Science Verifies Biblical Facts (Part 2)

Part 2 continued...

Celestial bodies don't last forever

By definition, a celestial body is a natural object outside of the Earth's atmosphere. We now know that stars and other astronomical bodies die. Science has confirmed this, but the Bible also mentions it.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." ~ Matthew 24:35

Discovering astronomical bodies, such as comets, asteroids and meteors, can be credited to Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and Edmund Halley (1656-1742). For centuries, scientists believed comets traveled in the Earth's atmosphere and eventually died, but in 1577, observations made by Brahe revealed they actually traveled beyond the Moon. Newton was first to realize that comets orbit around the Sun and return to Earth's atmosphere after a certain number of years. And Halley did the calculations to know when the comet appeared in the past and when it would return in the future. But it wasn't until the 21st century that mankind actually learned that planets, such as Mars, could indeed die.

The universe is made of invisible particles

In the Book of Hebrews, it reads:

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." - Hebrews 11:3

It sounds like the Bible is talking about atoms. Protons, neutrons, and electrons on their own are invisible to the naked eye. Atoms make up pretty much everything, including us.

While J.J. Thomson (1856-1940) discovered the electron in 1897, it was Vera Rubin (1928-2016), whose astronomical studies of galaxy rotation in 1980 led to the first real evidence that 84% of the Universe is made up of mysterious, invisible particles of dark matter.

David could have actually defeated Goliath

A small boy defeating a large giant might sound unlikely, but the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 says otherwise.

"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground." - 1 Samuel 17:48-49

According to author Malcom Gladwell (b. 1963), many people mistakenly believe that David was carrying a child's toy, but in reality, it can be an absolute weapon of war in the right hands! The stones in the Elah Valley, where the battle took place, were made of barium sulphate, which is extremely dense (twice as dense as ordinary stones). Therefore, David's slingshot could easily be compared to the awesome power of a .45 caliber pistol.

Some scientists agree that Goliath being a giant could have caused acromegaly (overproduction of growth hormone), which can cause problems with central and peripheral vision. Which would leave a person to wonder... did Goliath properly see that stone being flung his way in time to move out of the way?

Either way, it is recorded that not only did David kill Goliath with that single hard stone but cut off his head for all to see!

There are mountains underwater

These landforms are actually called seamounts and are mentioned in the Bible.

"You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains." - Psalm 104:6

In 1954, the researchers published a map showing an underwater mountain range, which they named after the 18th-Century poet and naturalist Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765), who had predicted 200 years before that such features would be found in the Arctic basin. Lomonosov Ridge is a vast mountain range running from the continental shelf of Siberia towards Greenland and Canada. The mountain range stretches for more than 1,700km (1,060 miles), its highest peak is 3.4km (2.1 miles) above the ocean floor.

Yet, this is just one underwater mountain range. American and European researchers claim to have discovered tens of thousands of new mountains emerging on our planet, with at least 5,000 under the ocean.

The reason why we don't know about their appearance until now is because all the mountains are located on the ocean floor. Researcher Dave Sandwell from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA) discovered the existence of these mountains in the water using radar satellites and publishing his findings in journals Science Magazine.

The Sun actually stopped moving

Did the Sun really "stand still" for an entire day? Some researchers believe this was an eclipse that dated back to 30 October 1207 B.C., but wouldn't that event have caused darkness to fall upon the land? Joshua was clear in his narrative:

"On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: 'Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.'"

It is interesting to note that parallel accounts in the records of other nations show the incident of "Joshuas Long Day" is not an isolated one. There is indisputable evidence from the modern science of ethnology that such an event occurred as Joshua records. In the ancient Chinese writings, there is a legend of a long day. The Incas of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico have a similar record. There is a Babylonian and Persian legend of a day that was miraculously extended. Herodotus (c/484-c/425 BC), an ancient historian, recounts that while in Egypt, a priest showed him their temple records, which mentioned a day which was twice the natural length of any day that had ever been recorded (Robert Boyd, Boyds Bible Handbook, pp. 122,123).

Creatures can't live without blood

Most of us are familiar with the Adam and Eve story of the Bible. Humans have, in fact, a female biological ancestor called Mitochondrial Eve, which precedes our species (Homo sapiens). There is, however, one thing that connects all of us living creatures: blood.

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life" (Leviticus 17:11).

Two chapters of Genesis (2:4 & 3:24) tell the story of Adam and Eve and a specific take on the origin of mankind. And while it’s understandably challenging to imagine a person being formed out of another person’s rib, science says it’s likely that all of Homo sapiens really did have a common ancestor — a “Mitochondrial Eve” (via Your Genome).

Meanwhile, Leviticus 17:11 talks about how the life of a creature is in its blood. A person can consider a literal interpretation of this to be scientifically accurate. Apart from traveling around the body to supply oxygen, nutrients, and other vital elements for continued survival, blood also protects the body via infection-fighting agents, prevents blood loss through clotting, regulates body temperature, and even ensures that waste products go to the liver and kidneys like they’re supposed to.

Sanitizing is really important

The Covid pandemic has taught mankind the importance of sanitizing our hands and clothes in order to avoid spreading germs, but the Bible mentioned its importance a long time ago.

"Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you." - Leviticus 11:28

"As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement." - Deuteronomy 23:13

Meanwhile, Leviticus 11:28 and Deuteronomy 23:13 emphasize the importance of cleaning oneself after handling corpses and the proper disposal of decomposing matter, respectively. It may come as a surprise that even though such guidelines are now staple parts of directives from the Department of Health, this wasn’t always the case. Take the story of Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865), the father of handwashing, as an example. As explained by FlipScience, his investigation of a mid-19th century outbreak of childbed fever in Europe revealed that doctors of the time didn’t wash their hands properly when they went from handling cadavers to assisting women in childbirth.

Isolation contains diseases

While proper quarantines developed later in history, the Bible advised the following measures to be taken:

"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean. If the shiny spot on the skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine them, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to isolate them for another seven days." - Leviticus 13:1-5

The idea of isolating a patient suffering from a “defiling skin disease” for seven days and observing if their skin condition improves is evidence of quarantine before quarantine was even officially a thing.

According to FlipScience, the practice of holding or isolating infected patients for 40 days actually started in 1377 A.D., when the city now called Dubrovnik, Croatia forced ships from areas affected with the Black Death to undergo a 30-day isolation period.

Science Verifies Biblical Facts (Part 1)

For centuries science and religion have butted heads when it comes to the authenticity of the Christian Bible and some of the narratives contained within its pages. Yet, in the 20th century many questions were answered in regard to some the Holy Book's stories. The 21st century continues to show mankind that science and religion sometimes goes hand-in-hand.

The following facts proclaim a scientific approach to various verses of biblical literature:

Earth is round

While some conspiracy theories might say otherwise, science has confirmed the shape of our planet as round. This is mentioned in the Bible:

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth." (Isaiah 40:22).

Around 500 B.C., Pythagoras (c/570–c/495 B.C.) reasoned if the Moon was round, so the Earth should also be spherical. This was further expounded upon around 420 B.C. when Anaxagoras (c/500–c/428 B.C.) determined the world was round by the shape of the Earth's shadow during a lunar eclipse.

Around 350 B.C., Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) declared the Earth was a sphere, based on his astronomical observations. But it would not be until the 20th century that science would finally prove this fact after launching the first man (Yuri Gagarin of USSR/Russia) into space in 1961.

The planet's core is hot

As for the core of the Earth being hot, the Book of Job mentions it:

"The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire." - Job 28:5

An early female scientist named Inge Lehmann (1888-1993) first discovered in 1936 the Earth's core was divided into two distinct parts: a solid inner core and a molten outer core.  Before that, seismologists believed Earth's core to be a single molten core.

Today, some scientists proclaim that volcanic activity is the planet's main cooling mechanism. Other scientific studies show that volcanoes continue to form - such as the islands of Hawaii and Iceland - and might be linked to the core by mantle plumes that transfer heat from the core to Earth's surface.

Earth floats in space

If you're looking for Biblical confirmation that the Earth floats in space, then look at the Book of Job again, which reads:

"He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing." Job 26:7

Discovered in 1475 by Nicolaus Copernicus, ancient astronomers found that the earth hangs literally on nothing, or "is free floating in space". By the 20th century, the well-known scientist, Albert Einstein, confirmed this with his theory of relativity.

Water changes state

The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, is a well-known phenomenon. It turns out the Bible mentions this mysterious occurrence more than once.

"All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again." ~ Ecclesiastes 1:7

"He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land." ~ Amos 9:6

"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind." ~ Job 36:27-28

"He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." ~ Psalm 135:7

The water phenomena have been studied since ancient times, notably by Homer (c/800 B.C.) who believed the land mass floated on a body of water and that most of the water in rivers has its origin under the earth, by 500 B.C., Greek scholars were speculating that much of the water in rivers can be attributed to rain.

The first published thinker to assert that rainfall alone was sufficient for the maintenance of rivers was Bernard Palissy (c/1510-c/1589) in 1580 A.D. Palissy is often credited as the "discoverer" of the modern theory of the water cycle.

The scientific consensus expressed in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Summary for Policymakers is for the water cycle to continue to intensify throughout the 21st century, though this does not mean that precipitation will increase in all regions.

The great flood likely happened

The Great Flood and Noah's Ark is one of the most popular stories of the Christian Bible. And, according to geological evidence, the Noachian flood might have actually happened.

"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die." ~ Genesis 6:17

Psalms 107:25-30 - "For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof." ~ Psalm 107:25

Evidence for a global flood exists all over the world. The first bit of evidence is the fact that science has discovered marine fossils high above sea level on every continent as early as the 19th century. Some of these fossils have been found in the walls of the Grand Canyon and 30,000 feet up in the Himalayas. According to a news statement released by the British Natural History Museum, marine fossils continue to be discovered in unlikely places as recent as July of 2021.

The ark would have worked

According to the Book of Genesis, God's instructions to Noah were as follows:

"The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high." ~ Genesis 6:13-22

A general consensus agrees that a cubit is about 18 inches. With this definition of a cubit, the dimensions of the ark would have been roughly 450 long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 

According to calculations made by physics students at the University of Leicester in 2014, the basic physics suggest than an ark carrying a lot of animal cargo ark would have actually floated and safely carried pairs of each animal species through the Great Flood!

There are countless stars in the sky

Everyone on the planet knows that the universe has a lot of stars. The Bible actually mentions an infinite number of stars in the Book of Jeremiah:

"I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore." ~ Jeremiah 33:22

For many centuries the stars have played an important role in religious ceremonies and used as navigational tools for traveling at night. Early astronomers, such as Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), grouped the stars into constellations to track the movement of the Sun and the planets. But it wasn't until the 20th century when Edwin Hubble (1889–1953), an American scientist and astronomer, played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology in the 1930s. He is credited with discovering there are more galaxies beyond the Milky Way, which means more stars.

Not all stars are created equal

The Bible also mentions that stars' brightness or magnitude varies.

"The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor." - Corinthians 15:41

In 1908, American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) discovered a direct relationship between the rate at which a *Cepheid fluctuates in brightness and its luminosity or absolute brightness. By the year 2020, astronomers had identified more than 2 million variable stars, mostly in our galaxy.

*Cepheid is a type of star that pulsates radially, varying in both diameter and temperature and producing changes in brightness with a well-defined stable period and amplitude.

Click Here to continue reading, Science Verifies Biblical Facts (Part 2).

Headquarters for a "One World Religion" Set to Open in 2022

The following article was written by Bp-News-1 on October 24, 2019. 

THE CATHOLIC-MUSLIM INTERFAITH COUNCIL CREATED BY POPE FRANCIS ANNOUNCES NEW CHRISLAM HEADQUARTERS OPENING IN 2022 THAT COMBINES A MOSQUE AND CHURCH ACCORDING TO SIGNED COVENANT. 

One World Religion - Chrislam

The announcement of the Abrahamic Family House, on the Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, follows a visit by Pope Francis to the UAE in February, the first by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula. During the trip, the pope signed a joint declaration with the grand imam of al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, that called for religious tolerance and dialogue. An interfaith council to oversee projects advancing tolerance was formed as a result of the declaration and named the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. The Abrahamic Family House is its first initiative.

The United Arab Emirates will build a new synagogue as part of a Chrislam interfaith compound that will also house a mosque and church and is reportedly set to open in 2022.

As far as advancing the end times timeline goes, 2019 has been a banner year for Pope Francis and the coming One World Religion. We told you back in February that the pope has travelled to Abu Dhabi where he met with Sunni Muslim leader Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb. There the two men signed a global peace covenant called the "Document On Human Fraternity For World Peace". From that covenant, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity was created to implement this end times religious peace treaty. Now that committee has announced that there will be a fancy new headquarters for this endeavor. The shiny, new center of global Chrislam opening in 2022.

“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isaiah 28:15,16 (KJV)

The end times are unfolding before our very eyes, people, things are speeding up very quickly, if you blink, you’ll miss it. This might be Chrislam, a new foundation of the coming One World Religion the Bible says will assemble in the last days. The Catholic Church might call the shots, and Islam will provide the muscle with their tens of millions of jihad warriors, now they will be martyrs for Chrislam under the command of a Roman king. But be that as it may, 

"Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." ~ 2 Timothy 2:19

UAE To Open Chrislam Interfaith Headquarters in 2022

FROM THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: The announcement of the Abrahamic Family House, on the Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, follows a visit by Pope Francis to the UAE in February, the first by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula. During the trip, the pope signed a joint declaration with the grand imam of al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, that called for religious tolerance and dialogue. An interfaith council to oversee projects advancing tolerance was formed as a result of the declaration and named the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. The Abrahamic Family House is its first initiative.

One World Religion

One world religion refers to the merging of all existing religions, to establish a single global religion. In the picture shown above, Pope Francis meets with religious leaders from all around the world, urging them to build a future together or there will be no future at all. Many premillennialist Christians believe that the Antichrist will establish a one world religion, based on Satanism and the occult, associated with one world government. In ROME REPORTS, an article published on April 3, 2019 reveals Pope Francis speaking with an audience of Muslims, telling them that God wants a fraternity among Muslims and Catholics. “Conversion is not your mission, pope tells Catholics in Morocco”, according to an article in REUTERS. He encourages everyone to live in brotherhood with other faiths, which is opposite of what the bible teaches.

Regardless, all religions do not worship the same God, so the push for “Oneness” speaks a questionable volume.

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The following article was obtained through the website, Back to Jerusalem.

One World Religion Headquarters Set to Open Next Year                 

September 2021                    

A One World Religion Headquarters is set to open in 2022. The headquarters will be called The Abrahamic Family House and is being built on an island in the middle eastern city of Abu Dhabi.

The headquarters is being done in collaboration with Pope Francis and Sunni Muslim leader, Sheikh Ahmen al-Tayeb, after they both signed a global peace covenant called the Document of Human Fraternity for World Peace.

The stated purpose of the Abrahamic Family House is to bring understanding and tolerance among the faiths, but there are a couple of notable challenges. First, Abu Dhabi is a part of the UAE where it is illegal for Christians to proselytize and conversion from Islam is prohibited. The Pope represents Roman Catholicism where Christians are free to convert to Islam, but citizens of Abu Dhabi are not free to choose Christ.

Perhaps, like the Abrahamic Family House that promises tolerance and understanding, the UAE constitution also guarantees freedom of religion “in accordance with established customs,” but the devil is in the details. Though certain practices (like conversion from Islam) are directly prohibited, penal code for the UAE defers to Sharia Law, which strictly prohibits apostasy.

The One World Religion Headquarters will have three buildings; one building each representing the mosque, church, and synagogue. However, the church is not permitted to have a cross on the building as a method of identifying it, as it is illegal to display a Christian cross on a building in the UAE.

Though usually not enforced, teaching that Jesus is the only God is considered to be an act of insulting Allah or the Prophet Muhammad and offenders can be subject to imprisonment for five or more years, fined from 250,000 dirhams ($68,100) to two million dirhams ($545,000), and Christians may be deported.

To add to the confusion of bringing understanding and tolerance, Sunni Muslim leader, Sheikh Ahmen al-Tayeb, who is widely touted as a ‘moderate’ Muslim, strongly believes that Muslims who convert from Islam to any other religion (including Christianity) should be killed.

So, if the idea of the One World Religion Headquarters is to bring tolerance and understanding, then why build it in a Muslim country where conversion is illegal and why do it together with a Muslim cleric who teaches that Muslim apostates should be killed? Isn’t that the opposite of tolerance and understanding?

Connected to this construction project will be an interfaith council to oversee projects which aim to advance tolerance, but perhaps the tolerance will be only one directional.

In December 2020, the United Nations passed an anti-blasphemy law that most Christians are not aware of. The loosely translated law, as embraced by the UAE, prohibits any teachings against Islam, including Biblical teachings which could be considered offensive.

Most Christians understand the term “One world religion” to refer to the merging of all religions, including Christianity, into a single global religion. Many Christians believe that a “One world religion” is directly linked to the last days when the Antichrist will establish a one world religion which will be associated with a one world government and lead to the mark of the beast.

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Abrahamic Family House Animation. Adjaye Associates.

Ten ‘Jewish Facts’ You Need to Know About the New Testament

 The following article was written by Ron Cantor

As a new believer in Yeshua (Jesus), I assumed I was no longer Jewish—that believing in this Jewish man had nothing in common with Jewishness. However, after reading the New Testament, I was shocked to find out that it was a Jewish book, telling a Jewish story in Israel about Jewish people.

Check out these 10 facts:

1. Jesus’ actual name is Yeshua.

Yeshua comes from the Hebrew noun Yeshu-á, which means salvation. When Joseph was visited by the Angel, he was told that he must give the child the name Yeshua, because He would be Yeshu-á for His people! (Matt. 1:21) You miss this powerful prophetic wordplay in Greek and English.

2. His mother’s name was not Mary or even Maria.

She was not Catholic! Miriam is the same name as the sister of Moses. It is a Jewish name, and that was her name. She was an Israelite who lived long before the Vatican even existed.

3. John was not a Baptist.

No disrespect to my Baptist friends, but John was the last and greatest of the Hebrew prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. He prophesied the coming of the Jewish Messiah. He too was an Israelite calling the Jewish people to get ready for the appearance of the Lamb of God.

4. Baptism is not unique to the New Testament.

Jews, believe it or not, used water immersion for centuries before John began to baptize his Jewish followers. One of the reasons they did not resist was because it was familiar to their culture. Next to the Temple, archaeologists have discovered more than 50 immersion tanks (Mikvot) that were for those coming to be ritually cleansed before making their sacrifice at the Temple.

5. Peter was not the first Pope!

Peter, a Jew, was only the leader of the first Jewish believers for a few years. He turned over the reigns to Jacob (we will talk about him in a minute) the brother of Yeshua and began to travel, sharing the message of Salvation through Yeshua.

There is zero evidence that Peter was the Bishop of Rome or that he passed down such a mantle to anyone else. He was a Jewish fisherman who became one of the greatest communicators of Yeshua’s message of Salvation. He never stopped living as a Jew, and certainly never referred to himself as Catholic.

Oh, and the Bible states very clearly that Peter had a mother-in-law, which would lead me to believe he had a wife, and for some strange reason, Catholic priests (including the Pope) are forbidden to wed.

6. James is not the name of the fellow who wrote the Book of James or who led the first Jewish believers in Acts 15.

James would be a great name for a butler or chauffeur, or even a king…but not a Jew in the first century. His name was Jacob! The Latin for James and Jacob are very close and because of linguistic confusion, James became the English for Ya’akov (Jacob) in the New Covenant.

7. Yeshua died on Passover, rose from the dead on the Jewish Feast of Firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jerusalem on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot).

These are three of the most significant days in history, and God caused each one of them to happen on the three most significant days to Jews during the spring of 30CE. It is as if God was saying, “Hey, don’t forget that this started with the Jews in Jerusalem!” And still, the Church sadly forgot.

8. Paul never changed his name.

The Bible merely mentions the fact that Saul was also called Paul. (Acts 13:9) Like most Jews, he had a name that was common to the people where he lived (Roman Empire) and a Hebrew name. The idea that he got rid of his Jewish name is unbiblical and frankly ignorant. I too was given an English name when I was born, Ron, and a Hebrew one, Chaim.

9. The entire New Testament was written by Jews.

There is some controversy about whether or not Luke was Jewish (I have heard strong arguments for both views), but every other writer was Jewish.

10. Communion was instituted at a Passover Seder.

Yeshua picked up the Afikomen, a special piece of matzah (unleavened bread) used during the Passover Seder and he lifted the third cup of four that are blessed during the Passover meal, the Cup of Redemption, and asked that his Jewish disciples continue this Jewish tradition.

BONUS: All of the original followers of Yeshua were Jewish. And once Gentiles began to believe in Him, there were many that felt that in order for non-Jews to believe in the Jewish Messiah, they had to convert to Judaism first. In the end (Acts 15), it was decided that they didn’t need to. But never did it enter the mind of the Jewish followers of Yeshua that they were no longer Jewish!

Yeshua died on Passover, rose from the dead on first fruits and poured out his Spirit on Jerusalem on Shavuot (Pentecost) — the three most significant days of the spring for Jews. Clearly this is a Jewish story. The big revelation in the New Testament is that Jesus is not only for Jews, he is for everyone!

Sacred Biblical Mountains - Part Two

Continued...

Mount Zion: Mountain of the Holy Temple

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." ~ Joel 2:32

While not exactly classified as a "mountain", Mount Zion is a very steep hill that once housed the First and Second Jewish Temples and is located just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The term "Mount Zion" has been used to describe the "City of David", the "Temple Mount", and the "Western Hill". In a broader sense, the term has also been used for the entire "Land of Israel".

According to the Book of Samuel, this sacred mountain was the site of the Jebusite fortress, which was conquered by King David. It would later be renamed the "City of David" and referred to as the "stronghold of Zion".  

During the time of Simon the Hasmonean (2nd century B.C.), the current temple mount was not the highest mountain. The original Temple site was desecrated by the Greeks during the time of the Maccabees. Simon the Hasmonean decided to remove Mount Zion and he leveled the land and threw it into the Tyropoeon and Kidron Valleys. He filled up the valley with the earth and wanted to join the upper city with the Temple. The name Mt. Zion was then transferred to the western hill and soon thereafter the city expanded to the west. 

The historian, Josephus, from the tribe of Levi, was alive during the destruction of the Herod's Temple in 70 A.D. and gave a firsthand account of its demise in Wars of the Jews. It is probable that Josephus served in the Temple and was allowed access to the high court records of the Second Temple as the historian gave precise details about its location, as well as the size and proportions of the temple. Per Josephus, Mount Zion was located between David's Citadel and the Tyropoeon Valley. This explains why the original mountain cannot be seen today. What you see now is not what Josephus was talking about.  

A few survivors of Masada wrote about the destruction of Jerusalem and stated the temple and the city were completely destroyed. They claim the only thing left standing was Antonia Fortress, which was not considered a part of Jerusalem at that time because it was outside of the city. Today, a minority of scholars and theologians believe the Western Wall was actually a part of the fortress, not part of the original Temple Mount.

Modern scholars have found the name "Zion" was not used in ordinary writing, but instead was used in correlation with religious prophecy and in poetic context (such as the Psalms). Regardless of the term's meaning and the actual location of Mount Zion, the name holds a great deal of spiritual significance.  

"Now on the north side of the Temple was built a citadel (Fort Antonia), whose walls were square and strong and of extraordinary firmness. The kings of the Hasmonaean dynasty, who were also high priests before the time of Herod, called it the Tower. It [Fort Antonia] dominated the Temple." ~ Flavius Josephus, Historian

Mount of Olives: The Mountain of David, Solomon and Jesus

"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." ~ Zechariah 14:4

Unlike the other sacred biblical mountains mentioned, the Mount of Olives location is not in dispute. It is located among three peaks of a mountain ridge which runs east of the Old City across the Kidron Valley and is situated in the middle. The mount was named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. Mount Scopus is to the north and the Mount of Corruption lies on the south side.   

Mount of Olives, first mentioned in connection with David's flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:30), is frequently referenced in the New Testament.  According to the Bible, Jesus spent time on the mount with his Disciples, teaching and prophesying. The Bible records Jesus visiting the Mount of Olives three times in the last week of His earthly life, and each time something of significance happened (Luke 19:29–30; 37; 41-44).  

An apocalyptic prophesy foretold by Zechariah (14:4) states Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives [during the End Times] and the mountain will split in two - one half shifting north; one half shifting south. In one of Ezekiel's visions, the ancient prophet witnessed the glory of the Lord depart from Jerusalem and come to rest "above the mountain east of it." (Ezekiel 11:23)  

The Masoretic Text records people will flee through the newly formed valley to a place called Azal. Pertaining to geographic and linguistic evidence, Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau, a 19th century linguist and archeologist in Palenstine, theorized the valley directly adjacent to this landslide is Azal.  

According to Jewish historian, Flavis Josephus, the valley in the area of the King's Gardens was blocked up by landslide rubble during Uzziah's earthquake. Israeli geologist, D. Wachs, identified the remnant of a large landslide on the Mount of Olives directly adjacent to this area.  Today, the valley is known as Wady Yasul in Arabic and Nahal Etzel in Hebrew.  

Roman soldiers from the 10th Legion camped on the mount during the Seige of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot was first held on the Mount of Olives in ancient times. It became a traditional place for lamenting the Second Temple's destruction even unto our modern times. Immediately following Jesus' ascension, two angels appeared on the Mount of Olives and told the Disciples. "this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11).

One last interesting fact about the mount: for over 3,000 years, the Mount of Olives has been used as a Jewish cemetery and holds approximately 150,000+ graves today. Over the generations, the Jews have led an effort to prevent the desecration of graves on the mount.

"Christians tend to associate the Mount of Olives with the Messiah's suffering, Jews tend to associate it with the Messiah's glory. When we dig deeper, we see both, together." ~ Mark Barnes, from the article, "Mount of Olives: The Suffering and the Glory of the Messiah" (2019)

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These sacred mountains of many faiths and religions [around the world] continue to be revered by a large percentage of mankind and have been extensively researched by both ancient and modern scholars, as well as the theologians.

Sacred Biblical Mountains - Part One

Sacred mountains are a central factor to various religions and produce many wonderful legends. In reference to biblical mountains, the peak is usually symbolic because it is believed [at the top] is the closest mankind can get to a Superior Being who resides somewhere in the universe.

There are many religion-based traditions centered around sacred mountains, such as:  Mount Ararat in the Abrahamic religions and Mount Olympus in Greek mythology. Other mountains are related to famous events, such as: Mount Sinai in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In other cases, divine mountains can be purely mythical, such as: Hara Berezaiti in Zoroastrianism. Then you have Mount Kailash, which is believed to be the residence of the Hindu gods, Shiva and Parvati (which are sacred to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism). Volcanoes, such as Mount Etna, were also considered revered as [they lay claim to being] the abode of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge.  

The following will focus on four different sacred mountains that are well-known throughout the world. Part One includes Mount Ararat and Mount Sinai. Part Two will include Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives.

Mountains of Ararat: Mountain of Noah's Ark

"At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." ~ Genesis 8:3-4  

For thousands of years many religious scholars have proclaimed Mount Ararat, located in present-day Turkey, is where Noah's ark came to rest, yet other biblical theologians point out Ararat is a large mountain range and Mt. Ararat is not necessarily the actual mountain in question. Since the Middle Ages the mountain range of Ararat has been identified as the resting place of Noah's ark, known as Masis. This sacred range corresponds to the ancient Assyrian mountain of Urartu, which was located east of Shinar (aka: Chaldaea or Babylonia).

According to the 1st century A.D. historian, Flavius Josephus, and quoting earlier historians such as, Berossus, Mnaseas and Nicolaus of Damascus, Josephus writes in his Antiquities of the Jews, "... the ark rested on the top of a certain mountain in Armenia... over Minyas, called Baris."

In the Latin Vulgate, Jerome of Stridon translated Genesis 8:4 to read, "... and the ark rested... on the mountain of Ararat." However, after the Second Vatican Council in 1962, the toponym is amended to the "mountains of Ararat".

The early Syrian tradition places the ark on Mount Judi in what is the southeastern section present-day Turkey in the Sirnak Province. Yet this particular association slowly faded after the Middle Ages and is now confined to Quranic tradition.

According to the Book of Jubilees, the holy mountain in question came to rest on the peak of Lubar, a mountain in the range of Ararat. 

In his book, Historie of the World (1614 A.D.), Sir Walter Raleigh implies in several chapters that in ancient times the mountains of Ararat included not only those of Armenia (east of Turkey), but also all of the taller mountain ranges extending into eastern Asia. Raleigh noted that since Armenia is not actually located east of Shinar, the ark must have landed somewhere in the Orient.

While the majority of scholars cannot pin-point the exact location of where Noah's ark landed, they do agree it was somewhere in the mountain range of Ararat.

"There is no doubt of the antiquity of the tradition of this (Mount Ararat) being (as it is sometimes termed) the "Mother of the World". ~ Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature-1894

Mount Sinai: Mountain of Moses

"Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire." ~ Exodus 19:17-18

Mount Sinai, located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, is considered by the Abrahamic religions to be the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. The mountain was traditionally known as Mount Horeb in Judaism and Christianity and referred to as Jabal Musa (Mount Moses) in Islam. The sacred mountain is near the present-day city of Saint Catherine in south Sinai Peninsula. It is surrounded on all sides by higher peaks in the mountain range Jabal al-Lawz which extends into Saudi Arabia.   

According to Acts 7:29-30, Moses fled from Egypt as a young man and lived in the area of Mt. Sinai. It was here, in the same place, that God instructed Moses to return after bringing the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt (Exodus 3:12).

Early Christians identified Mount Serbal, the fifth largest mountain in Egypt, as the holy landmark’s location. This mountain is situated in Wadi Feiran in southern Sinai. 

The historian, Josephus, reported in his writings that Mt. Sinai was the highest mountain in the area where Moses once lived. And the philosopher, Philo of Alexandria, said this same sacred mount was located east of the Sinai Peninsula and south of Palestine.

There is no concrete archaeological evidence that the 7,500-foot Mount Sinai is the holy peak mentioned in the Biblical account. However, as early as the 3rd century A.D., Christian recluses living in the Sinai’s remote wilderness began to identify this particular mount as Moses' mountain, even locating what they believed to be the burning bush near the base of the mountain. 

In 337 A.D., Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine [the emperor who legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire in 313], made a pilgrimage to the site and ordered a chapel to be built around the bush. By the 6th century, when the complete departure of the Romans brought lawlessness to the region, the monastic community sought help from Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The Byzantine emperor sent architects and masons, who from 527 to 565 built a fortified monastery complex, with 60-foot-high granite walls, to protect the community and its chapel. Justinian also sent men, most likely from Macedonia, to serve as guards. These Christians, over generations, intermarried with the indigenous Bedouin tribes and gradually converted to Islam and became known as the Jabaliya (“of the mountain”) tribe. The Prophet Muhammad visited the monastery in the 7th century and blessed it with a promise "that it would be cherished by Muslims for all time". Muhammed was convinced the monastery sat at the foot of Moses' mountain. Today, the monastery is home to a group of Greek Orthodox monks.

A small minority of scholars believe Mount Sinai is not in Egypt at all, but instead is located in Saudi Arabia. They believe that Moses traveled that way during the exile from Egypt. Another opinion, held by Emmanuel Anati - a modern archeologist - concludes that the holy landmark mountain is located at Har Karkom in Israel due to the biblical art found within the 2700-foot ridge.

While Mount Sinai’s exact location is disputed among many, it remains one of the most sacred mountains in biblical literature.

"The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code; it contained many statutes . . . of universal application-laws essential to the existence of men in society, and most of which have been enacted by every nation which ever professed any code of laws." ~ President John Quincy Adams

Click Here to continue reading, Sacred Biblical Mountains - Part Two