GUARD YOUR TONGUE
By Jim Solberg, D.D.
USA National Director, Bridges for Peace
Used by Permission

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.  Have you ever heard this seemingly innocent childhood taunt? Perhaps you’ve even used it yourself in response to some unkind phrase or words. Most of us, at some point in our lives, have both said something bad about another person and have had another person say something bad about us. We tend to think that what we said really didn’t hurt the other person, but we also tend to long remember the hurt that another person’s words have caused us. It seems a general truth that we judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions.

In light of this, perhaps we should consider asking the following questions: How does God judge us concerning our tongue, and what does Scripture have to say on the subject? Since Bridges for Peace is a ministry that focuses on restoring relationships with the Jewish people and learning from one another, are there things we can learn from each other on this topic? Perhaps this topic about the tongue is particularly relevant to our mission, as Christians and Jews have often said unkind, and sometimes untrue, things about one another. I want to start our consideration of this topic by reviewing Jewish teaching on the topic, and then adding a few thoughts from a Christian perspective. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons.

First, in the history of Jewish–Christian relations, it is Christians who have generally been the ones saying bad, and often untrue, things about the Jews. This is particularly true of the past 1,800 years, since Hadrian destroyed Jerusalem following the second great rebellion in AD 135. It is not the topic of this teaching letter, but this evil rhetoric from many of Christianity’s otherwise bright stars provided the groundwork for countless horrors, including the Inquisition and even the Holocaust. (These teaching letters are posted on our Web site: “The Source of Anti-Judaism, Anti-Semitism, and Anti-Zionism” and “Hurts, Heresies, and Holocaust.”)

A second, and more encouraging reason to begin looking at the Jewish teaching on this subject, is that I think you’ll find it better and deeper than most Christian teaching on the subject. So, let’s begin, as many Jewish teachings do, with a story. The sages tell the following story. I’ve read it in several places, so I’m not sure who is properly credited with the first telling, but it is a wonderful story.

Like Feathers in the Wind

In a small Jewish village in the Ukraine, a young man became angry with the rabbi. In his anger, he shared a lie with one friend, speaking evil of the rabbi. As is typical, particularly in a small town, the one man told another, who told his wife, who told her sister, and eventually the rabbi himself heard the story. The rabbi was deeply hurt by the lies being told; but could do nothing to counter the now widespread story.

After a few weeks, the young man realized he had been wrong to be angry at the rabbi, and even more wrong to have told the story about the rabbi. With a truly repentant heart, he went to the rabbi and confessed both his anger and the lie he had told. He offered to do anything to repair the damage he had done. The rabbi offered the young man one simple task. The young man was overjoyed and gladly asked what he must do. The rabbi told him to go home and get a feather pillow, take it to the center of town on a windy day, and cut it open. Once all the feathers had been scattered by the wind, he told the young man to simply walk around and gather up each and every feather and return it to the pillow case.

The young man’s countenance dropped, and he told the rabbi that such an assignment was impossible. The rabbi shook his head and told the young man that just as it was impossible to regather the feathers, so it was impossible to regather the lie he had spread. The Rabbi could and would forgive the young man, but the damage could never be completely undone.

In Hebrew there is a phrase, lashon hara, which means “speaking evil.” The term is not limited to lies, but includes telling an evil truth about someone. The rabbis teach that the only time it is permissible to share an evil truth, or we might say “bad report,” about someone is when not doing so will cause damage to the person you might tell. In other words, if I tell you that Johnny stole candy from the store, but you don’t own the store, I am simply speaking evil, even if it is true. I could only share about Johnny’s thievery if you will personally suffer from it if I don’t tell you.

Further, the rabbis teach that whenever you speak evil of another, three people are hurt. First, and most obviously, the person you are speaking about is hurt. The idea that I hurt you, if I speak evil about you, is pretty straightforward and common sense. More subtle, but I believe equally true, you hurt yourself when you speak evil about another. The teaching here is that you both pollute your own thoughts by focusing on the evil, and you also tarnish your image, as people come to know you as one who spreads a bad report—a gossip. Finally, you hurt the person you tell. You pollute their mind and their image of the other person, and you tempt them to continue the gossip train and share this same evil report with others. Remember, all three people are damaged, even if the evil report is true!

Absalom’s Rebellion

Is there any Scripture to back this up? First let’s consider the story of Absalom in 2 Samuel, chapters 15–18. Absalom’s rebellion begins by sharing subtle implied evil about his father King David. “Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, ‘What city are you from?’ And he would say, ‘Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel.’ Then Absalom would say to him, ‘Look, your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.’ Moreover Absalom would say, ‘Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.’ And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel (15:2–6).

Essentially Absalom was saying that David was not fairly dispensing justice, and that he would do much better job than his father. Was this true?  We aren’t told. It is possible that David did not have a well organized system in place for hearing complaints. It is even possible that Absalom would have done better. But, what is clear is that Absalom was spreading an evil report about his father, making those who had no such thoughts think poorly of David and reinforcing the complaints others already had. So where did this example of lashon hara end?

The people who heard the evil speech were hurt—20,000 died in a needless battle: “So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the woods of Ephraim. The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day” (2 Sam. 18:6–7). The evil speaker was killed: “Then Joab said, ‘I cannot linger with you.’ And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom's heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree. And ten young men who bore Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him” (vv.14–15).

And the one spoken of was also deeply hurt: “And Joab was told, ‘Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.’ So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, ‘The king is grieved for his son.’ And the people stole back into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.    But the king covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, ‘O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!’" (19:1–4).

Aaron and Miriam against Moses

Scripturally, the rabbis and sages base much of their teaching on this subject on Numbers 12. Let’s look at the first ten verses of this chapter: “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, ‘Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?’ And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!’ So the three came out. Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward Then He said, ‘Hear now My words: if there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?’ So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.”

This complaining against Moses by Miriam and Aaron is considered lashon hara, or evil speaking. Not only do the rabbis draw the teachings already summarized above primarily from discussion about this passage, but they make another connection. What is Miriam’s punishment for lashon hara? She is punished with leprosy. Accordingly, the rabbis see a connection between evil speaking and serious skin diseases. There are two other passages which teach about leprosy: Leviticus 12:1–13:59 and Leviticus 14:1–15:33. Much of the rabbinic commentary on leprosy in these readings is related back to the incident of complaint by Miriam. The rabbis, therefore, see this sin of evil speaking as very serious, with dire consequences.

Christian Teaching

Christian teaching generally is not as strong on the prohibition of evil speaking, although modern Christian pastors and teachers, as well as the Christian Scriptures, clearly teach against gossip or slander. For example, In Ephesians 4:31, Paul warns, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” And in 1 Peter 2:1, Peter directs, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.”

In Ephesians, Paul uses the Greek word βλασφημία (blasphemia), from which we get our modern English word “blasphemy.” At its root, blasphemy in our modern usage is “evil speaking” against God. How much more care might we use in choosing our words, if we thought that each evil word, bit of gossip, or bad report we share was a form of blasphemy? In 1 Peter, Peter uses the Greek word καταλαλιά (katalalia), which is the direct Greek for evil speaking. In both cases, I believe that both Peter and Paul had in mind their Jewish training and the prohibition about lashon hara.

Paul himself uses this exact same Greek word καταλαλιά in 2 Corinthians 12:19–20. In the New King James translation, this word is translated as “backbitings.” “Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification. For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults.”

In modern Christian teaching, there is still emphasis on the importance of guarding our words, but recent Christian teaching takes an approach more focused at guarding both the words we think and the words that we speak. There is a powerful book by John Bevere, entitled The Bait of Satan, in which he makes the case that we destroy ourselves when we focus our time and thoughts thinking (or saying) evil about another person. His real emphasis is on how bitterness against another—again whether objectively justified or not—damages and destroys the person holding onto these feelings. In this regard, his teaching is very parallel to rabbinic teaching on lashon hara, which teaches that not only the object of evil speech, but the speaker of evil speech is damaged in the process.

The whole concept of “positive confession” or of speaking what we want, not what we have, is somewhat controversial in the modern Church. Some fear this teaching goes too far into the realm criticized as “name it and claim it.” While I believe that wisdom and balance need to be applied here, with all teaching tested against Scripture, it is hard to deny either the biblical or experiential truth that what we think and say has a significant impact on what we experience.

Even modern business studies support this, with secular businesses and sport establishments spending millions of dollars each year on motivational training and consultants. Of much greater importance, there is little room to argue, other than that the Christian Scriptures teach a high importance on guarding our tongue: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless” (James 1:26).

Yeshua (Jesus) Himself speaks of both the importance of choosing what we say; and the source of what we say. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:34b–37).

Judaism and Christianity—A Comparison

In rabbinic teaching, we find a great depth of instruction on the importance of what we do—in this case, on the importance of how we speak. In at least modern Western Christianity, we find the emphasis placed on what we think or believe. Sadly, sometimes this difference has been exaggerated and portrayed as Jewish people only caring about “deeds” and being bound to legalism. A more accurate criticism is sometimes leveled against modern Western Christianity: that we only care and teach about what we think or believe and not about what we do. Neither of these extremes is a fair portrayal of either rabbinic Judaism, nor of biblical Christianity.

Judaism teaches that we do what we do—including following the halacah (or rabbinic understanding of 613 commandments)—because we love God with our heart. The most basic statement of Judaism is the Shema, a statement of both belief and practice beginning in Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Further evidence for the importance Jewish people place on belief as well as action can be found in the 13 Principles of Faith by Maimonides (a 12^th-century Jewish philosopher), each of which is a statement of belief. True biblical Christianity shares this balance of belief and action. For example, in James we read, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (2:18).

Perhaps even more incontrovertible within Christianity; Yeshua said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). As is so often true, I find this statement of Yeshua bridging and combining the best of Christian and Jewish teaching on this subject. In this passage, Yeshua speaks love, which comes from our heart and mind. This same short passage in John also speaks about deeds, in this case, keeping commandments. Yeshua consistently teaches about both our thoughts and our deeds.

This one verse is not an isolated incident in Yeshua’s teaching. For example, Yeshua regularly teaches about our thoughts: "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matt. 15:19). "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). And, in a similar manner, He consistently teaches about the importance of our actions: "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward" (Matt. 10:42). "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:30–31).

A Renewed Commitment

Both biblical Christianity and Judaism teach an importance of what we say and what we do. Since the words that come from our mouth are the first and quickest connection between thought and deed, it is a great place to look at the importance of both thought and deed. Here, too, we see the complementing perspective we can gain from both the Jewish and Christian teachings on guarding our tongue.

Since one of the key areas where God has called Bridges for Peace to operate is in tearing down the walls of separation between Christians and Jews—and if you will, replacing walls with bridges—there is perhaps no better or more important place to start than to look at what we say, especially about one another. Will you join me in a renewed commitment to guard your tongue, to either say something good or to say nothing at all, and, in the particular area of dialogue between Christians and Jews, to seek to speak well of one another?

All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Bibliography

Bevere, John. The Bait of Satan: Your Response Determines Your Future. Lake    Mary, Florida: Charisma House, July 1994.

Leff, Rabbi Boruch. Kol Yaakov—“Metzora (Leviticus 14–15): Uncomfortable             Musings for Comfortable Jews.”             http://www.aish.com/tp/i/ky/48951601.html

______. Outlooks and Insights—“Metzora (Leviticus 14–1): Correcting            Selfishness.” http://www.aish.com/tp/i/oai/48954741.html

Maimonides. “The Rambam's Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith.” Orthodox Union. http://www.ou.org/torah/rambam.htm

Raviv, Rivkah. “In the Presence of the Lord.” Bar-Ilan University's Parashat      Hashavua Study Center,             http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/tazria/rav.html, April 5, 2003

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. (G. Kittel, G.W. Bromiley & G.            Friedrich, ED.) (electronic ed.) Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964.

THE ULTIMATE SUBJUGATION OF WOMAN
Dennis D. Frey, Th.D.

At creation man and woman were conjoined by Divine fiat.  “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:23 NASV).  Jesus refers to this decree when tested by the Pharisees over matters related to divorce (Matthew 19:3-12).  The man/woman marriage covenant was to be an inviolable haven for their mutual development and protection.  It served too as a reflection of the spiritual covenant that was to exist between them and God.  Within such covenants only do both man and woman reach their highest potential and greatest levels of meaning.

To patronize, play down or engage in sophist analysis of the man woman relationship obscures the potential and power that life-long monogamous marriage has to protect the human race.  Satan understood this from the beginning.  In the most sadistic of ways, his attack upon the woman was thoroughly rational.  The woman was the gift in the relationship.  Spoil the gift, and the destructive effect was inevitable.

I have lived through what was commonly known as the women’s liberation movement, and its ugly twin, the sexual revolution.  The consequence has been neither liberating nor revolutionary.  On the contrary, womanhood has been taken captive to increasingly degrading forms of exploitation, and sexuality has devolved into an unsatisfying form of compulsory erotic entertainment.

The bait of intellectual and physical curiosity dangled before the woman in Eden suggested that she was missing out on something, and she was.  She was missing out on being subjugated.  The same bait was sent swinging before women in the early fifties; the progression has been predictable.  Consider these steps:  1950s – women are not breeding stock, and ought not be forced to have so many children; 1960s – women are just as capable as men, and ought not to be stuck at home; 1970s – women ought not to be forced to bear children they do not want; 1980s – women ought not to be forced to marry before they are ready; 1990s – women ought not to be deprived of sexual intimacy just because they are not married; 2000s – women ought to be able to marry other women; 2010s – women married to women ought to have the right to raise children; 2020s – ?

The bait of intellectual and physical curiosity is most effective when it is mixed with bits of truth.  “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25 NASV).  For the past 50+ years, the way that contemporary American culture has been pointing women to follow has seemed so right to so many (both men and women), but in the end, it is a way of death…the death of hope, the death of potential, the death of personal fulfillment, the death of secure relationships, the death of real peace; and eventually, death eternal.

Conversely, our Creator seeks to give us life – eternal life (John 3:16), which is the ultimate liberation of both woman and man.  Jesus promised that very thing.  “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free: (John 8:32 NASV).  “If the son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NASV).  The truth is, we were not created by Satan, and his ways can never bring us good.  We were created by God, and His ways can never bring us harm.

Eternal death is the goal of Satan, who is the greatest enemy of womanhood in the universe.  He is not a myth.  He is a real person, and he hates woman with an everlasting hatred.  He seeks her ultimate subjugation.  

BYE BYE BIBLE BOOK STORES?

Not long ago, I was wandering around one of the last remaining Christian bookstores in the local area. (I went to where one had been in the west end of town, only to discover it was long gone.) I was looking for a few books that might help me in my dissertation work.

No such luck. I’m not surprised. I suspected this would be the case as I’m looking for some pretty specialized, denominational type books, not just general stuff.

But it also got me to thinking about the demise of bookstores in general, and the Bible Bookstore in particular. You do remember Bible Bookstores, don’t you?

When I first became a Christian, they were somewhat more numerous. They carried a little music (the bigger ones actually had a music section), reference tools, some rather predictable novels and books by well known preachers, church supplies, gospel tracts, VBS materials, hymnals for general use, Bible studies, and Bibles. In those days, your choice was the King James, the Revised Standard Version, the New American Standard, and maybe that New International Version. (They also carried the most amazing amount of junk with a Jesus sticker slapped on it.)

Then there was a sort of Christian publishing revolution. Christian self-help books, Christian novels and fiction, and so on sprung forth. Reference tools started disappearing. The music sections got larger (and the music got better). Study Bibles started exploding out of nowhere. VHS tapes started showing up, and even the junk with Jesus stickers got better.

Christian publishers got bought by mainstream publishers, as did Christian recording labels. And that’s when they became a bigger business, quit being Bible Bookstores, and became Christian bookstores.

Then something odd happened. Bible studies started going the way of the reference tools. The same can be said of gospel tracts. The music started changing, keeping more “modern” sounds. (Some of which I like, some I don’t.) VHS tapes were replaced by DVD’s, and the stories keep getting better, as do the production values. (Actually, that’s A Good Thing.) There are Christian computer programs that have reference and study helps. Christian Fiction has taken over, most of it geared to women. Christian self help is pretty good sized, too. Some stores don’t even look like bookstores anymore-they’ve become Christian gift boutiques. This is no great surprise; I asked the young lady behind the counter about a year ago about this and her reply was “basically, women do most of the reading and shopping in these stores anymore.” Of course they do...most men aren’t comfortable going into a place with a more feminine touch.

Here’s a clue, everyone--most men I know don’t wear scarves (Christian or otherwise), and would like a t-shirt that fits them. You know, like in sizes XL or bigger. Even I take an XL, and “tall” or “hefty” are not terms used to describe me terribly often. And when all the books for men are clumped together with books on finances, on one rack (one rack=four shelves), you kind of get the picture that men have become something of an afterthought.

And do we wonder why men are leaving the church in droves?

You want study Bibles? They have them in very flavor going, in more translations than I think is safe. In fact, I saw two Bibles today that made me feel like I can die now because I’ve seen it all: The “American Patriot’s Bible” and a waterproof NIV. (“Perfect for beach/pool, bathtub, missions, vacations, sports.”) Somehow, spending time in the shower with the Word of God seems wrong to me. I understand His Word cleanses us...but I don’t think that’s quite what He meant. (On the other hand, I can see a use for this in a baptismal service.)

Now I know that there’s lots of reference tools online. (Studylight.org is a great example of that.) And I know that a lot of books can be bought online from places like eBay, Amazon, CBD and Cokesbury, and even Master's own online bookstore. Ultimately, I have ended up going that route. Which is really too bad, because I like to support my local booksellers when I can.

But there was something...different...about those Bible bookstores. Not that they were holy, but there was a sense of being about the Father’s business (or at least, being in His Presence) when you walked in. These places were calm, almost tranquil. I remember one in my hometown; it felt like God had His Presence there. Since it was like a mission only two doors down from the local porn theatre, He probably did.

Views expressed in the Ark Rocker are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of Master's Journey or the Divinity School.  MJ

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THE URGENCY OF THE GOSPEL
Gary K. Fair, D.P.Th.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:13-14, “Follow the pattern of the sound works that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (ESV).

He seems to return to this theme frequently throughout this second letter to his son in the faith, Timothy, even in the midst of focusing on other issues. He emphasizes the essential boldness Timothy must develop shunning timidity and fear, reminding him of the gift of God in him because of the laying on of Paul’s hands. He encourages him to testify unashamedly of his relationship with the Lord, fully convinced that He will “guard the good deposit entrusted” to him.

The impending end of Paul’s earthly ministry spurred him on to make every effort to heed his calling to take the Gospel to those without Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As the day approached when he would finally suffer physical death because of his conviction of the Lordship of Jesus Christ; Paul encouraged his younger friend to put on the same conviction. He taught him that hardship was forthcoming. Timothy would need to contend as an athlete, according to the teachings of Jesus, that is, sound doctrine. The fruit of his good work would, in the end, find honor in his share of the glory in eternity.

In the twenty-first century the man of God, called by Him into the service of ministry, has no less a challenge issued to him than did Timothy by his mentor, the Apostle Paul in the first century. In many ways, the labors facing the minister today seem more challenging. However, the aid available to Timothy then is the same that is available to the minister today. Paul said to guard the good deposit, or treasure, with the help of the Holy Spirit. The same helping agent is ready to bolster the assurance of the minister today as strongly as then.

The called minister today must learn to lean upon the help provided for him in the Holy Spirit rather than accepting the defeat of the flesh, crying, “Woe is me, I can’t do this!” Of course, he can’t do this, but yet He can do it. Today’s minister of the Gospel has the same power at his hand if he will choose to acknowledge Him and call on Him for the aid he needs to reach a lost and dying world.

Just as Paul charged Timothy (4:1ff) to preach the Word, the preacher of the 21st century is under the same charge. Because the days are short, and due to the sinfulness of the world today, the urgency increases for the preacher to guard the treasure (the Gospel) he has received and that he is charged to proclaim. He must exercise boldness never before mustered to deny Satan his grip on those souls God would have turn from their sin and spend eternity with Him. The preacher must know the Word and demonstrate confidence in it to use it with wisdom to overpower Satan as he lies and deceives, veiling evil and destruction as beautiful and desirable material things and feelings.

The time will come, Paul warns, when people will close their ears to sound doctrine and refuse to listen to truth. Instead, they will eagerly listen to those teachings which seem good and which will make them feel at ease. They will welcome those teachings which provide them pleasure. Those days are here now. Paul taught that people would become lovers of self. Today bookstores are already filled with books instructing us how to make ourselves more attractive, in better shape, more appealing to the opposite (or same) sex, and encouraging us to ensure that we get what is rightfully ours. After all, we should first concern ourselves with our own interests and allow others to look out for themselves. This doctrine teaches that pleasure and personal happiness as a way of life is man’s highest achievement. God inspired John the Apostle to write something about this way of life in 1 John 2:16. He wrote, “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world” (NKJV). He goes on to say that these all will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

That promise of eternal life is powerful enough to turn the hearts of man if the man called by God to proclaim it is ready, prepared, and willing to overcome the timidity of the flesh and put on the power provided for the accomplishment of the task. The minister has an awesome responsibility to overcome these false teachings. He must gather the courage and conviction which will allow him to boldly confront people with the truth of the Word of God, allowing the Word to convict them of their sin. The Word is powerful and fully able to turn a man from his sin. The man in the pulpit today cannot ignore sin, preaching a mediocre message avoiding any confrontation of the person living the hedonistic lifestyle. Victory will come only as he has prepared himself, armed himself with the Word, given himself up, in his life and actions, to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and learned to endure hardship in the face of persecution.

Paul summed up his encouragement and charge to Timothy with a statement that has eased my fears and timidity many times. In chapter 4, verses 17 and 18, he writes as a final confirmation of his faith and endurance, “…..the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed… The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom” (NIV). What a magnificent promise the preacher of today has as he carries out his calling to present the Gospel to those who may persecute him for his zeal, or those who may, because of his persistence, his preparation, and the power behind his words, receive the message, the messenger, and the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

BODY SONG
Skip Moen, Ph.D.

Paul J. Meyer, the founder of the self-improvement industry, once said that he is an inverted paranoid. He believes that the whole world has conspired to do him good. That powerful idea alters everything about life. It shifts all of our being and doing from a posture of defense and protection to a posture of exuberant enjoyment and celebration. But Paul Meyer was not the first person to promote this idea. He had a predecessor, also named Paul.

In the letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul tells us that everything works together for good for those who are loved by God and called according to His purposes. God Himself is the ultimate inverted paranoid. He actually created the universe with good in mind. He planned that everything would be of benefit. That’s the way He wanted it. We are all familiar with this famous verse in Romans (8:28). But we may not have noticed that the connection that Paul makes with a thought from 6:13. It is worth examining with care. In 6:13, Paul reveals the secret melody of the universe.

Romans 6:13 “and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

This verse is written in three-part harmony. One part is found in the word “present”. One part is in the word “members” and the last part is in the word “instruments”.

Present is the Greek verb paristano. It is used twice in this verse. It comes from the activity of a royal court. Today we are often unaware of the court rituals that were commonplace in ancient times. In order for someone to be "presented" to royalty, protocol had to be rigorously followed. Usually the king designated a particular person as the "presenter". Being a "presenter" meant access to the king, not simply as his servant, but as one who had status and privilege that ordinary subjects did not enjoy. This person was at the king's disposal and ready at hand. He performed an official function by bring subjects before the king.

This official ceremonial theme is also present when the idea is transferred to religious worship. The temple of God is no less a place of royalty and presenting before the King is no less ceremonial. But here the word takes on the concept of sacrifice. The presenter is not simply fulfilling the role of introducing someone to God's court. The presenter is offering himself in an official ceremony as a sacrifice to the King.

Imagine the scene from Isaiah's vision. God's robe fills the temple. Angels hover overhead shouting "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts". The entire structure trembles at His voice. Smoke fills the air. This is the place of worship – and of sacrifice. And sacrifice is the proper response before a holy Being. Isaiah recognized immediately that he was unworthy to even be there.

Paul suggests that you and I stand in that same arena. The Holy God, the Lord of hosts, confronts us. Our only proper response is obeisance and sacrifice. Paul is not making a casual suggestion. He is saying that confronted by the holy God we have only one choice if we are to live. Isaiah said it quite clearly, "Woe is me."

Modern religion has significantly diluted this idea. We no longer view ourselves as dependent creatures face to face with the Creator. We don't think of the spectacular heights of His temple, the awesome power of His voice, the blinding light of His countenance or the magnificence of His angels. Democracy has reduced us to critical citizens of the most common denominator. We consider all that pomp and circumstance arcane. We would rather watch it on television. Now when we walk into church we are not thinking about the splendor of God. We are thinking about the air conditioning. We aren't focused on reverence before the King of kings. The drummer in the band distracts us. Church is another form of entertainment – designed to please us and produce a spiritual "high" – rather than a place where we express our desperate dependence and total submission to God.

Paul would have none of that. He knew that presenting was an act of sacrifice, done in a ceremonial protocol that raised humble submission to an act of glorification. Worship is not about me. It is about Him. And sacrifice that focuses on me is far a field from a response to the holiness of God.

Present your members, says Paul. The word for “members” is mele. It literally means parts of the body. Notice that Paul views the parts of the body as instruments of either righteousness or unrighteousness. There is no suggestion that these body members are essentially good or essentially evil. Whether they are used for good or evil depends on the presentation. What is presented to God is sacrificed for His use. What is presented to self is sacrificed to my use. My hand, my foot, my arm or any other part of my body can be presented to the King or be offered to my own ego. The parts of my body are no different than any other possession under my control. They are neutral until I present them.

Most of us are familiar with this interpretation of "members". We might not fully appreciate the fact that every body part can be offered to God. We often struggle to believe that some parts we are unhappy or ashamed about can still be presented to His royal court. But we acknowledge the truth of this claim, even if we don't live it. But Paul may be choosing his words much more carefully than we first imagine. He may be painting two pictures with the same canvas – a sort of ancient hologram. There is something here beneath the surface that shows us a deeper harmony.

Mele is a Greek word that has a secondary meaning – a meaning that gives us a different picture and expands our appreciation of the idea of presentation. In classical Greek, mele also mean "song" or "melody". This usage is very old. Paul would certainly have been familiar with this alternative. Perhaps this secondary meaning helps us to expand the picture Paul wishes us to see.
Paul is an Old Testament man. His thought patterns are rooted in images of the Hebrew Scriptures. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." "Come before Him with joyful singing." "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise." These thoughts from the 100th Psalm are repeated over and over in the Old Testament. God's royal court is a place of celebration. It is filled with the melodies of angels worshipping the Lord of Hosts. The throne room of His palace is no somber, dreadful place. It is filled with power, light and majesty. It is the temple of the greatest symphony every written – the symphony of the universe.

Now, says Paul, understand that your body is His temple. Every member of your body is playing a song – your body song. It is a score written by God Himself, and it is in harmony with all that He has written for every part of the creation. When you present your members to Him, you are joining a great orchestra. Your song is added to this grand melody. Present your song as your sacrifice and offering to Him. He will take the song written in your body and make from it various instruments in His orchestra.

We have a cliché that expresses this profoundly spiritual thought. We just don't realize how spiritually based it is. We say, "Today I am just out of tune" or "I didn't feel like I was tuned in" or "I just need to be tuned in to myself". These expressions implicitly recognize that life is intended to be harmonious. We know when we are in disharmony. We have an intuitive sense of our own body song. It is a "spiritual" thing.

Amazingly, even non-believers understand being out of tune. This sense of disharmony, of creating bad "vibes", is universal with Man. God has written the melody very, very deeply in our bodies. It is a melody that demands to be synchronized with the rest of His creation. When we fight the divine symphony of the universe, we fight the song written into our own bodies. We create noise instead of music.

There really is a natural harmony to things. God wrote the score. When we try to play our own tunes, we discover that we are not in synch with the divine symphony. Paul recognized this. As the great natural theologian, he simply points us to what is written inside us. You and I have the choice of joining the choir of the angels or creating a demonic noise. It all depends on which conductor we decide to be presented to. There is no part of your body that does not have the song written into it. There is no part of your body that cannot play the melody of heaven. And if Paul is right, if your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, then you are alive with the music of the King. That entire symphony is playing inside you.

Today, may I present for Your listening pleasure, my body song, performed on the instruments You have given me.

JERUSALEM.  THE DUAL CITY OF GOD
John C. Thorman, President
Business Solutions on Demand

During the tour of Israel with Dr. Moen and Rabbi Gorelik in October 2009, Bob Gorelik made reference one evening to Jerusalem and the temple as being existent in heaven before the creation of the world.  Immediately upon hearing this statement I remembered the Greek Philosophers and their metaphysics. Plato said that the perfect existed as an unchanging form in the transcendent or eternal world of being, and that its copy or changeable and imperfect appearance existed in the physical world of becoming that we experience as humans. Given the tremendous influence that Greek Philosophy had on the early church fathers and their construction of a systematic theology that synthesized Greek Philosophy with the Bible, Rabbi Gorelik’s comments are very interesting. Is there really a perfect and transcendent Jerusalem that exists in eternity and if so what impact does that have upon the believer in Yeshua as the Messiah? Clearly, this teaching would have been easy for the early church fathers to embrace as the popular philosophical position of Plato’s forms would integrate so easily if this was already an accepted Hebrew concept.

The history of Jerusalem dates back to the 4^th millennium B.C.E. making it one of the oldest cities in the world. In Rabbi Robert R. Gorelik’s book, Israel-Tour Companion, Gorelik says that Jerusalem appears in the Old Testament 669 times and Zion (which usually means Jerusalem, although sometimes the Land of Israel) 154, for a total of 823 times in all. The New Testament mentions Jerusalem 154 times and Zion 7 times (p.21).  Under King David circa 1000 B.C.E., Jerusalem became the capital city of the nation of Israel and the epicenter of Israel’s religious and cultural identity with the building of the first temple under King Solomon. It remains so to this day and explains why Jerusalem is regarded as the most holy city for both the Jews and the Christians. What is odd though is that the Muslims have their third most holy site, the Dome of the Rock which is on the temple mount, in Jerusalem. There is some disagreement as to whether the Muslim’s actually consider the city of Jerusalem itself as a holy city for their faith, or if they just revere the holy site on temple mount. Regardless, the Muslim’s third most holy site in the world is located in Jerusalem, behind Mecca and Medina, yet none of it is ever even mentioned in the Koran.

According to Islam, the prophet Muhammad was miraculously transported from Mecca to Jerusalem, and it was from there that he made his ascent to heaven. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aksa Mosque, both built in the seventh century, made definitive the identification of Jerusalem as the “Remote Place” that is mentioned in the Koran, and thus a holy place after Mecca and Medina. Muslim rights on the Temple Mount, the site of the two mosques, have not been infringed. Although it is the holiest site in Judaism, Israel has left the Temple Mount under the control of Muslim religious authorities. (Bard, par. 17)

The Muslims have fabricated and perpetuated quite a tale of how they captured the Christian controlled city in 638 C.E. (see Gorelik’s Israel-Tour Companion, p. 22-24) and with a few short periods of time as exceptions, the Muslims have basically controlled the temple mount area ever since.

Today, Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel and its most populated city at approximately 760,000 residents. Jerusalem is located in the Judean Mountains; situated 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea and 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of the northern tip of the Dead Sea. Jerusalem’s population from 1844 to 2009 is shown in the following table:

Jerusalem’s Population

Table 1 (JewishVirtualLibrary.org)

The city of Jerusalem is unlike any other in the world. While she is known as the city of peace, from its Semitic root s-l-m which means peace, this is perhaps the world’s greatest irony since no other city in history has been more bitterly fought over.  

 “There have been at least 118 separate conflicts in and for Jerusalem during the past four millennia – conflicts that ranged from local religious struggles to strategic military campaigns and that embraced everything in between. Jerusalem has been destroyed completely at least twice, besieged twenty-three times, attacked an additional fifty-two times, and captured and recaptured forty-four times. It has been the scene of twenty revolts and innumerable riots, has had at least five separate periods of violent terrorist attacks during the past century, and has only changed hands completely peacefully twice in the past four thousand years” (Cline, p.2)

The city of Jerusalem has been at the center of controversy between the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac for well over a millennium now. The appearance is not one of victory for God’s chosen people throughout history, but is that the reality?

An etymological investigation of Jerusalem produces much uncertainty, but the name is generally understood to have a Semitic origin. According to The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, the name Jerusalem comes from:

An Egyptian notice from the third quarter of the nineteenth century B.C. mentions Urusalimum. The Tell el Amarna correspondence of the fourteenth century B.C. refers to the town as Urusalim. The Assyrians called it Ursalimmu. Modern scholars take these names to mean “founded by the god Shalem,” a god of the Amorites (Jerusalem is said to have been founded by Amorites and Hittites; Ezek. 16:3, 45). In time, however, the second part of the name became associated with shalom (“peace”) in Hebrew minds, and Jerusalem came to mean “city of peace”. Romans and Greeks called it Hierosolyma. To the Arabs it is El Kuds, meaning “holy town”. (Unger, p. 675)

Sadly, Unger’s dictionary doesn’t get it right. Any examination into the origins of Jerusalem will soon lead the investigator to Melchizedek and the deep mysteries of God that directly link Melchizedek and Abraham with Jerusalem and with the Messiah.

The city of Jerusalem is first mentioned in the Old Testament as the city of Salem (Gen. 14:18) and the city is tied directly to Melchizedek and Abram. “After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand. (Gen. 14:17-20) It’s interesting to note here that while it makes sense for the king of Sodom to be there following Abram’s victory, there doesn’t seem to be any justification for Melchizedek’s presence, yet there he is.

According to Rabbi Gorelik’s audio teaching on his website (eshavbooks.org) called “Melchizedek”, the name Melchizedek means king of righteousness. So, Melchizedek the king of Salem (peace), is also a king of righteousness and according to the text itself, Melchizedek is also a priest of God Most High. This is quite amazing because that means before Israel is ever a nation and before the Abrahamic covenant is ever cut, there is Melchizedek; a king of righteousness and peace, and a priest of God.

The Hebrew form of Jerusalem is Yerushalayim and it first appears in Joshua 10:1. Gorelik’s teaching on Melchizedek says the name Yerushalayim is arrived at by connecting Melchizedek and Abraham to this holy city at the same time so that neither one of them is offended. On the one hand is Melchizedek, who possesses an eternal priesthood as seen in Psalms 110:4 and he is the king of Salem. On the other hand there is Abraham who becomes the father of the nation of Israel and the father of faith thru his obedience to God by taking Isaac up to Mount Moriah and being willing to sacrifice him. Mount Moriah of course is the exact physical location where centuries later Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. Now, when Abraham reached the summit, God called out to him and told him not to harm his son saying “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Gen. 22:12). As a result, Abraham called that spot “YHWH yireh” which means God sees, unfortunately our English translation gets this verse wrong (Gen. 22:14). “You see, the text doesn’t say Abraham named this place “The Lord Will Provide.” He names it YHWH yireh, a name we have bastardized into Jehovah-Jireh. It literally means, “YHWH sees.” It is the interpretation of the translator that coverts this verb into a statement about God providing” (Moen, par. 3). Because God sees, He saw Abraham’s need and then responded to it by providing a solution for Abraham. So, according to Gorelik, by joining together the significant attributes of Abraham and Melchizedek we get Yireh (from God sees) and Salem (from the city of peace) to arrive at Yireh-Salem or God will see peace. As you can see, Yireh-Salem is pretty close to Yerushalayim.

This is where things begin to get really interesting! In Hebrew grammar the ending –im indicates the plural and the ending –ayim indicates the dual. This has lead to the suggestion by many that the name Yerushalayim refers to the fact that the city sits on two hills, or to signify the upper and lower cities that comprised Jerusalem. However, this geographic justification for the name does not adequately explain the dual nature of the city from a spiritual and eternal perspective which one would expect from a Hebrew worldview, especially when we are dealing with the significant mysteries of God. Consider other examples of God renaming people and their spiritual significance, like Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, and the given name of the Messiah which is Yeshua (it’s not Jesus) because Yeshua means salvation. If one accepts the rules of Hebrew grammar, then Yerushalayim means that there are actually dual or two Jerusalem’s. Since there is only one, constantly changing appearance of Jerusalem on the earth, the other Jerusalem, the dual Jerusalem must be the form; or the perfect transcendent Jerusalem in heaven.

This is not the stretching of an overactive or hyper-spiritual imagination. There is ample biblical evidence to fully support this position. And, given the tremendous significance that God Himself and the Hebrew people placed on naming people and places; this needs to be taken seriously.

There is an eternal priesthood represented by Melchizedek that is later fulfilled by the Messiah and there is an eternal sacrifice represented by Abraham being willing to offer his only son Isaac that is later fulfilled by the Messiah too. It is only fitting and logical then that there also be an eternal city of Jerusalem that is represented later by an actual physical city which is fulfilled under King David for the nation of Israel.

But there’s more. A physical dwelling for God’s Name was required on earth as God instructed Israel throughout the Old Testament saying there will be a “place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name” (Deuteronomy 12:5,11,21. Cf., 14;23-24; 16:2,6,11; 26:2; 1Kings 5:5; 8:29; Nehemiah 1:9; Psalms 74:7; Jeremiah 7:14). Since God’s name is eternal, “Your name, O LORD, is everlasting, Your remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations” (Ps 135:13), it stands to reason that His Name must also then have an eternal dwelling place, which is the perfect form. The existence of this eternal and perfect form can also be seen in the instructions given to Moses on how to fashion the tabernacle.  “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” (Exodus 25:9). “See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40).  “Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 26:30). “Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain” (Exodus 27:8). What exactly is the pattern that God showed Moses? The word pattern that is used in the previous verses is the Hebrew word tabniyth (strong’s # 8403) which means structure; by implication a model, resemblance: figure, form, likeness, pattern, similitude. It comes from a primitive root that means to build, rebuild, or cause to continue or be permanent. From this we can say that what God showed Moses was the actual perfect eternal form that was reality. It was the perfect heavenly structure that Moses used in replicating it and making it appear on the earth.

The real and eternally existent nature of God’s kingdom, His holy city Jerusalem and His Temple is presented repeatedly in the Psalms. The following three verses all use the same Hebrew word owlam (strong’s #5769) which means time out of mind (past or future) which by definition means that it is eternal.  “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps 110:4). “Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever” (Ps 125:1) and “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations” (Ps 145:13). For a priest to function in an eternal kingdom, it logically follows that he would also require an eternal temple in an eternal Jerusalem.

Not only is the existence of an eternal perfect form in heaven made clear in the Old Testament, but God’s progressive revelation continues with the author of the book of Hebrews when he writes “They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Hebrews 8:5) It is further demonstrated in climatic fashion by John in Revelation 21:2 where it is said, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The most significant implication of this dual Jerusalem concerns the perfect sacrifice of Yeshua to pay the debt of all the sins committed by every living soul in the world, from Adam and Eve to all those who are yet to come.  Yeshua’s execution on the cross at Golgotha and his subsequent resurrection must have been a copy of what had already taken place in heaven! The Son of God must have been sacrificed on the perfect altar, in the perfect temple, in the perfect holy city of Jerusalem. This happened of course in heaven before the creation of the world because that is reality. His execution as a man in the earthly Jerusalem must have been a copy of that reality. If this is not true, then all those souls before Yeshua, all those who believed into God and had placed their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would not have had the penalty of their sins completely paid for. This sin stained state would have prevented them from having a direct and personal relationship with a Holy God. But, the patriarchs and those God fearing souls before them did in fact have a relationship with God. They loved God, worshiped God, heard from God, and interacted with God. Judaism’s sacrificial system was only a dim copy of what Yeshua had already done perfectly for them in reality, and would do in appearance as the only begotten in the future. The sacrificial system was another step in the progressive revelation of God’s perfect eternal plan. But, it was an early foundational and necessary step in that plan. The sacrifices were a physical manifestation, an appearance of the eternal reality so the Hebrews and the rest of mankind could understand the tremendous weight and consequence of sin before a Holy God and thus their need for the Messiah. The sacrificial system itself didn’t save anyone; it was merely the prescription for approaching the Holy God of creation by ensuring the ritual purification for those sins committed unintentionally and its efficacy was limited to pay for only those sins committed unintentionally. There was no sacrifice in the Mosaic Law sufficient to pay for the sins of man that were committed intentionally!

So, the social impact of deliberate sin becomes the concern of the judicial system but the religious and spiritual impact of deliberate sin oversteps the sacrificial provision and rests entirely with God.  Until God dealt with this critical issue, no man – from Adam to the present day – could be forgiven of his intentional violations of holiness.  God did deal with this issue in the perfect sacrifice of His Son “before the foundation of the world.”  It is on this basis alone that there is forgiveness of deliberate sin.  The Old Testament and the New Testament do not present two opposing means for forgiveness.  They present one uniform, eternal provision. (Moen, par. 7)

So, the Messiah’s coming, His appearance on earth and the shedding of His innocent blood fulfilled or made complete what had already happened in heaven. The shed blood of the Messiah was the visible manifestation to mankind of what had already taken place, just as the Mosaic Law was a copy of heaven’s events.

 “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship… But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:1-4)

Why did God demand the sacrifices of the Mosaic Law if they couldn’t remove sins? “It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” (Hebrews 9:23). Well, the sacrifices were indeed efficacious at removing the debt of unintentional sin and to provide for ritual purity so one could approach the holy God. But, none of them were permanent so they had to be repeated continually, and none of the sacrifices provided for sins that were committed intentionally. That’s why Yeshua had to die, and he died on earth as a copy of what He had already completed perfectly in heaven before the creation of the world.

Yeshua, as our eternal high priest in the order of Melchizedek would have offered a single sacrifice on behalf of all the people of the world. Yeshua would not have offered a sacrifice on behalf of himself because he was a perfect high priest. He offered the ultimate sacrifice, himself, on heaven’s altar on behalf of all people before the creation of the world. Then He would make his appearance on the earth to do it again in our sight. This truth can be seen in the Messianic prophesies in Isaiah 53, and again in Hebrews. In Isaiah 53 we have a prophetic voice declaring the coming of a Messiah for our redemption, describing the actions in a past tense, indicating that they have already happened yet they are going to happen in the future. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isa 53:5) The author of Hebrews wrote, “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11-12).  

So, did Plato read the Hebrew Scriptures? What or Who were his influences that allowed him to articulate an idea of an imperfect world of becoming that was separate and yet connected to the transcendent and perfect world of being? Plato was born in Athens in 427 B.C. and died in 347 B.C. which was the quiet time between the testaments. Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple were destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C., and the Jews didn’t rebuild the temple until 516 B.C. However, the city of Jerusalem wasn’t rebuilt and the spiritual vitality of the nation restored until the time of Nehemiah and Ezra around 444 B.C. or just prior to Plato’s birth. Is there a connection to the decline and fall of Israel and Judah in the east and the proliferation of Greek Philosophy in the west? While interesting to consider the implications of Israel’s disobedience and subsequent judgment on the spiritual and philosophical development of the world, Dr. Moen reminded me about the motivation behind Plato’s concept. The issue for Plato was the eternal versus the temporal.  Dr. Moen told me, “It isn’t necessary for him [Plato] to be influenced by any Hebrew thought in order to come to grips with the passing away of all that we observe. That sets the mind on a quest for what is permanent. Plato reaches the conclusion of another universe but without the instruction of the divine, so it becomes a universe of eternal forms rather than relationships. That is in concert with the Greek linguistic structure of things.”

The Bible does reveal to us God’s pattern of a heavenly and eternal Jerusalem first, and then a dual Jerusalem on the earth second. And, Plato rightly discerns God’s created order when he articulated the distinction between the eternal or transcendent form, from the temporal copy or appearance on earth; and he did it without divine inspiration.   

The dramatic and significant lesson in this is that before God created the world and set in motion the events of history, YHWH had already redeemed mankind from their future sins in the first Jerusalem with the perfect sacrifice of the Messiah on heaven’s altar.

Works Cited

Bard, Mitchell. Jerusalem An Introduction. Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved on January 14, 2010 from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Jerusalem.html

Cline, Eric H. (2004). Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel. University of   Michigan Press. Retrieved January 13, 2010 from        http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Besieged-Ancient-Canaan-            Modern/dp/0472113135#reader_0472113135

Gorelik, Robert E. (2007). Israel-Tour Companion. Eshav books. Tustin California.

Gorelik, Robert E. (2007). Melchizedek. Eshavbooks.org. Retrieved January 12, 2010 from             http://www.eshavbooks.org/00-latest.htm

Moen, Skip Ph.D. (2009). Linguistically Challenged. Skip Moen.com. Retrieved January 15, 2010   from http://skipmoen.com/2009/08/09/linguistically-challenged/

Moen, Skip, Ph.D. (2009). Law and Grace: Part 3. SkipMoen.com. Retrieved January 14, 2010        from http://skipmoen.com/2009/11/28/law-and-grace-part-3/

Strong, James. (1995). The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of Bible. Thomas Nelson      Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee.

The Holy Bible. New International Version. (Revised August 1983). International Bible Society.

Table 1. Jerusalem An Introduction. By Mitchell Bard. Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved on January 14, 2010 from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Jerusalem.html

Unger, Merrill F. (1988). The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Moody Press. Chicago, Illinois.