, and the sons of Semuen.

The “British” colonizers of French “Brittany” were Celts who were fleeing from the Anglo-Saxons and their federates…The Normans included a good proportion of Breton natives of Celtic origin who had been Normanicised…The descendants of Ephraim were paramount amongst the Anglo-Saxon invaders and seem to have been also present amongst the Celtic British natives, apart from Eran in Ireland and Scotland. (Davidy Y. The Tribes. Rabbinical approbation: Rabbi Abraham Feld of the Maccabee Institute Jerusalem, July 4, 1993. Russell-Davis Publishers, Hebron (Israel), pp. 390-392)

Jerusalem

COGwriter

While most people seem to understand that many of the descendants of Judah are in the nation currently called Israel, various ones these days deny that. But those that deny it are wrong. Those that do often seem to have an anti-Semitic agenda.

For some clues tying Judah in with the Jews, notice something that one-time WCG member Bert Otten sent me:

Ten Prophetic Clues Concerning

Judah – Jews

This is an unusual article in this series about the tribes. Up till now I have dealt with three of the Lost Ten Tribes…

The tribe of Judah is not a lost tribe. The Jews have a verifiable history, all the way to the Jews of 2000 years ago, to the times of Jesus. The Jews at the time of Jesus were for a great deal descendants of the former inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah (930-586 BC). The inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah were made up of the whole tribe of Judah and large parts of Benjamin and Levi. Although Jewry (Judaism) has known many proselytes, there has always been a core of the House of Judah in Jewry for the past 2500 years. The core passes on characteristics and genes to the periphery. By looking at the prophetic clues of Judah, and finding these amongst Jews – like I do with the lost tribes – this methodical approach is also justified for finding the lost tribes. In this article I want to show that even if there were no direct historical proof for the link Judah – Jews, there would still be a proof by revelation.

1^st Clue: Judah – praise

And [Leah] conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I PRAISE [odeh] the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah [Yehudah]; and left bearing (Gen 29:35, KJV, unless mentioned).

… A Psalm of DAVID. I will PRAISE thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works (Ps 9:1).

A Psalm of SOLOMON … BLESSED be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things; And BLESSED be His glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen (Ps 72:1a, 18-19, JPS).

This praising of God by the descendants of Judah can be found back in the Bible. King David was of the tribe of Judah and wrote more than half of the 150 psalms. The psalms are probably the greatest ode, honour, glory and praise of God in the Bible. The book of Psalms is one of the most frequent translated parts of the Old Testament, thereby distributing the praises of the Jews to their God all over the world. King Solomon, also of the tribe of Judah, wrote 1005 psalms (1 Ki 4:32). Two of Solomon’s psalms are in the Bible (Ps 72, 127).

One of the most popular psalms is Psalm 23 of David. Think of all the variations in music and lyrics that have been made based on this psalm.

Others of the tribe of Judah have written parts of the Bible, thus praising God.

In modern-day Jewry this praising of God is still expressed in countless prayers (praises!) and blessings, which have been written down in books of prayer, which are recited on special and common days. There is not a day or activity, or the Jews have written a prayer for…

2^nd Clue: Judah and money

And JUDAH said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us SELL him …, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother … And his brethren were content (Gen 37:26-27).

When JUDAH saw her [Tamar], he thought her to be an HARLOT [paid sex]; because she had covered her face … And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock … (Gen 38:15-17).

And Achan [of the tribe of Judah] answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel … When I saw among the spoils a goodly … garment, and 200 shekels of SILVER, and a wedge of GOLD of 50 shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the SILVER under it (Jos 7:20-21).

So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the SILVER, and the GOLD, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD (1 Kings 7:51).

Now the weight of GOLD that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold (1Ki 10:14).

Money. The lust after money, the love for money, financial skills and philanthropy.

Everyone wants to earn money and each people have their rich and their poor, so why focus on money. Because it is a parallel that keeps popping up between Judah and Jews. Whether it is by inner qualities, by fate, or by prohibitions within Christianity, Jews have a certain connection with money. It was Judah´s idea to sell Joseph; in the NT Judas (Greek for Judah) sold Jesus; Achan of the tribe of Judah took God´s silver and gold at Jericho´s fall. The Bible also mentions positive use of gold and silver by children of Judah, by David and Solomon. Solomon of the House of Judah probably was the richest Jew ever.

Under Solomon the nation was prosperous and there was gold in abundance. However, it was not just a happy financial story. Money led to the secession of the Ten Northern Tribes. Solomon’s taxes on the ten tribes had been a heavy yoke (Jeroboam) that Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, refused to lighten. It cost him 10 of the 12 tribes.

It is well-known that the policies of the medieval Church and of Christian society pushed the Jews into usury and banking…Judah has a way with money. Even the Jerusalem Post published a list of the 50 wealthiest Jews in 2010…{10 listed were worth USD$11 billion or more}…

3^rd Clue: Judah – messiah, messianism

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his ANOINTED [messiah] … (Ps 2:2) … Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his ANOINTED [messiah], to David, and to his seed for evermore (Ps 18:50). Now know I that the LORD saveth his ANOINTED [messiah]; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand (Ps 20:6) …

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse [of the tribe of JUDAH], and a Branch shall grow out of his roots (Isaiah 11:1).

Mashiach – Messiah – Anointed

Priests (Ex 30:22-25) and kings were anointed in Judah and Israel. Anointed translates as mashiach in Hebrew (messiah). A teaching developed in Judaism about a coming messiah, a coming liberator…

Soon the real (Jewish) Messiah will come, a return for Christians and a first coming for many Jews: then the whole world will be liberated from Satan and his demons.

4^th Clue: Judah – writers (scribes)

… and Shebna the scribe … (2 Kings 18:18) … Shaphan the scribe … (2 Kings 22:8) … And Shemaiah … the scribe … (1 Chron 24:6) … Jeiel the scribe … (2 Chron 26:11) … Shimshai the scribe … (Ezra 4:8) … Elishama the scribe … (Jer 36:12) … Baruch the scribe … (Jer 36:26) … Jonathan the scribe … (Jer 37:15) .

Bible – Apocrypha – Talmud

The Jews wrote many books of the Bible. Not always do we know the tribe of the Biblical writer, but it is certain that most Bible authors were of the Kingdom of Judah and even of the tribe of Judah.

Of the writing prophets Isaiah, Amos, Habakkuk, Joel, Micah, Obadiah, Zechariah en Zephaniah were of the tribe of Judah. David and Solomon were of course of the tribe of Judah as well. David wrote half of the psalms and Solomon wrote Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Psalm 72 and 127.

Of most of the NT writers we do not know the tribe either, but James and Jude were just like their half-brother Jesus of the tribe of Judah. Jesus did not write himself, but the evangelists wrote his stories down. The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son belong to the most important stories of world literature.

Apart from the books of the Bible, the Jews also wrote Apocryphal books, pseudo-epigraphic writings and the Talmud (2711 pages)…

5^th Clue: Judah – laws, judges, lawyers

The LAW of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the TESTIMONY of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The STATUTES of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The FEAR of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the JUDGMENTS of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant [David, of Judah] warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward (Ps 19:7-11).

And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the BOOK OF THE LAW in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it … And it came to pass, when the king [Josiah of Judah] had heard the words of the BOOK OF THE LAW, that he rent his clothes (2 Kings 22:8, 11).

For whosoever shall keep the whole LAW, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law (James 2:10-11), (James of Judah).

Above some verses about descendants of the tribe of Judah with regards to God’s law. King David was jubilant about God’s laws and decrees. His son Solomon concluded at the end of Ecclesiastes, The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man (Eccl 12:13). Their descendant Josiah rent his garments when the found book of the law was read.

Jesus (of Judah, of David, Mt 1, Lk 1), said the following concerning the law in the Sermon on the Mount: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:18-19).

His half-brother James defended the law and called us to keep all of God’s Ten Commandments,. He wrote, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10-11).

Torah – Tanakh – Talmud

Religious Jews spend their whole life studying Talmud. The Talmud comprises the Mishna (ca. 200 AD) and the Gemara (ca. 500-1000 AD). A Talmud page consists of the Mishna discussing a part of the Pentateuch of Moses, around that the Gemara discussing the Mishna is printed and around it all are the medieval commentators like Maimonides and Rashi. Judah, Jews, are fond of the law. The discussions between our Lord Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes are a good example of this.

Lawyers

Their love for law and their knowledge of law make that Jews are very suitable for professions like judges, lawyers and barristers…

Of the nine judges of the United States Supreme Court three are Jewish, that is 33,3%, although the Jews in the USA are not even 2% of the total population.

6^th Clue: Judah – hypocrisy

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother … Come, and let us sell him … and let not our hand be upon him; FOR HE IS OUR BROTHER AND OUR FLESH. And his brethren were content (Gen 37:26-27).

And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and LET HER BE BURNT (Gen 38:24).

And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing SHALL SURELY DIE (2 Sam 12:5).

Saying, I [Judas] have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they [priests and elders] said, What is that to us? see thou to that (Mt 27:4).

Descendants of Judah show a certain hypocrisy from time to time, which can be traced from the patriarch Judah to this day…. On the one hand the Bible is used to defend certain actions, while on the other hand many Biblical commandments are ignored…

7^th Clue: Judah and music

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that DAVID took an HARP, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him (1Sam 16:23).

A PSALM of David … (Ps 3:1; 4:1; etc. 54 times).

And DAVID and all Israel PLAYED before God with all their might, and with SINGING, and with HARPS, and with PSALTERIES, and with TIMBRELS, and with CYMBALS, and with TRUMPETS (1Chron 13:8).

… and [SOLOMON’S] songs were a thousand and five (1 Kings 4:32).

Judah’s descendants, the Jews, are endowed with musical skills. David brought relief to king Saul with his harp (1 Sam 16:23). King David had the ark brought back to Jerusalem with singing, music and dancing (1 Chron 13:8; 15:16). David invented musical instruments (Amos 6:5). Solomon dedicated the temple with big choirs and with the musical instruments made by David (2 Chron 7:6). King Jehoshaphat of Judah defeated his enemies with a choir (2 Chron 20) and Nehemiah dedicated the repaired wall of Jerusalem with two choirs (Neh 12:31-43).

Judah’s descendants were and still are into music. Things coming to my mind: there is Mendelsohn, Jewish song-writers in Hollywood, musicals like Fiddler on the Roof, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, the chazzan, klezmer music, etc…

8^th Clue: Judah and government

… thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a LION’S whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a LION, and as an old LION; who shall rouse him up? The SCEPTER shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come … (Gen 49:8-10).

[Jewish Rulers of Judah]: … Solomon … Rehoboam … Abia … Asa … Jehoshaphat … Joram … Ahaziah … Joash … Amaziah … Azariah … Jotham … Ahaz … Hezekiah … Manasseh … Amon … Josiah … Jehoiakim … Zedekiah … Jeconiah … Salathiel Zerubbabel … (1 Chron 3:10-19).

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the THRONE of his father DAVID: And he shall REIGN over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his KINGDOM there shall be no end (Lk 1:31-33).

Judah was the leader of the eleven brothers, not Reuben. At the selling of Joseph and at both trips to Egypt, Judah was in charge. At the Exodus the tribes were grouped around the tabernacle in such a manner, that Judah always led the way, to be followed by Issachar and Zebulun. There were only two positive spies, Joshua (of Ephraim) and Kaleb (of the tribe of Judah). Kaleb’s nephew, Othniel, became judge in Israel. Jacob’s blessing for Judah (Gen 49) includes the promise of the coming messiah. After God rejected Saul (Benjamite), God gave the kingdom to David (of Judah). David and Solomon ruled the twelve tribes. Their descendants (|Rehoboam – Zedekiah) reigned over the two tribes…

Over the past centuries Jews have had important government positions in many countries…

9^th Clue: Judah – a suffering people

And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him … And the thing which [Onan] did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also … And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died … and [Judah] came in unto her [Tamar], and she conceived by him (Gen 38:7, 10, 12, 18).

… A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me … O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent … But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men … Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help …. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death (Ps 22:1-15).

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not … He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth …Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him … (Isaiah 53).

At his first coming into the world Jesus came as the suffering servant. At his second coming Jesus will come as a fighting warrior (Rev 19), and He will rule as King of kings. So we see a suffering messiah and a fighting messiah. This phenomenon can also be seen with Judah, with the Jewish people.

Patriarch Judah

Much of the suffering of the patriarch Judah was self-inflicted, but he suffered nonetheless. After Joseph’s sale, things went bad for 22 years for Judah; 22 is the number of suffering…

Much has been written about the suffering of the Jewish people. At the time of the Persians (5^th c. BC) Haman tried to wipe out the Jewish people (Purim – Esther). The Seleucid King of the North made a vicious attack on the religion of the Jews (2^nd c. BC) (Hanukkah-Maccabees). The Jewish revolts (self-inflicted) against the Roman Empire of 66-73 AD, 115-117 AD and 132-135 AD led to much suffering. During the Middle Ages the Jews suffered badly in Christian Europe and the Jews under Islam did not fare much better over the past millennium. In eastern Europe pogroms were occurring in modern times and the suffering of the Jews culminated in Hitler’s Holocaust with about 6 million dead.

10^th Clue: Judah – warriors

Judah, … thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies … Judah is a LION’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a LION … (Gen 49:8-9).

And Caleb [spy of Judah] drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak (Josh 15:14).

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son [DAVID] of Jesse the Bethlehemite … a MIGHTY VALIANT MAN, and a MAN OF WAR … (1Sam 16:18).

And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be CHIEF and CAPTAIN. So Joab [David’s kin] the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was CHIEF (1 Chron 11:6).

And [king] Asa had an army of men that bare TARGETS and SPEARS, out of Judah 300,000 … (2 Chron 14:8).

And out of his [Jesus’] mouth goeth a sharp SWORD, that with it he should smite the nations … (Rev 19:15).

In history Judah appears alternatively as a lion or as a lamb. The tribe possesses both characteristics. On the one hand they are able to fight hard and on the other hand they are able to take a lot of suffering and persist in a seemingly lamb-like role for a long time. Jesus the Messiah is also Lion and Lamb. Lamb during His first Coming and Lion during His Second Coming (Rev 5:5)…

In the Palestine Mandate the Jews started to arm and defend themselves. During WW II the Jews fought the German SS bravely for a month in the Warsaw ghetto. The Jewish State of Israel has fought many wars and won. The change from lamb to lion casts prophetic light on the coming Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Joseph – Judah

Most Jews are antagonistic about the Israelite identity of the peoples of north-western Europe. Many believers of this Israelite identity are quite antagonistic towards the Jews. This enmity, this jealousy, between Ephraim and Judah has been predicted. It will be ended by the Messiah:

The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim (Isaiah 11:13).

While I believe that history demonstrates that the tribe of Judah dominates the nation known as Israel, Bert Otten has added a variety of observations that many have not considered. Perhaps I should add that he listed many wealthy Jews, Jewish musicians, and Jewish leaders that I did not include above because of the length of his article. But basically, they serve to back up his assertions.

I do not believe that most of those in the nation of Israel who consider themselves to be Jews did not descend from Jacob/Israel like certain antisemitic writers claim.

As far as the descendants of Ephraim go, they are considered to be the ‘covenant people’ (watch the video British are the Covenant People).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There is also a related YouTube video you can watch titled Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?

COGwriter

The universe could be expanding faster than many scientists thought:

WASHINGTON — Astronomers thought they had a handle on how the universe ticks, but the cosmos may be toying with them.

A team of astronomers has calculated that the universe seems to be expanding faster than what scientists previously figured. If the new research is right, then science’s basic understanding of what’s been happening to the universe in the past 13.8 billion years after the Big Bang could be just a bit off kilter.

“This is really an end-to-end test the universe gives us; it’s sort of our final exam,” said Nobel laureate and study lead author Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute . “We get a D-plus probably because things don’t match up.”

Astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the distance of 2,400 stars to calculate the rate the universe is expanding. The number they came up with is 5 to 9 percent faster than other scientifically accepted measurements that calculate the expansion rate based on cosmic background radiation from 380,000 years after the Big Bang. The new study was released Thursday by NASA and is to be published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Either one set of calculations is wrong – which outside scientists say is the most likely possibility, though they can’t find something wrong yet – or the expansion rate has speeded up since 13.8 billion years ago. And if that’s the case, as Riess advocates, then our understanding of the universe is not quite right. June 3, 2016 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-the-universe-expanding-even-faster-than-we-thought-big-bang-theory/

Despite the confidence that the media and certain scientists portray about ‘scientific knowledge,’ much of it is shakier than the public is often led to believe.

What if science appears to contradict the Bible?

20 … avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21, KJV)

4 … let God be true but every man a liar. (Romans 3:4, NKJV the rest of this article)

Now, related to the universe, notice something from back in 2013:

Data Shows Universe Could Collapse Any Minute

Our universe is at even greater risk of collapse than has been previously thought, according physicists in Denmark.

Not only are the scientists predicting the end of the world… but the end of the universe!

The prediction that the universe will collapse and compress into a small hard ball isn’t something new. Physicists have been predicting a calamity for a long time.

Does this mean we should immediately cancel any long-term plans? The Danish scientists really don’t know when the universe will collapse. They say it could happen tomorrow–or a billion years from now.

Writing in the Journal of High Energy Physics, the University of Southern Denmark physicists said new calculations led them to speculate there will be a sudden and drastic change within the forces of the universe one day that will make every atom in the universe become enormously heavy.

Everything, from the tiniest grain of soil to all of the planets within our solar system to every galaxy contained within the universe, will suddenly become billions and billions of times heavier than they are now.

The theory holds that the sudden increase in weight will force all of the material within the universe to compress into a “small, super-hot heavy ball” which will cause the end of the universe as we know it. http://blogs.voanews.com/science-world/2013/12/16/data-shows-universe-could-collapse-any-minute/

Should any Christian have believed that?

No!

On December 18, 2013, I posted the following here as my comments related to those Danish ‘scientists’:

Is that possible?

According to the Bible the universe cannot collapse now. Notice the following:

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:18-23)

The universe (the “creation” above) is not going away now despite some signs of stresses. Scientists who ignore such scriptures have come to a wrong conclusion.

Notice the following about Jesus:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:15-18)

Jesus has control, random events are not about to destroy the universe. (Thiel B. Danish scientists conclude that the universe could collapse any minute now–is that really possible? December 18, 2013)

Consider also the following passage from the Book of Hebrews:

6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:6-10)

So, the understand that the entire universe was made for humankind, but is not yet under human subjection, but will be first under Jesus. And then, later under humankind.

So, resurrected humans will at some time rule all the planets of the universe. It will not collapse.

But there is more. Notice something else that the Bible teaches:

33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:33)

6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end…(Isaiah 9:6-7)

This seems to mean that either the physical dimensions of Christ’s kingdom will always be increasing (hence perhaps more and more planets, stars, and galaxies) and/or their will a continual increase in the number of beings in Christ’s kingdom.

An expansion of the universe will continue. And at whatever pace God decides.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Where Did God Come From? Any ideas? And how has God been able to exist? Who is God?
How is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient? Here is a biblical article which answers what many really wonder about it.
Has time been lost? It Saturday the seventh day of the week?
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? If you would like to watch videos covering subjects of this article, you can click on the following links: Why YOU? Why Do YOU Suffer? and What is the meaning of your life?
Is God’s Existence Logical? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true? Here is a link to a YouTube sermon titled Is it logical to believe in God?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge. Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Is There Another View of Evolution? and another titled Quickly Disprove Evolution as the Origin of Life.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here is a link to a sermon: Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2026 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?