Lee Harmon's Blog, page 63
April 8, 2013
Exodus 1:11, The Conquest of Canaan (part I of III)
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
//You may have heard that archaeological evidence contradicts the story in the book of Joshua about how Israel conquered the promised land. You may have seen me write about that right here on this blog. The most well-known contradiction is that the walls of Jericho seem to have been leveled hundreds of years before the famous battle of Jericho in the Bible...
April 7, 2013
Book Preview: Chasing an Elusive God
So much did I enjoy the the prologue of Ray Vincent’s latest book that I asked permission to reprint it here. I’ll be providing a regular book review within a couple weeks, but for now…enjoy his opening, titled The Dream:
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At the beginning of history, human beings began to dream … Their dreams were their fears and their hopes. They dreamed up demons and spirits and hostile gods who caused disease, destruction and death.They dreamed up benevolent spirits who protected them, creative spir...
April 6, 2013
John 5:24-25, What does Realized Eschatology mean?
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”
//Realized Eschatology. If “eschatology” means the study of final things, such as death and judgment, then “realized eschatology” means just what it sounds like: The end has al...
April 5, 2013
Book review: Exposing Myths About Christianity
by Jeffrey Burton Russell
★★★★
In general, I enjoyed this one. I hardly agreed with everything Russell wrote—probably no Christian will—but it introduced several thought-provoking topics. The subtitle is A Guide to Answering 145 Lies and Legends, and that’s what it is. 145 short discussions, under the following headings:
Christianity is Dying Out
Christianity is Destructive
Christianity is Stupid
Jesus and the Bible Have Been Shown to Be False
Christian Beliefs Have Been Shown to Be Wrong
Miracles Ar...
April 4, 2013
Deuteronomy 32:8-9, Jehovah’s Portion
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, When he separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.For Jehovah’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
//Whether or not the idea appeals to Christians or Jews today, it’s clear that once upon a time, the Israelites believed in multiple gods. The scriptures bear witness to this in a number of places; faint traces of polytheismabound in the Bible,...
April 3, 2013
Book review: The Holy Family
by Alan Michael Wilt
★★★★★
How does one survive the loss of a daughter after outgrowing the Church? Where does one find comfort once belief in heaven has eroded?
Fiction: Martin Halsey grew up a Catholic, and retains an appreciation for ritual and church atmosphere, but can no longer believe. As an actor, Martin loves participating in the annual Christmas pageant, because he enjoys the inspiring story of Jesus. Yet he can no longer read the Bible as if it were meant to be understood literally. T...
April 2, 2013
Ezekiel 16:49, What Was the Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Yesterday, I was a featured guest on Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson’s radio program, a conservative live talk show. I knew before accepting the offer that it wasn’t a good fit for me, but I didn’t quite expect the direction the interview went! Rather than discussing the History Channel’s miniseries on the Bible (the stated topic for the day), the Reverend quickly probed out my liberal bent, and began playing to his conservative audience, on topics such as abortion and homosexuality. I didn’t bit...
April 1, 2013
Isaiah 60:3, The Three Wise Men
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
//The book of Matthew tells how “wise men” from the East followed a star to see the glory of the newborn king, Jesus.But why would Gentiles be interested in a baby Jew?Did you ever wonder where this story comes from?
It’s from the promise of Isaiah chapter 60:
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they...
March 31, 2013
John 20:11-17, Easter Sunday: Jesus Lives!
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?...
March 30, 2013
Luke 23:56, Holy Saturday
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
//There you have it, folks. That’s everything we know from the Bible about the day in which Jesus lay in the tomb. Well, there’s a little story in Matthew about guards being placed at the tomb this day, but this is all we know about Jesus’ followers.
Can you even begin to imagine their heartache? It seems like they were all just beginning to grasp the concept that Jesus, with his radical vision of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, was God’s...
