Digest Home |
2001 |
May, 2001
Former Russian PM Primakov to take message to Arab states
Georgian army on alert after soldiers' revolt
California to get 1-hour outage warning
Blackouts may generate riots, New York state warns
Moderately strong quakes hit Vanuatu & New Zealand on 24th
Moderate Quake Hits Central Japan
Powerful 6.3 Quake Strikes Indonesia w/ Volcano Mt. Merapi
China Quake (update): 2 dead, more than 600 injured
Strong 6.6 Quake Strikes Off N. Japan
Britain Struggles Over Iraq 'Smart Sanctions' Plan
Secretive Bilderberg Group to Meet in Sweden
Some of Thursday Quakes: (usgs)
'Water Warning' Over Burial Sites
FOOT & MOUTH FACTS
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] There Should No Flesh Be Saved
From: "TheLegend- rjoslin"
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 07:39:48 -0000
--------
Is this a discussion on the "elect" of Daniel? If so, they are the believing
remnant of the Jews. I may be totally out of context on the discussion
here.Just throwing A bone.
RPJ
>From: Pam
>Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
>To: <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: [bprlist] There Should No Flesh Be Saved
>Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 10:56:16 -0400
>
>
>
> The following might be of interest. I do not claim to be correct so if
>anyone has sounder, scripturally based, explanations for the ‘elect´;
>the ‘blessed´ and the 45 days, of Daniel 12:12; the time of the
>shortening of the days; the ‘great tribulation´ and, the ‘afflictions´.
>I would like to hear it. These are my thoughts, I know, but they are, I
>think, scripturally sound. However, if I have deviated from the words
>of the LORD, not from the words of man, I would like to know about it.
>Praise the Lord!
>
>"…there should no flesh be saved…"
>
> Matthew 24:21-22 tells that, sometime in the future, ‘those days´ will
>be shortened in order that some flesh is saved. Mark 13:19-30 tells us
>the amount by which ‘those days´ will be shortened has already been
>established. Matthew tells us it will be a time of ‘great tribulation´
>and Mark tells us the reason for the tribulation will be ‘affliction´
>upon all flesh. Matthew tells us the days will be shortened for the
>‘elect´s´ sake and Mark tells us the ‘elect´ have already been chosen.
>Praise the Lord!
>
> I Corinthians 15:39 tells us that men, beasts, fishes and birds all
>have different ‘flesh". From the above, therefore, it appears obvious
>the ‘great tribulation´ and the ‘affliction´, of which Our Lord spoke,
>falls upon ALL flesh. The flesh of men, of beasts, of fishes and of
>birds. No flesh will be spared. The questions then must be, a) who are
>‘the elect´, b) when will be ‘the days of the great tribulation´ and c)
>what will ‘afflict´ all flesh? My answers are:
>
>a) ‘The elect´ will be the ‘blessed´ of Daniel 12:12. They are 'the
>elect' because they have already been chosen by God and they are
>'blessed' because they will enter the millennium in their natural
>state. Praise the Lord!
>
>b) The time of "the great tribulation´ will be the final 45 days of Dan.
>12:12 "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three
>hundred and five and thirty days."
>
>c) The ‘affliction´ upon all flesh will come from the vials of
>Revelation 16.
>
>Rev. 16:2 - upon the flesh of men - "And the first went, and poured out
>his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon
>the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped
>his image."
> Rev. 16:3 - upon the flesh of fishes - "And the second angel poured out
>his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and
>every living soul died in the sea."
> Rev. 16:4 - upon the flesh of man, of beasts, of birds - "And the third
>angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and
>they became blood."
> Rev. 16:8 - upon men, again, - "And the fourth angel poured out his
>vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
>
> Rev. 12:10 - the darkness before the dawn - "And the fifth angel poured
>out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of
>darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,"
>
> Those afflictions, I think, will constitute a ‘great tribulation´, much
>greater than the tribulations of the seals and the trumpets.
>
>God Bless you. Charlie Baker.
>
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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To: TheLegend- rjoslin , bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] There Should No Flesh Be Saved
From: Pam
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 11:36:49 -0400
--------
Dear RPJ:
Thanks for your bone, it was not entirely out of context. Here is something
to 'chew on'. It was intended to offer my thoughts on Matthew 24:21-22 and Mark
13:19-30 for discussion. I agree the 'elect' of Daniel 12:12 will include the
believing remnant of the Jews, Jews of all 12 tribes, but I think it will also
include the believing remnant of the gentiles, gentiles of all nations. Praise
the Lord!
God Bless you. Charlie Baker.
TheLegend- rjoslin wrote:
> Is this a discussion on the "elect" of Daniel? If so, they are the believing
> remnant of the Jews. I may be totally out of context on the discussion
> here.Just throwing A bone.
> RPJ
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To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Subject: [bprlist] Rebellion, Falling Away, or Departure?
From: "Richard"
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 08:38:11 -0400
--------
This Prophecy Website Is Dedicated To
The Soon Arrival Of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Rebellion, Falling Away,
or Departure?
Note: Special Thanks To Pastor John M. Sweigart for this article. Reprinted with permission.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
I believer it was Melville who said, "To write a mighty book, you must have a mighty theme." The theme of this paper may not be the search for the great white whale, but to attempt to overturn hundreds of years of accepted Bible translations and to contradict leading scholars who hold to the same point of view in eschatology as the author is certainly a daunting task. Further, to simply examine the evidence and exegete the appropriate passages involved while attempting to keep presuppositions from forcing the outcome, I have found to be particularly difficult.
The task before us is to determine the appropriate translation for the word apostasia that appears in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. As anyone familiar with the original language will quickly notice, the word is employed in the passage absolutely. There are no prepositional phrases or other modifiers telling the reader "from whom," or "from what" the individuals in mind are falling away.
Modern versions imply that what is in view is a "departure, defection, or falling away from a previously known and believed truth of God" or a "falling away from God Himself."[1] Our procedure for examining this problem of translation and ultimately interpretation will be to present evidence in at least five areas arguing for a spatial meaning to the word as opposed to a specialized sense of "political or religious revolt." First, we will examine the grammar of the passage taking special note of the usage of the definite article. Next to be examined will be the lexical data. This will encompass several areas since the word is very low in density in the New Testament. Included I this review will be the verbal cognate of the noun in question. Next we want to examine the structure of both Thessalonian epistles as well as the structure of our passage. Much progress has been made in studies of literary and especially Semitic language structures recently. The research in this area is enormous leading Welch and McKinlay to publish a Chiasmus Bibliography of 175 pages. Next, to do justice to the discussion, parallel passages as well as the passage in question must be examined for any clues that help the discussion of the problem passage.
Possible Translations of apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Historically, scholars have understood apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 to have four possible interpretive meanings: (1) used in apposition to the man of sin (or lawlessness depending on one's understanding of the textual variant; (2) as a falling away by the body of Christ from the content of Christian truth; (It should be noted that in this author's opinion there are sufficient contextual clues to eliminate the body of Christ from consideration); (3) as a revolt and a rebellion against God by unspecified participants; or (4) the departure or translation of the body of Christ. [2] Butalla, "The Departure of the Restrainer." Thesis presented the faculty of DTS, August 1998, p.3. A brief discussion of these four views follows.
'H' apostasia Used as an Appositive
This interpretation fails because of the structure of the passage. Basically, the protasis of the conditional sentence has two compound sentences contained in it. Both sentences of the protasis contain an articular subject with two verbs. However the first verb elqh is an active subjunctive, and the second verb is a passive subjunctive apokaluqh suggesting a difference. Further, the first verb is modified by the adverbial comparative prwton suggesting a sequence or a list is being presented. Third the man of sin and the following descriptive terms in true apposition have modifiers, the word "apostasy" does not. Our research has shown that Aquila in his translation of the Septuagint consistently uses apostasia to translate the Hebrew "Belial." This may have been the source of the interpretation held by early church fathers.
'H' apostasia as a Falling Away from the Faith
As stated above this writer sees little evidence in the passage for the interpretation being the church or individuals in the church falling away from the faith. Interestingly Ryrie opts for the term apostasy relating to people within the professing church.[3] Lewis Sperry Chafer identifies it as the final form of religious union and profession of non-Christians during the tribulation, and offers his understanding of the definite article with apostasia:
Here the definite article isolates this apostasy from every other (agreed). It precedes the day of Jehovah, and is evidently that final form of religious union and profession that will obtain in the tribulation AFTER (my emphasis) the true church has been removed from the earth.[4]
Now notice the internal inconsistency in Chafer's statement. "The apostasy" is a false religious union that forms AFTER the rapture. Yet it forms BEFORE the appearance of the man of sin who will be the object of worship in this false system.
Ernest Best presents the basic issues of tension in pursuing this interpretation.
"There is nothing in the Pauline letters to suggest that he expected the church to apostasize, and, in particular, he is confident of the ability of the Thessalonians to endure.
If then the apostasy is not of Christians of whom does Paul expect it? Does he expect it of unbelievers? But apostasy assumes an original relationship with God." (We might add it assumes a covenantal relationship)[5]
In summary we could ask, "How much apostasy is enough to qualify as 'THE APOSTASY'? Why do Paul or any of the other NT writers not point out this significant event in eschatological passages? We can accept that conditions in the churches can deteriorate but these verses do not use the word apostasy nor deal with issues of eschatology.
For a more favorable option under this category, Rosenthal has recognized the difficulty with viewing "the apostasy" as pertaining to the believing church. His extensive discussion and evidence from intertestamental history must not be ignored.[6] He lists the following points of analogy between Antiochus and the Antichrist (we prefer to us the term Man of Sin/Lawlessness since the anti-Christ would more legitimately be a title for the false prophet.
1. Both Antiochus and the anti-Christ enter into a covenant/treaty to protect Israel. Concerning Antiochus it is written "In those days lawless (non-Torah observant) men (literally "sons) came forth from Israel, and persuaded many, saying "let us go and make a covenant with the nations round about us, for since we separated (probably religious separation) many evils have come upon us . . . And He [Antiochus] gave them permission to practice the ordinances of the nations. (1 Macc. 1:11-12) Of Antichrist it is written "And he shall confirm the covenant/treaty with [the] many for one week [of years]."(Dan. 9:27a)
However, observe how Rosenthal makes a mistake here in thinking that both covenants are the same. The Maccabean covenant is a treaty granting non-religious Jews the right to practice Hellenism. In contrast, the treaty of Antichrist is to allow the Jewish people to rebuild their temple and reestablish animal sacrifices.
2. Both Antiochus and Antichrist make their covenant with the many in Israel. The Antichrist shall not gain universal acceptance.
3. Those Jews who enter into the covenant are in both instances said to APOSTASIZE. "Concerning Antiochus it is written, "Then the king's officers who were enforcing the APOSTASY came to the city of Modein to make them [the Jews] offer sacrifice [to the Greek gods] (1 Macc. 2:15). Paul wrote of the Antichrist and the future Day of the Lord, "Let no man deceive you by any means; for [that day shall not come] unless the falling away (apostasy) comes first, and [unless] the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition . . . 2 Th. 2:3
Now here Rosenthal makes a serious mistake in his analysis. The king's officers are trying to enforce THE APOSTASY after the abomination of desolation has occurred in what would be the second half of the tribulation not during the first half of the period when the covenant was in place. (1 Macc. 1:54) We agree with the fact that apostasy occurs in 2 Thessalonians 2 but apostasy cannot occur until after the Antichrist has been revealed, not before. As in Acts 21:20, the apostasy in view in 1 Maccabees 2:15 is apostasy from Moses.
'H apostasia as Revolt or Rebellion Against God.
The idea that apostasy is an active idea rather than a passive idea is popular with scholars today. Indeed, one of the reasons this seems so is because in the LXX, the word apostasy and its cognates translates the Hebrew root (drm) twenty five times. The verb can mean either rebellion against man (twelve times) or rebellion against God (twelve times.)[7]. Not surprisingly however, this rebellion is always in the context of the ANE political/religious world. Rebellion in Israel is always against the king. Rebellion against outside powers is also possible when a suzerain-vassal relationship has been established between someone like Nebuchadnezzar and the king of Israel as a vassal. Since Yahweh's relationship with Israel is defined using a suzerain-vassal model, rebellion against the Lord is analogous to rebellion against the earthly king.
In the passage under consideration, 2 Thess.2: 3, we should ask, "what covenant is in place? And who is doing the rebelling?" Against whom are they rebelling? Let us look at the options.
First of all, the rebels cannot be the world of unbelievers since no covenant is in place with them other than the covenant of Noah.
Secondly, the rebels could not be members of the church the body of Christ since one of the promises included in the New Covenant is rescue from the day of the Lord/day of wrath to come. (1Thess.1: 9-10)
Thirdly, the rebels could not be non-religious Israelites since the Antichrist has not yet appeared to lead the rebellion.
Lastly, the rebellion could no be against the Man of Sin since the passage later teaches that a deluding influence would be sent upon unbelieving Israel to cause them to believe the Man of Sin rather than rebel against him.
'H' apstasia as the Rapture
This leaves us the final option that is the subject of the paper. Does the evidence show that there is sufficient justification for understanding apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as a reference to the departure of the body of Christ prior to the start of Daniel's 70th week? English has advanced this view, saying:
"This [instructed departure] is not conjecture but fact: it is the rapture of the church, described in 1 Thess.4: 13-26." [8]
Wuest, an eminent Greek scholar supports this by saying,
"These are acquired meanings of the word gotten from the context in which it is used, not the original, basic, literal meaning, and should not be imposed upon the word, when the context does not qualify the word by these meanings, as in the case of our Thessalonians passage."[9]
Thesis to be defended:
There is sufficient evidence to view h apostasia used in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as a reference to the departure/spatial removal/rapture of the church.
CHAPTER 2
THE ARGUMENT FROM GRAMMAR
The Importance of the Definite Article
The definite article is one of the most fascinating areas of study in Greek grammar. It is also one of the most neglected areas of study. We cannot treat it lightly, for its presence or absence is the crucial element to unlocking the meaning of hundreds of passages in the New Testament.[10] The article was originally derived from the demonstrative pronoun. That is, its original force was to point out something.[11] Wallace continues in his discussion of the article with a seven-fold breakdown of the use of the article with the substantive. He lists the following: (1) Simple Identification; (2) Anaphoric (previous reference); (3) Deictic ("Pointing"); (4) Par Excellence ("Numero Uno") (5) Monadic ("One of a kind" or "unique"); (6) Well-known ("Celebrity"); (7) Abstract (or the article with Abstract Nouns.[12]
After we understand the possible options in the use of the definite article in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 before the word apostasia, we can rule out the Simple Identification usage of the article which Wallace calls the "drip-pan" category. He advocates using this as only a last resort. Very few if any examples of the article fit under this category only.[13]
We can also eliminate the Deictic or Pointing Use of the article. The reason of course is because an object or person has to be present at the moment of speaking to which the article refers.[14]
Next we can eliminate the Par Excellence Usage of the article. This is used by the speaker to point out an object as the only one worthy of the name. This is done even though there may be many other objects with the same name. We have already discussed above that there is a severe shortage of other usages of the word in the NT. So hardly, would this usage be called "the apostasy par excellence."
The Monadic Usage is a possibility. We would then understand Paul to say, "the day of the Lord cannot come until the 'one of a kind' apostasy comes first."
The Well-Known or Celebrity Usage also is a possibility provided that the noun to which it refers has not been mentioned in the preceding context. (but in this case it may have been.
Gundry, in an attempt to avoid the issue of the article raise by Wuest opts for the Celebrity Usage or the One of a Kind Usage. He says the following:
"As for the use of the article with apostasia Wuest contends that individual identity must be explained in the foregoing context. But that is wrong. [Hence there seems to be no such thing as the anaphoric use of the article in his field of thinking] Although a writer may have already explained individual identity, he may just as well anticipate a following explanation. [Do we any examples of this?][15]"
Further, he says:
"We have at least three possible explanations [of the usage of the definite article in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
1. First the article points to a previous explanation (v. 1; 1 Thessalonians 4:16ff. But is unthinkable that Paul would use for the rapture a word the connotation of which overwhelmingly has to do with civil and religious defection.[16]"
Notice the circular reasoning here. The article could point to the referent in verse 1 ("our gathering together to Him"). But this can't be since the lexical data supports another meaning. We could argue the reverse. The grammatical data supports a referent in the previous context so the lexical meaning Gundry advances must be wrong.
Gundry continues:
2. "Secondly, the article points to a well-known apostasy about which Paul had already informed the Thessalonians through his oral teaching."[17]
Here Gundry arbitrarily assumes that Paul's oral teaching is somehow disconnected from the first epistle to the Thessalonians, certainly a dubious assumption. We will discuss the structure of the two epistles in a later section, but it is sufficient here to say that 1st Thessalonians falls rather easily into a five-part structure discussing faith, hope, and love as the major subjects. In 2d Thessalonians the structure is also in five parts but in 2d Thessalonians hope take the center section. So it really seems to be a case of special pleading to say that the article next to our word in question only refers to Paul's oral teaching and ignore the immediate context and the preceding epistle altogether.
Lastly, Gundry insists:
3. Third, the definite article point to a special apostasy that gets further explanation in the ensuing discussion. [18]
Interestingly for Gundry's position, the word is never again repeated in the passage even the word parousia and apokaluyw are each mentioned three times.
The Anaphoric Use of the Article
There is one usage of the article, however, that screams from the text itself to be considered. It is the anaphoric usage. Wallace again says:
"Dana and Mantey define the anaphoric article (i.e. The article denoting previous reference): 'The article may be used to point out an object the identity of which is defined by some previous reference.'"[19]
This usage is definitely the case in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Paul introduces the topic of the following verses as: "Now with reference to the parousia.(coming) and our episunagwghn (gathering together) to Him." We should note that a single article governs both of these important nouns. Thus, they are closely related. We could paraphrase "Now with reference to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as it related to our gathering together to Him." These two events relate to the beginning and end of the 7-year tribulation period. Later we are told "that [day will not come] unless the apostasy/departure comes first." The definite article is referring to a synonym in the preceding context. Gundry's insistence that the definite article refers to the following context seems to be a case of ignoring the obvious. If we take up his position, we arrive at the strange result that Paul says the topic is "our gathering together to Him" and yet never refers to it again in the entire passage at which we are looking.
CHAPTER 3
THE ARGUMENT FROM THE LEXICAL DATA
Introduction
The amount of material available here is exhausting. Our goal is to examine lexical data is six different time periods to see whether the semantic range of the word or its cognates ever bore a meaning like "spatial removal" or "departure". We will examine Classical, LXX, Koine, New Testament, Patristic, and Translation data in chronological order.
Classical Greek Usage (4th Century B.C. and earlier)
Its meaning as "defection or revolt. According to Liddell and Scott, the classical Greek noun apostasij shows evidence for the meaning "defection" or "revolt" in Herodotus Historicus, Thucydides Historicus, and Plato.[20] Our basic question then is whether a meaning of "active revolt" or "defection" without some sort of spatial element can be supported for the context.
Herodotus. The phrase to be considered in the original is as follows:
ei endecaiato arostasin apo Oroitew.
".if they would consent to a revolt against Oroetes.[21]
This translation by Godley is a bit askew and a correct translation gives:
".if they would consent to a departure or defection from Oroetes"
If the author had wanted to say, ".revolt against" he would have used the Greek preposition epi not apo. The context means a departure from a previously formed alliance not a revolt against political authority.
Thucydides. In looking at his writings, the original passage reads as follows:
Meta de thn twn Argeiwn apostasin ek ths Cummaxiaj kai oi Mantinhj, to men prwton antexovtej, epeit' ou dunamenoi aneu twn Argeiwn, cunebhsan kai autoi toij Lakedaimonioj kai thn arxhn afeisan twn polewn.[22]
Smith gives us the following translation:
After the withdrawal of the Argives from the alliance, the Martineans also, although at first opposed to this course, afterwards, finding themselves unable to hold out without the Argives, like wise made an agreement with the Lacedaemonians and relinquished their sovereignty over several cities.[23]
Here again the translation of apostasia could just as easily mean "departure" in a context very similar to that of Herodotus. In other words, the soldiers would withdraw from the alliance, get in their ships, and depart for home.
Its meaning as "departure from".
Euripedes. The original text reads:
"qanein. asitei d' eij apostasin biou."[24]
This text is translated by Way, "To die; she fasteth to make an end of life." [25] An equivalent translation could be "To die: she fasts for the purpose of departure from life."
Aristotle in Historia Animalium contains the following original:
metewroteroj de estu th apo thj ghj arostasei twn saurwn, tas de kampaj twn ekelwn kaqaper oi sauroi exei. [26]
Peck translates: "It stands further off from the ground than the lizards, but the flexions of the legs are as in lizards."[27] An alternate translation could be distance from the ground.
Aristotle's work in de Audibilibus reads:
"dhlon de tout estin. oude gar twn allwn moriwn ouqen ek mikroj apostasews dunatai poieisqai thn plhghn isxuan. [28]
Hett renders: "This is evident: for none of the other parts of the body can deliver a violent blow from a short distance.[29]
Aristotle's work in de Caelo contains the following:
upoqemenoi de panta kai taj taxuthtaj ek twn apostasewn exeiv touj twn sumfwniwn logouj evarmonion fasi givesqai thn fwnhn feromevwn kuklw twn astwn."[30]
Guthrie renders the passage:
"Taking this as the hypothesis and also that the speed of the stars, judged by their distances, are in the ration of the musical consonances, they affirm that the sound of the stars as they revolve is concordant."[31]
We have now examined both major meaning groups in the lexicon and have discovered that is a spatial element or a departure nuance in every case. Indeed, this author has serious doubts whether the lexical category of "revolt" or "rebellion should be listed in the semantic range of the word. Certainly the evidence does not support the outlandish statement by Gundry,
"But even in classical Greek simple departure by no means predominates."[32]
LXX Usage
1. Joshua 22:22:
O qeoj qeoj estin kurioj kai o qeos qeos kurioj autos oiden, kai Israhl autoj, ei en apostasia eplhmmelnsamen evavti tou kuriou, mh rusaito en tauth.[33]
"The LORD is God of gods and the Lord knows that He is God of gods, and let (all) Israel acknowledge Him, if we (the trans Jordan tribes) have transgressed before the Lord by apostasy, do not rescue us in the matter."
The issue in the above passage in the issue of the establishing of an apparent separate altar by the trans Jordan tribes. This would have had the effect of separating physically as well as religiously the tribes of Israel.
2. 2 Chronicles 29:19
kai panta ta skeun, a emianen Axaco basileus en th baileia auton en th apostasia. [34]
".and all the sacred vessels which King Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his rebellion."
3. 2 Chronicles 33:19
proseuxhj autou kai wj ephkousen kai pasai ai amartiai kai ai apostaseij autou and oi topoi. [35]
"His prayer and thus how God was entreated by him, and all his wicked sins, and his wicked deeds, and the places."
Here our word is in the plural and must mean something like "wicked deeds" or "acts of apostasy' referring to establishing alternate places of worship.
4. Isaiah 30:1
Ouai tekna apostatei, tade legei kurioj.[36]
Woe to you, rebellious children, says the Lord.
5. Jeremiah 2:19
paideusi se h apostasia sou, kai h kakia sou elegcei se, kagnwqi kai ide oti pikron soi to katalipen se eme, legei kurioj o qeoj sou.[37]
".your own apostasy will correct you, and your evil will reprove you; know therefore and see that your abandoning of me has been bitter to you says the Lord God."
One thing we must note in this last passage, the Lord says that their apostasy will instruct them. But that seems strange. Here it would even possible to substitute "you departure (into exile) will instruct you" and we would not lose any sense of the passage.
So we conclude for the LXX usage that there have been two other instances of apostasia with the definite article found in the LXX and one in the Apocrypha. We have already looked at the occurrence in 1 Maccabees 2:15 and shown that it means, "to abandon the Mosaic worship system and support the worship of idols in the instance of the Abomination of Desolation. In 2 Chronicles the usage is plural as is still probably looking at "acts of apostasy" or establishing rival worship centers. In 2 Chronicles 29:19 a personal history of a king is being referenced. In all these cases we really don't have a strict parallel to the case in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
Koine Greek Usage (299 B.C.-A.D. 99)
The noun apostasia exhibits evidence from the Koine Period for the meaning "defection" or "revolt" in the works of Dionysius Halicarnassensis (1st century B.C.); Josephus Historicus in Vita (1st Century A.D) and Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus(1st/2d Century A.D.)
Evidence exists for apostasia to mean a physical "distance" early in this period in the works of Archimedes Geometra (3d Century B.C. [38]
Evidence exists during this period in support of apostasia as carrying a physical "distance" connotation alluding to some sort of separation.
New Testament Usage
As widely noted in the literature, the noun apostasia in rare in the NT, appearing only in Acts 21:21. In Acts, the object or qualifier is immediately apparent. Paul was accused of teaching the Jews (converts) apostasia ... apo Mwusewj, that is "to depart from Moses." We should hasten to point out that often this meant actually physically departing from the synagogue and perhaps meeting somewhere else as in the school of Tyrannus in Ephesus.
These two usages in the NT appear not to be similar. In Acts there is the qualifying prepositional phrase. In 2 Thessalonians there is not. In 2 Thessalonians the word is used absolutely as if Paul expected the audience to understand the object implicitly. Wood agrees by saying,
"Its usage is of an altogether different nature and so has no bearing on the question."[39]
One usage of a cognate is sometimes overlooked in the New Testament. This is the word apostasion that is translated "bill of divorcement" both in the Old and New Testament. (Deut. 24:1,3; Isaiah 50:1; Jeremiah 3:8, Matthew 5:31; 19:7; Mark 10:4). This is a significant contribution since in divorce proceedings the husband was required to strip the wife naked and literally drive her from the home. They were to be physically separated as well as legally separated.
Patristic Usage
In reviewing the post-New Testament period, Lampe offers evidence for apostasij to refer to "a departure, absence," or "separation" in addition to the traditional renderings of the word.[40]
In all three of these possible meanings, a physical or spatial connotation may apply.
With the word apostasia, although not predominant, Lampe sees the possibility of physical "departure, removal, or spatial separation as in divorce."[41] Sufficient evidence exists for Liddell and Scott to offer their second meaning of apostasia as "departure" or "disappearance" a physical or spatial connotation.[42]
Modern Translations
The history of translations of h apostasia varied little for the first fifteen centuries. Jerome's Latin Vulgate contains the word "discessio" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, meaning simply "departure".[43] Other translations up to the King James Version of 1611 use variations of "departure."
Usage Aspects of Cognates
The cognate Verb afisthmi
According to Liddell and Scott evidence exists for afisthmi to mean "remove" transitively or "depart from" in an intransitive sense. [44] One of the most intriguing usages comes from online correspondence from Carl Conrad, a classical Greek scholar, that is so valuable that it is worth quoting at length. He is dealing with the Classical meaning of the verb.
For what it is worth.the background of this word (apostasia) is the political usage of afisthmi and afistamai is earlier Greek. Afisthmi is used of uprooting a person or a community from his/their fixed habitation, as in the case of forced immigration. Afistamai is used of uprooting oneself and going elsewhere. I recall one vivid text in Demosthenes where a suppliant seated on an altar is asked afistaquai, to leave the altar and his stance of supplication and accept the reconciliation offered him.
It may be used of a group leaving a homeland to establish a new colony somewhere; that's the way Peisetairos and Euelpides use the verb in Aristophanes' Birds, where they leave Athens to establish a "trouble-free" colony in the sky between heaven and earth.
But one of the most common senses in the 5th/4th century is for political rebellion against an internal or external power--for social rebellion (of a repressed majority against a dominant minority) or for political freedom (of a colony or group of colonies against a dominant foreign power.No doubt they very old simple concrete sense of striking one's tent and migrating elsewhere (like Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldees and going to Haran/Paddan-Aram) is still there in the NT era; the question is the likelihood of that being the sense in this apocalyptic passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.[45]
The point of quoting this communication at length is to show that even though the verb is a cognate, one field of meaning clearly approximates the departure/spatial removal idea that is being considered for our word. The departure of a group of people to a "trouble-free" colony in the sky between heaven and earth could be the best secular description of the rapture of the church that is available.
In addition, the writer is Aristophanes (5th/4th Century B.C.) one of the principal authors from the Grecian Golden Age. His plays were widely performed for several hundred years in the Grecian world by the time the Apostle Paul reached Thessalonica. Therefore, the idea of a departure of a group of citizens to a colony in the sky must have been a widely known concept in the Greek world.
After this we again consider the Koine usage of the verb. According to Moulton and Milligan, afisthmi exhibits a sense of spatial departure along with an intransitive sense of removing oneself. They cite at least three examples of spatial departure.[46]
Schlier argues that the verb can be translated "to remove" either spatially of from the context of a state or relationship or from fellowship with a person.[47]
Concerning the usage in the Old Testament, Feinberg writes:
The verb afisthmi is clearly used of a physical departure in both testaments. In the OT (LXX) the verb is used in Genesis 12:8 of Abram's departure from Shechem.of physical separation of persons as in 1 Samuel 18:13, where it is used of David's departure from Saul, and in Psalm 6:8 of the physical separation of the wicked from God's presence.[48]
In the New Testament usage, the verb afisthmi occurs fifteen times, twelve of which carry a spatial departure meaning "physical departure". In Luke 2, the phrase ".she never left the temple.(Luke 2:37) means a physical departure from the temple. "When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13) means a spatial departure from the presence of Jesus. It may even mean a disappearance which would be appropriate for a spirit being. In Luke 13, the phrase "Depart from me, all you evil doers (Luke 13:27) means a spatial departure. The same spatial departure meaning is present in all the following verses: (Acts 5:37, 38; 12:10; 15:38; 19:9; 22:29;2 Corinthians 12:8; 1 Timothy 6:15; 2 Timothy 2:19). The other three instance of the verb refer to religious defection. (Luke 8:13; 1 Timothy 4:1; and Hebrews 3:12). In each case, the context tells the reader from what the subjects are departing.
Conclusion
There is abundant lexical data to support the translation of apostasia as "the departure" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The cognate verb as well has substantial support for the translation "to physically depart." A number of questionable assignments of categories in the standard classical lexicons contribute to the confusion in our understanding of the word.
CHAPTER 4
THE ARGUMENT FROM STRUCTURE
The Structure of First Thessalonians
An exegete must not only be aware of the grammatical and lexical portions of the text under examination, but the importance of understanding the literary structure of the passage has been realized within the last decade. It is important to understand the literary structure of the two Thessalonian epistles so accurate contextual comparison can be made. If Paul is dealing with eschatology in both letters then we should be able to make use of insights gained in one when talking about the other.
The literary structure of 1st Thessalonians is a five-part structure based on the familiar Pauline triad found in 1 Thessalonians 1:3a. In that verse Paul calls to mind their "work produced by faith," their "labor produced by love" and their "steadfastness produced by hope." (Author's translation reflecting his understanding of the nature of the genitives) This leads to a five-part structure:
I. Opening: (1:1-10)
II. Work of faith: (2:1-3:10)
III. Labor of love: (3:11-4:12)
IV. Steadfastness of Hope: (4:13-5:11)
V. Closing: (5:12-28)
There may be some overlap in these sections, but this outline is not hard to justify. In chapter 2 Paul reminds them of his initial proclamation of the gospel and how they had afforded him and his companions an excellent reception. However, his premature departure had made him anxious for their spiritual progress especially since the church apparently was under severe persecution. In chapter 3 there are five occurrences of the word "faith" to include Paul's stated desire and perhaps the purpose of the letter, to "complete what is lacking" in regards to the content of their faith. Then in the next section the issue of love is introduced. Paul wants them to "increase and abound in love toward one another and all men." (3:12) Finally in the last major section (4:13-5:11) the letter concerns itself with eschatology and the believers' future hope. So we can see in the first letter the issue of love seems to take a central place.
The Structure of 2 Thessalonians
Now if we accept the previous structure of 1st Thessalonians, the structure of 2d Thessalonians becomes very interesting.[49] The reason it become noteworthy is because the ordering of topics is changed. Eschatology has now taken center stage.
I. Opening (1:1,2)
II. Work of Faith (1:3-12)
III. Steadfastness of Hope (2:1-17)
IV. Labor of Love (3:1-16)
V. Closing (3:17-18)
Now if this is understood, the effect is to help us understand that the hope section in 2d Thessalonians is a more detailed discussion of what had already been discussed in 1st Thessalonians which allows us to make exegetical comparisons between sections.
The Structure of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Powell has given us insight into the structure of this passage with his suggestion that a chiastic arrangement exists that centers are the verses dealing with the Restrainer. (2:5-7) He views our word in question to be parallel with verses 2:10-12 where the activities of the followers of the Man of Lawlessness are spelled out. Consider his structure as follows:
A. Verses 1-3a Warning
B. Verse 3b The apostasy
C. Verses 3c-5 The revelation of the Man of Lawlessness.
D. Verses 6-7 The Restrainer
C.' Verses 8-9 The revelation of the Lord and the annihilation of the Lawless One.
B.' Verses 10-12 The leading astray of unbelievers
A.' Verses 13-15 Thanksgiving and exhortation
However, we find a problem with his presentation. First of all the chiastic structure needs to extend to verse 17. The leg A' should start at verse 15. The exhortation to stand fast in the apostolic traditions is really a different topic than verses 13-14 which is dealing with their future acquisition of salvation (cf. 1st Thessalonians 5:9). The believers acquire their future salvation when they participate in the rapture and their future acquisition of glory comes immediately afterward at the judgment seat of Christ. We suggest the following structure.
[Now concerning how the coming of the Lord and the Rapture relate to each other. Notice the word Parousia does not occur again until much later in the passage. Since Biblical writers and speakers often answer questions in reverse order, we should expect to see a discussion of the Rapture in the first seven verses.]
A. (2:1-3a) A Warning not to be shaken in mind by a spiritual utterance, a pseudo letter, or an oral teaching that the Day of the Lord had already arrived.
B. (2:3b) The Departure of the Church
C. (2:3c-5) The Revelation of the Man of Sin by his desecration of the temple.
D. (2:6-7) The Departure of the Restrainer
C. (2:8-12) The Revelation of the Man of Sin by signs and wonders.
B'. (2:13-14) The Return of the Lord who will destroy the Man of Sin and grant salvation to the returning church.
A'. (2:15-17) Exhortation to the believers to stand fast in the traditions which they were taught by word or epistle.
CHAPTER 5
THE ARGUMENT FROM PARALLEL PASSAGES
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Sometimes other passages can supply hints that will help with understanding the passage under consideration. We have already argued that our 2 Thessalonians passage and this passage are parallel. We note first of all that Paul is responding to a subject raised by the Thessalonians. He uses the standard Pauline formula for changing the subject, peri de. We also note in verse 14 that God will bring back (in the rapture) "those who sleep because of Jesus." What is often overlooked here is that martyrdom for the faith is in view. Because of their testimony to Jesus, some of the believers had suffered death. This would certainly be a cause for anxiety among the rest. This certainly explains the identity of the "saints" mentioned in 3:13. These martyrs come back with Jesus at his Parousia which in this case must be understood as referring to the Rapture. In 2:19 we are told that this will be the time that the apostles receive their crowns indicating that the judgment seat of Christ and the Rapture are closely related.
In verse 4:16 we have another clue to help in our other passage. Paul says, "the dead bodies nekroi shall rise first prwton. Paul only uses this adverb two places in his writings: here and in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Here he is giving a sequential order or a list. It seems safe to assume he is also giving a sequential order in the other passage.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
In this next section we again have the special formula peri de that indicates the subject is changing. But in verse 5:1 there is an interesting phrase that many seem to over look. What does Paul mean when he says, "now concerning times and seasons.?" This is of interest because the subject being discussed in the day of the Lord the same topic as in 2 Thessalonians. This is the content of the Thessalonians question. The first word is xronoj a word apparently dealing with periods of time. The second word is kairoj dealing with "points in time". The two words are only used in combination in two other verses in the whole of Scripture: Daniel 2:21 and Acts 1:7. The occurrence in Acts 1:7 is instructive, "Lord is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" The Book of Daniel also deals with the establishment and removal of earthly kingdoms as the dream in Daniel 2 shows. The word kairoj is used in the familiar phrase "time, times, and half a time". Apparently the Thessalonians are asking for a detailed chronology of the Tribulation period and how it relates to the Rapture. We know that this word is used in 2 Thessalonians to specify the revelation of the Man of Sin will be at the appointed time. The point of this is that if the Thessalonians were interested in "points of time," i.e. dates or feast days, then it appears logical that Paul in 2 Thessalonians would present the start of Daniel's 70th week, the midpoint in the Tribulation period, and the return of Jesus in chronological order.
We are surprised then to discover that Paul essentially tells them that they don't have a need to know. The reason why they have no need to know is because the day of the Lord will come "like a thief in the night". A thief gives no warning signs. This concept of the thief was first introduced by the Lord in Matthew 24:43 and is a standard simile referring to the Rapture which is also the Day of Judgment for the church. Like any good Hebrew day, the day of the Lord begins at night.
In 5:3, there is more of interest. We could translate, "whenever they (Israel) are saying 'peace treaty' and 'secure borders' then destruction (understood here as physical death) will come upon them suddenly. Von Rad reasons,
"Since the Hebrews sometimes use trb for this kind of an alliance, it is not surprising that shalom occurs when there is a reference to a covenant. Indeed, the connection between the two words is so strong that in this context shalom seems to have become an official treaty term. Ezekiel 34:25 and 37:26 talks about a treaty of peace."[50]
Further in 5:3 "the birth pangs" are a standard expression indicating the start of the seven-year treaty period of Jacob's trouble. This is the third proof that Paul is mentioning the beginning of the day of the Lord as coterminous with the Rapture.
Thus the phrase "they shall not escape" means, "escape in the Rapture. (cf. Luke 21:36)
In summary, when asked about dates and time periods, Paul spends all his time talking about the opening event in the day of the Lord. The believers have no need to know because they will be gone while the events of the day of the Lord are played out.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
The first thing we notice is that Paul introduces the subject as "the coming or our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him." Since the two nouns are governed by one article it seems apparent that Paul wants to explain how "the coming and the gathering" are related. Notice that the word parousia is not mentioned until we get to 2:8. If that is the case where is our gathering together to him being discussed?
The disturbing teaching was that "the day of the Lord had already arrived" and apparently the Thessalonians had missed the rapture. The verb erxomai is also used in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 to describe the coming of the day of the Lord.
The whole complex of verses about the man of sin is very date specific. It happens at the midpoint through the tribulation period. He is called the Son of Destruction (apwleia) because his abomination is related to the rise of Apollyon in Rev. 9:11. As has often been noted, there are a presently chained group of angels who have been confined to the Abyss because of their behavior in the pre-Flood world. Half way through the Tribulation period, these chained demons are released by an angel from heaven who has the keys to the Abyss. They have a king over them called Abaddon or Apollyon. This is very appropriate since there was a worship center to Apollo located on the isle of Patmos where John was exiled. One of the symbols for Apollo was the locust. He then indwells the physical body of the Man of Sin whose identity has not been revealed until that time. If we assume that the treaty that starts the Tribulation is signed on Passover to coincide with Jewish expectation of the arrival of Elijah, then the Man of Sin would appear 1260 days later at the Feast of Tabernacles. Since this is the feast day when all the nations are invited to come up to Jerusalem and worship, what better time for the Man of Sin to declare his deity before the eyes of a watching world. His major act of desecration is related to a rebuilt Jerusalem Temple. Those who follow him are described as those "who are being destroyed" in the Greek apollumi. The only other person called the Son of Destruction is Judas Iscariot in John 17:12. It is another case of demonic possession. This individual's coming is viewed in our passage as a "working of Satan" which is a case of demonic possession. This is when the treaty with the nation of Israel to grant permission to restore the temple and sacrifices will be broken. This is when he starts his desolation of the righteous 144,000 of Israel in the last half of the tribulation period. But at the end of the Tribulation period 1260 days later, the Lord returns and destroys the Lawless One with the breath of his mouth. How ironical that the false prophet was given power to "give breath" to the image of the beast.
Conclusion
A close examination of parallel passages leads us to understand that Paul is presenting in detail in 2 Thessalonians 2 a more detailed description of the chronology he already started in 1 Thessalonians 4 & 5. This adds to the possibility that "departure" should be the translation and not "apostasy."
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
In this brief study we have set out to examine the possibility that the word apostasia normally translated "falling away" or "rebellion" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 should be translated "departure. We have examined the grammatical evidence first and found that the anaphoric use of the article leans heavily to that understanding.
Next we surveyed the lexical data for both the word apostasia itself as well a its cognate verb and found that there is substantial evidence to suggest that the word had within its semantic range the notion of "physical or spatial departure".
Third, we looked at the literary structure of both epistles and suggested a literary structure for the section of scripture in which our word was found. We discovered the possibility of a chiastic arrangement that established our word as parallel conceptually to the idea that the believing church has been chosen for the "acquisition" of "glory" which we suggested happened at the rapture and the judgment seat of Christ.
Lastly, we examined the two eschatological sections of the two epistles to the Thessalonians and found there was strong evidence that Paul was presenting the day of the Lord as a programmed event. He chose to mention the starting point, the midpoint, and the ending point of the seven-year tribulation period.
After all this research, we believe that the evidence is overwhelming that the word apostasia refers to the Rapture that has the effect of starting the seven-year tribulation period.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Following are translations of apostasia from several modern or popular translations: "falling away" (1901 American Standard Version), "apostasy" (New American Standard Bible), "rebellion" (New International Version), "falling away" (King James version), "Great Revolt" (New Jerusalem Bible), "rebellion" (Revised Standard version), and "rebellion" (New Revised Standard Version).
[2] Butalla, "The Departure of the Restrainer." Thesis presented the faculty of DTS, August 1998, p.3.
[3] Charles C. Ryrie, Dispenationalism Today (Chicago: Moody Press, 1965), p. 151.
[4] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948) IV: 353.
[5] Ernest Best, A Commentary on the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, Harper's New Testament Commentaries (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson 1988), 282.
[6] zionshopeorg/html/z9601.html
[7] Harris TWOT, vol. I, p. 525
[8] English, Rethinking the Rapture, 70
[9] Kenneth S. Wuest, "The Rapture Precisely When?" Bibliotheca Sacra 114 (January. 1957): 65
[10] Dan Wallace, Unpublished Notes in Greek Grammar and Syntax, Dallas Theological Seminary, 3d edition corrected, 79.
[11] Ibid. Notes, 79
[12] Ibid., Notes, 81.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid., 83
[15] Robert Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, 117
[16] Gundry, Ibid., 117
[17] Gundry, Ibid., 117
[18] Gundry, Ibid.,117
[19] Wallace, Notes, 82
[20] Henry George Liddell and Henry Scott, A Greek English Lexicon revised with a supplement [1968] by Sir Henry Stuart Jones and Roderick McKenzie (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1940, 218)
[21] A.D. Godley, trans., Herodotus, vol. II, books III and IV (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971) 158-59
[22] Charles Forster Smith, trans., Thucydides, vol. III, Books V and VI (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966), 148
[23] Smith, Ibid. 148
[24] Arthur S. Way, trans., Euripedes, vol. IV. (Cambridge: Harward University Press, 1964) 182
[25] Way, Ibid., 183
[26] A.L. Peck, trans., Aristotle, Historia Animalium, vol. I. Books I-III (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1965)108.
[27] Ibid. 108-9
[28] W. S. Hett, trans. Aristotle: Minor Works (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1963) 52
[29] Hett, Ibid.. 53
[30] W.C.K. Guthrie, trans., Aristotle: On the Heavens (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960), 192
[31] Guthrie, Ibid.,193
[32] Robert H. Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, 115
[33] Sir Lancelot Brenton, trans., The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English, Reprinted 1986,1987(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987) 310
[34] Ibid, 603
[35] Ibid, 610
[36] Ibid.,863
[37] Ibid, 903-904
[38] Liddell and Scott, Greek-English Lexicon, 218-19
[39] Leon J. Wood, Is the Rapture Next? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1956) 63-4.
[40] G.W.H. Lampe, A Patristic Greek Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1961) 208; Liddell and Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, 218-19
[41] Lampe, Ibid.,200
[42] Liddell and Scott, Lexicon, 218
[43] Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short, trans., Harpers Latin Dictionary, A New Latin Dictionary,(New York: American Book Company, 1907), 587
[44] Liddell and Scott, Lexicon, 291
[45] Carl W. Conrad, Department of Classics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
[46] James H. Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1930) 98
[47] Kittel, TDNT, I:512-13
[48] Paul D. Feinberg, "2 Thessalonians 2 and the Rapture" in When the Trumpet Sounds, ed. Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1995) 309-311
[49] Maarten J.J. Menken, "The Structure of 2d Thessalonians" The Thessalonian Correspondence (ed. Raymond F. Collins, Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum louvaniensium 87; Leuven; Leuven University Press, 1990 (373-383)
[50] von Rad, TDNT, II:403
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] InfoBeat - 25 die in Jerusalem hall collapse
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 08:49:10 -0400
--------
May 25, 2001
InfoBeat - 25 die in Jerusalem hall collapse
By YOAV APPEL
Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM (AP) - A four-story wedding hall where hundreds of
guests were dancing collapsed Thursday night, killing at least 25
people, officials said. Hundreds of others were reported injured in
what Israeli media called the worst accident of its kind in the
nation's history.
Rescuers worked feverishly into the early morning hours Friday
to reach dozens of people trapped under huge concrete slabs and
metal wreckage. Police said the tragedy was not a terrorist attack.
The ceremony had ended and guests were dancing when the floor
gave way, crashing through floor after floor to the ground. About
650 people were inside.
``People were flying through the air, the orchestra, the
loudspeakers, everything fell,'' said Efraim Rino, his voice
choking as he told Israel television that some of the victims were
his relatives.
More than 350 guests were reportedly injured. Many of the
victims were lined up on stretchers awaiting ambulances to take
them to hospitals. Some appeared unconscious, and most were
bleeding.
The bride and groom were among the injured. Doctors said Keren
Dror was hospitalized with hip and chest injuries, while her
husband Assi sustained just minor wounds.
By daybreak Friday seven hours after the disaster, 21 bodies had
been recovered from the ruins of the Versailles wedding hall in an
industrial section of south Jerusalem. Rescuers said the death toll
would reach at least 25.
The collapse was believed to be the worst disaster involving a
civilian building in the history of a nation where high casualty
tolls are usually the result of terrorism and war.
Jerusalem police commander Miki Levy said it was ``absolutely
not'' a terrorist attack. He said the collapse was due to a
``structural failure.'' Eyewitnesses interviewed by Israeli radio
stations did not mention an explosion.
Among the emergency crews was a special Israeli army rescue unit
that has been sent abroad in the past to dig out earthquake
victims.
Immediately after the collapse, Israel radio reported that a
convoy of ambulances was heading to Jerusalem from other parts of
the country, and broadcast appeals to Jerusalem hospital employees
to report to their workplaces immediately. The Magen David Adom
emergency service appealed for blood donations.
The wedding was taking place on the top floor of a building that
stood alongside several other middle-class wedding halls. Two
floors below were not being used, Levy said. The first floor was a
garage.
As officials launched an investigation into the cause of the
collapse, details of the building's construction began to surface.
Engineer Shaul Nevo, a reserve army major taking part in the
rescue, said the type of construction was to blame. Speaking to
Israel television, he said that several other buildings built the
same way, using thin concrete layers, had collapsed in the past and
that a professional association of engineers had warned against it.
Construction worker Taysir Ahmed el-Hadj told Israel television
that he had done renovation work on the third floor, changing floor
tiles. It was not clear if the renovations contributed to the
collapse.
One guest said the wedding blessings had just been completed and
the dancing had begun when the floor caved in. Israeli weddings are
typically conducted at large halls, where relatives and guests eat
and dance after the ceremony.
Sara Pinhas, a relative of the groom, said dancers had lifted
the father of the bride on a chair when suddenly he fell, ``and
then we felt the whole building collapse, everything fell down. We
managed to climb down the side of the building,'' she said.
The center of the top floor collapsed suddenly, witnesses said,
sending the concrete crashing through the floors below. The fall
left a gaping, four-story hole with metal reinforcement cables
hanging at twisted angles from the sides.
After the incident, the front of the hall was eerily intact,
with its name still illuminated in large, blue letters.
Relatives, some covered with blood, gathered in front of
Jerusalem hospitals, desperately seeking updated reports on their
injured loved ones. Others said they helped pull people out of the
wreckage before they were taken to the hospitals themselves.
Hospital doctors said there were many children among the injured,
including a 3-month-old baby.
http://www.infobeat.com/cgi-
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Baseball Heroes
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 09:01:58 -0400
--------
Baseball Heroes
JUNE 1999 EDITION
by Rabbi Paysach Krohn
Reprinted with permission from "ECHOES OF THE MAGGID," a collection of
Jewish stories and parables.
Published by Mesorah Publications Ltd, Brooklyn, NY. Web:
http://www.artscroll.com
In the competitive world of the 1990's, one wonders whether the old adage
still holds true: "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the
game." The following true story illustrates the power of human concern - even
in the face of intense competition.
In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled
children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school careers, while
others can be mainstreamed into conventional Jewish schools. There are a
few children who attend Chush for most of the week and go to a regular
school on Sundays.
At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech
that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school
and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son
Shaya? Everything that God does is done with perfection. But my child
cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember
facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?"
The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish,
and stilled by his piercing query.
"I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into
the world, the perfection that He seeks is in the way people react to this
child."
He then told the following story about his son Shaya.
Shaya attends Chush throughout the week and a boy's yeshiva (Torah
institute) on Sundays. One Sunday afternoon, Shaya and his father came to
the yeshiva as his classmates were playing baseball. The game was in
progress and as Shaya and his father made their way towards the ballfield,
Shaya said, "Do you think you could get me into the game?"
Shaya's father knew his son was not at all athletic, and that most boys
would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his
son was chosen in, it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging.
Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked, "Do you
think my Shaya could get into the game?"
The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he
took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs and
the game is already in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and
we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."
Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put
on a glove and go out to play short center field.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was
still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored
again - and now with two outs and the bases loaded and the potential
winning runs on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team
actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the
game?
Surprisingly, Shaya was told to take a bat and try to get a hit. Everyone
knew that it was all but impossible, for Shaya didn't even know how to hold
the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the
plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya
should at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came in and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of
Shaya's teammates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and
faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few
steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shaya.
As the next pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung the bat and
together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the
soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game.
Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far
and wide beyond the first baseman's reach. Everyone started yelling,
"Shaya, run to first! Shaya, run to first!" Never in his life had Shaya run to
first.
He scampered down the baseline wide eyed and startled. By the time he
reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball
to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But
the rightfielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the
ball high and far over the third baseman's head, as everyone yelled, "Shaya,
run to second! Shaya, run to second."
Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously
circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached second base, the
opposing shortstop ran towards him, turned him towards the direction of third
base and shouted, "Shaya, run to third!"
As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him
screaming, "Shaya, run home! Shaya, run home!"
Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their
shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit the "grand slam" and
won the game for his team.
"That day," said the father who now had tears rolling down his face, "those
18 boys reached their level of perfection. They showed that it is not only
those who are talented that should be recognized, but also those who have
less talent. They too are human beings, they too have feelings and emotions,
they too are people, they too want to feel important.
http://www.innernet.org.il/archives/baseball.htm
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To: Laurie bprlist bprlist <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Is 'Jabez' for the needy or greedy?
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 25 May 2001 12:45:54 EDT
--------
Is 'Jabez' for the needy or greedy? Spiritual best seller changes lives, fans
say
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY
http://cgi.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010524/3347026s.htm
The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Bruce Wilkinson,
is one of the hottest-selling books this spring, but it's also making some
readers hot under the collar.
The slim non-fiction volume, which has been No. 1 for four weeks on USA
TODAY's Best-Selling Books list, has sold 4.9 million copies since it was
published in April 2000. Bible classes are studying The Prayer of Jabez
(Multnomah Publishers, $9.99); ministers are preaching on it; churches have
incorporated the prayer into their services. Many people are writing
testimonials about how it has changed their lives on www.prayerofjabez.com.
But critics charge that Jabez encourages prayer for material gain and other
selfish reasons.
The book focuses on a little-known character of the Bible whose brief story is
found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. The verses say that Jabez was ''more honorable
than his brothers'' and that he called on the God of Israel, saying:
''Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand
would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause
pain.''
It goes on to say that God granted him what he requested.
Wilkinson, who has a doctorate in divinity, writes that asking the Lord to
bless you is not self-centered. ''Why not make it a lifelong commitment to ask
God every day to bless you -- and while he's at it, bless you a lot? God's
bounty is limited only by us, not by his resources, power or willingness to
give.''
So does that mean you can pray for a mansion, luxury cars and designer
clothes?
''I think God doesn't want you praying for a pink Cadillac, but he may not say
no if you say, 'I need a new car,' '' Wilkinson says. ''I ask the Lord for
what I would like and trust his judgment, because he can easily say no.''
Wilkinson, who has said the prayer for 30 years, is the founder of Walk Thru
the Bible Ministries, an international publishing and training organization.
But The Prayer of Jabez is raising concerns among some Christians. Phyllis
Tickle, contributing editor in religion for Publishers Weekly, says as a
publishing professional, she's ''overjoyed to see a religion book do that
well,'' but as a Christian, she is afraid people may read it and think praying
is ''some divine insurance policy so they can get everything they want. There
is a self-centeredness in the prayer that is alarming. It smacks of something
close to magic.''
Nancy Marshall, co-owner of the Episcopal Book Store in Seattle, doesn't keep
the book in her store. ''There's nothing wrong with asking God to help you,
walk with you and support you, but this goes over the edge,'' she says.
But Tom Elliff, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church of Del City, Okla.,
says the author is ''saying if you obey God, there is nothing wrong with
asking God to bless your ministry, your work, your family. Bruce is in no way
authorizing (the attitude that) 'if I'm more spiritual and righteous, I'm
going to get more stuff than anybody else.' ''
Wilkinson agrees. ''When you travel like I do all over the world, you see the
most committed Christians are very poor. When they read Jabez, they are
praying for food, that their crops will do better, that they'll have fresh
water, and I say, 'Good. You should pray for those things.' ''
____________________________________________________________________
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To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Amulets are for fools
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 25 May 2001 12:48:57 EDT
--------
SHABBAT SHALOM: Amulets are for fools
By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/05/24/Columns/Columns.26869.html
(May 24) Over the past decade or so, charismatic religious personalities who
claim unusual powers of healing and the ability to foretell future events have
become more and more numerous even here in Israel. These wonder-working rabbis
offer instantaneous remedies for a plethora of ills.
It sometimes seems the rational world I grew up in - the "Brisk-Soloveitchik"
intellectual vision of a religio-legal system which emphasizes rigorous
analysis and individual responsibility combined with an unflinching commitment
to serve the Divine - has given way to vials of holy water, amulets for barren
women and the mortally ill, and promises of good fortune for those who vote
for the proper political party.
What do our Sages say about this old-new brand of blessings dispensers who
claim to visit heaven periodically for their "instant doses" of divinely
ordained wisdom?
In the first Book of Samuel, (Chapter 28) we read about Saul, the first
monarch of Israel, seeking out the witch (ba'alat ov) of Endor to call up the
spirit of the dead prophet Samuel on the eve of a battle with the Philistines.
The witch seemingly succeeds, but the blistering message imparted can hardly
have brought comfort to Saul: "For God has rent the kingdom out of your hand,
and given it to your neighbor, to David." (1 Samuel 28:17)
Yes, Saul violated the Torah's prohibitions against sorcery and wizardry
(Deuteronomy 18:10-11), but does this incident give credence to the efficacy
of such supernaturalism? If so, then although one dare not consort with a
"partner of the devil," a wicked witch, perhaps one may - and even might -
seek out (and pay for) the services of a rabbinical "medium" who exorcizes
dybbuks or connects with holy souls?
Among the gaonim, two positions concerning this biblical episode surface.
Rabbenu Sadya Gaon takes the events in Chapter 28 at face value, but Rabbenu
Samuel Ben Chafni Gaon, (in The Responsa of the Gaonim, Ginzai Shechter, part
1, pages 299-30) writes as follows: "In actuality [the witch] did not raise up
Samuel from the dead, but the ba'alat ov deceived Saul; it is impossible that
God would bring Samuel back to life with the strength of witchcraft, because
this is against nature. The only ones who have mystical powers are prophets,
and she was not a prophet. She deceived him [Saul] into believing that she had
that power."
This second view is rooted in the Talmud, which also provides an added
significance to the festival of the Revelation at Sinai. There is a
fascinating difference of opinion between Rabbi Eliezer and the 70 other Sages
of the Sanhedrin as to the purity of a specific type of oven, and - although
Rabbi Eliezer's was a lone voice against the majority - he was convinced that
his position was the correct one. Frustrated by the refusal of the Sages to
accept what he knew to be the halacha, Rabbi Eliezer finally declares: "If the
law is in agreement with my opinion, let a voice from heaven prove it!"
Immediately a Heavenly Voice (bat-kol) cries out: 'Why do you dispute with
Rabbi Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the final law is with him?'
Nevertheless, the Sages reject Rabbi Eliezer's position, claiming "[the Law]
is no longer in heaven; the Torah has already been given at Mount Sinai, and
so we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice..." (B.T. Bava Mezia 59b)
The message of this exchange seems to leave no room for doubt; the festival of
Shavuot celebrates the moment when God gave the Torah to the Israelites - and
from then on our lives must be conducted based on a logical, this-worldly
interpretation of the sacred text, not by means of mystical amulets.
One of the greatest theologians and halakhists in Jewish history - Maimonides,
the 13th century author of Mishneh Torah (Code of Jewish Law) and The Guide to
the Perplexed - pulls no punches concerning his rejection of wonder-working
rabbis: "One who whispers a spell over a wound, at the same time reciting a
verse from the Torah. is included among those who repudiate the Torah." (Laws
of Idolatry 11:12)
After all, he argues, the Bible expresses itself very clearly: "There must not
be found among you anyone... who uses divination, a soothsayer, or an
enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one who consults a ghost or a
familiar spirit, or a necromancer." (Deuteronomy 18:10-11)
In Halacha 16 of Chapter 11, Maimonides summarizes his position. "These
practices are all false and deceptive and were means employed by the ancient
idolaters to deceive the peoples of various countries and induce them to
become their followers." (Laws of Idolatry)
In case we didn't get the message here, in his Guide to the Perplexed,
Maimonides writes about amulets (kameyot): "You must beware of sharing the
error of those who wrote amulets (kameyot). Whatever you hear from them is
utterly senseless. Rational people ought not to listen to such men or believe
their assertions." (Part 1, Chapter 61)
And Maimonides' view is accepted by Rav Yosef Karo, 16th century compiler of
the Shulhan Arukh (Set Table of Jewish laws), who rules that it is permitted
to "whisper [a divination by citing a verse] if someone is bitten by a
scorpion, even on Shabbat.... even though this whispering cannot help at all;
however, since the individual's life is in danger, the rabbis allowed
'whispering a divination' because they didn't want the person to lose his
mind." (Yoreh Deah, 179,6)
From this context it is clear that Rabbi Caro believes such incantations are
useless, but in order to appease the false beliefs of the victim - and perhaps
save his life - a concession is being made.
After the Revelation, the Torah was given to human beings to interpret for
human beings, who must accept responsibility for their actions and decisions.
And in the final analysis, Torah is the blueprint for human service of the
Divine; it must not become a magical means of manipulating the Divine to serve
our personal needs.
Shabbat shalom and hag sameah
____________________________________________________________________
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To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Shavuot is a weapon in the arsenal of faith
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 25 May 2001 12:51:16 EDT
--------
WEIN ON-LINE: Shavuot is a weapon in the arsenal of faith
By Berel Wein
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/05/24/Columns/Columns.26870.html
(May 24) A very strange holiday, Shavuot. No redeeming ritual or special
observances, and it is over in a day. In Jewish tradition, it is seen more as
a commemorative day than a real holiday. It is the anniversary of the
revelation at Sinai, the day of the granting of the Torah to Israel.
Now, in our wacky world of non-Jewish Holocaust deniers and Jewish
Exodus-from-Egypt deniers, there is precious little room for such a
commemorative day. It cannot be "proven" archeologically to have occurred, and
where is Mount Sinai located anyway? And in any event, so much of the Torah
does not conform to modern sensibilities and politically correct perceptions.
So why bother to remember the day of its granting at all?
Why, indeed?
The problem with all of the above is that such a viewpoint undercuts any
reason for Jewish existence, either personal or national. It supports the
Palestinian lie that we are somehow interlopers in our own land.
It accuses all our ancestors of being liars or dupes. It negates all of the
great Jewish contributions to the world in a general sense and of the Bible
and its value system in particular.
It puts us in the uncomfortable position of having perpetrated the greatest
con job in the history of humanity.
In short, either Shavuot or nothing.
And in the midst of our current difficulties and angst, it is unthinkable for
any Jew to believe that all of this is for nothing.
Shavuot therefore translates itself today as being our great comforter, our
rock of strength in the raging sea of hatred, self-doubt and violence that
otherwise would engulf us.
THE CURRENT thrust of the Palestinian diplomatic offensive against Israel is
concentrated on the problem of the "settlements" and the "settlers." As you
will all remember, the original root cause of the less-than-spontaneous Arab
violence was supposedly Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount. Somehow, the
presence of a Jew on the Temple Mount threatened all of Islam, and especially
the Aksa mosque perched thereupon.
When the outside world eventually tired of this canard, the Palestinians
advanced Israel's use of "excessive force" to quell the riots that trigger the
"excessive force" response. Though the world's diplomats still continue to
piously parrot this "excessive force" accusation against Israel, it too has
not had the effect that the Palestinians desired.
Arafat's reputation as a peacemaker still lies in tatters, the vast majority
of Israelis are no longer seduced by the siren song of an illusory peace still
being sung by the Left, and the Palestinian economy and infrastructure has
been ruined by its own actions. So now the focal point of accusation against
Israel has changed again.
It is now the "settlements" and the "settlers" that are the obstacle to the
flourishing of the rose garden of the new Middle East. Of course, the
Palestinians less than a year ago refused an offer that would have permanently
ended the "settlements" problem.
But let us not be confused by the facts. If only the "settlers" would
disappear, then the peace process could resume, and naturally resume with all
the previous Israeli concessions taken as the starting point for further new
concessions.
It is only the weak of spirit that can subscribe to such a scenario.
Unfortunately, strength of spirit is not found in great abundance in the
Jewish world today. And that is where Shavuot comes into the picture.
Shavuot provides a rebirth of spirit and a refreshment of our sense of self
and soul. It reminds us of who we are and why we are. It lifts us from the
fleeting present into the realm of the eternal.
The sound of the shofar at Sinai echoes in our hearts as we long to hear the
sound of that other shofar - the shofar of redemption and rededication.
Shavuot is a weapon in our arsenal of faith and of belief in the justice of
our cause. It speaks of true peace and morality, of spirituality and holiness.
It is our history confirmed and our destiny foretold.
We should exploit the holiday to the fullest for we will need its strength in
order to survive and succeed.
Shabbat shalom and hag sameah
____________________________________________________________________
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To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Can Muslims tame the Taliban?
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 25 May 2001 12:55:27 EDT
--------
Can Muslims tame the Taliban?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/editorial/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-0105250141,FF.html
May 25, 2001
For a regime that already has sparked international fury over a host of
medieval religious edicts, the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan seem to have
outdone themselves yet again. This week, the Islamic regime decreed that
non-Muslims wear labels on their clothing to make them easily identifiable.
The move is outrageous and reminiscent of the Nazi use of yellow stars to
identify Jews. It is anathema to people everywhere who extol freedom of
religion. But the Taliban rulers have long resisted considerable outside
pressure to change their ways. Witness the destruction this year of ancient
Buddhist statues despite a hail of protest and opprobrium from the outside
world.
This is hardly just the view of non-Muslims. People who practice the Islamic
faith in Chicago and around the world have been offended by this Orthodox
Sunni regime in Kabul. Iran, despite its own extremist leadership, has accused
the Taliban of giving Islam a bad name. Yet on the whole, there's been a
deafening silence from the vast majority of Islamic scholars and intellectuals
about the Taliban.
Why is that? This is a regime that forces men to grow their beards to a
certain length, denies women the right to work or be educated and mandates
they be covered burkas from head to toe. Now, if the Taliban leaders go
through with their plan, they will force Hindus and other minorities to wear
yellow badges. The regime insists the measure is necessary to protect
religious minorities from a strict Islamic law imposed on Afghan Muslims by
religious police.
But this decree follows a litany of other draconian rulings that the world is
virtually powerless to stop. If Islamic nations and the world's 1 billion
Muslims can't force the isolated Taliban to change, perhaps it's time they
tried at least to engage the Kabul regime and become moderating influences.
Aslam Abdullah, vice chairman of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los
Angeles, has spoken out forcefully on the need for Muslims to take stronger,
concerted action to protest the Taliban. "Muslim scholars and intellectuals
must ask themselves how they would feel if they were treated like second-class
citizens," he observed.
Part of the silence, he reasoned, reflects concern over how religious
minorities are treated in other Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia. Still, no
government is as strict as the Taliban.
Abdullah proposes sending a delegation of Islamic scholars to Kabul to start a
dialogue with the Taliban. The outsiders could explain that much of the
Taliban's behavior is considered by other Muslims to be the antithesis of
Islamic beliefs. That's worth a try. Taliban leaders would have more incentive
to listen to fellow Muslims.
This is not just an Islamic problem. The Council on American-Islamic Relations
in Washington points out that in Israel, Palestinians are forced to list their
religion on their Israeli identity cards, as is the practice in some other
countries. But the Taliban decree is more publicly abusive, and deserves the
condemnation of Muslim societies everywhere. Only they, it seems, stand any
chance of influencing the Taliban.
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To: TheLegend- rjoslin
Subject: [bprlist] Re.Bones.
From: Pam
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 14:54:25 -0400
--------
Dear rpj:
In my haste respond to your 'bone', I did not state the proposition
plainly. Daniel 12:12 does not speak of 'the elect' but of those who
come to the end of the 1335 days and says they will be 'blessed'. Since
this prophecy applied to Daniel's people, the 'blessed' will be
Israelites. I think they will be included in 'the elect' but it will
also include a remnant from each of the other nations, who will also be
blessed. If the Israelites were the only ones to survive 'those days',
there would be no other nations to come up, yearly, to Jerusalem nor
would there be any nations to be 'separated' at the great white throne
judgment. I trust that will put some tastier meat on the bone I sent
you. God Bless you. Charlie Baker.
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To: messynews@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Two reports from Jerry Golden today
From: Stafford's Mail
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 19:56:27 +0100
--------
Shabbat Shalom
There are two reports from Jerry today and a most interesting and
challenging call from the Moderator of the Church of Scotland in 1934.
This grabbed my attention as it happens to be my birth year. I do
commend this final item to your attention and prayerful
consideration,and askyour prayers also for the relatives of the
victims in the Israeli wedding disaster.
Blessings Stafford
================================================
Jerry Golden “REPORT”
P. O. Box 591
Bet Shemesh 99100 Israel
Jerry@urbis.net.il
5-25-01
A Wedding Disaster!
The rear tragedy of course is the ones who were killed and those
injured and crippled in this terrible accident. But it is also a
terrible thing for this young couple to live with, that every year
instead of a happy wedding anniversary, they will remember such an
event. The builders have been arrested and detained for questioning to
see if they are guilty of breaking building codes and endangering
lives. At last count 24 are dead and 250 injured some very seriously.
The Bride escaped with small injuries and the Groom escaped unhurt.
It is a Jewish custom to set the Father of the Bride on a chair while
the other men lift him up while dancing around him. This is done after
the breaking of the glass and the couple is married. The floor
collapsed at that moment in the ceremony.
Three Suicide Bombers today!
In the town just north of Netanya, a car bomb went off killing two
suicide bombers and injuring 13 Israelis. In another attack a suicide
bomber near the Gaza Strip drove a truck loaded with a bomb at an
Israeli checkpoint. The IDF soldiers were able to shot the driver
causing the truck to sway off the intended path to kill the soldiers,
explosion and killing the suicide bomber. A gunfight followed with IDF
and Palestinians where 5 Palestinians Police were injured.
The southern neighborhood of Jerusalem, Gillo, came under fire for the
fifth night in a row. Where five Israeli were sounded yesterday. This
time the machinegun fire from the Palestinians reached some 3 to 4
kilometers away into another Jerusalem Neighborhood, Malka, Malka is
where the new Jerusalem Mall is and sets in a valley. So they have to
be gauging their shots to raise and fall into this valley where tens
of thousands of Israelis live.
In the past two days there has been 21 bombs found and disarmed across
Israel. This happens nearly daily and never reported by the news.
Every Israeli is alert and constantly looking for suspicious items.
Sharon has certainly proved his point; it is not the IDF attacking,
but being attacked by the Palestinians. So now would be a great time
to lift his orders and let our soldiers take care of the enemy. Allow
them to do what they have been trained to do, protect the citizens of
Israel. Even CNN and BBC are having a hard time pointing their fingers
at us now. Shabbat Shalom, jerry golden
=======================================================
SHAVU´OT
OR THE DAY OF
PENTECOST
Shavua is week in Hebrew, and Shavu´ot means 7 weeks, on the eve of
the last day would be the beginning to the 50th day, from the second
day of Passover “Pesah”. The second day of the Feast of Pesah was the
Feast of First Fruits, on the Jewish calendar called “Omer”. The day
our Messiah rose from the grave, it was the day of the Resurrection.
It is also worth noting that the number fifty is the number for the
Holy Spirit. So Yeshua said He would send the Holy Spirit, and He did
it on the 50th day after His resurrection.
It is the second of the three Pilgrim festivals and it happen in
Israel on the 6th of Sivan, (Jewish Calendar) this year on May 28th
and everywhere but Israel for two days 28th and 29th. It has other
names in Hebrew such as Hag Ha-Katzir meaning Harvest Festival. It was
when the ingathering of barley crop ended and the season of wheat
harvest began. But Yom Ha-Kikkurim (Day of First Fruits or Shavu´ot in
the Jewish World, and Pentecost in the Christian World)
According the Rabbis, this festival also commemorates the events at
Sinai which traditionally occurred on the 6th of Sivan and have long
overshadowed the original (agricultural) aspect of Shavu´ot. Therefore
it is also called the giving of the Law (Torah)
Dairy products are generally eaten, and favorite dishes are
cheesecakes and cheese pancakes. (Yiddish blintzes, pancakes) Here in
Israel it is a state holiday, and a time for pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
There is lots of dancing and folklore. Generally a very nice time to
be in Israel.
Just thought you´d appreciate a little run down on this Biblical even
in the Jewish world and should be part of the Christians world as well.
In fact, there is much to learn about your Jewish roots here.
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(An extract of: )
A Call to Prayer and Consecration
To the Ministers, Office-Bearers, and Members of the Church of Scotland
by the Right Rev. Peter D. Thompson
(as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1934)
THESE are days when we should all be on our knees, besieging the Throne of
Grace with fervent believing prayer and with a wholly surrendered and
consecrated spirit.
God has set His Church in our time tasks that have proved too great for
unaided human wisdom and strength.
Unless there is a speedy and substantial improvement, we shall be
faced with the humbling necessity of further retrenchment and retreat.
Beyond our own more immediate tasks, the church in all its Communions is
confronted with world-tasks and problems which vitally affect the Kingdom
of God, and which are thwarting the best efforts of experts in every
province of human affairs. All these tasks and problems are at root
spiritual, and will only yield to spiritual treatment. World-peace,
liberty, Christian morality, Christian civilisation itself, are challenged
and in peril.
The present drift and tendency of world-politics is towards war. If the
disruptive forces at work to-day are not checked and controlled, there is
no prospect before the world but that of "a certain fearful looking for of
judgment."
"Who is sufficient for these things?" Is it not plain that we are nearing
the end of our merely human resources? And is not the revelation of our
comparative impotence, in spite of our utmost endeavour, just God's way of
constraining us to seek His aid and put our trust in Him? Once more His
word of old has become the rebuke, as it is ever the hope and confidence,
of His people: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord
of hosts."
Wherefore this is the most challenging and hopeful call that can be
addressed to the Church, now or at any time - that we throw ourselves
trustfully and confidently on the immeasurable resources that are in Him.
These resources are spiritual, and they are all-powerful.
What the Church and the world alike need is a fresh baptism of the Holy
Spirit, a rebirth of spiritual life and power. God will command this upon
His people when He wills. Meanwhile it is available for all who truly seek
it, and available now. Its first condition is repentance. Deal honestly
with God and your own souls. Particularise your sins, bring them out into
the light, and make a clean breast of them to God.
Throw yourselves upon His mercy, make your covenant with Him, and rely
confidently on His grace to enable you to do His will. This straight
dealing with God is the source of unbelievable spiritual renewal. To be
reconciled to Him and wholly surrendered is to be "strengthened with all
might by His Spirit in the inner man": it is to be consciously liberated
and enpowered.
And then, set yourselves to keep in touch with God and His infinite
resources by steady prayer and consecration. Most of us have yet to learn
the wonderful secret and satisfaction of'prayer. Pray, surrendering
yourselves wholly to God's will, and saying: "Lord, what wilt Thou will
have me to do?" In every situation of life it will be borne, in upon you
with sufficient plainness; and with the revelation will come