Vol 14. Issue No.3 April 2001

Transcription

1 Vol 14. Issue No.3 April 2001

2 April 2001 Vol. 14. Issue No.3. Publishing Editor: Paul Billington Phone/Fax: (519) Editorial Address: The Bible Magazine LPMPO Box Lynden Road, Brantford, Ont. Canada. N3R 6B0 Subscriptions North America As Editorial address Above United Kingdom Mrs. A. Barnes 1 Woodrow Lane Catshill, Bromsgrove,Worcs. B61 OPS Phone/Fax: BibleMagazine@onetel.net.uk For Books & Videos (U.K.) Mrs. Judith White. 23 Brookvale Drive, Thornhill, Cardiff, S.Wales. CF14 9EG Australia Aleck Crawford 6 Ingomar Court, Hallett Cove, South Australia aleck@chariot.net.au Phone: Christadelphian Scripture Study Service Local Representatives. New Zealand Mr. D Archer 11 Hampton Hill Road. Tawa, Wellington, NZ 6203 Phone: david.archer@clear.net.nz South Africa Mr. E. Duckworth Box 1606 Pinetown, Natal 3600 Phone: LOCAL INFORMATION THE BIBLE MAGAZINE A WITNESS OF BIBLE TRUTH FOR OUR TIMES It is now well over a hundred years since the discovery and release of 4th Century manuscripts of the New Testament. The impact upon translations has been substantial. It is interesting to see how they were viewed by a contemporary John Thomas. Page 3 Questions are often asked about the reliability of various translations. In this article Peter Moore looks at the background to the subject, and giving particular attention to the N.I.V. He has some startling conclusions Page 4 John Ramsden takes a tour of the British Museum and British Library which are now being renovated Page 9 SIGNS OF OUR TIMES PROPHECY DAYS Two dates to note in your diary. Page 11 COVER That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world... is a figure that has many aspects to it. In this article Paul Billington looks at the way nations have adopted the symbol to represent themselves. Page 12 MILESTONES UPDATE As Don Pearce once more scans current events we are impressed by the way in which the scene is being prepared according to the plan that we see outlined in Scripture. Here is evidence of the Truth; here is a call for watchers to ensure preparedness! Page 16 The Principality and Power of Europe. A new revised edition of Adrian Hilton s book providing a useful background to events in Europe Page 19 EDITORIAL The Gospel we Preach is THE HOPE OF ISRAEL, that is the glad tidings delivered in the first century by Jesus Christ and his apostles as the only hope for Israel and the world. Substitutes are of no value. Frank Abel Page 20 considers the important issue of authority. He offers some useful guidelines to help us discern the false from the true. Page 22 OUR BACK PAGE SOUNDS A NOTE FOR CREATION EDITOR S MESSAGE: In doing what we can to provide this magazine as well as videos and the occasional booklet, our time can get very tight. Consequently letters and s do not always get the attention they should. Please forgive this lack. Page 2 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17.

3 WRITTEN OVER 100 YEARS AGO J ohn Thomas wrote during an exciting period when 4th century Greek manuscripts were just being brought to light and published. The famous Codex Sinaiticus had recently been discovered by Tischendorf in 1844 (though it was not published until some years later. It is referred to in John Thomas Herald of The Kingdom, 1859). The Vatican manuscript was edited and published during the period 1860 to 1890 (though John Thomas says that an edition was available in 1859 for about $45). Manuscripts at that time (and referred to by John Thomas below) were identified as follows: A. Codex Alexandrinus. B. Codex Vaticanus. C. Codex Ephraemi. In 1866 John Thomas wrote as follows: T GREEK MANUSCRIPTS IN THE 19th CENTURY & THEIR EDITORS he Rev. S. P. Tregelles, a dissenting minister of Plymouth, England, is learned in the languages of the East, a clear writer, and not without authority in the wisdom of the world-religious. He has published a translation of the apocalypse from the Greek text according to the ancient authorities, not more modern than twelve hundred years, and the far greater part fourteen hundred years ago. He has published this translation by itself, and introduced it by a very interesting preface. On reading this, I supposed that an enlightened critic had appeared among the divines of the apostasy, who had risen above the bias of his religious metaphysics, and would therefore give us a reliable version of the book. But, alas, how disappointed was I when I came to examine the result of the rules and principles by which he had promised to work. The following specimens of new translation based on his ancient authorities, will show of themselves to the servants of the Deity what I mean. 1. In ch. 1:6 He hath made for us a kingdom priests unto Him who is his God and Father. 2. In ch. 5:10 Thou hast made them unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign on the earth. Now, these two instances prove to an intelligent believer of the gospel that Mr. Tregelles ancient authorities are unreliable; and that, if he understood the truth as it is in Jesus, he would not have been led by them. Fourteen hundred years ago carries us back to the latter half of the fifth century, or A.D. 464, about 140 years after the complete establishment of Laodicean Catholicism as the religion of Daniel s Fourth Beast (editor s note: These Mss have since been dated to the 4th cent. The principle here stated is unaffected however). This Church and State establishment was then regarded as God s kingdom, and the Laodicean ecclesiastics as his priests. Now, some Greek MSS. of this epoch read as Tregelles has given it; while others read kings and priests, and they shall, not they do, reign on earth. Here is a discrepancy some fifth century manuscripts against some less ancient. Tregelles prefers the former because of their relative antiquity, and is biased, though he may not be aware it, by the Laodicean dogma that the Church is the kingdom, that Christ is now reigning, and the saints with him as they join him in the skies. We have, therefore, no hesitation in rejecting the authority of his new translation based on such readings which are utterly at variance with the first principles of the oracles of God. The readings are self-evident corruptions of the true text by transcribers who sought to make the apocalyptic saints sing in harmony with the traditions of the Laodicean apostasy. True believers are now kings and priests elect for God. He has promised them a kingdom, and they shall reign on the earth. This is the teaching of the word ministered by prophets and apostles, and no readings of Greek MSS., even if written in the days of John, affirming the contrary, could be anything else but spurious. Eureka Vol 2, pg Chapter VI. Introduction Again in 1868 John Thomas wrote: t may be further remarked here, that in regard to Rev. 11:17, all the I Tischendorf, the German Scholar who discovered the famous Codex Sinaiticus in a monastery during the 19th century. This flattering print shows him holding the Vatican manuscript (Codex Vaticanus) which he was permitted to see. We have, therefore, no hesitation in rejecting the authority of his new translation based on such readings which are utterly at variance with the first principles of the oracles of God. The readings are selfevident corruptions of the true text recent editors cancel the words,και σ ερχοµενοc, ( and who is coming ) on the authority of A.B.C., certain manuscripts of the fifth (4th Ed.) and seventh centuries; their omission is therefore recommended by the annotator of the new Baptist Version. I have no other objection to this, than that the Apocalypse when given, was a prophecy of things afterwards to transpire, preparatory to, and introductory of, the thieflike and glorious manifestation of Him who is coming. The divine formula, therefore, where introduced, as much required the words and who is coming, as the words who is and who was, in order to keep constantly before the minds of the servants of the Deity in all intermediate ages and generations, the great truth, until it shall be verified in the visible apocalypse of δ ερχοµενοc, THE COMING ONE. In the times of the A.B.C. manuscripts, the appearing of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was deemed a pestilent heresy by the party in place and power; who had no scruples about altering and omitting words and phrases, if it suited their purpose. This being the fact, the testimony of their manuscripts is questionable. It is true, that in ch. 11:17, the omission would seem warranted by the reason given for thanksgiving because thou hast taken thy great power and reigned; which implies, that the Almighty Elohim has come, and that therefore, after this event, to affirm that he is coming, would be anachronistic and inappropriate. This is true, still, for the reason given, I conclude, that the words were a part of the prophecy originally delivered to John, and ought not therefore to be omitted. Eureka Vol. 3, pg Act III The Third Vial Page 3

4 During the last 30 years there has been a significant increase in the number of versions of the Bible available to us. The 1611 King James Version that served so well, and had no serious competitor for over 300 years is now surrounded with alternatives. The new versions now available are of course benefits to study because we can compare alternative renderings of verses. However, we should be aware of the dangers in this wide choice. Some Bibles are paraphrases (e.g. The Living Bible, 1971). A paraphrase version is achieved by merging translation and exposition, so that if the personal views of the translators are faulty, then we are no longer reading the inspired Word, but the ideas of the translator. A version may be simple to read and understand but enquirers after truth can be misled. We do not need to be linguists nor qualified in the Hebrew and Greek languages to understand Scripture, but we should be alert to textual changes that lead to shifts in doctrine in new translations. The New International Version (NIV) contains abundant information on the source documents used for the Old Testament. The paragraph on the text begins: For the Old Testament the standard Hebrew text, the Masoretic Text as published in the latest editions of Biblia Hebraica was used throughout... Further detail runs to about 225 words. However, the preface allocates only 78 words to inform us about the New Testament sources and is silent about the actual Greek manuscripts used, telling us: The Greek text used for translating the New Testament was an eclectic one... The best current printed texts of the Greek New Testament were used. The translators examine all the variations of a given verse and then come to their own opinion on how it ought to read. This approach appears to provide ample opportunity for doctrinal bias. A reading of the NIV will show that the New Page 4 By Peter Moore (London, UK.) Cardinal Carlo Martini, the Jesuit scholar and member of the United Bible Societies editorial committee who prepared the Greek text from which the N.I.V. was translated. Testament is where almost all the doctrinally significant changes have been made. Manuscript Sources There are over 5,250 Greek texts of all types available which range from a scrap with parts of a couple of verses to complete New Testaments. About 80% - 90% of manuscripts are in essential agreement amongst themselves and support the Authorised Version 1 which is based upon what has been called the Textus Receptus or Received Text. This Received Text is sometimes also known as the Byzantine text because of its association with the Church in the East. It is interesting that the Greek New Testament text used by the Greek Orthodox Church today is the same as that which forms the basis of the Authorised Version (KJV). The more recent versions of the Bible, since 1881 (starting with the Revised Version) are based on a small group of manuscripts which not only differ from the majority but are also at variance with each other. The two main manuscripts that are used for this eclectic text are Codex Vaticanus (B) and Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) which are believed to date from the fourth century. These manuscripts along with a small number of other manuscripts circulated mostly in Egypt and the West provide the basis for most modern versions such as the RV, RSV, NIV, NEB, GNB, REB, NRSV. The Codex Vaticanus (B) was found in the Vatican library in the fifteenth century and Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) found (1859) in a dustbin in a Catholic Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai. These two manuscripts have many omissions. For example, Codex B has the whole of Revelation missing and parts of Genesis, Psalms, Hebrews and some of Paul s writings. Codex Aleph includes the apocryphal books mixed in with the New Testament and omissions of many single verses. Their reliability may be assessed from the fact that: These two manuscripts have been altered by as many as ten different correctors over the centuries and are therefore corrupted copies. 2 In the nineteenth century Greek manuscripts were grouped into text types. The Alexandrian group is based on a small number of manuscripts. The Aleph and B are the two principal manuscripts of the Alexandrian text type and modern New Testament Greek texts are based largely on them. Two Different Texts So far as the New Testament is concerned, we have two different Greek texts and therefore two different Bibles. On one hand there is the AV based on the Received Text, on the other, those based on an eclectic text. The NIV is based on a combination of the United Bible Societies and Nestle-Aland printed Greek New Testament text, but it is the doctrinal differences should be of concern to us. In particular the shifts in emphasis to the pre-existence of Christ, and the trinity. The chart on page 7 shows some of the source documents for many of the Bible translations that have been published down the

5 centuries. Jesus, Peter, John, Paul and Jude warned first century believers to be on their guard against false teachers and corruption of the Truth (Revelation chapters 2,3; 2 Peter 2:1-2; 1 John 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; Jude vs. 3-40). We should not be surprised therefore to find that there are corrupted manuscripts in existence alongside the larger number which are in essential agreement among themselves. Roman Catholic Involvement In June 1964 representatives of the United Bible Societies (UBS) and the Roman Catholic Church proposed the preparation of a common text of the Bible and a common translation which would be acceptable to all. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council ratified the Roman Church s approval of this and in 1967, Cardinal Carlo Martini, Archbishop of Milan (a Greek scholar and a Jesuit), joined the UBS International Editorial Committee. Michael de Semlyen in his book All Roads Lead to Rome? points out that this committee of five scholars made over 500 changes between the second edition of the Greek text (1968) and the third edition (1975) with no significant accretion of new evidence. 3 It would appear therefore that the Papacy has had a hand in the preparation of the New Testament Greek text which was used by the NIV translation committee. The New Testament Greek text used by the translators of the NIV was the combined UBS and Nestle-Aland Greek New Testaments. However, the UBS Greek New Testament (3rd Edition) and the Nestle-Aland (26th Edition) are apparently identical. 4 The text shared by these two editions was adopted internationally by Bible Societies, and following agreement between the Vatican and the UBS it has served as the basis for new translations and for revisions made under their supervision. 5 So the Vatican has been involved in the preparation of these Greek texts, which are now being used to translate new editions of the Bible. The first page of the 27th edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (1993) lists the Jesuit scholar Carlo Martini among its committee (so he has been involved through both committees! Ed.). The Second Vatican Council ( ) was a significant turning point with regard to Rome s involvement in the promotion of new translations of the Bible. Pope Paul, through this Council, published an encyclical in 1965, entitled Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum. In this key policy document the Vatican claims to: set forth the authentic doctrine of divine revelation and its transmission for the whole world; have a divine commission to preserve and interpret the Word of God; be responsible for translations of the Word of God, to be determined and regulated by the Church. The introduction to that document THE WESTCOTT & HORT GREEK TEXT Dr. B.F.Westcott The theory of Westcott and Hort is the basis upon which Greek texts of the New Testament are assessed today. The theory says, in effect, that the older a manuscript is, the closer to the original, and therefore the most reliable. The problem is that many manuscripts in the 4th and 5th centuries were corrupted in order to bring them into line with Church teaching. Kenyon wrote:...it is unquestionable that the cogent arguments of the Cambridge Professors (Westcott and Hort) had a great effect upon the Revisers (of 1884)... however... Dr. Hort s theory has not been accepted by all competent judges... notably Dr. Scrivener and Dean Burgon. reads:...following in the footsteps of the Council of Trent, and of the First Vatican Council, this Council (i.e. 2nd Vatican Council) proposes to set forth the authentic doctrine of divine revelation and its transmission, so that the whole world may by hearing the message of salvation, come to believe it, by believing may hope, and by hoping may love (Para 1). All that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is subject ultimately to the Church s judgement; she has the divine commission and the office of preserving and explaining the word of God (para. 12). since the Word of God ought to be available at all times, the Church with motherly care provides that suitable and accurate versions are made in a variety of languages, and especially versions based Roman Catholic bishops arriving six abreast to attend Vatican Council 2 in The Council promoted new ecumenical translations of the Bible. Prof. F.J.A.Hort on original texts of Holy Scripture. If, when occasion offers and leave is given by the Church s authority, such versions are prepared by a common effort shared by our separated brethren, the resulting work can be used by all Christians (para. 22). We are not left in doubt as to the intentions of Rome. In 1995 a Papal encyclical was published, Ut Unum Sint, On Commitment to Ecumenism. Pope John Paul II stated; Significant progress in ecumenical cooperation has also been made in another area, that of the Word of God. I am thinking above all of the importance for the different language groups of ecumenical translations of the Bible. Following the promulgation by the Second Vatican Council... the Catholic Church could not fail to welcome this development (para. 44). We are led to the conclusion that the best Greek New Testament text is always the particular one that is most preferred by Rome. If the hand of Rome is seen in the preparation of the printed Greek New Testament text, this helps us to understand why the NIV promotes the doctrines of a pre-existent Jesus, and Jesus as part of a Trinitarian Godhead. The Word of God is gradually being modified before our eyes! We need to be aware that the NIV is an ecumenical translation of the Bible that can take its readers nearer to the teachings of Rome. Despite its claims, recognition of the nature of inspiration of Scripture appears to be the first casualty in ecumenical translations designed to please almost everybody. The Apostle Paul was reduced to tears when he warned the faithful of the corruption of the Truth that would occur after his departure he urged:...and now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His Grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:29-32). Let There Be Light! The booklet, The Story of the New International Version supplied by the New International Bible Society sets out the Page 5

6 ...THEIR SOUND WENT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS UNTO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD. ROMANS 10:18. Gibbon says that due to persecution early Mss from Antioch were taken to Armenia. Christians were then forcibly removed to Constantinople, and later migrated with Mss into Europe. Old Latin Mss circulated the R.empire to AD 300 background and reasons for the making of the New International Version (NIV). It draws on supporting quotes from John Wycliffe, Erasmus and Tyndale. 6 It is interesting to note that the quote attributed to Tyndale was in response to a scholar he had been arguing with. The full account recorded by Spurgeon was that Tyndale had been arguing the case for a vernacular Bible with a Popish Clergyman who had said that, we had better be without God s laws than the Pope s! Tyndale replied I defy the Pope and all his laws and if God should spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost. 7 The brief reference in The Story of the New International Version booklet is of course accurate as far as it goes, but history records that Tyndale was struggling against the restrictive policy of Rome which for him resulted in poverty, persecution and finally a martyr s death. Wycliffe s work to bring the Bible to the people by translating Jerome s (Catholic) Latin Vulgate Bible into English, led to his excommunication but due to schisms within the Roman Catholic Church he did not suffer a martyr s death. However, he was disinterred at Lutterworth in 1428 and his bones burned and the ashes thrown into the river Swift. We see that Rome then, has adapted its policies to suit new situations. In the past she obstructed the spread of the Word of God and access by the people was denied. The support now given to new translations is in part due to the texts meeting Papal approval. The Received Text It was interesting to discover that the Textus Receptus (the Received Text upon which the KJV is based) was the Bible in use in the Greek Empire, in the countries of Syrian Christianity, in northern Italy, in southern France, and in the British Isles in the second century A.D. This was a full century and more Page 6 before the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus saw the light of day. 8 The title Textus Receptus (Received Text) was first given by Elzevir in 1633 and refers to the body of documents which preserve substantially the same kind of text. 9 Scripture tells us that it was at Antioch in Syria that believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26), and in about 150 AD, the Syrian speaking Christians had their own version of the Bible known as the Peshitto (the correct or simple). This Bible follows the Textus Receptus or Received Text. The use of the Peshitto version also extended to the Maronites living in the mountain terraces of Lebanon. Also, early Latin translations of the Bible (the Old Latin) were well established before 250 AD when Rome began to send missionaries to the West. Since Italy, France and Britain were once provinces of the Roman Empire, the first translations of the Bible found in these countries were in Latin. Christians in the West refused to allow their old Latin Bibles to be supplanted by Jerome s later Latin Version, which was commissioned by the Papacy towards the end of the fourth century and became known as the Latin Vulgate (meaning, commonly used or current) Bible, of the Roman Church. The Old Latin Bible (also known as the Italic) was translated from Greek by about 157 AD and represents the Received Text. This was the basis for the Bible used by the Waldenses and their forebears in northern Italy who withstood the cruel persecutions of papal Rome. In summary, these early Latin Bibles in Italy, France and Britain did not meet with Papal approval. They were based upon what became known later as the Received Text predating the Catholic Latin Vulgate Version by about 200 years. Britain does not therefore appear to have been reliant on Rome for God s Word reaching its shores. For further reading of the history of the controversy over versions between Protestants and Papists the reader is directed to the footnote. 10 The objectives of Rome remain unchanged today. Let us not be deceived, what Rome was unable to achieve by force in the past is being gained through the subtlety of ecumenism today. The Gospel was Preached in all the World We know from Scripture that the Apostle Paul may have visited Spain as well as Rome (Romans 15: 24,28) preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ and there is clear internal evidence in Scripture to show that God had caused His written Word to be in circulation (with the exception of the Book of Revelation) in the Roman Empire before AD 70. Jesus told his disciples towards the end of his earthly ministry that, this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; then shall the end come. (Matt. 24:14). The end which Jesus was referring to was the end of the Jewish world which came within 40 years. The destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jews by the Roman armies took place in AD 70. Paul confirms that the prophetic words of Jesus were fulfilled in his own day:...continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister (Col. 1:23)....the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world (Col. 1:5-6). The written Gospel message was in circulation in the Roman world of Paul s day. The Apostle Peter confirms this in saying that Paul s inspired writings were in circulation before AD 70:

7 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT HISTORICAL CONTEXT R. CATHOLIC TEXTS RECEIVED TEXT 1st Cent. 2nd Cent. 3rd Cent. 4th Cent. 5th Cent. 6th Cent. 7th Cent. 8th Cent. 9th Cent. 10th Cent. 11th Cent. 12th Cent. 13th Cent. 14th Cent. 15th Cent. 16th Cent. 17th Cent. 18th Cent. 19th Cent. 20th Cent. A.D.64. Nero s persecution A.D.95. Domitian s persecution Anti Christian persecutions. 170, Theodotians of Antioch held that Christ was man though supernaturally begotten Messiah Persecutions continued: them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held... Revelation 6:9. Apostles identify false prophets & false apostles at work (1 John 4), also counterfeit mss- 2 Thess 2:2. EBIONITES GNOSTICS Coptic Mss. Church Fathers A.D Origen s compilation of Mss. Tatian s Synopsis. AD Original Greek Mss penned and copies circulated. AD 100. Earliest known fragment Old Latin versions throughout Empire. Syriac & Gk Mss at Antioch AD 150 Old Latin mss in N.Africa AD 270 Paulicans at Antioch using Syriac & Greek Mss. A.D EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN ORDERS ALL CHRISTIAN BOOKS TO BE BURNT A.D Constantine becomes Emperor of the Roman (Catholic) State Council of Nicea 321. Emperor orders text from Eusebius. Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) The Vatican Mss (B) 382. Pope Damasus orders Jerome s Latin Vulgate Barbarian Invasions of the empire The Edicts of Emperor Justinian A.D A.D Paulicans were exiled from Armenia to Constantinople & Thrace. Books ordered Burnt. AD 1229 Massacres in S.France & N.Italy. AD 1393 Val-Louse massacre of the Vaudois AD 1453 Constantinople falls AD First printed Bible AD 1525 Tyndale s Bibles burnt Codex Alexandrinus Codex Bezae AD 800 Charlemagne s Germanic Holy Roman Empire Council of Trent commences Counter-Reformation Spinoza ( ) and French philosophers (Voltaire & Rousseau) promote atheistic humanism AD 1789 French Revolution Spread of Humanistic Socialism Theory of evolution & Humanism challenges Bible-based society Wycliffe s anglosaxon version based on the Latin Vulgate LATIN VULGATE OR COMMON BIBLE IN USE Texts in circulation at this time include the Old Latin (Italic), Syriac & Greek Mss. Many destroyed in 303 Armenian version Persecution of the Donatists in North Africa ordered by Constantine upon his accession to the throne of the Empire. SYRIAC PESHITTO VERSION A.D. The N.T. text handed down (and Philoxenian called the Received text) became Peshitto Revision 508 known as the Byzantine text because of its eastern origin. AD Hand written copies circulated AD Erasmus publishes the Greek text at Basle Switzerland AD Rheims New Testament AD 1593 The Clemantine Vulgate Textual Criticism develops THE REFORMATION 1844 Codex Sinaiticus discovered th Cent. Vatican Mss (B) first published 1870 Westcott & Hort edited text published 1881 The Revised Version published American Revised Version 1901 Revised Standard Version 1952 New English Bible NIV This one type of text predominated in the eastern world from the 5th century onwards......these Greek manuscripts found their way westward at the close of the Middle Ages PAULICANS OF ARMENIA Copies of the Gospels & Epistles were received by Constantine Sylvanus, a leading Paulican. Here were the Seeds of The Reformation (Gibbon) Paulicans migrate West from Constantinople carrying NT manuscripts. Become mingled with Albigenses & Waldenses (Vaudois). GROUPS OF BELIEVERS IN THE SWISS ALPINE REGIONS 1522 Luther s Bible 1525 William Tyndale translation 1535 Coverdale 1537 Matthew s Bible AD 1523 Brethren at Zurich Switzerland 1541 Great Bible 1557 Geneva Bible 1568 Bishops Bible 1611 KING JAMES AUTHORISED VERSION Ecumenical Translations INFLUENCE OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE SPREADS 1862 Young s Literal ECUMENISM OVERCOMES PROTESTANTISM Page 7

8 ...even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction (2 Peter 3:15-16). So the evidence of Scripture is that God caused his written Word to be spread throughout the Roman world before AD 70. God has not relied on Rome for the carriage of His Word. Constantine s Bible When the Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity he commissioned his own version of the Bible. This was based on texts edited by Eusebius and compiled by Origen. The result was the intermingling of the Word of God with Greek philosophy and Gnosticism. One translator, JA Richter, suggests that the Sinaitic Codex was one of fifty copies of the Scriptures that Constantine directed to be made in 331 AD. Emperor Justinian, founder of the convent at Mt. Sinai, had sent a copy to the monks there. Richter commends the value of the Sinaiticus, Vaticanus and Alexandrian Codex. The views of Eusebius, Origen and others weighed favourably with him. 12 However, it is only a minority of manuscripts that support these texts approved by Rome, while the majority of manuscripts (80%-90%) support the Received Text used for the Authorised Version. Doctrinal differences There are a number of significant shifts in the text of the NIV which strengthen those doctrines which bring readers nearer to the teaching of Rome and her daughter churches. These changes arise in varying degrees in most modern versions which are based upon the Alexandrian group of manuscripts even including the Jehovah s Witnesses New World Translation. The most significant version however, appears to be the NIV (1973). The NIV generally supports the position taken at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD convened by Emperor Constantine on the relationship of Jesus to the Father. This Council declared that the Son was consubstantial (meaning of one substance) with the Father. 13 Changes to individual verses may seem minor when taken in isolation, but when the picture is viewed as a whole we can see that the teaching of Scripture, that Jesus is the Son of God, is being eroded in favour of the Trinitarian concept of God the Son. Conclusion The Truth has not changed and God has not left Himself without witness in the earth, yet the proliferation of new translations seen today is evidence of Rome s agenda. The papal policy is to promote a universal Church with doctrines acceptable to all. If the Lord remains away and our children rely on the NIV, the gospel will be eroded to the point where the next generation will have Bibles which do not support the first principles of saving Truth. Most versions of the Bible have a place as aids to Bible study. However, we should not forget that the NIV is one of the products of the declared papal ecumenical policy, and should therefore be used with caution. If we ignore this, we do so at our peril. Editor s Note: The above article originally included a more thorough consideration of the doctrinal discrepancies between the versions discussed. The doctrine of the Trinity is a cornerstone in the Vatican s ecumenical strategy. This is stated in the encyclical letter Decree on Ecumenism. 1. Which Bible? The Greek Text of the King James Version, Prof. ZC Hodges, page 26 & footnote Why not the NIV? G R Guile, Second Ed. Penfold Book and Bible House, 1996, page All Roads Lead to Rome? The Ecumenical Movement, Michael de Semlyen, Penfold Book and Bible House, 1993, page All Roads Lead to Rome? The Ecumenical Movement, Michael de Semlyen, Penfold Book and Bible House, 1993, page Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, Deutsche Biblegesellschaft, Introduction, p The Story of The New International Version, New York International Bible Society, 1978, page Conant s History of the English Bible, CH Spurgeon, Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co., 1859, page Which Bible? Institute for Biblical Textual Studies, David Otis Fuller, Fifth Ed., 1995, page Ibid. page Ibid. pages PARAPHRASES AND TRANSLATIONS P araphrase is the merger of translation and exposition. If the exposition is wrong, then the paraphrase must be false. It is here that attractive style and simplicity can be seductive. The Living Bible (LB) reading of Mark 10:17 is: What must I do to get to heaven? This paraphrase is concise and direct but entirely false. The phrase to heaven has no counterpart in the Greek text. It is a common NT phrase in contexts different from Mark 10:17. So the Spirit should have used it here, but did not. The exact translation is: What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? (AV and RSV). The LB paraphrase crudely thrusts heaven-going on to the Greek, whereas the text is concerned with the quality and duration of future life, not its location. Today the AV is out of fashion. Yet even with a rare term the AV translators intuitively sensed the precise meaning, and were scientifically thus more exact than the New English Bible (NEB) translators, as revisers now admit. The fact that a version is modern does not imply that it is linguistically an advance on an earlier Page 8 version. It is interesting to note that there were widely circulated paraphrases of the Old Testament in Palestinian Western Aramaic (e.g. Targum to Job) and in Greek in the centuries before and including the NT era. Yet none of these were used by Jesus or the apostles when preaching or expounding. When they employed the Old Testament in preaching, they also used a literal, archaistic style of translation which exactly mirrored the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic which they were quoting. This should be our precedent. It made demands on Jesus s audience. It will make demands of ours. If Scripture is hard for some eyes, this is not proof that wrong translation is causing difficulty in understanding; the difficulty could be one of will. Perhaps we should clarify our exposition at this stage not eject our translation. The AV contains a number of obsolete words and expressions, but this does not prevent us from understanding them. And it came to pass is obsolete, yet understandable. The once upon a time of the NEB (a cue for the fairy story ) itself dated is hardly an improvement. Much of Biblical language was in a special type of archaic style when it was originally revealed, in addition to its original use of everyday language of that time. However, it must be admitted that some people do find the archaism of the AV a barrier, where terms are used that are not merely obsolete, but unknown to the reader. It is often our privilege to preach the Truth to people who use English as a second language. Obviously a good modern translation will often be clearer to them than the AV. When this is the case, then the RSV, which has removed these archaisms, can be helpfully employed. The RSV makes substantial use of the AV being a revision of it and so it does not contain most of the drawbacks mentioned above and associated with many modern versions. It combines freshness with a degree of literality. Yet linguistically it is inferior to the AV. It was the linguistic and literary genius of William Tyndale that laid the foundations of the AV and determined its major form. This is not sentiment. As the English scholar, C.S.Lewis, pointed out. Tyndale was the best prose writer of his era (in his own writings, as well as Bible translations) even superior to Sir Thomas More. Selected

9 By John Ramsden (London, UK) I The refurbished British Museum holds a lot of interest for Bible readers n a previous article 1 we said that: Without any doubt at all the most exciting place in London for the enthusiastic Bible student to visit was the British Museum. After its 100 million refurbishment programme to celebrate the Millennium, it is even more so! And not just the Museum itself but also the separate new British Library building which has now come into full operation on Euston Road, a brisk 20 minute walk away. It is there that are now displayed all the Bibles, codexes and manuscripts of such interest to the Bible reader. Our previous article was mainly concerned with how the ground floor Assyrian Galleries (Rooms 6-10) provided dramatic evidence of the astonishing accuracy of Nahum s prophecy concerning the destruction of Nineveh and the virtual end of the Assyrian Power. Many More Exhibits With the first major phase of the refurbishment now completed it is timely to mention some of the other fascinating exhibits to be found in both the Museum and the Library which illustrate and confirm the accuracy of the Bible record. On entering the ground floor Egyptian gallery, the sheer size of some monuments such as the 15 ton head of Rameses II, brought back from Thebes, is just overwhelming and prompts the obvious question as to how the ancient Egyptians actually constructed and transported such enormous items. More than a hundred years ago there were over 10,000 different Egyptian objects in the British Museum The Cyrus Cylinder describes the victory over Babylon without battle and without fighting. An event foretold in Isaiah chapter 45. including the longest known Egyptian written document, the 45 ft. long Harris papyrus. The many representations of Isis and baby Osiris are reminiscent of the Madonna and Child of today s Catholic Church. The black granite cat-god Sakhmet of Thebes (left) dating from 1350 BC shows how the solar disc of the sungod which formed part of the statue was later adopted by the early apostate Christian churches as a halo as if to show divine approval of the individual bearing it. There is another collection of Egyptian exhibits on the first floor (Rooms 61-64), which has itself been considerably reorganised. As one views the many mummies on display one cannot help pondering on the words of Genesis 50:2-3;26. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were fulfilled for him (for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed); and the Egyptians mourned for him three score and ten days. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. Could we be looking at the very way Jacob was carried up from Egypt to the Promised Land? Sabean Men of Stature One of the most fascinating exhibits on that floor however, is the enormous mural to be found high up on the wall of Room 65 (shown at the head of this article). It illustrates the bringing to the Pharaoh Rameses of the Ethiopian and Sabean Men of stature (Isa. 45:14) dressed in their leopard skins with nonremovable spots (Jeremiah 13:23). Not only does the mural include many symbols of the legendary Nubian wealth ( nubs of gold, ostrich feathers etc) but quite remarkably shows the black skinned Sabeans as being of visibly greater stature than their smaller, brown skinned Egyptian captors the reverse of the way Egyptian victors usually depicted their victims! And around the corner is the Ancient Near East Gallery with its famous Cyrus Cylinder (above). This describes the role of Cyrus in conquering Babylon without battle and without fighting, in B.C. 539 an event graphically prophesied in Isaiah chapter 45. Remarkably, the image of that cylinder was adopted as the design motif, or logo, by the former Shah of Persia who in 1970 invited the world s leaders to the ancient Iranian site of Persepolis for a massive party to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of the work of Cyrus. It is thrilling to pause for a while and ponder on Page 9

10 whether one might well being looking at some of the very things Daniel would have seen. Several rooms are devoted to the development of writing, and one particular exhibit of interest to the Bible student is the Taylor Prism (shown at the bottom of this page), a six sided vertical column about 18 inches tall. This records how Sennacherib carried out his siege of Jerusalem shutting up Hezekiah like a caged bird, within his royal city. These events are described in 2 Kings chapter 18. However as Isaiah 37:36 tells us, the Lord intervened one night and slew 185,000 of the Assyrian warriors, who when they arose in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses a fact conveniently omitted from Sennacherib s record! Then in room 55 is the remarkable Nebuchadnezzar Brick which contains the Brick bearing the name Nebuchadnezzar name of the Babylonian Emperor and his father, Nabopolasser. Also prominently displayed is another large slab of Babylonian cuneiform writing describing the religious devotions of Nebuchadnezzar. There are also some blue glazed bricks taken from the Processional Way in Babylon looking, it has to be said, somewhat forlorn as there is a much better massive reconstruction of this Way with the enormous Ishtar Gate to be found in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. For many years visitors to this room would have been able to see the Moabite Stone (bottom, centre), perhaps one of the most amazing witnesses to the accuracy of the Old Testament record. This black basalt stone measuring about 4ft X 2 ft. has currently been removed from display, but should be returned later. In any case it is only a copy of the original which is still in the Louvre Museum in Paris and how it came to be there is quite simple. When it was discovered in 1868 at Dibon on the east side of the Dead Sea in Jordan by the German Missionary Franz Klein, he offered the local Arab Sheik 75 Page 10 The Taylor Prism for it. On hearing of the German offer the local French consul offered the Sheik 375. End of story! The Stone itself contains part of the story we find in 2 Kings 3, and tells how Israel s King Omri oppressed Moab for many days... and took possession of the land of Medeba which itself is mentioned in Number 21:30. Then there is also the intriguing use of the word Ariel to describe the city of Jerusalem echoing the Woe which Isaiah in chapter 29 pronounces against that city. The Moabite Stone also includes a reference to the God of Israel, Yahweh. 2 Rome, Greece and Cyprus Needless to say, both Rome and Greece are well represented reminding us of the journeys of Paul to those lands, and many more hours could be spent there. However, the Cyprus exhibits in Room 72 are worth a visit, if only to note how that island in the Mediterranean Sea became, in the days following the death of Alexander the Great, part of the Ptolemaic kingdom of the south based in Egypt. Not perhaps a particularly exquisite discovery in itself, but by virtue of being part of the empire of Ptolemy it is included in the struggles between the king of the north and the king of the south described at great length in Daniel chapter 11. The end of that continuous but now mostly historic prophecy of God s hand at work in the kingdom of men (Dan. 4:17), brings us up to the very days in which we live. Today we see the strongest overseas military base of Britain settled on its own sovereign territory in Cyprus, finding itself once again strategically well positioned to fulfill those prophecies which have to do with the coming time of Armageddon when it will form part of the latter day King of the South power. 3 referred to by Daniel (11:44); by Ezekiel (38:13), and enigmatically by Balaam in Numbers (24:24). The British Library But now it is time to walk up the street to the spectacular new British Library building just by St. Pancras and Kings Cross stations. There will be found copies of the 1215 A.D. Magna Carta, the THE BRITISH LIBRARY Situated on Euston road next to St. Pancras Station, this is one of the largest public buildings constructed in the U.K. in the last hundred years. Opened in 1996, it covers over a million square feet and currently houses 13 million books on 200 miles of shelving. It also holds some 45 million The Moabite Stone, recording the same events as 2 Kings chapter 3.

11 patents and 300,000 manuscripts including many of vital importance to the Bible student. The Bibles, manuscripts and other documents formerly found in the King s Library Gallery of the British Museum have been moved to this building about a mile or so away from the Museum. Gutenberg Bible Lindisfarne Gospels, and the first printed Bible produced by Gutenberg, at Mainz in Germany in 1454 (pictured below left). This is the earliest known full-scale work printed in Europe using movable type. 180 copies were printed but fewer than 50 copies exist today. Of significant interest to the Bible student is what the British Library itself describes as a jewel beyond price, the Codex Sinaiticus which dates from the middle of the 4th Century A.D. This is the earliest complete manuscript of the New Testament, the antiquity and textual importance of which is regarded by some as being greater than the Codex Vaticanus which is in Rome, or the Code Alexandrinus which is in the adjacent display cabinet. This latter exhibit contains what some scholars regard as one of the best texts of the book of Revelation. 4 The Codex Sinaiticus was discovered by Dr. Tischendorf in May 1844 whilst visiting the St. Catherine s Monastery in Sinai, founded by the Russian Orthodox Church. It took another 15 years to extract all the manuscripts from the resident monks but when the process was completed the whole volume was presented to Czar Alexander in St. Petersburg and displayed in the Russian Imperial Library there. Subsequently however, the Russian Government of the Communist era feeling that they had no need for it, sold it to the British Museum the British Government agreeing to match pound-for-pound public donations towards the asking price of 100,000 among the contributors were many Christadelphian Bible readers. But Now a Warning! The refurbishment programme will continue for another 3 years, hopefully being substantially completed in time for the Museum s 250th anniversary in So visitors to the Museum may find that some of the more interesting exhibits have been repositioned, loaned out to other Museums, or even temporarily set aside pending the installation of new display cases. Be warned, too, that doing the British Museum and the British Library could and indeed should, take several days to complete, taking a Bible with you is the way to get the most out of your visit. And one thing, for sure, is that the book shops in both these locations offering many publications describing the Bible-related items you have seen will prove irresistible. BIBLE MAGAZINE NOTICE BOARD SIGNS OF OUR TIMES Prophecy Study Days to Note COVENTRY U.K. To be held on Saturday June 2nd, 2001 at Coventry Grosvenor Road Christadelphian Hall. FIRST ADDRESS: Restoring Again the Kingdom to Israel Speaker: Roger Long (Coventry) SECOND ADDRESS: All Nations Against Jerusalem... Speaker: Don Pearce (Rugby) THIRD ADDRESS: Come Out of Her My People Speaker: Frank Abel (Ont. Canada) Further details from David Griffin DETROIT U.S.A To be held on Saturday October 20th, 2001, God willing. This study day is in process of being arranged and details will be published in this and other magazines shortly. Signs of Our Times Prophecy days were held in New Zealand during early February The guiding policy-statement for all these Signs of Our Times events is as follows: To provide brethren and sisters with sound reasons as to why we can still have confidence in our Christadelphian heritage in the area of Bible prophecy. Also to reintroduce these concepts in a non controversial, yet fresh and stimulating way. To encourage renewed interest and study of the prophetic vision provided by Scripture. 1. See Bible Magazine: Vol. 12 # 3 February 1999: Nahum s Nineveh 2. Readers who have access to The Ministry of the Prophets by C.C. Walker will find a detailed translation on Page See also Bible Magazine: volume 13 #1, October 1999 Cyprus, Russia s Stepping Stone to Doom. 4. See also Peter Moore s article on pages 4-8. Page 11

12 From Eden & Egypt to Babylon, Greece, Rome... & Russia Page 12 By Paul Billington (Brantford, Ont.) Genesis chapter 3 tells us that the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said...? The beast not only questioned the word of God but went on to contradict it, teaching the woman: Ye shall not surely die. As we know, that idea turned out to be a disaster for the whole human race. Jesus, in John chapter 8, said that there were people just like that subtle beast. In speaking to some of the religious leaders of his day he said: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44). This Father Devil abode not in the truth. He made no stand for the Truth because the Truth was not in him he had no capacity or faculty for its appreciation and could not value or respect the word of God which, says Jesus, is truth (John 17:17). Father Devil, like his children, thought that the truth was a matter of opinion and being aware of his own subtlety or cunning, and mistaking that for wisdom, he was not backward in wanting to gain recognition by putting forth his own ideas as a basis for discussion. This is the sense of Jesus words; he speaketh of his own or of himself. The result of this was a lie a falsehood; his reasoning and argument challenged the truth of the Word of God. That is why Jesus uses the term devil (Gk. diabolos); the word means a traducer, a false accuser or slanderer (Strong). This is the consequence of rejecting the Word of God as can be seen from the principle stated in 1 John 5:10, he that believeth not God hath made him a liar. To do that is to falsely accuse, it is sin. Enmity Against God The carnal mind says Paul in Romans 8:7, is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. The Revised Version and others use more contemporary language with the phrase the mind of the flesh in place of carnal mind (the literal Greek is flesh, meat and by implication, human nature). Such was the mind of the cunning beast, not subject to God s law, neither indeed could it be. The children of this slanderer, or diabolos, are like their father and therefore cannot please God. (verse 8). The missing item in the mental make-up of this class of humanity is also identified for us in Hebrews 11:6 where it is written, without faith it is impossible to please him... The ability to believe God and to be strong in faith as Abraham was and so glorify God (see Romans 4:20,21), is rare. Faith, in the Bible sense of the term, involves believing and therefore understanding the promises of God. This means being fully persuaded that, what he has promised, he is able also to perform. Or, as expressed in Hebrews 11, it means believing that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Such a faith as this is not blind faith, it is and can only be based upon an understanding of God s promises as revealed in His word. Where this understanding is absent, there can be no real faith hence the Psalmist says; Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish (Psa. 149:20). Such minds minds devoid of understanding, belief and faith, cannot please God and consequently as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not (2 Peter 2:12). These slanderers, false accusers and evil speakers exist in great multitudes. Sometimes one of them shows himself to be more cunning than the rest. Esau, for example, was a cunning hunter, as THE DRAGON: HYBRID was Nimrod. Su and become the world. In the ca 10), he founded It was a kingdom cunning and pow effect, the kingd had organised hi as in the area manifested politi Kingdom One of the ea course that of an that their worship forms was mere times the serpent wisdom (a corr account), and it rulers of Egypt h upon their fore mind! If the Pha remonstrated wo one can imagine through Moses him. How could sense to the mind write centuries receiveth not th

13 MONSTER, PART SERPENT, ON BABYLON S GATES ch men soon gain power empire-builders of the se of Nimrod (Genesis the kingdom of Babylon. built by the enterprise, er of the flesh. It was in om of the diabolos who mself politically as well of religion. It was sin cally, the kingdom of sin. of the Serpent rliest civilisations was of cient Egypt. It is unlikely of the serpent in various coincidence. From early has been associated with uption of the Genesis is interesting to see how ad the image of this beast heads the seat of the raoh with whom Moses re this type of headdress, what would have passed mind as he talked with the mind of the spirit talk of flesh? As Paul was to later: the natural man e things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). In Ezekiel 29:3 there is a reference to Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers... The word that appears here as dragon is the Hebrew Tanniym which, says Strong can mean a marine or land monster, i.e. sea-serpent or jackal: dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale. The Companion Bible suggests that a great crocodile is meant, and the crocodile was also worshipped in Egypt. We do not know very much about the physical appearance of the Genesis serpent, but as it was deprived of its former means of mobility we can understand how people have depicted it with wings, with legs or as some kind of sea-serpent. The connection between the serpent and a dragon is quite a reasonable one against this background. That the prophet Ezekiel would choose to describe the power of Egypt by the figure of the great dragon is fitting it was the kingdom of the diabolos, or serpent-mind. Nebuchadnezzar: Like a dragon The emblem of the dragon was also owned by Babylon, as can be seen from the famous glazed murals that decorated its gates. The illustration shown left is a hybrid creature that is part serpent and identified as a dragon. The prophet Jeremiah (chapter 51:34) uses this very symbol to describe Israel s captor: Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out. Isaiah chapter 14 Babylon: Originally Founded by Nimrod describes the fall of Babylon and like so many of these prophecies speaks of the historical situation, yet carries the theme forward to a latter-day fulfillment. The proverb or parable against the king of Babylon (verse 4) addresses Lucifer (verse 12), known to us as the historical Belshazzar (c/p Daniel 5:30) who was about to be cut down to the ground. This fall of Babylon foreshadowed a final breaking of the Assyrian as the latter-day Babylon (verses 24-27; c/p Rev. 1: 7-8; 18:2). The words of Isa. 14:28-32 likewise have reference to a historical situation, at the time of the death of King Ahaz, but also describe another development out of the serpent s root of Babylon would come forth a cockatrice or adder (see margin). The kingdom of the serpent power would Page 13

14 Wise as Serpents?? be removed, but Rejoice not O Palestine! The power of the adder would come in its place and the resultant fruit would be a fiery (or red) serpent kingdom. There would yet be another power from the north (verse 31). Yet the end is decreed in verse 32, That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it. King Serpent The Babylonian kingdom of men fell to the Medo-Persians, but they restored many nations to their homelands. It was a time of respite, a time when many felt that they could rejoice but it did not last for long. The Greeks, under Alexander the Great were soon marching through those lands. The kingdom of the diabolos now had a different administration but again it was governed by the mind of flesh the serpent-mind, so to speak. The word cockatrice (Isa. 14:29) is identified as the adder in the A.V. margin. Gesenius prefers viper. The Revised Version however follows a different etymological root and renders the word basilisk from the Greek basiliskos meaning literally KING SERPENT (for so is the word defined by the Oxford Concise English Dictionary. See also Isa. 59:5 R.V.). That the Greek kingdom was indeed the kingdom of the serpent (and the origin of democracy which is the ultimate manifestation of the mind of flesh), is quite certain. If Pharaoh of Egypt had worn the image of the beast upon his forehead, showing all who had eyes to see it that he was the ruler of the Kingdom of sin the Greeks clearly put their faith in the same root. In the first place the Greeks worshipped the serpent as the great healer the symbol of the snake entwined around a tree (of knowledge?) is still a widely used emblem for the medical profession and echoes the spirit of Genesis 3:4, Ye shall not surely die... In the second place there were the Greek Gorgons goddesses whose heads were Page 14 King Serpent or Basiliskos of the Greeks. a writhing mass of serpents (see above left) According to Arthur Cotterell s Encyclopedia of Mythology, such images were carved on warrior s shields, upon city walls, charms and amulets. As the Greek warriors advanced with adders on their shields, those who knew the words of Isaiah 14 could hardly avoid the connection. The kingdom of the serpent had entered another phase! The fruit of it was yet to be seen however, in the fiery red dragon power. War with the Saints The carnal mind, or mind of the flesh (Rom. 8:7) is at enmity with God. It cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14), and so when it has to interact with those who are led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14) there is inevitable conflict. Such was the case when Cain slew his brother Abel and wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother s righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, says the apostle John, if the world hate you (1 John 3:12,13). This situation has been the cause of much suffering on the part of those who are led by the Word of God. The false accuser and adversary heaps upon them his slanderous words (c/p 1 Pet. 2:12). The diabolos casts some of them into prison (Rev. 2:10) and they are slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they hold (Rev. 6:9). Such was the war made upon the Saints by the Roman dragon. In Revelation 12 this 10- horned monster is described as a great red dragon (v. 3). Strong tells us that the Greek word here rendered red is purrhos, meaning fire-like or flame coloured. It clearly echoes the fiery flying serpent of Isa. 14. Among the various emblems used by the Romans there was the dragon a serpent-like contraption which apparently acted like a wind-sock when elevated upon a standard. An example of this can be seen on a painting of the battle of Milvian Bridge (see illustration right). A vibrating attachment is said to have made a roaring sound as the wind passed through it. Here then was the great dragon, that old serpent, called the diabolos, and satan (adversary), which deceiveth the whole world (Rev. 12:9). This description underlines the fact that the dragon power of the Apocalypse has its origin in the book of Genesis and with the original, ancient serpent. As we have shown, its history is traceable through the kingdoms of men through Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Rome, all of which have persecuted the people of God. This serpent power has made war upon both the natural Jews of Israel as well as on the remnant of the woman s seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17). The Beast Blasphemes That the diabolos in its dragon phase is a political power, is further confirmed by Rev. 13:2 where we are told that he gives his power, and his seat (throne), and great authority to the beast. This tells us that the beast is also a ruling power. Both systems are worshipped (verse 4) as were monarchs in Egypt and Babylon. As Roman Emperors were worshipped, it is not difficult to see how the words of Rev. 13 apply to that system of rule. When the beast succeeds the dragon we are told that he is given a mouth, speaking great things and blasphemies (v. 5). This blasphemy is against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, even them that tabernacle in the heaven. To blaspheme someone is to speak evil, slander or revile them. It is to injure someone by speech. The serpent power has blasphemed God from the beginning as we have seen, but now the objective of his blasphemy is even more specific injuring His Name and reputation.

15 The sense of this can be seen from 2 Peter 2 where believers were warned of false teachers who would come among them and by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (verses 1,2). This happened and reached a maturity when the Roman power the diabolos itself adopted the Christian name. That the serpent kingdom should claim to be Christian ( Christendom, that is Christ s Dominion) was indeed a blasphemy which proceeded out of the mouth of the Roman system during the days of Constantine. An example of the blasphemy against the Name of the Truth, and the tabernacle (i.e. those in whom the Truth resides) may be seen from the slanderous attack upon one of the believers by Bishop Eusebius, intimate friend of Emperor Constantine at this time. In writing of a believer named Cerinthus, this bishop of the Church says: He declares that after the Resurrection the Kingdom of Christ will be on earth, and that carnal humanity will dwell in Jerusalem, once more enslaved to lusts and pleasures. And in his enmity towards the Scriptures of God, and in his anxiety to lead men astray, he (Cerinthus) foretells a period of a thousand years given up to wedding festivities... These teachings, says Eusebius, were said to be based upon the book of Revelation, and he FIERY FLYING SERPENT OR RED DRAGON AS A ROMAN STANDARD as it appears in a famous painting of the Battle of Milvian Bridge in Rome. the great dragon... that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan... (Rev 12:9). says I take the view that the interpretation of the various sections is largely a mystery, something too wonderful for our comprehension. I do not understand it... Such is the blasphemy of those who Russia s emblem: Slaying of the Dragon! misrepresent the true believers, calling them carnal and saying that they are given over to lusts and pleasures. The misrepresentation is clear as is the Truth which these people held concerning Christ s coming Kingdom. But Eusebius believed that the Church was the Kingdom of Christ and that Constantine was its earthly Emperor. The character of this Christian empire is described by the historian Gordon Childe: The conversion of Constantine is generally hailed as the final victory of the new faith. It may equally be regarded as the triumph of totalitarianism. The Church no doubt won not only tolerance and relief from persecution, but also wealth and the right to persecute. The price was clerical endorsement of the existing order on earth. The Emperor is indeed no longer Master and God, but he has become the Orthodox and Apostolic Emperor. His rule was an earthly counterpart and representative of the Sovereignty of the Divine Word. In the Sacred Palace at Istanbul (i.e. Constantinople Ed.) the Divine Household abode and issued Celestial Commands; even the annual tax assessment was known as the Divine Delegation. What Happened in History. The Dragon Bound The Kingdom of the Beast has had a long history and is seen at various stages of its career in Scripture. Both the dragon and beast aspects are to be involved in gathering the nations for the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:14). The outcome is described in Rev. 20:1-3: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. The world is soon to witness this restraining chain in the hands of Christ and his Saints as it is written in Psalm 149: Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD. It is perhaps ironic (and maybe even prophetic), that Russia today should display as its national emblem, the dragon being slain by the horseman. We eagerly await this victory over the kingdom of the serpent by the Mighty King of Israel upon his return, for:...he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. Page 15

16 MILESTONES By Don Pearce RUGBY, UK. UPDATE The pace of political change does not slacken! Events from many quarters quicken our expectations that the Lord is at hand. What seem to be random, chance events, are doubtless the work of the angels overseeing the disposition of the nations under the hand of the Lord Jesus. For Britain the constant hammer of crisis seems to be hitting harder and harder. Last year BSE mad-cow disease, swine fever, recurring floods, devastating winds. This year more train disasters, more floods, and now Foot and Mouth disease. Smoke from burning pyres of sheep and cattle, slaughtered because they have the disease or healthy animals slain just in case, darkens the sky in the affected areas. Footpaths are closed; farmers isolate themselves in fear of the disease being transmitted to their flocks and herds. It has spread to the continent, and harsh words are directed against British farmers for exporting this contagious (to animals) disease. Where will it end? The government is struggling to show itself in control of the situation. Mr Blair s plans to hold elections in May are increasingly being jeopardised. Campaigners would not be able to visit rural communities for fear of spreading the disease. Although he does not have to call an election for another year everything had been geared to this early date whilst the economy is in good shape and they are doing well in the polls. Could this be an angelic work of humbling Britain? Could it lead to a change in government and a change in direction? We have to wait and see. Britain Urged to Look West John Redwood has just published a book entitled Stars and Strife. Mr. Redwood was a contender for the leadership of the Conservative Party when John Major resigned, but lost to William Hague. In this fascinating book, he argues strongly for Britain to link herself to America. This is where her kinship lies, not in Europe. He argues that the growing e-commerce world which has no boundaries, favours Britain and America. English is the language of the net, and both countries are used to global trading, unlike the continent that has been introspective. He also urges Britain to move closer to Commonwealth countries. There is certainly a special link between the U.S. and Britain. Tony Blair was soon paying a visit to the new American president, URGING BRITAIN TO LOOK WEST John Redwood, a leading figure in Britain argues in his new book Stars and Strife that Britain should link herself to America rather than to Europe. Below right: Britain s Tony Blair with U.S. President George Bush. George W Bush. He affirmed his support for the American plans for a missile defence system, which would involve siting of equipment including missiles in Britain, and agreed to help sell the idea to his European partners. He also sought to allay fears concerning the European Army and its relationship to Nato. His assurances were however soon undermined by statements by the French! America s Change of Direction As a legacy of World War II, America has some 100,000 troops stationed in Europe, mainly in Germany. There are a similar number in Asia, primarily in Japan and South Korea, and 25,000 are in the Persian Gulf area. America can see that Europe is intent on developing its own independent army. This will surely result in America withdrawing troops and pulling herself back. There are discussions taking place at the moment as to what America s longer-term military strategy should be. She is expected to pull back many of her troops and replace the overseas presence with more mobile units, armed with highly sophisticated weapons. With Europe looking after its own needs, America would orientate its military strategy towards the Persian Gulf as well as South and East Asia and further away from Europe. Stratfor Global Intelligence (1-3-01). This is what Bible prophecy would lead us to expect. Europe belongs to the King of the North grouping as detailed by Daniel s prophecies, whilst we expect Britain, working with America and the Commonwealth, to be part of the King of the South power. This leads us to expect America to increase her efforts away from Europe and concentrate on the Middle East. She has many friends in the area. Israel has very close ties of friendship. Egypt benefits greatly from American aid each year. The southern Arab states although they have their differences, are basically favourable to America and Britain. They too fear the recklessness of Saddam Hussein. Many reports indicate that if he has not already tested nuclear devices, he is very close to doing so. He also has developed chemical weapons and is close to having rockets that are capable of carrying them as far as, say, Germany! Saddam has certainly been successful in circumventing the sanctions imposed by America. Oil which should only be sold with UN approval flows out through many routes. He has courted many of the Arab leaders, signing free-trade agreements with Syria, Egypt and Jordan in late January, just before the Bush inauguration. Iraq had also greatly stepped up their retaliatory attacks on the Allied aircraft patrolling the no fly zones since Mr Bush was declared the winner of the election. Saddam has also openly supported the Palestinian uprising, giving $10,000 rewards to families of Palestinians killed in the recent intifada and channeling some $1 billion in aid over the past few months. His son Uday has referred to Kuwait as part of greater Iraq the very statement that started the Gulf war. These were all measures to test the new president s resolve. President Bush acted swiftly to indicate that Page 16

17 he is determined to continue where his father left off 10 years ago. His long-term strategy is to restore American influence over this region with British backing. Indeed, according to the Sunday Times, ( ), it was at Britain s urging that Allied planes struck several times at targets in the Southern no-fly zone in early February. They targeted significantly important sites just 20 miles from Baghdad, sites that under the Clinton administration had been forbidden as targets. The reprisals took place just before General Powell s trip to the region and were intended to send a strong message to Saddam and the Arab countries America was back in business! In launching himself at his father s old enemy just four weeks after stepping into the White House, President Bush has set the mould of his Middle East policy for the next four years. He has antagonised leaders across the Arab world, confounding their firm belief that he would prove to be more sympathetic than President Clinton. In so doing he has won Israel s startled support. He will have encouraged those who were beginning to say already that his presidency might even prove to be more helpful to Israel than Mr Clinton s. The Times ( ) Bush and Powell have made it plain that they have a goal in the Middle East and it s not about forcing Israel and the Palestinians into artificial peace deals. It s about containing Saddam and prompting stability, and from here on every regional player will be judged by its willingness or refusal to promote these causes. Jerusalem Post ( ) One of the Arab fears is that if the sanctions against Iraq are lifted, then oil prices will fall as Iraq is a large producer and would unleash as much as she could to earn revenue. Having experienced the benefits of high prices, that is not a scenario that pleases countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. If Washington can convince Arab governments that the flow of Iraqi oil can be constrained through force and sanctions keeping the price of oil stable then American influence in the region may once again grow. Stratfor Global Intelligence ( ) The German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, flew to Washington to voice mainland Europe s dismay at the allied bombings. However the Americans have not forgotten his past involvement as a young man in a solidarity conference with the PLO which called for the destruction of Israel. France expressed incomprehension and discomfort at the raids. The EU has been pressing for sanctions to be lifted for a long time; France and Germany are especially keen to gain lucrative contracts when and if sanctions are lifted. The Pope also has been outspoken against the sanctions he is planning to visit Iraq this summer. The Gulf Co-operation Council It is interesting to see the development over the years of a southern grouping of nations. Britain and America have long been associated with this southern grouping. Both countries are heavily involved in Israel, Egypt and the Gulf States. At the end of last year there was a gathering of the Gulf Co-operation Council. This is made up of six nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Originally Iraq was a member, but was expelled when 10 years ago she invaded Kuwait. The important country that is missing from a prophetical point of view is Egypt. Possible future developments may cause her to be linked with this group. At Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council their conference they signed a joint defence pact, paving the way for stronger military links. Not only have they pledged to defend themselves, they are setting up their own rapid deployment force. The existing Saudi-based Peninsula Shield which was set up in 1986, is likely to be expanded from 5,000 to 25,000 troops. They plan to co-ordinate multi-million dollar telecommunications and early warning radar systems. They also called upon Iraq to comply with the UN resolutions and to end its criticisms of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. They also backed the UAE s claim of sovereignty over three islands that are being disputed by Iran. Both Iraq and Iran reacted angrily to these proposals. Iraq and Syria Iraq and Syria are renewing their former ties. Saddam s son Quasay visited the new Syrian President Bashar Assad at the end of January to discuss military co-operation in the event of war with Israel. The visit was immediately followed by large-scale manoeuvres by Iraqi troops on the Syrian border. A railway link between the two countries has been reopened to allow oil to be shipped to the Syrian port of Latakia. An old oil pipeline has also been brought back into operation, which runs to the Syrian port of Baniyas, and new ones are planned. Syria, whose own oil production has been in decline, is now exporting 50% more oil! To avoid being charged with sanction breaking, it appears that they are using much of the Iraqi oil themselves, allowing them to legitimately export more of their own oil. Basher Assad also paid a visit to Iran for what was described as a strategic dialogue Sunday Telegraph (14-1); The Times (29-1); Jerusalem Post (2-2-01). According to unconfirmed reports Iraq came to the brink of launching missiles at Israel in late February. It was only after strong pressure and threats from Britain and America that he allegedly pulled back. Six Iraqi armoured divisions had been moved close to the Syrian border and long range missiles were being prepared for launching. America was coincidentally holding exercises in Israel with her Patriot Missile defence system. It was thought that Saddam was testing to see how good Western intelligence and satellite spying was whether his actions would be detected. It seems they were! ICEJ News (23 & ) The 10th Anniversary of the Desert Storm America s success at building a coalition of forces to drive Iraq back out of Kuwait was celebrated in Kuwait at a ceremony in February. Attended by General Powell as the climax to his Middle East tour, Mrs Thatcher, John Major and George Bush senior, they watched a mock attack on an imaginary Iraqi enemy. Former supporters of the coalition, France and Russia, kept a low profile! The number of countries that would rally to support another challenge is dwindling but this is as expected. Many of the 30 or so countries who joined forces 10 years ago will be found in the future on the King of the North s side. Support will be mainly from the English-speaking peoples, the young lions at the side of the old lion (Ezekiel 38:13). At the moment Saudi Arabia is wavering. She fears what would happen if Saddam pushed south again. Would the West intervene? If not, then she would be better off being friends with this man. Perhaps we shall see with the renewal of bombing of Iraq, that under the Bush administration they have their answer yes, they would be aided in a crisis. It is interesting that although the majority of the attacking planes took off from Kuwait, several took off from Saudi. Permission would have to have been given for this. Kuwait has invited Western oil firms to tender for developing new oilfields by the Iraqi border. Kuwait is looking for an investment of some $7 billion, hoping to boost her oil production by 40%. Her constitution prevents Page 17

18 foreign firms from direct ownership of her oil wells since they were nationalised in the 1960 s. However many wells are being operated by Western companies under service contracts. The Times (4-1-01) The New Israeli Prime Minister As the polls had indicated, Ariel Sharon s victory in early February was by the widest margin ever seen in Israeli elections. This gives him a firm mandate to pursue a harder line than his successor Ehud Barak. He has managed to pull together a coalition government including many members of the defeated Labour government. It is early days yet, but his first measure on taking office in mid-march aroused extensive opposition, both within his government and abroad. He ordered the tightening of the blockades that effectively divided the Gaza strip into five isolated sectors and the West Bank into about 40. From a military strategy point of view it was an effective way of limiting threats of attacks. But it cripples an already crippled economy losses to the Palestinian economy were estimated at $11 million a day. There was widespread criticism, and measures were taken to ease the blockades. It has strengthened the Palestinian s call for the UN to send in international Peacekeeping monitors. Israel is much opposed to this, as is the USA the UN is not friendly to Israel. There would however be many countries that would support such a move. The EU has suggested such a force, as has Britain. As this update is being written, Sharon is on a visit to America for the two leaders to meet and to get to know each other. He was warmly received and Bush declared: I assured the Prime Minister that my administration will work hard to lay the foundation of peace in the Middle East, work with all nations in the Middle East to give peace a chance. Secondly, I told him that our nation will not try to force peace, that we will facilitate peace and that we will work with those responsible for peace. Mr. Sharon also had a meeting with the Foreign Relations Committee, who showed Page 18 Meeting: Ariel Sharon and George Bush their approval of his position. The feeling was that Arafat either was unable or unwilling to negotiate on anything remotely reasonable, so there was basically a vote of confidence by each of the (Congressional) members saying they support his position of not negotiating until the violence stops. During his meeting with Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Advisor, the idea was discussed of developing an American led, joint U.S.-Israeli framework for fighting terror. Israel Line (20 & ) The Israelis have been pleased that the younger Bush is more concerned for Israel than his father was. Mr. Bush has a strong religious background that doubtless influences his interest in the People of God. We wait to see how the present conflict in the Land will be resolved. Kaliningrad: E.U. - Russia meeting point. Kaliningrad Diligent readers will remember that we discussed this outpost of Russia on the Baltic in the last issue. Due to be surrounded by an enlarging EU, Russia and Germany had been in discussions about Germany taking over the administration in return for a cancellation of part of the debt that Russia owes to Germany. Its importance lies in the fact that it used to be part of the Prussian Empire, and many in Germany are stirring hopes of recreating their former Empire. The EU has a web-site for its EU Commission in Russia which often has very interesting information. Its press release for 16th March announced that the EU was giving 1 million euros towards promoting the development of the port at Kaliningrad. The project starts at a time when the Russian Government, the Regional Administration and the European Commission are paying increased attention to Kaliningrad Oblast and its potential as a turntable for trade and services between the EU and Russia as well as the region itself. This is very generous of the EU! It indicates the growing links between the EU and Russia. Russia and the EU. This same web site has a section entitled EU and Russia Areas of co-operation, and Agreements and Documents. A perusal of these reveals two fascinating documents. Common strategy of the European Union on Russia. Part 1 is entitled: Vision of the EU for its partnership with Russia. Part 2 Areas of action. It is dated 4th June The second article is similar but looking at matters from Russia s viewpoint. The article is entitled Russia s common strategy towards the EU. The same material is also found under the heading Medium-term Strategy for Development of Relations between the Russian Federation and the European Union ( ). This would appear to have been issued last year. It sets out a ten-year plan of co-operation. It is obvious from these articles that the increased level of cooperation which we have been witnessing has all been carefully pre-planned and is now being put into effect. It is exciting to read in an official document the very things that we have been expecting from our Bible study! Revelation 16 shows that we should be able to identify three powers at the time of the end who work together to bring the nations to the great day of battle in the land of Israel. A Dragon power (Russia), and Beast power (Western Europe) and a False prophet (The Papacy see the previous issue of The Bible Magazine.) Here are a few extracts from these articles to give a flavour of their plans (My emphasis DFP). The Strategy determines objectives of development of Russia s relations with the European Union for the next decade and means of their achievement. It is a consistent evolution of the general foreign policy concept of Russia in the European area and it stems from the objective need to establish a multipolar world, (read a world not dominated by America DFP), common histories of nations and responsibility of European States for the future of the continent, and complementarily of their economies. It is also directly co-ordinated with the concept of economic security of Russia. The Strategy is aimed at development and strengthening of strategic partnership between Russia and the EU in the European and world affairs and prevention and settlement, through common efforts, of local conflicts in Europe with an emphasis on supremacy of international law

19 and non-use of force. It provides for the construction of a united Europe without dividing lines and the interrelated and balanced strengthening of the positions of Russia and the EU within an international community of the 21st century. On the basis of reciprocity and the existing potential, Russia could contribute to the solution of a number of problems facing the European Union, and to the strengthening of Europe s common positions in the world: facilitation of the economic growth and employment in Europe through trade and investment channels, long-term and stable supplying of the EU on a contractual basis (in particular, through product sharing agreements and concessions) with energy resources and raw materials...facilitation of the strengthening of the euro as an international currency through officially including it into the foreign currency reserves of the Bank of Russia; military and technical co-operation with due account for the prospects of establishing a European defence identity ; joint prevention and eradication of local conflicts and combating organised crime in Europe. Mr Putin is due to attend the EU Stockholm Summit which is being held March 23rd, 24th. Sweden who holds the rotating EU presidency has invited Mr Putin to discuss co-operation between the EU and Russia. Sweden has said that relations with Russia are one of its main priorities during its January-June EU presidency. Sweden and the EU are keen to help Russia s Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, squeezed between EU candidates Lithuania and Poland, which suffers from nuclear and other pollution as well as high levels of disease and social deprivation. Russia Today ( ). It should be an interesting summit. France-Russia: Growing Strategic Ties. In the last issue we looked at the increased friendship between Germany and Russia. Now it is France s turn! The above was the headline to a Stratfor Global Intelligence article ( ). In mid-january the French Defence Minister, Alan Richard, visited Moscow to formalise an extensive and intensive program of strategic and military-technical collaboration. The French government is going to go significantly further than any other Western country. Germany currently leads Europe in large-scale political, security, economic, financial and investment co-operation with Russia. The agreement between the Russian and Closing the Holy Door French defence ministries will allow France to catch up with Germany in the military and the military-technical fields. Strategic ties between France and Russia are to involve much deeper interaction between their militaries... In addition to financial gains from selling jointly modified Russian weapons to third countries, France aims at getting new military capabilities through mastering some Russian advanced weapons systems. Step by step Europe is being united. This is all in preparation for the latter-day work of banding together in common cause to deal with the Jewish problem by invading Israel. Jerusalem is to be a burdensome stone to all nations. Closing the Door! To mark the end of the year-long millennium The Principality & Power of Europe Of interest to readers of The Bible Magazine will be this new edition of Adrian Hilton s book The Principality and Power of Europe. This is a revised and up-dated edition from the 1997 edition, including several new sections. Our interest in the subject matter of this publication is, of course, from a Bible students perspective. The book demonstrates clearly the forces that are at work to unify Europe today (especially Catholic) a latter-day development which Scripture shows us will happen (for example, Revelation 17:12-14). In his preface to this second edition, Hilton writes: When a German politician overtly declares his objective to see a German-led united Europe, the speech is viewed with distaste in the United Kingdom, but when the Pope instigates the sainthood of the EU s Founding Fathers, in a move clearly designed to sway Europe s 200 million Roman Catholics into believing that the EU is a project both designed and approved by God, it goes unchallenged. It is refreshing to see that someone is challenging this aspect of the issue, and that is what Hilton does. It is refreshing because we expect, on the basis of Bible prophecy, that Britain will eventually cut its links with Europe and it may well be that voices like this will help to bring it about. Those who have not read this book and want some background on current developments in Europe will find it readable, informative and useful. In case of difficulty in obtaining a copy contact The Bible Magazine for information on where to obtain one. ISBN celebrations the Pope held an elaborate ceremony in January to mark the shutting of the door in the St Peter s Basilica. It was attended by hundreds of dignitaries and politicians. The heavy bronze door has now been bricked up awaiting its next planned opening in 25 years time!!! We reported on the opening ceremony in the Feb 2000 issue. What caught my eye was a photograph in The Economist (not as pictured Ed.). Normally one only sees part of the door. This shot showed it all, plus the inscription over the top. It reads CLEMENS X PONT MAX. The second line gives the date Pont Max is short for Pontifex Maximus, or Supreme Pontiff. This is one of the titles claimed by the Popes. The Church Visible defines this title as the successor of St. Peter who received from Christ the supreme power (primacy of honour and of jurisdiction) over the Universal Church, to be passed onto his successors. What blasphemy! Hislop in his Two Babylons traces this title back to the kings of Babylon. They had their Pontifical Colleges of priests, over whom the king was head or Pontifex Maximus. The title was used in the early days of Rome for the chief priest. Julius Caesar, who claimed divine sonship of the God Jupiter hence his adoption of the name Julius, took the title for the last 20 years of his reign. After BC 12 the title became inseparable from the office of the reigning emperor. Enc. Brit. This photograph gives a vivid reminder of the pagan origins of so much of what is claimed to be the true religion. A study of the Bible prophecies reveal that this is far from the case. Here is a system in opposition to the true gospel, which will be destroyed at the coming of the Lord Jesus. He is the one who has been bestowed with primacy of honour and jurisdiction. It will be at the Name of Jesus that every knee will bow (Phil. 2:10). We long and pray for that day to come soon. 1. Stars and Strife by John Redwood, Palgrave ISBN X 2. Page 19

20 EDITORIAL T he gospel, as defined in Acts 8:12 consists of the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. The first part of this the things concerning the kingdom of God is clearly set before us in the Scriptures of the prophets and apostles where we can learn the basic facts relating to it. The gospel (or good news, as the word means) is that God will establish a kingdom on earth which will be directly ruled by the powerful and immortal Lord Jesus Christ. It is important to realize that the kingdom to be established will be the ancient kingdom of Israel restored in that territory which it formerly occupied in the Middle East (see Micah 4:6-8; 7:20 and Luke 2:68-75). This is the land that has been covenanted and promised as an everlasting possession to Abraham and his seed which seed says the apostle Paul, is Christ (Gal. 3:16; Gen. 13:14-17). The Hope of Israel The gospel teaches us to expect that the ancient kingdom of Israel which existed in the days of David and Solomon will be restored again. The Hebrew nation that formed that kingdom has been scattered throughout the world for many centuries and in order to restore the kingdom it is necessary that they be regathered. This then, involves the ingathering of God s chosen but scattered nation. As it is written in Isaiah 61:4, they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. The capital city of the ancient kingdom was of course, Jerusalem and so it will be again when Jesus Christ is given the throne of his ancestor David and rules over the house of Jacob (named Israel) as promised in Luke 1: The second part of the gospel as it is defined in Acts 8:12, has to do with the name of Jesus Christ. He is the one that God has appointed to carry out the work of restoring the kingdom. Neither the Hebrew nation of Israel today, or the scattered Jews throughout the world, recognise that the Hope of Israel is Jesus of Nazareth. He is their only hope, as the Scriptures declare: O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble... (Jer. 14:8). O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters (Jer. 17:3). This title of the Lord should be noted, for it is the LORD, the hope of Israel. Here is a clear selection, a choice of one particular nation above all others. The words of Deuteronomy addressed to Israel are quite clear about this: Page 20 The Gospel that We Preach For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth (Deut. 7:6). Also, in the New Testament Paul says of his kinsmen according to the flesh: who are Israelites, that to them pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises... (Rom. 9:3-4). He goes on to say that some in Israel were broken off because of unbelief (chapter 11:20), and that through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles; nonetheless he concludes but as touching the election (the word means selection, a choosing out), they are beloved for the fathers sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Rom. 11:28,29). It is during this period when natural Israel has been cut off because of unbelief, that Neither the Hebrew nation of Israel today, or the scattered Jews throughout the world, recognise that the Hope of Israel is Jesus of Nazareth. He is their only hope... Gentiles have the opportunity to become grafted into the Israelitish olive tree, and so embrace the Hope of Israel. Citizenship of the Kingdom As Christ is the hope of Israel, there can be no benefit to anyone who is not associated with him. Addressing Gentile believers, the apostle Paul reminds them of their former condition: Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:11-13). So those who are without christ are also alienated from Israel s commonwealth, or politeia; that is citizenship. In other words, for a Gentile to be without Christ means that he can have no citizenship in Christ s kingdom, which is Israel. He is without hope. Now this national hope has the effect of antagonising those who see it as an unfair selection it is a choice made by God that appears to contradict the principle of all men being equal in the sight of God. Why should the Jews be given preference over anyone else? Such a gospel is seen as (and has been called) racist. The words of Acts 10:34-35 may be quoted: Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him (Acts 10:34-35). To do justice to Peter s words here we must also read the next verse (36), which says: The word which God sent unto the children of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all): That word, I say ye know... So the word and promise of God was sent to Israel, yet extended peace (the word means to join) through Jesus Christ. This meant being taken out of the Gentiles so as to become a people for his name (Acts 15:14). This requires a mind that is humble enough to submit to the way of God, who as he says, will have mercy upon those whom he chooses to have mercy upon (Ex. 33:19; c/p Rom. 9:14-16). So it is then, that in every nation he that feareth Him, and works the work of righteousness by believing and obeying the gospel and its requirements (Acts 10:35 c/p John 6:28-29) is accepted with Him. Such a believer will willingly repudiate his Gentile connection, recognising that God has promised an eternal possession of the land of Canaan through Abraham and his seed Galatians 3: Upon this basis of faith men and women may be granted citizenship of the Davidic kingdom which is to be restored by Jesus Christ, the seed of Abraham. At present this citizenship is in heaven because that is where the Messiah of Israel, who holds the key of David, is residing. This is the sense of Philippians 3:20 (where the word conversation means citizenship); see also Revelation 3:7. When Jesus returns to earth and restores again the kingdom to Israel, he will bestow the privileges of citizenship upon those whom he judges to be worthy of his mercy. To them he will open up the way of an everlasting place in the kingdom by changing their vile bodies, that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious body and they shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, putting on the incorruption of immortality (Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:50-53). Other Gospels To the Galatian believers the apostle Paul wrote: I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another;

21 but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:6-9). As can be seen from several places in the New Testament, the early perversion of the gospel involved a return to the Law-keeping of the Jews. The coming kingdom would be the restored kingdom of Israel but that did not make Christianity Judaism. True Christianity was founded upon a new covenant which extended the grace and mercy of God to Israel through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ. As we have already noted, men and women of other nations could avail themselves of this national hope by believing those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12; 28:31). This new covenant which was brought into force, or activated, by Christ s death and resurrection (Heb. 13:20-21) worked by love, not by the keeping of the Law. Paul told the Galatians: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love (Gal. 5:4-6). Other perversions of the gospel have followed since those early attempts to bring believers back into the bondage of the Law. For example: Instead of preaching the Truth that God will fulfill His promises to Abraham, to David and to Mary by restoring again the kingdom to Israel, some have taught the absurd notion that Gentile nations such as Britain and the United States of America are the kingdom of God! Such was the gospel taught by the so-called British-Israelites and their more recent counterparts. They claim that the creaky old throne of England, together with a brick from Scotland, comprise the real throne of David! But God says through His prophet:...i will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up (Acts 15:15-16). The national Church of England has another version of the gospel which, according to one of its hymns, wants to alter the facts of geography in order to build Jerusalem in England s green and pleasant land a land currently infected with the foot and mouth plague because of its apostasy and rampant wickedness. Then of course, we have another gospel which, it is claimed, was preached by an angel from heaven to a Mr. Joseph Smith. The resultant Book of Mormon places on offer a The inscription on this stone discovered in northern Israel includes the words: House of David and is said to be the only archaeological discovery which mentions the existence of the ancient monarchy. It is also a reminder to us of those Scriptures which speak of the tabernacle of David. For example Amos 9:11, In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. Also. Isaiah 16:5, in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. This is quoted in Acts 15:16 as well. Other passages mention the House of David, for example: And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. Isaiah 22:22. different promised land which we learn from Nephi 2:20 and 18:23, is America! As this is not the gospel which was preached before unto Abraham (Gal. 3:8) those who preach it, according to Paul, are cursed. Others again suggest the old idea that the Church is the kingdom of Christ and the true Israel of God. The Kingdom is not the Church The kingdom of God, as preached by Christ and his apostles clearly involved a restoration of what once existed. This is what Jesus told his disciples saying: Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things (Matt. 17:11). This work will be carried out under the direction of Christ himself as the disciples obviously understood from the question they asked Jesus in Acts 1:6. The church is in no sense a restoration such as is described in these Scriptures. The disciples were told by Jesus: Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration (the word means restoration) when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28). This promise requires the restoration of the twelve tribes of Israel in fulfillment of the prophets (e.g. Ezek. 37:19-22). There is no church in existence that meets such a criteria and certainly the disciples of Jesus are not yet sitting upon twelve thrones judging and ruling over such a kingdom. It has to be recognized in all honesty that no church fits this description of the kingdom of God. There are of course certain passages of Scripture that may be constructed in order to suggest that believers are now kings and priests. We cannot set Scripture against Scripture however. Paul told Timothy: If we suffer (i.e. endure), we shall also reign with him (2 Tim. 2:12; c/p 1 Peter 4:13). The idea that the church was the kingdom first began to appear as the doctrine of Christ s millennial reign on earth lost ground among the early Christians. In a passage that has been frequently quoted from the historian Edward Gibbon, we learn: The doctrine of Christ s reign upon earth was at first treated as a profound allegory, was considered by degrees as a doubtful and useless opinion, and was at length rejected as the absurd invention of heresy and fanaticism. A mysterious prophecy, which still forms a part of the sacred canon, but which was thought to favour the exploded sentiment, has very narrowly escaped the proscription of the church. Whenever we hear this teaching today that this promised kingdom is fulfilled in the church then we are witnessing a repetition of history. Hand in hand with this will be found an evasiveness or indifference towards the book of Revelation or an interpretation of the book calculated to render it practically irrelevant. It is interesting to note that the prophecy is missing in some 4th century manuscripts, such as the Vatican manuscript. Reasons for Antagonism The doctrine of a restored Hebrew kingdom under Christ has certain consequences for the present political and ecclesiastical systems that currently enjoy power and prestige. Gibbon continues: Whilst the happiness and glory of a temporal reign were promised to the disciples of Christ, the most dreadful calamities were Page 21

22 denounced against an unbelieving world. The edification of the new Jerusalem was to advance by equal steps with the destruction of the mystic Babylon... It amounts to this then: God is to set up His kingdom in the earth which will overthrow all others, and change them into the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ (Rev. 11:15). Such is the teaching of Scripture For example, Daniel 2:44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Again, Isaiah 60:12, For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted (Isa. 60:12). Many more Scriptures give us the same picture, but it is one which evokes antagonism from the world hostility towards those who preach the Hope of Israel as a literal thing to be accomplished. It also gives rise to hostility from those who say that the church is the kingdom of Christ because it calls into question their position. The doctrine of the restoration of Israel as the true kingdom of Christ is a challenge to present institutions, whether political or religious. In practical terms, the gospel that Scripture teaches brings into focus what the prophet called the controversy of Zion (Isa. 34:8). A Basis of Separation Today s religious world is in the grip of an ecumenical spirit that no longer values Truth, preferring the false peace that comes from an apparent unity. This unity is really a subjection to a dominant religious authority that seeks to impose itself upon all others. We who stand for the Hope of Israel, as did the apostle Paul (Acts 28:20), accept that the gospel we preach will have the consequence of separating us from others. It is not that we wish to be unfriendly or unkind, but in conscience we must stand for the honour of God. The Almighty has promised to do certain things for Israel through Jesus Christ, and like Abraham we do not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief, but being fully persuaded that what he has promised he is able to perform, we seek to give glory to God, by preaching it. The kingdom will come and Israel will be restored in fulfillment of the Bible s promises. Jesus Christ will return from heaven and reestablish the house and throne of David again in Jerusalem. The events unfolding in the Middle East today are evidence to this and though all nations on earth be gathered together against it, as doubtless they will, the Truth of the gospel will be vindicated with almighty power which no nation on earth will be able to resist. May the King of Israel, Jesus the Messiah, come speedily and show mercy upon those who wait for him in faith. Page 22 By Frank Abel (Ont., Canada) W hen Jesus, who was not of the priestly tribe, went into the temple and cast out those that sold and bought therein, he obviously upset quite a number of the temple staff. It is quite understandable then, when he next went to the temple, he was confronted by the chief priests and elders, demanding to know by what authority he did those things (Mat.21:12,23). Jesus, however, was untouchable, they could not fault him in word, or deed, and the miraculous works he did everyday, amply testified to his heavenly authority. Today is no different. If you plan to question the rules that other people live by, you had better have some answers when it comes to establishing the basis for your own authority. What counts for authority, however, is quite varied amongst the general population. Authority for some people is determined by the number of people who believe or follow the same principles, and so they say, how could a billion people be wrong? Others are swayed by wealth, power, colour and the influence of the media. When matters of importance are involved, all these things are frivolous. They do not determine the truth. When one s authority is the Bible, then it takes one down a very different road. For the average man to detect the false among the genuine, the Lord gave the simple guiding principle that...by their fruits ye shall know them (Matt 7:20). Anyone who has worked in a garden will know exactly what the Lord was saying. If you really want to identify a plant for what it is, you must look at the fruit it bears. You have to look carefully, because before it produces fruit, in some cases there are few differences, and you can be easily deceived. So, in the world about us there are many churches that claim to be the Christian church, while all others are false. If you want to be sure about the authenticity of a church group, check to see if the fruits match the claims. The word of God strongly urges us to overcome our natural naivete in this matter and do some work. As it says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1). To try the spirits would be the rough equivalent of putting the words of those claiming authority to the test. For instance, many churches today, claim to have possession of the Holy Spirit gifts, just as they did in the first century, and use that claim to underline their authority. Do they really prove the claim? To check this out one must become acquainted with the ecclesia in the first century A.D. when the Spirit gifts were first in evidence. In the ministry of Jesus, he constantly used the Spirit gifts to demonstrate the authority of His words. For instance, he showed his authority in forgiving sins and by healing a man with the power of God (Luke 5:24). Later on, to show that he was the Son of God and that God s work was being performed he said, the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them (Matt 11:5). Further, he gave authority to his 12 disciples so that they had similar powers, Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases (Luke 9:1-2). The apostle Peter, likewise, was able to amply demonstrate that God was working through him, for Scripture says,...they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one (Acts 5:15-16 KJV). With these examples from Scripture, one wonders why churches even bother to claim possession of the Holy Spirit gifts. There is no organization or individual anywhere in the world today who can do comparable works.

23 Consider the time when the Pope visited Jerusalem in March Now Pope John Paul II claims to be the successor of the apostle Peter, and the vicar, or representative of Christ on earth quite a grab at authority! However, when he walked through the land of Israel, he walked around like any other tourist, there was no resemblance of apostolic authority. The Pope didn t open the eyes of any of the blind, he didn t cause the deaf to hear; he didn t heal any of the lame, neither did he cure any lepers. Why not? Because he could not! Does anyone really believe that he could have and didn t? When it came to the all important fruit, the proof of the claim to be a successor of the apostle Peter, there was none. He then, and those like him, who claim to be the successors of the apostles, must be the false apostles that Paul talked about in (2 Cor 11:13), For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. In this tolerant age of ecumenism, some might have even suspected that the Catholic church was letting down its guard on the authority issue. Members of other Christian churches had been suggesting that the different Christian churches were in reality different routes to God, or like sisters in God s family of churches. However, in September of 2000 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger told the bishops of the Roman Catholic church that it was incorrect to refer to other Christian churches ranging from Orthodox to Protestant as sister churches of the Catholic church. It must be always clear that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church is not the sister, but the mother of all the churches. Ratzinger was quoted as saying (Vatican City AP). Nothing has changed, the Vatican continues to assert its authority, claiming to be the one and only way we have of access to God. Human ways of asserting authority often involve intimidation. In some cases, it may involve threats or a physical show of strength, but for many it lies in subtle reasoning. Consider this line of reasoning used by a Roman Catholic writer, John A. O Brien in his work entitled, The faith of millions. He writes: The simple fact is that the Bible, like all dead letters, calls for a living interpreter. The founding fathers of our Republic did not leave the Constitution to be interpreted by every individual according to his whims. That would have spelled speedy destruction to the unity of the infant Republic. They wisely constituted the Supreme Court to be the living, authoritative interpreter of the Constitution. When Victor Berger, a congressman from Milwaukee, was arrested and brought into court, charged with treasonable utterances during World War I, he pleaded his constitutional right of freedom of speech. But, said the Court in effect, you are not the authorized interpreter of that document. The Supreme Court has decreed that that passage of the Constitution may never be so construed as to countenance treason to the government. Freedom of speech is always limited by the duty to refrain from inciting citizens to rebellion against the government. The Pope in Israel but no signs of an Apostle! Ratzinger: The Mother Church Just as the Supreme Court is the authorized living interpreter of the Constitution, so the Catholic Church is the living interpreter of the Bible. She has been the preserver and custodian of the Bible through the centuries, and she interprets it for us in the name and with the authority of Jesus Christ. Christ never wrote a word, never commanded His Apostles or disciples to write. He taught and commissioned His Apostles to teach and assured them of His abiding presence with them. Like many Catholic writers, Mr. O Brien does not know his Bible, that is, if he has one. How could anyone miss the fact that the Bible cannot be compared to the American Constitution; the Bible is not a dead letter like the American constitution. In Hebrews 4:12, we read: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. NKJV Again, Jesus described the words he spoke saying, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). The prophet Zechariah spoke God s words saying, But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? (Zech.1:6). In all cases, life is attributed to the Word of God, it is only a dead letter to those who are ignorant of it. How could a man claiming the titles of Ph.D and L.L.D. claim that Jesus never commanded His Apostles to write? Consider, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ... (Rev.1:1-3). The testimony is clear, Jesus gave the revelation to the Apostle John to record and send to the 7 ecclesias of Asia. He said: What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven ecclesias which are in Asia... (verse 11). Write the things which thou hast seen... etc. (verse 19). Unto the angel of the ecclesia of Ephesus write... (chapter 2:1). It is this ignorance of the content of the Word of God that is the Achilles heel in almost all of the arguments put forth by the Roman Catholic church. The Bible itself is the authority by which all human philosophy and religion should be measured. Look at its credentials. Some of it was written 3000 years ago, long before the Catholic church was formed. It was written by 40 different authors over that period of time, most of whom could not have communicated with each other. In this sense it is a literary miracle. Where else do you find people from such diverse backgrounds able to write with one consent? The believers of the city of Thessalonica rightly discerned its source, as it is stated, For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe (1Thess.2:13). The Bible remains the standard by which the teachings of all organizations can be verified or rejected. As the prophet Isaiah wrote about 2500 years ago, To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isa 8:20-21) NKJV. Those who know the Scriptures have the authority needed to live in confidence now, and to work out their eternal salvation with fear and trembling. Those who just go along with a church or group of individuals stand to lose everything, for as the Lord made it plain concerning the Pharisees (the religious leaders of the time),...in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matt 15:9). Page 23

24 SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE! Zoologists blinded some bats and released them in a room criss-crossed with silk threads. The bats flew through the maze without touching the threads, squeaking as they flew. However, when their ears were plugged with wax they floundered and became entangled in the threads. Scientists thus concluded that the bats flew by echolocation, often compared to radar or sonar systems invented by humans only about 60 years ago. To evolve such a system would require that mechanisms for producing sound, receiving sound as well as analysing the data, would have to be developed together. Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Job 37:14. EVOLUTION...? IT S A LAUGH! As any educated dolphin would know, when sounds are emitted they strike objects and bounce back. The direction of these echoes and the time it takes them to return tells the direction and distance of the objects. This is how you hear where you are going if you are a dolphin that is, or a bat. Now it might seem to an evolutionist, that dolphins taught this technique to bats. On the other hand, if you open your eyes and ears to the evidence, you will realise that a Creator gave the word and put these instinctive abilities into the brains of these creatures. That is why they use similar principles for their guidance systems in life. The New Book of Knowledge says: the designers of radar and sonar know that they will benefit from research on echolocation in animals. So men can learn something from these creatures! They could learn that evolution is a joke; an impossibility. They could learn that all wisdom comes from God.