Lee Harmon's Blog, page 121

1 Kings 10:14, The Love of Money

The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents
//Since I write often about Revelation, I hear just about every possible interpretation of Revelation's beastly number, 666. Here's another one, taken straight from the Old Testament. This story of Solomon collecting 666 talents of gold annually is corroborated in the book of Chronicles.
What did Solomon do with all his money? He made thrones and goblets of gold, he accumulated chariots and horses, he imported apes and baboons. So great was Solomon's love of money that he became known for his riches as much as his wisdom. Says the book of Kings, Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
Revelation, however, turns this accomplishment on its head. 666 becomes evil. Says Revelation, echoing the story of Solomon, All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast. And who is the beast? As Solomon was the King of Taxation three thousand years ago, today's King of Taxation is … whichever president is currently asking for our money, of course.
Know any other 666 tales? Share them with me!

Book review: Revelation, The Way it Happened

I enjoy reading the reviews of my book ... sometimes. Overall, the average review is quite positive, so I'm pleased. But to label the book "controversial" turns out to be an understatement. Perhaps that's par for the course for any edgy religion title? Here are a few contradictory snippets that made me think differently about my own book. (None of these reviews are by anyone I've ever met.)

I think Christians reading Harmon's work will either find their faith shaken, or feel the need to utterly deny his findings, however sound they may be. Once you begin to realize when these biblical books were written, by who, and using what source material, you can have little choice than to either discount it out of hand or seriously reevaluate the ground on which your faith currently stands.--Sandra Novotny, thewitchescupboard.com
If you are a Christian who loves the Bible, wouldn't you want to know how the words of the New Testament books were heard by the ears of their earliest listeners, for whom they were written? That is the purpose for which Lee Harmon wrote his book  Revelation: The Way it Happened.  In my opinion Mr. Harmon succeeds in reaching this goal. He is historically accurate and true to his faith.--Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen, author of The Jews in the Time of Jesus
I doubt anyone can be convinced against their religious beliefs, so I have to side with Rabbi Wylen on this one. Some found my book unoriginal, others cutting edge:
A rewarding read and it opens up for us a new understanding of what this canonical text might mean. Finally someone has detected a plausible historical fit and this represents a superb achievement.--Barrie Wilson, Professor, Humanities and Religious Studies, York University, Toronto, author of How Jesus Became Christian
This is a recognized interpretation called Preterism.--Ruth Meyers, Librarything reviewer
Had Ruth read beyond page ten, she would have known better than to label it Preterism. Preterists will be quick to disown any historical-critical interpretation, especially mine…though, hopefully, not without first learning some interesting first-century facts to help bolster their own beliefs. But disagreements cropped up in more than just interpretation. The layout of the book is unconventional, splicing together fiction, scripture, and historical narrative, which left some feeling discombobulated and others invigorated. 
In order to distinguish between inspired scripture, the author interpretations and explanations, and the fictional story, Harmon uses different fonts and spacing for each. This allowed for great ease in reading and thought transition.--Vicki Landes, author of Europe for the Senses - A Photographic Journal
It's an excellent way of explaining the complexity of Revelation, and I believe that it works very well.--Frank J. Konopka, top 500 reviewer on Amazon
The effect of this attempt at synthesizing fiction with historical and textual research is one of confusion rather than clarity.--T Polyphilus, Librarything reviewer and author
One reviewer wrote and said she could not give the book a decent review, as it met her qualifications for neither fiction nor nonfiction. Ruth Meyers, above (the one who read only ten pages), called it "completely incoherent." Another said she read the book twice; once through for the fiction, then again for the nonfiction. Perhaps that's the trick.
In the end, many readers will continue to believe about Revelation what they wish to believe. That's how religion works, right?
I don't necessarily agree with many of his findings and opinions, but I can appreciate the amount of work that went into developing them.--Jason Lautzeneiser, Amazon reviewer
The historical context is unquestionably true and described in thorough detail.--Logan, goodreads.com reviewer and author
So, whether you loved or hated the book, I'd be curious to hear what you think.
--Lee Harmon, author, Revelation: The Way it Happened

1 Chronicles 28:2-3, The First Temple

King David rose to his feet and said: "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.'
//So, Solomon, David's son, built the House of God. The first temple. Right? What, then, are we to make of the story of Hannah? The LORD had closed her womb, and she was growing discouraged about having a child. Hannah's rival, the other wife of her husband, provoked her.
1 Samuel 1:7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
Hannah's husband tried to comfort her, but she remained so distraught that she could not eat.
1 Samuel 1:9, Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple.
Eli and his two sons were priests at Shiloh, tending the temple, which we now see is the "house of the LORD" from the first verse. Here, Hannah prayed for a son and God granted her a son named Samuel.
1 Samuel 1:24, After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.
As the story goes, Samuel ministers to God under Eli, the priest. Then begins the story of Samuel's awakening:
1 Samuel 3:2-3, One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
Sorry about pounding my point into the table. I'm just pointing out multiple times over that there was indeed a temple, a House of God, in the days of Eli, 150 or more years before Solomon ever became king. This temple was in Shiloh, not Jerusalem. Where did this original temple come from? It dates, perhaps, way back to about the year 1400 BC:
Judges 18:31 to 19:1, They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. In those days Israel had no king.
David's idea of a dwelling place for God was hardly original. He simply wanted that place to be in Jerusalem, not in Shiloh.

Book review: How Jesus Became Christian

By Barrie Wilson, Ph.D. 

★★★★★
This is a long overdue review of a great new book. Wilson highlights the tension of Christianity's founding movement, and asks the question: Was Jesus a Jew or a Christian? Paul's brand of Christianity, especially, Wilson finds anti-Semitic, in stark contrast to the Gospel of Matthew and its reliance upon Torah. Paul, Wilson theorizes, hijacked Jesus for himself, turning Christianity into a Gentile religion.
Wilson's portrayal of conflicting religions—the "Jesus movement" of the Jews, and the "Christ movement" of Paul—makes for fascinating reading. Paul experienced a mystical vision of the Christ, and everything he teaches flows from that deep, spiritual, ongoing connection between Christ and Paul. What used to be so simple became a complex theology, Paul's message that all could be saved in Christ resounding throughout the Roman world.
Wilson discusses the book of Acts and its "revisionist history," entwining Paul's world with the Jesus movement as if they are one and the same, and concludes that there is simply no corroborating evidence for the Acts version. Instead, Paul's letters betray an entirely different atmosphere. The Book of Acts invented history, and the version of Christianity we know today is better labeled "Paulinity." The Jesus movement slowly faded away. In effect, the Jesus Cover-Up Thesis contends that early Christianity effectively killed off the historical Jesus. In the epilogue, Wilson encourages recovering the human Jesus and rediscovering his Jewish roots.
A thought-provoking and well-written book, definitely worth reading.
(click picture to buy on Amazon) 

2 Samuel 24:1, David numbers the army

Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."
//So, David did as God asked. He sent his army commanders through the twelve tribes of Israel to enroll and number all the fighting men. They counted eight hundred thousand fighting men in Israel, five hundred thousand in Judah.
David, however, becomes "conscious-stricken." Inexplicably, David realizes he has sinned. God is angry, and kills seventy thousand men with a plague because of David's mistake. But didn't David do exactly what God asked?
This whole confusing episode is straightened out when the story is rewritten hundreds of years later in the book of Chronicles. There, in 1 Chronicles 21:1, we learn God never told David to number the people. Satan did.
And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

Book review: Four Views on the Book of Revelation

by Stanley N. Gundry and C. Marvin Pate

★★★★
This book presents the book of Revelation from four different perspectives. After about a 30-page overview, four different authors present their insights.
Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. covers the Preterist view. There are variations of Preterism, but the general idea is that the Bible's eschatological promises have been fulfilled. Revelation's bloody war scenes occurred in the first century. Gentry is an established Revelation scholar who writes clearly, but this is not his most lucid writing.
Sam Hamstra Jr. writes about an Idealist view. I would call it a "spiritual" view. Such interpreters find Revelation to be a message of "assurance, hope and victory" in its relevance to today's struggles.
C. Marvin Pate, who serves also as the book's general editor, discusses a "progressive dispensationalist" view. The arrival of Jesus 2,000 years ago is the dawning of a the "age to come," but it is not yet complete; it awaits the Parousia for its consummation.
Finally, Robert L. Thomas lays out the classical Dispensationalist view, the common futuristic interpretation. While there are still many divisions in this category, Thomas strives to present  a "typical" belief.
In my opinion, Steve Gregg's book Revelation, Four Views--A Parallel Commentary on the same topic is more comprehensive and objective, and also more readable. But it's also much longer; today's book should be considered a compact, argumentative introduction by comparison.
(click picture to buy on Amazon) 

Song of Solomon 6:8-9, The One and Only

Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young women, I would still choose my dove, my perfect one.
//Five chapters of sappy love language we've endured before we get to this verse in chapter six of the Song of Solomon. Is this really Solomon speaking? Somebody has definitely caught his eye:
Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are as white as sheep, recently shorn and freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin. Your lips are like scarlet ribbon; your mouth is inviting. Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil. Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David, jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes. Your breasts are like two fawns, twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies …
… and then a bit later, today's verse about all his other queens and concubines, which yanks us from our reverie with a cold, hard fact. This "perfect one" is one of a long string. Solomon has already run through 140 women, and he's got another 859 to go after her. With lines like these, we shouldn't be surprised.

Book review: Points of Apostasy: Conservatives vs. The Bible

[image error] by Richard Musick 
Today's book forms a compromise for me. I am not political, and I want nothing to do with politics on my blog, yet curiosity about a book led me to agree to do a review. I said I'd introduce the book and its content without a rating, fearing any rating might be misconstrued as approval or disapproval of the book's political stance. So, here goes.
"If a belief, principle, or action is in accordance with the Bible, it is right. If it is not in accordance with, or is contrary to, the Bible, it is wrong." Do you agree?
"When I decide what position I wish to take on an issue, I decide based upon Biblical guidance. That is also how I decide how to vote on any given issue." Do you approve?
Musick highlights the George W. Bush administration to drive home his points. He delves into Bush's record and accomplishments, concluding that while Bush promoted himself as a Christian leader, he acquiesced to non-Christian values. Musick sites example after example, and calls Bush's form of Christianity "apostasy." Question: Is the Bible a clear, straight, and consistent plumb line by which to measure leaders and the appropriateness of their decisions? Are religious labels, whether used in condemnation or approval, appropriate terms for political judgment?
Now, after you've had a moment to form an opinion about the above questions, you might be surprised at the Christian values Musick wishes our government would uphold (taken from the chapter headings):
Don't deceiveDon't killDon't ignore the sufferings of strangersObey the golden ruleDon't corrupt the justice systemBeware of strong executivesDon't surround yourself with yes menDon't treat the wealthy better than the poorDon't have hidden agendasCare for the poorDon't do things secretlyDon't try to set up people who disagree with youDon't try to enforce double standardsDon't be a character assassinDon't excuse wrong acts by your friendsTreat strangers well

Ezekiel 4:9, Ezekiel's bread

Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.
//Here's a healthy treat that you can enjoy even if bed-ridden. In one of Ezekiel's more questionable stunts, he lay on his left side, bound with ropes, for 390 days, bearing the sin of Israel. One day for each year of their sin. During all these days, he ate only this bread, so it must be nourishing.
You can try this bread yourself, if you wish. Food for Life sells "Ezekiel 4:9" bread in yuppie markets everywhere.
Do, however, be very careful about which bread you order. You don't want to accidentally get the "Ezekiel 4:13" recipe. After 390 days, Ezekiel was instructed to roll over on his right side, and there eat bread for 40 days, representing the 40 years that Judah sinned. This bread was baked with human excrement. Ezekiel protested, and was granted to right to cook with cow manure instead, but I still think the first recipe is preferable.

Book review: The Hour I First Believed

by Wally Lamb 
★★★
Spoiler alert…
If there's one word to describe this book, it's "joyless." After seven hundred pages of painful reminiscing about tragic deaths, troubled teens, Columbine, and depression, the main character reaches a solemn conclusion about life and it's one hope. Life's redeeming quality is an enduring hope for a better future.
Caelum, Wally's first-person character, struggles to understand. "God: big G, little g? Buddha? Allah? The Holy Trinity? Is god the DNA we bring forth? The genes that mutate on the cliff's edge of chaos? Beats me." Caelum slides not-so-gently into old age by book's end, nearly everything taken from him, and finally reaches acceptance.
Leave this book to the psychologists; it's a downer. I wouldn't review it except that it did resonate with me in one way. For some, the only imaginable "better future" is heaven. Some say that my brand of Christianity and its focus on our earthly life serves only to rob others of faith. Heaven is a dream held out to all who find themselves buried under life's hopelessness. Do we truly need our dreams of heaven, and if so, am I performing a disservice by promoting the humanitarian side of Christianity over the supernatural? Am I stealing the joy of the next life from believers in the same way Wally steals our joy in this life?
I confess, it sometimes troubles me.
(click picture to buy on Amazon)