Also to dead men was good news preached

Sunday 2020.05.31
Readings from the first epistle of Peter, Young's Literal Translation.

What does proclaiming the good news to the dead mean? Where are the dead?
Are they existing in a hidden world? When will the dead be judged, along with the living?
Are they the same as those spirits "in prison" to whom the Lord went also to preach?

1 Peter 3:19 YLT
19 in which also to the spirits in prison having gone he did preach,

1 Peter 4: 5,6 YLT
5 who shall give an account to Him who is ready to judge living and dead,
6 for for this also to dead men was good news proclaimed, that they may
  be judged, indeed, according to men in the flesh, and may live according to God in the spirit.

Practise hospitality and minister spiritual gifts

Sunday 2020.05.31
Reading 1 Peter Chapter 4, Young's Literal Translation

A reminder to show earnest love to fellow believers, by way of hospitality and ministering spiritual gifts to benefit one another, e.g. speaking and serving, that God may be glorified through Iesou Christou.

1 Peter 4:7 - 11 YLT

7 And of all things the end hath come nigh; be sober-minded, then, and watch unto the prayers,
8 and, before all things, to one another having the earnest love, because the love shall cover a multitude of sins;
9 hospitable to one another, without murmuring;
10 each, according as he received a gift, to one another ministering it, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God;
11 if any one doth speak -- `as oracles of God;` if any one doth minister -- as of the ability which God doth supply;` that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power -- to the ages of the ages. Amen.

From Yeshua to Jesus: transliterations of the Lord's Name

The following list shows how the Name of the Messiah, the Anointed One, was pronounced by different communities in different places over the years:

1. Hebrew — Yeshua or Yehoshua (Joshua)
2. Greek — Iesou (Iesous for masculine nominative case)
3. Latin — Iesus
4. Geneva Bible 1557 — Jesus. (In Switzerland, "J" sounds like "Y", pronounced Yesus)
5. King James Version in 1611 — Iesus
• King James Bible Online

6. By 1769, the Geneva spelling Jesus was adopted by English translations, but not the "Y" sound.

It is the failure of the English translations to adopt the Y sound from the Geneva Bible that has led to mispronounciation of the Lord's Name today.

Instead of calling upon "Yesou" or even "Yesus", most Christians are calling upon "Jesus".

Thankfully, such a departure from the original Y sound did not happen in the Chinese and Tamil translations of the New Testament. The Chinese transliteration for the Lord's Name is "Ye su" in Mandarin, or "Yeh Sow" in Cantonese dialect, while the Tamil transliteration is "Yeso". Both maintain strong resemblance to the Greek Iesou, for Yeshua.

Reference:

• How did Yeshua become Jesus

Everyone who is loving is begotten of God

Sunday, 2020.05.24
Reading 1 John Chapter 4, Young's Literal Translation

Your faith is shown by your works. It is by what you do that you show to God and to the world around you whether you have the presence of God, His Spirit, in you:

(1) Love one another

1 John 4:7 " . . . every one who is loving, of God he hath been begotten, and doth know God;"
   
1 John 4: 12, 13 " . . . God no one hath ever seen; if we may love one another, God in us doth remain, and His love is having been perfected in us; in this we know that in Him we do remain, and He in us, because of His Spirit He hath given us"

1 John 4: 16 "and we -- we have known and believed the love, that God hath in us; God is love, and he who is remaining in the love, in God he doth remain, and God in him"

1 John 4: 20,21 "if any one may say -- `I love God,` and his brother he may hate, a liar he is; for he who is not loving his brother whom he hath seen, God -- whom he hath not seen -- how is he able to love? and this is the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.

(2) Confess, testify

1 John 4: 14-15 "And we -- we have seen and do testify, that the Father hath sent the Son -- Saviour of the world; whoever may confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God in him doth remain, and he in God;"

A Chronology of Noah and the Flood

Reading from the Septuagint,

Genesis chapters 7 and 8.

(A) Genesis 7: 6-10 appears to be an overview, or an introduction of the account of the Flood.

(1) Noe (Noah) was 600 years old when the flood occurred.

(2) Noah and his family went into the ark. (Gen 7:6-7).

(3) After seven days, the flood began. (Gen 7:10)

(B) The chronological details of the Flood begins from Genesis 7: 11 onwards.

(4) In the 600th year of Noe, 2nd month, 27th day (Gen 7:11) "all the fountains of the abyss were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened",

(5) "on that day" Noe and his family entered the ark (Gen 7:13)

(6) It rained 40 days and 40 nights. (Gen 7:12)

(7) The flood was upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights (Gen7:17). This verse may refer to 40 days of flood subsequent to 40 days of rain, or it may be a reiteration of Gen. 7:12 above.

(C) The end of the Flood is chronicled in Genesis chapter 8.

(8) After 150 days, the water "was diminished", and on 600th year, 7th month, 27th day, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. (Gen 8:3)

Question: How do we reconcile this 150 days of flood water with the 40 days of rain (Gen 7:12) and / or 40 days of flood (Gen 7:17)?

(9) On the 600th year, 10th month, 1st day, the mountain tops were seen. (Gen 8:5)

(10) After 40 days, a raven was sent out, followed by a dove the first time (Gen 8:7).

(11) After another 7 days, the dove was sent out a second time (Gen 8:10).

(12) After yet another 7 days, the dove was sent out for the third time (Gen 8:12).

(D) The opening of the ark and the return to dry land is accounted from Genesis 8:13 onwards.

(13) On the 601st year, 1st month, 1st day, the covering of the ark was opened (Gen 8:13).

(14) Finally, on the 601st year, 2nd month, 27th day, the earth was dried (Gen 8:14).

Altogether, from the 27/2/600 year of Noe until the 27/2/601 year, Noe and his wife, and his three sons and daughters-in-law, and all the chosen animals, spent an entire year in the ark.

This is His command

Reading from the Young's Literal Translation.

Fri 20200522
1 John 3: 21-24 YLT "The commands of God - to believe, to love one another"

21 Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God,
22 and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because His commands we keep, and the things pleasing before Him we do,
23 and this is His command, that we may believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and may love one another, even as He did give command to us,
24 and he who is keeping His commands, in Him he doth remain, and He in him; and in this we know that He doth remain in us, from the Spirit that He gave us.

The above, especially verse 23, sheds light on an earlier passage about keeping "an old command" in 1 John 2: 3-11 YLT

3 and in this we know that we have known him, if his commands we may keep;
4 he who is saying, `I have known him,` and his command is not keeping, a liar he is, and in him the truth is not;
5 and whoever may keep his word, truly in him the love of God hath been perfected; in this we know that in him we are.
6 He who is saying in him he doth remain, ought according as he walked also himself so to walk.
7 Brethren, a new command I write not to you, but an old command, that ye had from the beginning -- the old command is the word that ye heard from the beginning;
8 again, a new command I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness doth pass away, and the true light doth now shine;
9 he who is saying, in the light he is, and his brother is hating, in the darkness he is till now;
10 he who is loving his brother, in the light he doth remain, and a stumbling-block in him there is not;
11 and he who is hating his brother, in the darkness he is, and in the darkness he doth walk, and he hath not known whither he doth go, because the darkness did blind his eyes.

Notes:

(1) The "old command" that the disciples had from the beginning was reiterated in the "new command" that John wrote about in 1 John 2: 8 - 11, that is, to love your brethren in the Lord.

(2) Later, John sums it up in 1 John 3: 23 by saying that this is the command from God our Father, "and this is His command, that we may believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and may love one another, even as He did give command to us,"

(3) It is by obeying this God given command, both to believe in the Name of Iesou the Anointed One, and to love one another, that makes us pleasing to him (1 John 3: 22) and that gives us boldness towards God our Father in Heaven, who answers our prayers and supplications (1 John 3:21 - 22).

Adam was a son of God

In Luke 3: 36b - 38 YLT an account of the ten generations of descendants from Adam is written as follows:

"the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel,
38 the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

Adam is called the son of God in Luke 3:38.

Today, reading from the Septuagint:

When we look back into Genesis 5: 1-5, we read that the name Adam was given by God Himself. In like manner, Adam went on to give a name, Seth, to his own son.

Adam was the son of God, just as Seth was the son of Adam. Thus began the use of the term "ben", meaning "son of". In other words we call the first man Adam ben Elohim, and his son, Seth ben Adam.

Genesis 5:1-5 LXX
"This is the genealogy of men in the day in which God made Adam; in the image of God he made him: male and female he made them, and blessed them; and he called his name Adam, in the day in which he made them. And Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son after his own form, and after his own image, and he called his name Seth. And the days of Adam, which he lived after his begetting Seth, were seven hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Adam which he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died."

Note from the passage above:

(1) Adam was made by God in the image of God, male and female were they made. The making of Adam included Eve, for Eve was made out of the body of Adam.

(2) Adam was the name given by God, on the day he was made by God, in the image of God Himself.

(3) Seth was the name called by Adam, he bore the form and image of Adam

Lamech prophesied about Noah

Reading from the LXX Septuagint (Brenton).

Did Lamech know something about his son Noe, that few of us were told?

Genesis 5: 28-30 LXX
"And Lamech lived an hundred and eighty and eight years, and begot a son. And he called his name Noe, saying, This one will cause us to cease from our works, and from the toils of our hands, and from the earth, which the Lord God has cursed. And Lamech lived after his begetting Noe, five hundred and sixty and five years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and fifty-three years, and he died."

Notes :

(1) Noe was a name called by Lamech, who said that Noe will cause us to "cease from our works, and from the toils of our hands, and from the earth, which the Lord God has cursed".

(2) Question: Does this mean that the Curse upon Adam, pronounced by the Lord God in Genesis 3:18b - 20, was to cease in the generation of Noe, the tenth generation of Adam?

see Genesis 8:21 lxx

"I will not any more curse the earth, because of the works of men, because the imagination of man is intently bent upon evil things from his youth, I will not therefore any more smite all living flesh as I have done. All the days of the earth, seed and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring, shall not cease by day or night."

(3) If so, was this brought about by the new covenant established by God after the Great Flood, in Genesis 9: 1 - 17, when God commanded Man to "increase, fill the earth and have dominion over it" (Gen 9:1) a second time? (The first time was in Gen 1: 28, when God commanded Adam to "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, . . .")

cf the Curse upon Adam in Genesis 3: 18b-20:

"cursed is the ground in thy labours, in pain shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread until thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken, for earth thou art and to earth thou shalt return."

The ten generations of Adam

Reading from the Septuagint.
Genesis 5: 6-27 LXX

These are the ten generations of Adam's descendants, with years starting from the first year of Adam:

G1  Y001 to Y930  Adam (230 + 700 = 930)
G2  Y230 to Y1142 Seth (205 + 707 = 912)
G3  Y435 to Y1340 Enos (190 + 715 = 905)
G4  Y625 to Y1535 Cainan (170 + 740 = 910)
G5  Y795 to Y1690 Maleleel (165 + 730 = 895)
     (Adam died in the year Maleleel was 135 yr old)
G6  Y960 to Y1922 Jared (162 + 800 = 962)
G7  Y1022 to Y1387 Enoch (165 + 200 = 365)
     (Well pleasing to God, was not found, translated)
G8  Y1187 to Y2156 Mathusala (167 + 802 = 969)
     (longest life of all)
G9  Y1354 to Y2107 Lamech (188 + 565 = 753)
G10 Y1542 to Y2492 Noe (500 sons + 100 flood + after flood 350 = 950)

Notes :

(1) Adam lived until his great great grandson Maleleel was 135 years old.

(2) This means that the account of Genesis was most probably carried and preserved by word-of-mouth "story-telling", (like the Red Indians of North America), for five generations in the presence of the first man, Adam the son of God. (Luke 3:38)

(3) Similarly, Seth ben Adam lived until his great great great grandson Enoch was eighty years old. And it would have been easy for the story telling of the Genesis account to continue to be passed on for these next six generations.

(4) Besides seeing the death of Adam, Maleleel, the fifth generation from Adam, also saw the birth of Noe, the tenth generation, in the year 1542 when Maleleel was 747 years old.

Cain was groaning and trembling upon the earth

Reading from the Septuagint.
Genesis 4: 12-14

LXX Cain became a "groaning and trembling" man after murdering his brother Abel (instead of "a  fugitive and vagabond")

"When thou tillest the earth, then it shall not continue to give its strength to thee: thou shalt be groaning and trembling on the earth. And Cain said to the Lord God, My crime is too great for me to be forgiven. If thou castest me out this day from the face of the earth, and I shall be hidden from thy presence, and I shall be groaning and trembling upon the earth, then it will be that any one that finds me shall slay me."

Verses 12 and 14 of Genesis 4 is typically translated as "vagrant and wanderer" (NASB), "fugitive and vagabond" (NKJV),  or "fugitive and a wanderer" (RSV) on the earth.

Looking these verses in the LXX gives us a new understanding of the condition that Cain turned into after he murdered his brother Abel. He was groaning in guilt and trembling in fear. He wasn't his usual self anymore. One can say he was no longer an ordinary person. 

Perhaps his very appearance had changed. He was a trembling man. And that could explain why any one who saw him would want to slay him.

Why was Cain's sacrifice rejected by the LORD?

Genesis 4: 1 - 7 LXX
"And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, I have gained a man through God. And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And it was so after some time that Cain brought of the fruits of the earth a sacrifice to the Lord. And Abel also brought of the first born of his sheep and of his fatlings, and God looked upon Abel and his gifts, but Cain and his sacrifices he regarded not, and Cain was exceedingly sorrowful and his countenance fell. And the Lord God said to Cain, Why art thou become very sorrowful and why is thy countenance fallen? Hast thou not sinned if thou hast brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? be still, to thee shall be his submission, and thou shalt rule over him."

Contrast

4:3 "Cain brought of the fruits of the earth . . ." with

4:4 " Abel also brought of the first born of his sheep and of his fatlings"

Cain brought some of the fruits of the earth that he cultivated. He did not bring the FIRST FRUITS that the ground yielded to him.

In contrast, Abel brought of the FIRST BORN of his sheep AND FIRST BORN of his fatlings.

Cain has not brought his sacrifice rightly.

Hence the question from the LORD:

4:7 "Hast thou not sinned if thou hast brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? . . ."

Although the Torah was given through Moses much later in the book of Exodus through Deuteronomy, one must note that Mankind lived in the Presence of God Almighty in the early days of Creation. It is not unexpected that Cain and Abel were aware of the Godly practice of consecration the first-fruits of their harvests or the first-born of their livestock in sacrifice to the LORD.

In fact, it was necessary for such Godly practices to be written down as commandments in the Torah of Moses many centuries later because the descendants of Abraham no longer had the privilege of "walking and talking" directly to God as in the days of Cain and Abel. They only had a pillar of cloud to lead their camp by day, and a pillar of fire by night. And only Moses, and subsequently the sanctified priests were allowed to enter into the presence of God on the mountain where the Torah was given, and in the most Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle.

Consecration of First-fruits

One may understand the words, "but not rightly divided it . . ." to mean that Cain had failed to divide his harvest of crops into FIRST FRUITS and other fruits. In other words, he had failed to set aside the first yield from his harvest to be consecrated to the LORD.

We read in Numbers 18: 12-13, that the LORD has given to the priests the firstfruits of everything from the land that the people of Israel consecrated to the LORD

"I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give to the LORD as their firstfruits. 13The firstfruits of everything in their land that they bring to the LORD will belong to you. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat them."

The LXX renders this passage as follows:
"Every first-offering of oil, and every first-offering of wine, their first-fruits of corn, whatsoever they may give to the Lord, to thee have I given them. All the first-fruits that are in their land, whatsoever they shall offer to the Lord, shall be thine: every clean person in thy house shall eat them."

Redemption of first-born son

Later, in Exodus 13:2, the LORD commanded that every first born child and first born animal belongs to the LORD

"Sanctify to me every first-born, first produced, opening every womb among the children of Israel both of man and beast: it is mine" LXX

In Numbers 18: 14-17 it is further stated that,

"Every devoted thing among the children of Israel shall be thine. And every thing that opens the womb of all flesh, whatsoever they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be thine: only the first-born of men shall be surely redeemed, and thou shalt redeem the first-born of unclean cattle. And the redemption of them shall be from a month old; their valuation of five shekels—it is twenty oboli according to the holy shekel. But thou shalt not redeem the first-born of calves and the first-born of sheep and the first-born of goats; they are holy: and thou shalt pour their blood upon the altar, and thou shalt offer the fat as a burnt-offering for a smell of sweet savour to the Lord."

(cf Exodus 13: 12-14, 34: 19-20)

While first born of clean animals such as calves, sheep and goats are sacrificed on the altar at the Tabernacle as a burnt offering, the first born son in each family is to be redeemed from the LORD by a payment of five shekels to the priests. Interestingly, the first born of unclean cattle, which are not fit to be consecrated as sacrifice to the LORD, are also to be redeemed likewise.

Sacrifices after completion of childbirth purification

Leviticus 12: 1-8 LXX - burnt offering and sin offering after the 40 or 80 days of purification after childbirth, two turtle doves or two young pigeons in place of a lamb if she is poor.

"And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Whatsoever woman shall have conceived and born a male child shall be unclean seven days, she shall be unclean according to the days of separation for her monthly courses. And on the eighth day she shall circumcise the flesh of his foreskin. And for thirty-three days she shall continue in her unclean blood; she shall touch nothing holy, and shall not enter the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled. But if she should have born a female child, then she shall be unclean twice seven days, according to the time of her monthly courses; and for sixty-six days shall she remain in her unclean blood. And when the days of her purification shall have been fulfilled for a son or a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of a year old without blemish for a whole-burnt-offering, and a young pigeon or turtle-dove for a sin-offering to the door of the tabernacle of witness, to the priest. And he shall present it before the Lord, and the priest shall make atonement for her, and shall purge her from the fountain of her blood; this is the law of her who bears a male or a female. And if she cannot afford a lamb, then shall she take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, one for a whole-burnt-offering, and one for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be purified. . . ."

Mary presented her child at the temple

The account in Luke 2: 21-24, of Mary presenting the child Iesous at the temple is a record of her keeping BOTH the commandments: that of redeeming her first born son as commanded in Numbers 18, and also of making offerings after her 40 days of childbirth purification were over. While the offering of a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons is mentioned in this gospel account, the payment of 5 shekels (2 ounces) of silver as the redemption price is not mentioned by Luke.

Luke 2: 21-24 YLT
21 And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcise the child, then was his name called Jesus, having been so called by the messenger before his being conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of their purification were fulfilled, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present to the Lord,
23 as it hath been written in the Law of the Lord, -- `Every male opening a womb shall be called holy to the Lord,`
24 and to give a sacrifice, according to that said in the Law of the Lord, `A pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons.`