Here is an old C.G. newspaper clipping a mother saved in her Bible.
She had been a school teacher and believed prophesy, so she always kept up on issues, long before most ever thought of them here.
If this is not describing our current 21st century world, then you are grossly misinformed about current events! The ancient prophets, such as Daniel, foretold long ago that madness and mayhem would arise during the End Times (Daniel 11:31). Even Jesus himself prophesied of such things happening (Matthew 24:7-29).
Not sure who the mother/schoolteacher was, but she definitely recognized a prophetic connection long before it became a mainstream media affair in our current times.
1) This word denotes the special privileges and advantages belonging to the first-born son among the Hebrews (later to become known as the Jews). He became the priest of the family.
2) The first-born son had allotted to him also a double portion of the paternal inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:15-17).
3) The first-born inherited the judicial authority of his father, whatever it might be. (2 Chronicles 21:3).
4) As first-born he has an inheritance superior to his brethren, and is the alone true priest.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, which Christianity and Islam has adopted into their own theologies, it is recorded that many firstborn sons were bestowed with the Hebrew birthright blessing. The birthright is emphasized in the Bible because it honored the rights or privileges of the family’s firstborn son. After the father died, or in the father’s absence, the firstborn son assumed the father’s authority and responsibilities. In addition to assuming the leadership role in the family, the recipient of the birthright inherited twice that received by the other sons. In cases where a husband might have more than one wife, the birthright always went to the firstborn son of the father and could not be awarded to the son of a favorite wife without proper justification (Deuteronomy 21:15-17) or if the firstborn son’s mother was a concubine or a slave (Genesis 21:9-13; Judges 11:1-2).
As the Bible attests that the father could rescind the birthright and pass it on to a younger son, there appears to be a connected pattern that spans many generations in which the younger male offspring is given the birthright blessing of his father over his elder male sibling.
This custom supposedly dates back before the Great Flood of Noah; it is assumed by many biblical scholars that Adam gave the birthright blessing to his youngest son (Seth) over his eldest son (Cain). However, it is interesting to note, most believe the remaining generations that led up to the Great Flood were actually the first born sons who received this honorable blessing. After the flood waters had subsided and mankind began to repopulate the world, the primogeniture once again changed; Noah split the birthright blessing between Shem and Japeth bypassing his son (Ham) altogether.
Other theologians of biblical history date the birthright blessing back to the patriarch Abraham, roughly 4,000 years ago. But once again, Abraham gave his holy commendation to his younger son (Isaac) over his elder son (Ishmael). Many scholars agree that Isaac being born to his wife, Sarah, enabled the firstborn status to be applied to Abraham's second son over the offspring of Sarah's slave (Hagar), who technically bore the patriarch his eldest son.
And thus started a pattern for the next three generations. Isaac (son of Abraham) in turn gave the birthright blessing to his younger son (Jacob) over his elder son (Esau). Even though Esau had sold his birthright to his brother (Genesis 25:29-34) and trickery was involved in Jacob receiving his father's birthright blessing (Genesis 27), upon the death of their father (Isaac) Esau allowed Jacob to keep the divine sanction (Genesis 25:33).
As the next generation dawned, Jacob (son of Isaac, who would later become known as Israel) had no choice but to bestow a divine appointment for the priesthood upon his third son (Levi) over his firstborn son (Reuben) as God himself had decreed it (Numbers 3:12-13; 8:18) because of Reuben's undutiful conduct (Genesis 49:4; 1 Chronicles 5:1). Be that as it may, Levi received only the priesthood blessing, not the birthright blessing.
Once again, the birthright was split between Joseph's two sons (Manasseh and Ephraim) over Jacob's other 11 sons, totally skipping the generation of the patriarch's sons [otherwise known as the 12 Tribes of Israel]. While Joseph, the 11th son of Jacob, never received a birthright blessing from his father, he was technically a 'firstborn' son for Rachel, his second wife. When Joseph requested that Jacob bless his two sons, Jacob complied. However, once again the younger son (Ephraim) was anointed greater than his elder sibling (Manasseh) - Genesis 37:19-22; 49:1-4; 49:22-26.
Next comes Moses (son of Amram and descendant of Levi), who was younger than his brother (Aaron), yet God chose him over his elder brother to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt (Exodus 3 & 4). God chose Gideon (son of Joash and descendant of Manasseh), who was the youngest son, to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6:11-16). God chose David (son of Jesse and descendant of Judah) to be king rather than one of his 7 older brothers (1 Sam 16:1-13). And likewise, by divine appointment, King David excluded Adonijah in favor of his younger son, Solomon (1 Chr 22:6-10; 28:5).
The birthright of a king’s firstborn son included his succession to the throne (2 Chronicles 21:1-3). King Rehoboam of Judah violated this tradition by passing the birthright to Abijah, his favorite son. However, to avoid trouble with the older sons, the king paid them off (2 Chronicles 11:18-23).
In Islam, it is proclaimed that all Muslims are heir to the birthright. Islam states clearly that everyone is born a Muslim and is therefore monotheistic by nature. We read in the Qur'an that humanity has been created with the natural disposition towards the unity of God. This is to be expected, for Allah, who has breathed His spirit into each of us, is Himself the example of perfect unity. In the words of the Prophet Muhammad: "Every person is born with the innate religious faith (to submit to God Almighty)." Thus when an individual accepts Islam, he is not turning his back on any prior revelation but rather is returning to the original and true revelation of Allah and to his own nature as a creation of Allah. This being the case, Islam is a birthright and other religious or ideological systems are either corruptions or outright denials of Islam.
In summary, the birthright blessing has been quite instrumental throughout thousands of years, dating back to biblical antiquity of the BC era. It does seem as if the younger son receiving the birthright blessing, which occurred quite frequently, was divinely ordained, yet the actual reason behind such situations still remains a bit mysterious.
"But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, … by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn." ~ Deuteronomy 21:17
People are wondering if Dan Brown’s book contains Da Vinci truth. The introductory note of the book says, “all descriptions of documents and secret rituals are accurate.” Is this a true statement? Is there such a thing as Da Vinci Code truth?
The book begins with the murder of Jacques Sauniere, the curator of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The curator, a Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, an ancient secret society, wrote a cryptic message prior to his death. French police summon experts to decipher this message -- Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor, and cryptographer Sophie Neveu, the estranged granddaughter of the murdered curator. What they find is a dangerous secret linking the curator to evidence that disproves the deity of Jesus Christ and could threaten the existence of the church. They discover that artists and thinkers have planted clues in numerous places for centuries. Langdon and Neveu race through Paris and England attempting to solve this centuries-old mystery while being chased by the police.
So how much of The Da Vinci Code is truth? When asked how much of his book is based on “reality in terms of things that actually occurred,” author Dan Brown said, “Absolutely all of it. Obviously, Robert Langdon is fictional, but all of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies -- all of that is historical fact. I began as a skeptic. As I started researching The Da Vinci Code, I really thought I would disprove a lot of this theory about Mary Magdalene and the Holy Blood and all of that. I became a believer.”
Da Vinci Code Truth – The Claims
In The Da Vinci Code, Brown presents the following as fact:
Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and her womb was the Holy Grail. Jesus and Mary Magdalene had offspring together. The truth about Christ and Mary Magdalene has been kept alive by a secret society named the Priory of Sion that was led by great minds like Da Vinci.
The gospels are not historically accurate. The Roman Catholic Church instigated a cover-up of some 80 gospel accounts that shed new light on the identity of Jesus.
The early church did not believe that Jesus was divine. Instead, they “voted” for His divinity at the council of Nicea in the fourth century.
Although Brown claims that the book is filled with truths, the reader must keep in mind that this claim is included in the first paragraphs of a fiction book. Even claims that something is true, when found in a fiction book, are still fiction. If Brown had truly wanted to enlighten the world about his true nature of Jesus and the Catholic Church, he would have done so in a non-fiction setting. Why then did Brown assert in interviews that the information contained within his book was true? Listen to many interviews with well-known authors of fiction; they hold fast to the notion that their worlds, bizarre and even otherworldly, are true. Many authors do this to conjure interest in their books to increase sales. Others do this because to them, the worlds they have created do exist inside their minds. While much of the book is filled with fallacy, we will touch on the last two false claims from the list above.
Da Vinci Code Truth – Are the Gospels historically accurate?
One of the key points put forward by Brown as Da Vinci code truth is that the Bible cannot be trusted. Certain portions of the literature that Brown proclaimed as “Bible” do have fallacies. The early books called the Gnostic Gospels often disagree with the inspired gospels of God’s Word. Historians and theologians have studied these writings for thousands of years since the second century when they first surfaced. The church fathers speak of the heresies of these groups: Irenaeus (ca. 130-200), Hippolytus (ca. 170-236) and Tertullian (ca. 160-after 200), all write about the Gnostics. The writings were rejected by early church fathers because they did not correspond with the clear teachings of the 27 other books that were already being considered as the canon of Scripture.
Brown claims that the church knew of more than 80 gospels, but only chose four. The Nag Hammadi Library (published in 1977) is considered one of, if not the best resource on biblical and extra-biblical history. This library lists a total of 45 titles, and not all of them were gospels. Another collection, The Gnostic Scriptures (by Bentley Layton) has just short of 40 works, only three of which have the title gospel. Many of these overlap the same works in the Nag Hammadi list. At best, there were 60 works, and the strong majority were not gospel accounts.
Have these extra “gospels” provided new information on the identity of Jesus -- information that contradicts the four inspired gospels? Yes, but not for the reasons that Brown proposes. He claims that these extra writings defined Jesus as merely a man and not divine. That is simply not true.
As honest seekers study the question, "Is the Bible true?" and consider its prophetic record, the historical evidence, the archaeological evidence, and learn of its authorship, they will discover that the Bible is inspired and can be trusted.
Da Vinci Code Truth - The Lie: Jesus Was Not God
Is this a Da Vinci truth or a Da Vinci lie? In the book, Brown claims that the core beliefs of Christianity had not been formulated until the time of the Council of Nicaea in the fourth century. This is a strange claim since the New Testament books give a clear understanding of orthodoxy and core beliefs.
By the time of the Council at Nicea in A.D. 325, history shows us that the central faith and belief system of Christianity had long been established. The council came together to affirm what the bishops and church leaders had been teaching for 200 years. They rubber-stamped the gospels by a vote of 218 to 2, which is not “a relatively close vote” as Brown claims. In fact, Paul asserted to the deity of Jesus almost 300 years prior to the Nicene Council and Constantine.
The similarity and concise understanding of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God and salvation are written quite clearly by Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, John, James, and Paul in the first century. The Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) are incredibly clear about what constitutes true salvation and sound doctrine.
"To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:" ~ 1 Corinthians 12:10
In the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the gift of prophecy is mentioned many times throughout the Holy Books. During the time of the ancients, prophets were few and far between but their messages were spot on for the future events they would predict. Yet the ultimate gift of prophecy will arise during what the Christians refer to as the End Times and the Jews call the End of the Age, when many, both young and old alike, will have prophetic dreams and visions.
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:" ~ Joel 2:28
In the Old Testament, a prophet's primary function was to serve the Creator as His representative by communicating God's word to His people. Let it be noted that a true prophet never spoke on their own authority, but rather delivered the message in which the Creator imparted to them.
"Now therefore go, and I [God] will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." (Exodus 4:12)
Yet, a holy prophet not only predicts future occurrences, but speaks of present times as well. This was quite true during the 8th century BC, when the focus of the ancient prophets message turned more toward the people during that era.
Their primary role was to make known the holiness of God, to keep the covenant obligations intact, and to call Israel back to repentance and faithfulness. However, the ancient prophet did not forget their call to also forecast future prophecies to a world that will one day witness the "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord".
"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." ~ Isaiah 13:9
Even King Solomon, in his wisdom, warned mankind that the Great Creator would make His plan known to the whole world in regards to prophecy. "Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you." ~ Proverbs 1:23
The divine inspiration and authority of the Old Testament seers is nowhere more clearly affirmed than in 2 Peter 1:20–21:
“No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The ancient prophets, such as Isaiah and Ezekiel, bespoke of a glorious restoration of Israel during the End of the Age, which included a future generation being bestowed with the gift of prophecy. In reference to predicting the "gift of prophecy" during the early Christian era, Luke the Evangelist is quoted as saying,
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:" ~ Acts 2:17
While the early Christians were intrigued with spiritual gifts, the Apostle Paul pointed out that prophecy was a "spiritual speech" that was intended to divinely inspire through instruction, as well as strengthen others. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul wrote:
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;" ~ Romans 12:6
In the New Testament, the Apostles reinforced the ancients predictions and made many references to gift of prophecy.
John 16:12-15 -
"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
Acts 10:45-4 -
"And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"
Acts 2:4-8 -
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?"
Why was the ancient period of mankind not bestowed with such an overwhelming gift of prophecy? The answer is simple:
John 7:39 -
"He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified."
The spiritual gift of prophecy is also listed among the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:10. The word “prophecy”, according to Greek translation, simply means to “speak forth”, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known the truth of God which is designed to influence people. Some scholars believe that many people misunderstand the "gift of prophecy" to be the ability to predict the future. While other critics state that knowing something about future happenstances may sometimes have been an aspect of the gift of prophecy, but it was primarily a gift of proclamation (forth-telling), not prediction (fore-telling).
Rabbinic scholar Maimonides, suggested that "prophecy is, in truth and reality, an emanation sent forth by Divine Being through the medium of the Active Intellect, in the first instance to man's rational faculty, and then to his imaginative faculty."
However, the Prophet Isaiah firmly attested that what is to be revealed, will be revealed. "Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." ~ Isaiah 40:5 Many biblical theologians would agree that prophecy strengthens, encourages and comforts people. It builds them up in the faith and teaches them hope. While other biblical scholars conclude that it is what we now call preaching.
"Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest." ~ Isaiah 32:15
(Today, the wilderness of Israel has once more become a 'fertile' field.)
