Pomegranates Scriptural “seeds” you may have never noticed.

PomegranatesPomegranates

Scriptural “seeds”

you may have never noticed

Why Pomegranates?

God directed the priests of Israel to have Pomegranates as embellishments on the bottom of the their robes.

Exodus 28:33-34[33] “And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue,

purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:”

[34] “a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a

pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around.”

Why Pomegranates?

Pomegranates are full of little seeds. These seeds are mostly sweet, but have a tart-ness about them.

I call this series "Pomegranates" because in it, I discuss little embellishments God has placed in his word. They are packets of information that can bring clearer understanding to the Scriptures.

Sometimes these little packets require us to adjust our thinking from what we may have been taught all of our lives.

Which translation is the best?

After discussing Creation and the Scriptures, I often get asked, “Which translation is the best?”


Some would adamantly say the King James Version (KJV) is what we should use because it's the “authorized version.”

We’ll discuss that in a bit.

For many years, I would have told you, “We should use the most literal translation, of course!"


As my understanding of languages and translations from one language to another grew, I have come to a different conclusion.

Sometimes the best translation is not the literal one if it does not convey the same meaning as the original from one language to another.


For example:

"I stand at the door and knock."

Revelation 3:20[20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my

voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.


If I were to translate this literally, I would use words that convey the meaning of a person knocking on the door.

And most of the time, that works!


However, when this was translated literally for a tribe in Papua New Guinea, the tribesmen were concerned and suspicious of the meaning…


Why?

Because in their culture, the one who knocks on the door is the thief!


Instead, a friend who comes, calls out.

So the translators had to say, “I stand at the door and call out.”

Interestingly though, the verse continues with, “…if any man hear my voice…,” so it worked out rather nicely.


Another example:The heartRomans 6:17[17] But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet

you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

Romans 10:9-10[9] that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and

believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.


Again, we get a lesson from Bible translators in Papua New Guinea. When they translated such verses for the people there, they simply did not understand.

“The heart?”

You see, for them, the heart is not the center of their emotion. It is not where they feel the essence of their being.


Instead, they view the stomach

as the essence of their being and the center of their emotions.


When the translators used the equivalent of “obey from the stomach”

and “believe in your stomach,”

the people understood much more clearly.


So, you see, the most literal translation is not always the best if the original meaning is lost.


For general Bible reading, there are many good versions and translations to use.

For serious study, I recommend using multiple translations simultaneously in order to discover whether there is meaning you might have missed.

Should I take the Bible literally or figuratively?

You should take the Bible as it was written. If it is poetry, as in the Psalms and Proverbs, then you can expect to find figurative expression. If it’s history or prophecy, you should use a straightforward reading, just as it was intended.

So the answer is, you should take the Bible in a straightforward manner unless the passage is clearly intended as figurative language.

What about the King James Version (KJV)?

?Um… no.

King James VI and I


Some people assert that we should only be using the King James Version because it is the "authorized" version.

They'll even try to tell you that the 1611 version is the one to use.

KJV


However I suspect they've never even seen a 1611 edition, and if they had, they would find it very difficult to read.

The one most people have today is the 1789 edition.

KJV


First of all, the King James Version was not authorized by God, but by King James.


King James "authorized" the Bible to be translated yet again in his realm because he didn't like the way the existing versions previously approved by the Church of England addressed the “episcopal structure of the Church of England and its belief in an ordained clergy.”*

*Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_James_Version

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_James_Version


While the King James Version we have today is a very good translation, it has its share of issues.


For example:In the case of Philippians 3:11, the NIV comes

closer to the original meaning of the Greek than does the KJV:

KJV Philippians 3:11 “…If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

NIV Philippians 3:11 “… and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”


Consider these thoughts on the "Resurrection FROM the Dead":2

– If Christ is coming to raise the righteous 1000 years before the unrighteous, it would be natural and imperative that the former should be called a resurrection from the dead, or out of the dead, —the rest of the dead are left!

– W. E. Blackstone relates that the resurrection nekron or ton nekron (of the dead) is applied to both classes because all will be raised. But the resurrection ek nekron (out of the dead) is not once applied to the ungodly. The latter phrase is used 49 times, always with the idea of out of the dead.

– “The Greek preposition ek is used in duplicate form. The phrase is teen exanastasin teen ek nekron, and the literal translation is “the out resurrection from among the dead.” This particular construction gives special emphasis that this is the resurrection “out from among the dead.” 2

2From The Pemillennial Position of the Primitive Church, J. R. Clark, The Word and Work, 1958


Also, the KJV misses the same opportunity as almost all other versions in Matthew 14:27

“But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

It should read “Be of good cheer;I AM;

be not afraid.”


The Greek is the same as in John 8:58

“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.”

“I AM” is a claim to deity.

It is the name for God the Jews would not say!

It is the same as the tetragrammaton: YHWH, from which some get Jehovah, Yahweh, Yah-Ho-Wah-Ha, and etc.


Some other examples of KJV issues: Acts 7:45 “Which also our fathers that came after brought in

with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles,….”

“Jesus” should be “Joshua” in this verse.

In Hebrews 4:8 “For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.”

Again, “Jesus” should be “Joshua” in this verse.


Another item in the King James Version:Hebrews 4:9 “There remaineth therefore a rest to the

people of God.”

“Rest” should be “Sabbath rest.”

Baptism

Baptism by water is a practice clearly seen in the New Testament.

But what if you’re in a place where there is no water?

I don’t mean that a tub of water is inconvenient. I mean, there is no water!

Baptism

Here again is where the meaning of the practice needs to be recognized instead of the letter of the practice.

In various places in Africa, the people have never even seen a tub holding so much water they could lie down in it, let alone have that much water in their village.

Baptism

How can one then be baptized as instructed in the Scriptures?

Since the symbolism is of being buried and then raised to new life, these tribes in Africa have come up with a solution!

A baptism in straw!

Baptism

They lower the person into a shallow pit, cover the person with straw, then raise the person up!

Colossians 2:12[12] having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Baptism

I believe this is acceptable to our LORD Jesus Christ.

This is not to say I believe this should be the practice where water is available.

Wherever possible, we should do what our LORD commands, in the manner he commands.

Communion

When at all possible, the Communion emblems should consist of unfermented fruit of the vine and unleavened bread.

The cup should have unfermented fruit of the vine because fermentation is a form of corruption, and it is not appropriate to represent our Savior’s blood by a corrupted emblem.

Unleavened bread should be used for a similar reason: leaven represents corruption.

Communion

Also, the drink at the Lord’s Supper is never called “wine” in Scripture. It is called “the cup” or “the fruit of the vine.”

“The cup”: Mathew 26:27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:17&20; 1 Corinthians 11:25;

“The fruit of the vine”: Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18

Communion

The drink that was used at Passover time was unfermented fruit of the vine. Therefore, the drink at the Lord’s Supper was unfermented fruit of the vine.

(A discussion as to how it was possible to have unfermented fruit of the vine in the springtime is available, but beyond the scope of this presentation.)

Communion

When I hear someone refer to the emblems as “the Bread and the Wine,” I have to conclude the person to be either uninformed or misinformed.

Communion

But what if there is no fruit of the vine available? What if the Christians in the region in question have never seen a grape in their lives?

I believe that in such cases, some pure, unfermented juice may be used to represent the LORD’s blood.

The important thing is to remember His blood shed and his body broken for the sins of the world.

Judging

The World likes to shout at Christians: “Judge not lest ye be judged!”

(Actually, the phrase is: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1)

Who are you to judge?

Judging

But they seem to have never encountered verse 2: “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:...”

Judging

Interestingly enough, if you follow what Jesus says in verses 5 and 6, you must judge—in the way the World uses the idea of judging.

The world is attempting to fend off righteous exposure of their sin.

They call that “judging.”

However, as Christians, we are commanded to judge in the sense of making discernment (identifying sin).

Judging

Jesus tells us to judge:John 7:24 “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

We are to judge matters of this life.1 Corinthians 6:2 “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!”

Judging

How can one discern without making judgments?Hebrews 5:14 “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

Jude indicates we’re supposed to help others out of sin, but to hate everything about the sin:Jude 23 “Snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

Judging

We cannot help others out of sin without doing what the World calls “judging.”

We are to “judge” and thereby expose sin, but we are to do it with love and compassion for the sinner.

Judging

What we are NOT to do is to heap scorn upon one who confesses and repents!

Instead we should give nothing but love to the one who repents. He or she is to be accepted as a brother or sister.

Judging

Who are we to judge?

We are Christians, and we are commanded and have been given authority by

Jesus Christ to judge sin.

A more detailed study of this topic is available. If you’re interested, ask for more information.

Pomegranates Scriptural “seeds” you may have never noticed.

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