Lee Harmon's Blog, page 25
May 26, 2014
Matthew 27:46,50 One Soldier’s Death
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” … And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
//A casualty in the war for our freedom.
Have a blessed Memorial Day.
May 25, 2014
Genesis 3:6, Augustine’s Original Sin and the Evil of Sex
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
//St. Augustine was a profound thinker, but he did have an odd hang-up. It was that three-letter word: sex. Have you ever wondered how the most influential theologian of all time justified the doctrine of Original Sin? His logic works like this:
Adam and Eve we...
May 24, 2014
Acts 18:23, Phrygia and the New Jerusalem
And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
//Phrygia is a region in modern-day Turkey. It’s mentioned three times in the book of Acts, telling of how the Gospel was spread there. But do you know its true Christian claim to fame?
It starts with this verse in Revelation:
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband...
May 23, 2014
Book Excerpt: Revelation: The Way It Happened
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.In a loud voice they sang:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
This echoes Daniel 7:10: Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. B...
May 22, 2014
John 4:6, Jonah and the Gourd
And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
//Ever try to take refuge in the shade of the gourd? This must be a monster gourd, right?
It was Jerome in the fourth century who translated the Bible into Latin–the version we call the Vulgate–and it was he who decided the plant that sheltered Jonah was a gourd. Previous to this, it was an ivy. The truth is, nobo...
May 21, 2014
Book review: Jewish Christianity Reconsidered
★★★★★
by Matt Jackson-McCabe
Ten scholars present papers (now seven years old) about early Jewish Christians, their writings and practices.
It’s a slippery topic. All scholars recognize the ambiguity in the term “Jewish Christian,” which makes classification difficult. Understanding that Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism, where exactly do you draw the line between Judaism and Christianity? The term usually refers to Jesus-followers who continue Jewish practices, such as Sabbath observance,...
May 20, 2014
Proverbs 15:3, The Biblical God
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
//“The Biblical God” is is a phrase that’s starting to get on my nerves. I usually hear it in context of someone claiming my idea of God differs from the Bible’s description. But there is no single “Biblical God.” Opinions about God change from book to book in the Bible. The God of Genesis is different from the God of the prophets, which is different from the God of the Writings, which is different from the God of t...
May 19, 2014
Revelation 22:12, Behold, I Come Suddenly?
Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
//I just finished reading another book which tried to pull Revelation out of its first-century setting by suggesting an odd translation of the promise in today’s verse. The phrase “Behold, I come quickly” appears word-for-word three times in Revelation, and there are a number of other places where Jesus affirms his coming without delay. Unless we greatly misinterpret the words (particularly the...
May 18, 2014
Revelation 14:4, Who are the Firstfruits?
These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
//Revelation tells of 144,000 faithful people who stand on Mount Zion, singing praises to God. It is said they were redeemed from the earth. They are said to be the “firstfruits.” But who are they?
This question comes up often in the forums I participate in online. Many think this gathering of the firstfruits is still in our future; but that wouldn’t make them first, would it?
The Old Testament law tells us that...
May 17, 2014
Book review: Disciples: How Jewish Christianity Shaped Jesus and Shattered the Church
by Keith Akers
★★★★★
Wow. I wish I had written this book. Speculative but convincingly argued, it strikes a perfect balance between reason and wonder, as it traces the evolution and demise of Jewish Christianity.
I have both curiosity and sympathy for the Ebionites, that early Jewish Christian sect which probably stemmed from the first Christians in Jerusalem, headed by Jesus’ brother James. Their disagreements with Paul, their emphasis on simplicity, and their primitive Christology have always...
