Joe Whitten Blog : Theology, Rants, Photography, Politics, Denver, Colorado

Before you decide to answer that question you need to do some research. If you are satisfied that going to church every Sunday, believing what the man behind the pulpit tells you about the faith, believing that accepting Jesus as your savior will spare you the horrors of hell and that it is enough that you are a good person, then maybe you have been blinded by the gradual transformation of the truth into that which people want to hear rather than what we all need to know.

I don’t profess to know everything. But if someone sees you eating a toadstool and tells you it is poisonous then you should probably consider the advice before deciding that since the adviser cannot tell the difference in all cases between an edible mushroom and a toadstool, you have no reason to heed the warning. It is possible to know some truth of some aspects of a subject without knowing every detail of a subject. It’s important for one to be sure that he speaks with authority only about those aspects he is extremely knowledgeable of.

Equally important for all who seek the truth is not to blindly accept any one person’s interpretation of it. Listen and consider. Research and verify. The KJB uses the word Easter one time Acts 12:4. Since I became a believer I have heard numerous Christians explaining away this obvious error in translation. Some of the explanations seem so well thought out and researched. The bottom line though is Easter is not the correct translation. The Greek word is πάσχαe which transliterated is Pascha which means Passover. That word (Strong’s Greek ref. 3957; Strong’s Hebrew ref. 6453 and transliterated Pesah) occurs more than 80 times in the bible. Only the KJB translates it to Easter and only in that one place. A bit of searching will yield many pages on the web written by people condemning other translations over this. If these people bothered to look at the original source their mistake would be obvious to them. Instead they cling to what they have always believed as if admitting any mistake will nullify their entire system of belief.

After becoming a believer I found myself never quite able to decide what the truth is. In the beginning I only accepted the reality of God. (I now use the name Elohim) I did not really believe that Jesus (Yeshua) was the son of the living god or that it made any since for him to have died on the cross to atone for our sins. I certainly could not accept the idea that what he did 2000 years ago could wash away the sins I commit today. I still have a problem with that, but I have not closed my mind on the topic yet.

Discovery of truth is an ongoing process. The world we live in today is saturated with truths and untruths. Some people intentionally distribute untruth, others do so unwillingly. Spreading false information, especially about the word of Elohim, is a bad thing whether it is intentional or not. If you are doing it out of ignorance then it is still your fault. We are all responsible for verifying what we say is accurate – especially if it is something that can effect someone’s life in a profound way. If we hear someone making statements we believe are untrue then we need to discuss the issue with the speaker. That does not mean to accuse the speaker, merely to discuss it. I appreciate when people guide me away from erroneous beliefs and present me with evidence of the truth.

What does anything presented here so far have to do with the subject of the writing? No one seems to have a clear idea what Christianity really is any more because so many outside influences have crept into it. Christmas, Easter, forgetting the sabbath in favor of the false church’s decree of Sunday worship. If you look in any calendar you will no doubt find Saturday listed as the last day of the week. Elohim rested on the seventh day and declared it a holy day. The ten commandments tell us to observe the sabbath and to keep it holy. If your copy of the 10 commandments does not contain that commandment (it’s number four) then you can thank the false church for its omission. No where in the bible does it say that Yeshua was born on December 25. That day, winter solstice, was a pagan holiday. Easter is a pagan holiday also on which the fertility goddess ISHTAR was worshiped. It has nothing to do with Yeshua’s sacrifice. Why do you hunt eggs on Easter? Fertility worship. You need to break free. Do your own research if you doubt what you are reading here. PLEASE, do your own research. Embarking on a journey of research for one topic will often lead to other discoveries. Always look to verify what you read in the scriptures (more than one bible and an interlinear bible is a good idea).

There will be more on this later. If you are on here reading this and want to question me or comment, please leave a comment or e-mail me. I’m happy to discuss matters of faith with anyone.

jw

*Hebrew Masoretic and the Greek Textus Receptus.

What is the best translation of the Bible? There are many available in many different languages. How can anyone know which one is the best and which versions may actually be wrong? Despite what many may say and believe, there probably is no perfect translation of the Bible. How could there be?


It’s virtually impossible to translate any writing from one language to another and not make mistakes. The King James Version of 1611 might be difficult for anyone to understand today since the English language changes so frequently. It seems many people who adamantly proclaim the KJB to be the perfect translation of God’s word are unaware that the version of the KJB most people read today is not the exact version originally produced. The KJB has seen several revisions, mostly for spelling.


The writers of the KJB did not claim to be inspired. They only claimed to have made an earnest effort to translate the original manuscripts correctly. If they had been writing from Divine Inspiration they would not have needed the original manuscripts.


There have been many efforts to bring the Bible to English speaking people beginning with John Wycliffe in the early 15th century. (It is beyond the scope of this writing to cover all translations of the books of the Bible, so only those in English will be considered). He was followed by William Tyndale who was inspired by Martin Luther. Martin Luther’s translation was in German. There were no printing presses during Wycliffe’s lifetime making if difficult to deliver his translations to more than a few people. Tyndale’s translation was the first translation after the invention of the printing press and was more widely available than previous attempts.


Since the time of Wycliffe there have been many translations of the Bible. It is not uncommon to hear the publisher of a new translation claiming that their version is far better than previous versions. Some merely claim to be updated with easier to read English than previous versions. Since the language changes, it is not unreasonable to think that udpated translations might be need occasionally. It is also reasonable to ask what the true motivation for a new translation might be. Anyone with a true motive might be aware that trying to profit from the word of God is certainly contrary to what the book being published teaches.


Contrary to what the reader of this page may hear, the Bible is not something that a child can easily read. A child may be able to read the words but comprehension is not likely. The New Testament can be understood only in the context of what the Old Testament teaches. Many adults cannot understand the parables that Yeshua uses so how can a child be expected to? If you doubt this then have a child read Gen 38:9 (KJV) And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. After reading ask the child to explain what this means. Ask a person who says they have read the Bible to explain Ezekiel, Daniel, or Isaiah to you.


The Bible, while being easy to read in many areas can also be very difficult in others. Unless you understand Hebrew and Greek and read the original scripts or at least use an interlinear Bible, you are likely to miss many meanings. No book can say as much in a single paragraph as the Bible.


For the many people who believe the King James Bible is the only true Bible….


And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Acts 12:4 (KJV)


Easter is a pagan holiday. The word that easter is translated from is πάσχαe (pronounced pascha) which means passover. That word appears 29 times in the New Testament and is only translated once as easter. Perfect means without flaw. Since the KJB contains this error (there are many more but only one is necessary) it is not a perfect translation. The KJB also adds words. Many sites can be found with articles condemning the newer translations for using different syntax than the KJV. In most of these cases though it’s the KJB that is in err. It seems that many of these critics make a great mistake by assuming the KJB is infallible without testing it against the original writings.


Another verse commonly used to attack newer versions is John 5:7:For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. that verse more correctly reads: There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood: and all three are in agreement. 1 John 5:8 (BBE) or: For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one.1 John 5:8 (ASV) This verse is one that is frequently used to support the doctrine of the trinity, but the fact is the KJB has a poor interpretation of it.


There is no intent within this article to condemn the King James Bible. The intent is to encourage anyone seeking to understand the Word of Elohim to use more than one source. If you are serious, find a good interlinear Bible Software program (or learn Hebrew and Greek). Software makes searching a lot easier than using a book, but choose what you prefer to study with. There are many good free interlinear Bible programs in addition to some really great interlinear programs for sale. Computers have certainly made studying the Bible much faster and more enjoyable than in days past.

If you are searching for free software, you can look here: Free Interlinear and you can find a some very nice software here: Comprehensive Bible Software (continue reading…)

Some of you may know what that phrase refers to before you opened this article. Many of you may be about to read something you don’t like. Please read it anyway. I’m not making anything up. If you feel something  here is incorrect, send me a message and tell me.

The phrase “itching ears” refers to the disturbing tendency of a a great portion of society that loves to consider itself intellectual, sophisticated, and well, cool seeking to hear what they want to believe rather than accepting the truth and trying to adapt to reality. A society that thinks its existence can be explained through psuedo-intellectual explanations of unprovable facts. As long as the current state can be explained in a manner that denies creation by Elohim.

So why exactly is it that so many people want to deny the creator? I think there may be many answers to that question. Certainly one possibility for many is that obeying the laws of Elohim requires a level of discipline that few of us can master. If there is no creator and we simply evolved then giving in to lust and greed is merely part of our nature. Why should we fight what is a part of us? Why live according to His laws if He does not really exist? I’m not going to address that issue in this post, I only bring it up as an observation of the current state of attitudes.

The current election campaign and the popularity of Borack Obama clearly demonstrate how eager people are to seek that which they want to hear and to believe it adamantly. I have been shocked recently by the hostility I face from people (liberals) who support Obama and seem to believe he is the answer to their salvation when I bring up his dishonesty. Obama is telling people exactly what they want to hear. His words are as a drug to many of the people buying his lies. The high is great right now, but when the drug wears off – soon after the election – coming down is going to be rough for many.

Obama constantly refers to the tax cuts he will provide. Sounds good, but how much and when. He never mentions this. Seems his speech addicts hear what they want to hear and create their own delusional states of future utopia in their minds. Fine for now but how is it going to feel when Obama starts rationalizing to explain why he cannot provide any tax relief or spends his entire term promising that the tax cuts are coming soon and they never come? Or maybe he will provide a .05% tax cut of some type that is offset by $10/gallon gas? The president doesn’t have the power to simply sign a tax cut into effect. Maybe the huge cuts in the defense budget proposed by several democrats in the house are aimed at providing a means of providing tax cuts to make the democrats look like heroes. That’s a dangerous trade off and shows how irresponsible many representatives really are in the zeal to maintain their political power.

Both candidates are promising things they cannot possibly deliver. The president of the United States has three important responsibilities: Veto, Commander in Chief, and Chief Foreign Diplomat. The president has very little real impact on the economy. Voting for a president thinking that you are voting for the best hope for a sound economy is not unlike flagging a taxi driver when your sink is clogged. Neither candidate is campaigning on the real responsibilities of the office. A truly intellectual society would be aware of the job the president is called to do and confront the candidates on this. Voters let it slide, the media lets it slide, and the candidates themselves don’t seem to know what the responsibilities of the job really are. We are in deep doody in this country.

I read an excerpt from one of Obama’s books recently in which he writes about how liberals tend to be more intellectual and think matters through better than conservatives. I would say that is just another one of his attempts to scratch itchy ears.

2 Timothy 4:3

Romans 1:22

I pray that people will awaken. If you are a believer please pray also.

jw