Undeniable Proof—Every Jot & Every Tittle (XX)

It’s a marvel of miracles that God authored and holy men—inspired by this God of Words—penned the 66 books of the Holy Bible.  The written account began with the Word given unto Moses on Mt. Sinai around 3,700 years ago, and the New Testament was written nearly 2,000 years ago.  The academic skills of the writers ran the gamut: from fishermen and shepherds to prophets and kings.  The perfect, interwoven harmony traversing so many millennia, so many books, and so many writers, yet all one perfect work of literary light and truth, is breathtaking.  The story begins with “In the beginning,” and closes out with the very end of all time.  This book, this Holy Bible, is not merely printer’s ink and paper, but rather it is alive; it is a person.  Revelation 19:13 speaks of Jesus Christ and says His name is “The Word of God.”  Because of who this Book is, every book written must bow before this book.

This Book—this person—is Satan’s dread.  He must attack.  Satan’s champions have literally tried to destroy the physical book.  They have scoffed at and attempted to discredit every statement.  They have challenged and maligned on every societal front, but, totally impervious to their caterwauling, the Word of God stands unscathed. 

The greatest enemies of Holy Writ often tend to be men of the cloth, the ones Jesus calls “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15).  They are the ones who challenge the inerrancy, the manuscripts, the writers, the content, and the translators—and do it as though they are the keepers of the faith.  But, thanks be to God, the childlike are not fooled.  Satan’s wolves attempt to weaken and break God’s staff of strength.  Satan uses them to pollute the bread.  Satan uses them to change the recipe.  Satan uses them to destroy the absolutes of the absolute, but be advised what Jesus said in Matthew 5:18:

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

Have you yet to be born again—born a second time, this time of the Spirit of God?  Has your new name been written down in glory?  Today can be the day all your sin and shame is washed away.  Today can be the day your supernatural journey on Rt. 7 North (Obedience) begins, where today is truly the best day of your life and tomorrow will be even better.  Why are you procrastinating?  Move now!  Click onto “Further with Jesus” for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Job 41:19-21:

19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

GOD SAID, II Kings 17:5-6:

5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

GOD SAID, Zechariah 11:13:

And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

MAN SAID: Learned men and women do not take the Bible literally, if they even take it at all!  It has no relevance in the lives of the educated. 

Now THE RECORD: Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature article 907 that will once again contend for the faith and strengthen the hearts of the blood-bought.  Every Thursday eve, God willing, they grow by one.  Thank you for coming today.  May God’s face shine upon you with Light and Truth. 

This glorious day we will add God-proofs 166-170.  GodSaidManSaid will establish in this short series, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Glory and is God’s Saviour of all who will believe upon His name.  All the loopholes have been closed up.  The eternal question is: will we pay the price? 

166. Job 41:19-21:

19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

Numerous accounts recorded in the Bible are and should be classified as miracles—deeds and actions outside the realm of human ability.  The initial creation of the earth and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead are excellent examples of miracles.  But there are Biblical situations which appear to be miracles, long relegated to mythology, that are actually, historically, anatomically, and rationally sound.  One great example is the fire-breathing dragon-like creatures of the Bible.  Of leviathan, Job 41:19-21 describes a creature out of whose mouth leaps “sparks of fire.” Is this simply ancient mythology?  Is the Biblical account a credible one? 

Dr. Henry Morris, founder of the world-renowned Institute For Creation Research weighs in with this statement from his book The Remarkable Record of Job:

Dragons of various kinds were capable of breathing out fire—at least according to traditions from all parts of the world. Certain insects can, in effect, give out light or fire (e.g., the bombardier beetle and the firefly), as can various luminescent fish. Perhaps more to the point, dinosaur fossils have been excavated that show a strange protuberance, with internal cavity, on top of the head. It is conceivable that this could have served as a sort of mixing chamber for combustible gases that would ignite when exhaled into the outside oxygen.

In any case, it seems unlikely that the ubiquitous tales of fire-breathing dragons in ancient times, coming as they do from all parts of the world, could have come into existence without a strong factual basis. Furthermore, the Bible often mentions dragons just as it mentions unicorns; always in such a way as to show that the writers believed they were real animals. [End of quotes]

The following excerpts are from Darek Isaac’s book Dragons or Dinosaurs? and highlight the ubiquity of fire-breathing dragons in cultures all over the world. Isaacs writes:

The evidence that dragons  or dinosaurs—whichever term you wish to apply—and man coexisted has become difficult for naysayers to easily dismiss.  But there seems to be a proviso, clause, or condition to all this dragon talk—and that is the widespread theme through multiple continents and cultures that some of these creatures somehow had the ability to scorch, burn, and destroy by simply aiming and firing. 

In Spain, Coca is a monstrous, fire-exuding dragon.  It is so renowned that it is still carried in effigy at some Spanish festivals.  In the British Isles, the Fire-Drakes seemed to be a species of dragon that were flying fire-breathers that inhabited northern Europe. 

The fire-breathing trait leapt the oceans and is found in the stories of American Indians.  One enormous dragon named Gaasyendietha, found in the legends of the Seneca Indians in the northeastern United States, had quite the hot tempter. 

Jurik was a flying dragon in the legends of the people of Sunda in Indonesia. Its fiery profile could be seen as it flew in the night sky.  Kiyo was a Japanese dragon that could fly and blast fire from its mouth. 

The Lung refers to a class of fire-breathing dragons in China, who “…is shown with a scaly serpentine body with four legs, a long, sinuous tail, and a head resembling that of a gigantic lizard…  The nostrils breathe smoke or fire.” 

Eastern Europe also makes a play with Kaukas, who is a flying, fiery dragon from Lithuania.  Albania offers Kucedre, a flying dragon that spits fiery sparks as it travels through the air.

Not to be outdone, the Middle East presents Thu’ban. This is the Persian (Iranian) fire-breathing dragon.  [End of quotes]

Fire-breathing leviathan?  Absolutely! 

167. II Kings 17:5-6:

5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

II Kings 17:24:

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

Biblical minimalists have attacked the historicalaccuracy of the Holy Book incessantly, but, the process of time has thoroughly debunked their skepticism. According to the Bible, Samaria—which was the capitol of the ten tribes of Israel—was taken in battle by the king of Assyria.  The Bible reports the Assyrian king exiled the Jewish inhabitants and repopulated Samaria with people from other lands.  Does ancient history certify the accuracy of Holy Writ?  From the book Documents from Old Testament Times, edited by D. Winton Thomas, you’ll find the following ancient documents:

At the beginning of my rule … the city of the Samarians I besieged and conquered … who let me achieve my victory … carried off prisoners.  27,290 of the people who dwelt in it; from among them I equipped 50 chariots for my royal army units … the city of Samaria I restored and made it more habitable than before.  I brought into it people of the countries conquered by my own hands.  My official I set over them as district-governor and imposed upon them tribute as on an Assyrian city … I made to mix with each other; the market price … [Annuals, 10-18]

The governor of Samaria who had consorted with the king who opposed me not to do service and not to bring tribute … and they did battle.  I clashed with them in the power of the great gods, my lords, and counted as spoil 27,280 people together with their chariots … and the gods in whom they trusted.  From among them I equipped 200 chariots for my royal army units, while the rest of them I made to take up their lot within Assyria.  I restored the city of Samaria and made it more habitable than before.  I brought into it people from the countries conquered by my own hands.  My official I set over them as district-governor and reckoned them as people of Assyria itself. [Nimrud Prism, iv. 25-41]  [End of quote]

The historical record of the Word of God is true—every jot and every tittle. 

168.  Exodus 15:26:

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

It was a colossal field study spanning thousands of years and millions of participants.  If the Israelites in the days of old fully followed the Bible’s dietary and hygiene laws, there should be positive results to report—and there are.  The following paragraphs are from Dr. Jordan Rubin’s book The Maker’s Diet:

Peter Rothchild, M.D., Ph.D., wrote an unpublished book entitled The Art of Health. In a chapter called “Please Don’t Eat the Wrapper,” he writes:

It suddenly dawned on us that God, the greatest master nutritionist of all time, has given us an all-purpose diet more than 3,000 years ago…

There is abundant historic evidence that reveals that the average Israelite, up to the end of the last century [19^th], was much longer-lived than the average Gentile.  We wish to emphasize that we are referring to the Israelites up to the end of the last century [19^th], because up to those years, the overwhelming majority of Jews obeyed God’s laws by and large. 

However, beginning with World War I, both diet and hygiene began to slacken among the children of Israel all over the planet, until only a small fraction remains true to Biblical tradition…worldwide statistics bear witness to their changing eating habits.  The trend of longevity is gradually vanishing among the non-observant.  It appears that God indeed knew what nourishment to recommend. 

Michael D. Jacobson, D.O., a former US Army flight surgeon and family practitioner, noted that in the mid-fourteenth century, bubonic plague wiped out one-fourth of Europe’s population in just one year.  It returned repeatedly over the next 250 years, killing nearly a fourth of London’s population in 1603.  England lost nearly half of its total population to this plague.  Read history’s record of how the Jewish people fared in the face of it:

As the plague continued its scourge, it became apparent that the Jewish people were somehow escaping its death grip.  This led many to persecute them.  People concluded that it was the Jews who were responsible for the plague, since they were the only ones who were not dying. 

The truth is that, hundreds of years prior to the discovery of bacteria, the Jews were protecting themselves from the deadly Yersinia pestis microbe by practicing cleanliness and good hygiene…more than three thousand years before man discovered bacteria, the Creator had given detailed instructions that, if followed, would prevent the spread of such a deadly communicable disease.  [End of quotes]

Consider Deuteronomy 7:12-15:

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

169. Luke 16:22-24:

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham''s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Is there life after death? Does the mind function after an individual is declared “brain dead?”  The Bible certainly thinks so.  Luke 16:22-24 speaks of three men who had died.  Their entire bodies—brains, eyes, tongues, and all—were decaying in the grave, yet they fully existed in the spirit realm with bodies, minds and memories, eyes, tongues, and more.  Does neurological science now know that the mind exists outside of the brain? 

Dick Teresi has been the editor of Science Digest, Longevity, VQ, and Omni, and has written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic as well as other publications.  You’ll find the following excerpts in his book The Undead:

Van Lommel’s study [on near-death experiences] was published in the British medical journal Lancet, a periodical not known for its paranormal bias. But based on his research, Van Lommel has come to the conclusion that the brain neither produces consciousness nor stores memories.  Think of a television set: when it is broken or damaged, programs may no longer come through it, but the source is not inside the set.  In the same way, consciousness may not be a product of the brain.

Teresi goes on to discuss the arguments of the skeptics:  

“None of these reductionist explanations is compelling,” though some are plausible,” Greyson told me. “I don’t have much use for people who just spew theories.” 

Van Lommel notes, “Up until now, ‘death’ simply meant the end of consciousness, of identity, of life…In the past, these experiences were attributed to physiological, psychological, pharmacological or religious reasons.  So to a shortage of oxygen, the release of endorphins, receptor blockages, fear of death, hallucinations, religious expectations, or a combination of all these factors.  But our research indicates that none of these factors determine whether or not someone has a near-death experience.” 

Teresi quotes Dr. Sam Parnia, a fellow in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center:

“Subsequently,” he adds, “there is a period of time, lasting from a few seconds to an hour or more, when emergency medical efforts may succeed in restarting the heart and reversing the dying process.  The big question is, Can human consciousness continue when we’ve reached the point of death and all studies have shown that the brain stops functioning?  We can’t explain how people have consciousness when the brain is flatlined.”  [End of quotes]

Does the mind/soul continue after the person is declared braindead?  We have pulled a very short sampling of John Burke’s 348-page book Imagine Heaven for your consideration:

With the advent of modern medicine and superior resuscitation techniques, the prevalence of people being brought back from clinical death has soared.  In 1982, “a Gallup poll reported that 8 million people have had near-death episodes,” according to theNew York Times.  In the last forty years since Moody coined the term, studies in the United States and Germany suggest approximately 4.2 percent of the population has reported a near-death experience (NDE).  That’s one out of every twenty-five people, or nearly 13 million Americans! 

Numerous reported cases in which someone is apparently unconscious in a hospital bed and reported seeing things they could not have seen from that bed prompted many doctors and professors to take these stories seriously.  Kimberly Clark Sharp, a noted NDE researcher in Seattle, Washington, reported a case study in which a woman named Maria was rushed to the hospital with a severe heart attack.  After successful resuscitation, Maria told Sharp about her near-death experience, including detailed out-of-body observations of her resuscitation.  Then she went one step beyond.  She claimed to travel outside the hospital, she said, where she observed a tennis shoe on the third-story window ledge of the hospital.  Maria provided detailed information about the shoe.  It was a man’s shoe, she said, left-footed, and dark blue with a wear mark over the little toe and a shoelace tucked under the heel.  Sharp went window to window on the hospital’s third floor looking on the ledges.  Finally, she found the shoe, exactly as Maria had described it.  Dr. Long points out, “This account stands as remarkably evidential in spite of the efforts of some skeptics to cast doubts.” 

The Lancet, one of the most prestigious medical journals, published another account of a patient having a cardiac arrest and not breathing.  Dr. Long recounts a portion of it here:

At the time that a tube was being placed in the airway to ventilate [the patient], it was noted that he had upper dentures.  The dentures were removed and placed in a crash-cart drawer while the patient was deeply comatose.  Over a week later, the patient reported having an [out-of-body experience] and accurately described the room he was resuscitated in and the people present.  Remarkably, he declared that his lost dentures could be found in the crash-cart drawer.  Note that the patient reported seeing the nurse and those present during his resuscitation, which doesn’t occur unless someone is lucid and in an out-of-body state. 

J.M. Holden, a professor of psychology, studied ninety-three NDE patients who claimed to make verifiable observations while out of their physical bodies.  “Of these out-of-body perceptions, 92 percent were completely accurate, 6 percent contained some error, and only 1 percent was completely erroneous.” [End of quote]

God’s Word says eternal life in Christ Jesus or eternal cognizant punishment exists after this life.  You and I are able to choose which outcome it is.  Have you chosen Jesus Christ?  If not, click onto “Further with Jesus” now and settle it. 

170. Matthew 27:1-10:

1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.

7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter''s field, to bury strangers in.

8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;

10 And gave them for the potter''s field, as the Lord appointed me.

Bible students number over 300 Old Testament prophecies that foretell the New Testament Christ hundreds and thousands of years in advance.  Many have been fulfilled and more are yet to come.  The Old Testament prophet Zechariah, around 500 years before Christ, speaks of 30 pieces of silver and the potter’s field.  Grant Jeffrey writes in his book Jesus, The Great Debate about the fulfillment of this Old Testament prediction:

The Old Testament Prediction: “And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them.  And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.”  (Zechariah 11:13)

The New Testament Fulfillment:“And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.  And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury because it is the price of blood.  And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.”  (Matthew 27:5-7)

This complicated prophecy appears to be contradictory at first glance.  However, despite its apparent impossibility, every detail of this prophecy was fulfilled.  The disciple Judas threw the thirty pieces of silver betrayal money into the Temple.  Later, the priests used this money to purchase a potter’s field to bury strangers, including Judas (who, overcome with guilt, hanged himself).  [End of quote]

Jesus Christ is the Lord of Glory.  Jesus Christ is “The Word of God” and every jot and tittle is true and righteous altogether.  Choose life and live. 

GOD SAID, Job 41:19-21:

19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

GOD SAID, II Kings 17:5-6:

5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

GOD SAID, Zechariah 11:13:

And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

MAN SAID: Learned men and women do not take the Bible literally, if they even take it at all!  It has no relevance in the lives of the educated.

 

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

GodSaidManSaid, “Dinosaurs and Sea Monsters of the Bible Found”

GodSaidManSaid, “The Other Side of Life”

Isaacs, D, Dragons or Dinosaurs, Bridge Logos Foundation, 2010

Jeffrey, G, Jesus, the Great Debate, Frontier Research Publications, Inc, 1999

Rubin, J, The Maker’s Diet, Siloam Publishing, 2004

Teresi, D, The Undead, Pantheon Books, 2012

Thomas, D, Documents from Old Testament Times, Harper & Row, 1958

 

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