Read Your Bible Like A Novel.

The Bible is not a novel. It is history, prophecy, poetry, and so very much more.
It is the true Word of God.

BUT, I say read it like a novel. When we read a novel, we pay attention to people, places and things. Sometimes we see a character introduced briefly, but we know he will show up later. We are watching for him.

When reading our Bible, we need to take note of names and places and symbols. We need to watch for them later.

In Genesis 6, we are introduced to the "sons of God." They show up later in Job. They even show up in Peter, in Tarterus. They show up many other places, too.

By reading with anticipation, like we read a novel, we will see many pieces fall into place. Our understanding will be increased and the Bible becomes more exciting to read.

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Genesis Chapter 6: Fallen Angels and the Flood

When the great flood of Noah's time is discussed, Genesis 6:5-6 are given for the reason God destroyed the earth. Though this is true, what most preachers forget is to read these verses in context with Genesis 6:1-4.


It was not just the wickedness of men that brought forth judgement, but the corruption of the creation of God by the "fallen angels." The bloodlines of man had been corrupted. According to extra-canonical writings, the "fallen angels" and the Nephilim also taught mankind about warfare and witchcraft. 

Genesis 6:1-6 KJV  And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Noah was spared, and his family with him. "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:9 KJV 

The phrase, "perfect in his generations" comes from the Hebrew word, "tamim" which means without defect - in other words, he was genetically pure. This is the same word used in Numbers 19:2 when describing the pure red heifer that has no blemish. So, Noah was both genetically pure and morally righteous.

The Second Temple Jews understood Genesis 6:1-5 to be a short summary of the Book of Enoch.

Their belief is that "the sons of God" were fallen angels who consorted with human women, producing giant offspring called nephilim (Heb. נפילים).  This view was widely held in the world of the first century AD, and was supported by Flavius Josephus, Philo, Eusebius and many of the "Ante-Nicene Fathers," including Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, Irenaeus, Athenagoras and Commodianus.

ENOCH 6:1 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto 2 them beautiful and comely daughters.  And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another:  'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men 3 and beget us children.'  And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them:  'I fear ye will not 4 indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.'  And they all answered him and said:  'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations 5 not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.'  Then sware they all together and bound themselves 6 by mutual imprecations upon it.  And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon.. (From The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, translated by R.H. Charles)


A similar passage is also found in the pseudepigraphic Book of Jubilees:

JUBILEES 5:1 And it came to pass when the children of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee, that they were beautiful to look upon; and they took themselves wives of all whom they 2 chose, and they bare unto them sons and they were giants.  And lawlessness increased on the earth and all flesh corrupted its way, alike men and cattle and beasts and birds and everything that walks on the earth – all of them corrupted their ways and their orders, and they began to devour each other, and lawlessness increased on the earth and every imagination of the thoughts of all men 3 (was) thus evil continually. (From The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, translated by R.H. Charles) 

Although neither the Book of Enoch or Jubilees are generally considered to be canonical, they were read by literate Second Temple era Jews. The Apostles Jude and Peter both reference Enoch in their epistles.

Jude 14-15 KJV And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

The idea that the nephilim or giants were the offspring of the fallen host and human females was not unique to Judaism.  This understanding was likely behind the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythologies, as well as those of India and the near east.  All these beliefs resulted not as mere inventions of fertile human imagination, but as a corruption of antediluvian truths which were distorted as their origin was forgotten over time.

The Greeks had a similar story. In Greek mythology, the Titans were a family of giant gods who were the offspring of Uranus (heaven) and Gaea (earth).  The most famous of the Titans was Cronus, who killed his father.  Cronus later led the Titans in their losing war against Zeus and the Olympian gods.  After their defeat, the Titans were imprisoned in a section of the underworld called Tartarus.

In his second epistle, the apostle Peter uses part of this Greek myth to explain the fate of some of the fallen angels.  He states that for their sins, these angels had been tartarosas, which The Greek English Interlinear New Testament translates literally as "confining them to Tartarus" (also known in the Bible as "the Abyss"):

2 Peter 2:4KJV For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Examining Jude, we can see what was said of the fallen angels and their great sin.

JUDE 6 KJV And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.  7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 

Kenneth Wuest writes of verse 7: 
This verse begins with hos, an adverb of comparison having meanings of "in the same manner as, after the fashion of, as, just as."  Here it introduces a comparison showing a likeness between the angels of verse 6 and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha of this verse.  But the likeness between them lies deeper than the fact that both were guilty of committing sin.  It extends to the fact that both were guilty of the same identical sin. 
The words "in like manner" are related to the verbal forms, "giving themselves over to fornication" and "going after strange flesh."  In addition to all this, the Greek text has toutois, "to these."  Thus, the verse can be understood to read, "just as Sodom and Gomorrha and the cities about them, in like manner to these, having given themselves over to fornication and having gone after strange flesh."  The sense of the entire passage (vv.6, 7) is that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha and the cities about them, in like manner to these (the angels), have given themselves over to fornication and have gone after strange flesh.  That means that the sin of the fallen angels was fornication. (pp. 241-242, vol. II, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament)

Men have argued for almost 2000 years about who "the sons of God" in Genesis 6 were. But prior to that, there was no misunderstanding these verses. 

Although there are a couple other theories about who "the sons of God" in Genesis 6, these theories would have been nonsense to the original audience of the book of Genesis. When interpreting the Bible, we MUST read it the way the author would have been thinking and the way the audience would have received it.

I am not asking you to believe that "fallen angels" had children with earthly women, (although I certainly do), but to understand the Bible as it was written, and as it would have been understood. To take the verses out of the context in which they were recorded and read is to create a false understanding, not based on scripture, but on private interpretation.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 2 Peter 1:20 KJV

DennisRegling
www.bibledefender.com

Elisha and the Two Bears (2 Kings 2:23-25)

Elisha and the Two Bears (2 Kings 2:23-25)

What does the Bible teach?

 Introduction

 I have heard the account of Elisha cursing the children of Bethel and the bears killing them preached several times. I've heard it preached as an admonition against mocking (or even questioning) the "man of God." A severe warning to honor your pastor.

I've heard a friend preach it a a juvenile detention facility as a warning against going with the crowd. His take was that the event was probably caused by a couple hooligans mocking Elisha and then the rest chirping in.

Recently I have heard it used as a message that God's gifts are "without repentance," and that Elisha over-acted and used the power of God unwisely.

 A study of the account though discloses something more.

 2 Kings 2:23-25 King James Version "And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 25 And he went from thence to mount Car- mel, and from thence he returned to Samaria."

Elisha Heads for Bethel: (2:23) Following the ministry in Jericho, Elisha, as a man of God under the direction of God and with the Word of God moves on into the land to minister to the people. They were a people living in idolatry and badly in need of the Word. “Bethel” means “house of God” or “place of God.” This name spoke of worship and fellowship with God.

There was also a school of the prophets in Bethel, but in spite of this the city was now idolatrous and anything but a center of worship. Hosea, who ministered after Elisha, called this city Bethaven “house of wickedness” a name of shame (Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5).

 It was so called by Hosea because of the idolatrous worship Jeroboam had established in order to effect a complete separation between Israel and Judah. Out of his greed for power and his fear that if Israel went back to Jerusalem to worship, he established two new places of worship in the north with golden calves as the symbol of worship: one at Bethel and the other at Dan. “Beth” means “house and “el” means God.

Aven is the Hebrew awen which means “trouble, sorrow, idolatry, wickedness and emptiness.” The word awen seems to have two primary facets to its meaning:

•  it portrays an iniquity which causes sorrow, calamity and failure (Prov. 22:8).
• But it also portrays an emptiness which moves on to idolatry as a human means of filling the emptiness. 

 When men are empty of God and His Word, they will fill their lives with vain things whether material or philosophic. This leads to idolatry, which leads to iniquity, which leads to calamity.

 “And as he was going . . .” calls our attention to the time of the attack. It occurred simply in the normal process of his travels to the city.

 Elisha is Mocked (2:23) The KJV has “little children” which doesn't quite convey the meaning here. These were not children, but young men. Although literally translated "children," it is the Hebrew naar and was used of servants, of soldiers and of Isaac when he was 28 years old. It is used of Joseph when he was 17, (Genesis 37:2).

In a Jewish household, young unmarried males would be considered "children," even though they were young adults. The KJV translation is correct, but we need to understand that God did not send bears to eat fifth graders because they were rude.

The term "naar" is applied to an unmarried male who has not yet become the head of a household. The young man is still considered to be in the "house of his father," a child. It is not so much a reference to age as to status.

 The other word used of the young men taunting Elisha is in verse 24. It is the word "yeladim." The word is used twice in 1 Kings 12 in reference to Rehoboam's young advisors. the word is used in other places to designate young adult males, usually with royal associations. The young men who confront Elisha are not little children. They are young men of the royal and perhaps priestly establishment at Bethel.

 The verse continues, “and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.” “Mocked” is the Hebrew galas and denotes a scornful belittling of something or someone, but it issues from an attitude which counts as valueless that which is really of great value.

These young men were attacking not just Elisha, the man, but they were also attacking his message. In the final analysis they were mocking or rejecting God and what He was attempting to do through Elisha as God’s spokesman.

 The attack of these young men is twofold:

•  “Go up”… “go up.” Some believe they were telling Elisha to ascend up as Elijah did. However, this same language is used in other places to refer to worship at the sanctuary site in Bethel, (Genesis 35:3, 1 Kings 12:29). It appears they were telling him to worship their false gods. 
• The second aspect of the attack is seen in the words: “you bald head.” Whether Elisha was actually bald, they were ridiculing the prophet and telling him to get lost like Elijah. It may have been contrasting Elisha to Elijah, who was a hairy man, (2 Kings 1:8), implying Elisha did not have Elijah's authority. 

In either case, the reception Elisha received at Bethel is quite the opposite of how he was received in Jericho. 2 Kings 2:15 "And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him."

Elisha pronounces a fatal curse. (2:24) "And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord."

Elisha cursed the young men in the name of the Lord. The number killed, 42, is the same as the number of young men of Judean royalty Jehru slaughters in 2 Kings 10:14, "And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them."

 The number 42 is used regularly in the Bible as a symbolic number of potential blessing or curse. This shows that the disaster was not of a natural coincidence or of the prophet's choice, but rather one of divine intent.

This was not a random act of cruelty by Elisha or the Lord. It is an attack against the royal household of the northern kingdom in Israel and its apostate priesthood. This was the judgment of God against those who worshiped falsely and dishonor the Lord and the man bringing his message.

Dennis Regling
www.bibledefender.com

Where Did God Come From?

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Is Christ The Center of Your Home, or Just an Accessory?

Joelle just came in to my office to share her great discovery. Apparently she was reading her KJV Bible and in Matthew 10:2-4 the names of the disciples are listed. She wanted a piece of paper so she can write those verses down.
Seven years old, and she loves to read her Bible, (as does her sister).
Because Christ is the center of our home, not a Sunday only add-on, Christ is also the center of our girls' lives.
Churches are losing their young people to the world. I believe that is because most "Christian" homes are world-centered, not Christ centered. They are more concerned with worldly entertainment, concerned with getting their kids involved in activities with worldly children (sports, dance classes, etc.) and send their children to worldly indoctrination centers aka public schools.
The greatest responsibility of any parent is to teach their children to love the word of God, to view the world through a Biblical perspective and plant the seeds of faith that can grow into a saving faith.

May God continue to give us the wisdom and will to do that in our home.

Dennis Regling and his family are available to minister at your church. www.winthechildren.com

Gospel Magic Trick and Bible Lesson with Dennis Regling

What Is Truth? Sermon preached by Dennis Regling at Manchester Baptist F...

Dennis Regling preaching at Manchester Baptist Fellowship.
Find Dennis at http://www.bibledefender.com