Matthew 17:24 Tribute is not the Temple Tax

 Mt. 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25a He saith, Yes.

      All modern commentaries on the Bible say that Matthew 17:24 is a reference to the temple tax. Also, much older commentaries such as Matthew Henry 1714 A.D., Adam Clarke 1832 A.D., John Calvin 1564 A.D., John Gill  1771 A.D., John Broasdus 1895 A.D., and Oregin in the 3rd century  A.D. say the tribute is the temple tax. What does the Bible say about the temple tax? Let us review the relevant scriptures.

Exodus 30:11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord.

      We learn from Exodus 30 that God commanded that the temple tax would be collected from the children of Israel and that it would be half a shekel. This is not a tax on strangers.

Exodus 38:26 a bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

      From Exodsu 38 we learn that every man 20 years old and older was to pay the half shekel. The following three scriptures show how the tax was collected over the years. This began as a tax collected when they numbered the men in a census, to a tax collected annually. It's also important to note that this is a tax on the children of Israel, God's children, not on foreigners or strangers.

Numbers 3:47 thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)

2 Chronicles 24:9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.

Nehemiah 10:32 Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;

      You wouldn't understand that these tax collectors were temple tax collectors from what Jesus asked Peter. The Lord of the temple and the kings of the earth have nothing in common. The kings of the earth tax strangers but the Lord of the temple does not take money from strangers to support the temple. 

Matthew 17:25b And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

If we are to understand from the conversation Jesus has with Peter that he, as the son of God, the Lord of the temple, Jesus is free and doesn't have to pay the tax, and all who Jesus gives the power to become the sons of God are free and don't have to pay the tax to support the temple. That would suggest that Christians don't have to support the church today.

      Where do scholars get the idea that Matthew 17:24 is the temple tax? There is no scripture to support this position. Almost all commentaries on this subject make reference to the writings of Josephus, who wrote his history of the Jews from 90 A.D. to 100 A.D. 

Josephus, War. 7.6.6 He also laid a tribute upon the Jews wheresoever they were, and enjoined every one of them to bring two drachmae every year into the Capitol, as they used to pay the same to the temple at Jerusalem. And this was the state of the Jewish affairs at this time.

Josephus, Ant. 3.8.2 And when he had gathered the multitude together again, he ordained that they should offer half a shekel for every man, as an oblation to God; which shekel is a piece among the Hebrews, and is equal to four Athenian drachmae. 

Josephus Ant. 18.9.1 There was also the city Nisibis, situate on the same current of the river. For which reason the Jews, depending on the natural strength of these places, deposited in them that half shekel which every one, by the custom of our country, offers unto God, as well as they did other things devoted to him;

      It seems to me, that the understanding that Matthew 17:24 is the temple tax comes from Josephus. There is nothing in the passage to suggest that these tax collectors are anything more than representatives of a sovereign lord, collecting tribute or custom from travelers entering his sovereign (King Herod) territory. Citizens who return home would be free from paying tribute or custom, but strangers would be taxed. The lesson we should take from this is that Jesus is treated as a stranger and not a citizen of this world, we are all strangers and pilgrims in this world, and this is not our home. Secular history should support and not explain or interpret scripture.

Wilderness Testing after Cana Wedding

 Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted by satan after he had turned water to wine in Cana, and had gone to live in Capernaum.

    The above statement is opposed to the traditional view. The traditional view says that Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted right after he was baptized by John the Baptist. If you research this question you might find the article on Answers in Genesis website by one of their associates, Ron Dudek. Answers in Genesis ministry was founded by Ken Ham, the founder of the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter, in Kentucky,  wonderful Christian places I highly recommend. I usually agree with their positions on the Bible, but not in this case. I'm going to do a short review of their article and then give my position. 

This is a link to their article:    https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/wilderness-or-wedding/  To follow my short review you should read the article by Ron Dudek.

    The article "Wilderness or Wedding?" begins with a question that misinterprets scripture and presupposes a contradiction between John's gospel and Mark's gospel.

Was Jesus in the wilderness or at the wedding in Cana three days after His baptism?

 If our interpretation causes a contradiction in the scriptures, the problem is not the scriptures, it's our interpretation. The writer does what he tells us not to do, "We should never read our own ideas into the text, but we should rather read them with the intention of finding the Author’s intended meaning."  he reads his own idea into the text. In his reading of Mark 1:9-13 he reads it chronologically, the events of each sentence following in order of time, one right after the other. As such he sees no gap in time between Jesus being baptized and then going into the wilderness. The next sentence, which is verse 14 says, "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee," we should remember that there were no chapter or verse divisions in the original. If we use the writer's rule of interpretation we should assume that after Jesus had been in the wilderness, and then hearing that John was in prison, he went into Galilee, there being no gap in time between those two events. Jesus' wilderness experience would have been followed by John being cast into prison before Jesus went into Galilee. But there is a problem with the writer's interpretation, John was cast into prison months after Jesus was baptized. If Jesus didn't go into the wilderness right after he was baptized, then how do we understand what is meant in Mark 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. In the King James Version Mark 1:10 says straightway, but in the version used by the writer of the article Mark 1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water,. the Greek word in verse 10, is a different Greek word used in verse 12. The question we should ask? is why did Mark use a different word that means almost the same thing but not exactly. I think it is because there is a gap in time between Jesus being baptized and his going into the wilderness.

     The writer, of the article, wants to explain what some see as a contradiction, by saying that Jesus had gone into the wilderness before he came to John the Baptist in John 1:29. But by his own rule of interpretation, John the Baptist should have been cast into prison. The writer's opening question assumes that it was three days after Jesus was baptized that John's gospel places him in Cana, John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. John's gospel tells us that Jesus was where John the Baptist was for two days, then on the third day, he departed into Galilee. It is about 100 miles to Cana from where John was baptizing, it would take three days to make that journey on foot. On the third day, he would make it to Cana. The answer to his question is neither, Jesus wasn't in the wilderness and wasn't at the wedding in Cana three days after he was baptized. 

                                                                    My Position

    

     Mark in his gospel says that Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. And the spirit like a dove descended upon him, Mark 1:9-10.

      John's gospel doesn't tell of Jesus's baptism or wilderness testing. John speaking in the past tense says he saw the spirit descending like a dove on Jesus. Some of John's disciples follow Jesus and stay with him that night, it being the tenth hour, or about 4 P.M. John 1:24-51. The "day after" in verse 29 isn't necessarily the day after Jesus was baptized. It could be the day after John was questioned by those sent from Jerusalem. Jesus could have gone up to Jerusalem after he was baptized to one of the three feasts that every Jew was required to present himself before God at Jerusalem and then come back to where John was at the Jordan River, verse 29. "The day following" of verse 43 would be the third day after John was questioned by those that had been sent from Jerusalem, Jesus goes into Galilee.

      Jesus goes to Cana of Galilee, which is the hometown of Nathanael. This is the third day after Jesus had left Judaea to go into Galilee, John2:1-12. At Cana Jesus turns water to wine, afterwards, he goes to Capernaum to live.

      Jesus goes from Capernaum to Jerusalem for Passover, afterwards, he goes down to the Jordan River, John is baptizing nearby. John had not yet been cast into prison, John 2:13- 3:24. Between John 3:24 and 4:1 Jesus was in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan. Jesus goes through Samaria and meets the woman at the well. After two days he goes into Galilee, John 4:43, Mark 1:14, Luke 4:14, Matthew  4:12.

      In Luke's and Matthew's gospels, we learn that Jesus came to Nazareth when he came into Galilee. 

He reads from the scriptures and then says, Luke 4:23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. From this, we learn that he had been living in Capernaum before he went into the wilderness. John's gospel also tells us this.

          

 Mansion over the Hilltop.

       Does the Bible really teach that Christians will get a mansion when they die and go to heaven? 

       A mansion, a beautiful place where we can go, that's all our own, a mansion, like we think of a mansion in this life? The answer is yes and no. First, let us look at where this idea of a mansion in the next life comes from.

       The idea of a mansion comes from the words of Jesus in the gospel of  John. So if Jesus said it, it must be true, right? But we are reading a translation of what Jesus said in his language written down by John in another language, Greek, and then translated into English. We don't know the language that Jesus spoke. Probably  Hebrew, but others say he spoke Aramaic. His words were first written down in Greek by his disciples, who were moved by the Holy Spirit. Let us look at how those words were translated through the years.

       John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: This is the King James Version (KJV), of this verse. Modern translations of this verse, such as the English Standard Version (ESV), In my Father's house are many rooms. New American Standard Bible (NASB), In My Father’s house are many rooms; New International Version (NIV), My Father’s house has many rooms; New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995), In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; Latin Vulgate, John 14:2 in domo Patris mei mansiones , was translated by Jerome into Latin from the original language in 390 A.D. and was the only Bible that most Christians had for over 1000 years.  

       Now let us take a closer look at his words, as they were written down by his disciples. The Greek word μοναι appears twice in the New Testament, both are in John 14. In the KJV,  verse 2 is translated as mansion, and verse 23 is translated abode. Why is the word translated as mansion in verse two? We can see why the King James translators would translate it that way, It had been that way in the Latin Bible that all of them read. The real question is, why did Jerome translate it that way? I think we can find the answer to that question in the writings of the Apostle Paul.

       2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: Our earthly house that we live in is our fleshly body, our heavenly house will be our glorified body, What would you call our heavenly body that is built by God? Mansion? Compared to this earthly body it will be a mansion. 

       1 Corintians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. When we lay down this earthly house we will put on that heavenly house built by God. We will be like Jesus, Philippians 3:21 who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,

       

Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday

                         Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday

                                                  Which day has scriptural support? 

      Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. He said everything written about him would be fulfilled, Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. He is the Passover Lamb in the law. He fulfilled all the types given in the law concerning the Passover Lamb written in the Law, Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4 and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. In the Jewish calendar, the day begins at sunset. One day ends and another day begins. The Passover Lamb was selected on the 10th day of the month, and killed on the 14th day, then eaten on the 15th day. It is eaten at night after sunset, which would be early on the 15th day, called Passover day. How did Jesus fulfill all that was written in the law about the Passover Lamb? The scriptures tell us in the gospel of John 12:1  Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. Six days before Passover would be the 9th day of the month. So Jesus came up from Jericho on the 9th day. It is about 15 miles from Jericho. All uphill. Jericho is about one thousand feet below sea level, and Bethany is about twenty-five hundred feet above sea level. People who hike that trail today take about 8 or 9 hours. Jesus was traveling with a large group, so we should consider this an all-day journey. He didn't enter Jerusalem that day. Scripture tells us in John 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. This is the 10th day of the month, this was Jesus being selected by the people to fulfill the type of the Passover Lamb. It is almost universally taught by Protestants and Catholics that Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday, what is called by tradition Palm Sunday. If Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday that would mean that he traveled from Jericho on Saturday. Saturday was the sabbath day. Jesus never broke the sabbath law as it was given to Moses by God. The Bible tells us what a sabbath day's journey was; a sabbath day's journey was the distance a person was allowed to travel on a sabbath day; Luke 24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:   Acts 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. Bethany was a little less than 2 miles from Jerusalem, John 11:18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:. Jesus would not have traveled from Jericho to Jerusalem on a sabbath day. Church tradition says that Jesus was crucified on Friday, which they call Good Friday. The Passover Lamb was to be killed on the 14th. Jesus was crucified on the 14th to fulfill the type of the Passover Lamb. If the 14th was Friday then Sunday would be the 9th, and Monday would be the 10th, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. If as some say, Jesus was crucified on Thursday the 14th, then the 9th would be on Saturday, the sabbath day, and the 10th would be on Sunday. This would have Jesus coming up from Jericho on the sabbath day. Some, like myself say that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday the 14th. This would mean the 9th was on Friday, and Jesus entered Jerusalem on the Sabbath, Saturday the 10th day of the month. This is further supported in Mark's gospel, Mark 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. There were no money changers at the temple on the sabbath day. The next day, which is Sunday they are there, Mark 11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. Jesus being crucified on Wednesday is also supported by the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:40 for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Placed in the tomb just before sunset on Wednesday, sunset on Thursday, that's one day, sunset on Friday, that's two days, sunset on Saturday, that's three days. Resurrection Sunday, Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday, sometime after sunset on Saturday, which marked the beginning of Resurrection Sunday. this is the day with scriptural support. There is no scriptural support for Palm Sunday or Good Friday.

       Leviticus 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. Resurrection Sunday is the Feast of Firstfruits. When the priest was waving the sheaf of barley, the firstfruits of the harvest, Jesus was the firstfruits of the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Is Mount Karkum Mount Sinai of the Bible?

    Mount Sinai/Horeb isn't where they say it is!

      In this article, we will follow the children of Israel as they journey from Egypt thru the wilderness to Mount Horeb, and then on to Kadesh-barnea. We will show that Mount Sinai near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula is not Mount Horeb. We will not prove but will strongly suggest that what is known as Mount Karkum today is Mount Horeb. We will also show the true location of Kadesh-barnea. One thing to keep in mind as we follow the children of Israel during their journeys before they entered the promised land, is that they never camped or traveled within the land while Moses and Aaron were alive. 

Let us start with the crossing of the Red Sea.

Exodus 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Exodus 15:4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, what we call the Gulf of Suez today. When the Egyptians tried to cross they all drowned.

Exodus 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

The Wilderness of Shur is between Egypt and Canaan. The traditional view is that they turned back to the Gulf of Suez and then went south. It is my opinion that they continued east. They next come to a place called Elim that had twelve wells and seventy palm trees. 

Numbers 33:10 And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea. 11 And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah. 13 And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush. 14 And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.

If they continued east and camped by the Red Sea as Numbers 33:11 tells us, then this would be the Gulf of Aqaba, which is also part of the Red Sea, near the modern city of Eilat Israel. From the Red Sea, they travel to the Wilderness of Sin, from there to Dopkah, Alush, and then Rephidim. At the camp in the Wilderness of Sin God gave them quail to eat in the evening and manna in the morning. They stayed there for seven days, gathering manna in the morning for six days, then they rested on the seventh day as God commanded.

Exodus 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai,

If the Wilderness of Sin is between Sinai and Elim then it should also be between Sinai and the camp at the Red Sea. It was at the camp at Rephidim that Moses struck the rock of Meribah and water came out. Afterward, the Amalekites came out and fought against the Israelites. The Amalekites lived in the southeast corner of Canaan. It is my opinion that the camp at Rephidim and the rock of Meribah were on the border of the land of the Amalekites, which is over two hundred miles north of the traditional Mount Sinai. It seems unreasonable to me that the Amalekites would come out of their border and pursue after the children of Israel two hundred miles to the south. Especially since the children of Israel would be going away from them and not toward their border. If Rephidim is on the border of Amalek then that means it is north of the Wilderness of Sin, which means that Sinai is north of the Wilderness of Sin. Elim and the camp at the Red Sea would be south of the Wilderness of Sin. So the traditional site of Mount Sinai/Horeb can not be true, as it is two hundred miles to the south.

Exodus 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

 They left Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai at Mount Horeb. It is my opinion that Mount Horeb is north of the Wilderness of Sin not far from the border of the Amalekites. They stay at Mount Sinai for one year and then they travel north to go into the promised land.

Numbers 10:12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 

The Wilderness of Paran is north of Mount Horeb where Kadesh is, this is where Moses sends out the spies. The Bible tells us it was three days journey from Mount Horeb to Kadesh, what Moses thirty-eight years later would call Kadesh-barnea when referring to the land or the spies. It is never called Kadesh-barnea when referring to their wilderness journeys.

Numbers 10:33 And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.

The resting place was in the Wilderness of Paran where Moses sent out the spies and where they returned to him. This place was called Kadesh, and years later Moses would refer to it as Kadesh-barnea. After forty years in the wilderness, Moses writes the book of Deuteronomy. In chapter one verse 19 when talking about the land that God has promised them he calls it Kadesh-barnea. Then in verse 42 when referring to the camp in the wilderness he calls it Kadesh. This proves that Kadesh-barnea and Kadesh are the same place.

Numbers 13:26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

After leaving Mount Horeb they camped twice before they arrived at Kadesh. 

Numbers 11: 34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted. 35 And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.

Numbers 12:16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

Numbers 33:16 And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 And they departed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and encamped at Hazeroth. 18 And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.

In these verses, we see that they left Mount Horeb, which is Sinai, and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah, and then at Hazeroth, and then the Wilderness of Paran or Rithmah. We know this is where Kadesh is from Numbers 13:26. They did not camp in Kadesh because Kadesh is within the border of the Promised Land, Numbers 34:4, Moses and Aaron never entered the Promised Land. They camped outside the city in the Wilderness of Zin, and the camp was called Rithmah. Three camps suggest three days of travel. If they traveled twenty miles a day that would be sixty miles from Mount Horeb to Kadesh-barnea. Taberah, which is mentioned in Numbers 11:3 should not be considered a separate camp because it is not listed in Numbers 33:16. It is the same place as Kibroth-hattaavah. 

Deuteronomy 1:2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)

This verse tells us as they traveled north they went by way of Mount Seir, which is east of Mount Ramon and the Ramon crater. This proves that Kadesh-barnea is to the east of Mount Ramon and the Ramon crater. It is also south of the Scorpian Pass (ascent of Akrabbim), Numbers 34:4. Therefore, the mountain that is the best candidate for Mount Horeb is called Mount Karkum today. In Deuteronomy 1:2 the word journey is not in the original Hebrew, it was added by the English translators. We should understand this verse to mean that it took eleven days to get from Mount Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, and not that they traveled or journeyed eleven days. If we count the days we will see that it took eleven days. One day from Horeb to Kibroth-hattaavah, one day to gather the quail, one day to travel from Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth, that makes three days, and then seven days while Miriam was shut out of the camp because she was leprose (Numbers 12) makes ten days. Then one day from Hazeroth to Kadesh-barnea makes eleven days. Where is Kadesh-barnea? In my opinion the site known as tel-Tamar, also called Ir Ovot today is Kadesh-barnea. The site on the west side of Mount Ramon identified as Kadesh-barnea on most Bible maps, is also called Ain el-Qudeiat, can not possibly be Kadesh-barnea of the Bible because it is on the west side of Mount Ramon and not near Mount Seir or Edom. In my opinion, this place is Azmon in the Bible, Numbers 34:4.

Feel free to copy and share my little hand-drawn map as much as you like.

The Assembly of God's war against the King James Bible

The King James Bible vs. the New Age Bibles.


    This could be called a war against the Traditional Text. There are basically two streams or families of text that have come down to us through the centuries. The Traditional or Byzantine, from which we get the Textus Receptus (Received Text), and the Alexandrian, from which we get the critical text of Westcott-Hort, and the Nestle-Aland. It is from the Traditional stream that we get the King James Version (KJV), and from the Alexandrian stream that we get the English Standard Version (ESV), American Standard Version (ASV), New International Version (NIV). The New King James Version (NKJV) is a mix of both streams. From the Traditional stream, there are thousands of manuscripts that have come down to us through the centuries, some are over a thousand years old. From the Alexandrian stream, there are but a few dozen manuscripts, some are over sixteen hundred years old. Two of the most important manuscripts from the Alexandrian stream were "found" after hundreds of years in the library at Saint Catherines Monastery in the Sinai (Textus Sinaiticus), and the library at the Vatican in Rome (Textus Vaticanus). Modern textual critics use these manuscripts to make "corrections" to the Traditional or Received text. Their logic is that these manuscripts are older and therefore closer to the originals written by the authors, and where there are differences in the text, they should be given precedence over the Traditional text. They ignore the fact that what might be called "textual critics"  of sixteen hundred years ago rejected the Alexandrian text, and stopped making copies of them, but continued to make thousands of copies of the Traditional or Received text.
    When the Protestant Reformation began, and Martin Luther nailed his Ninty Five theses on the door of the church in Wittenburg and challenged some of the teachings and doctrine of the Catholic church, he was subsequently ordered by the church to recant his writings. His answer was if it could be shown from scriptures that he was wrong he would recant, but if not "here I stand". What followed are called the Three Solas of the Protestant Reformation.  Sola Scriptura (scripture alone) Sola Fide (faith alone) Sola Gratia (grace alone). These were foundational doctrines of the movement. Sola Scriptura, on which the other Solas were based, was to be the final authority of the Protestant movement. If it couldn't be supported by scripture it was to be rejected.
    For Catholics, scripture is not the final authority, the Vatican and the Pope are. What are Protestants to do when the Bible, their final authority is challenged? When the reliability of scripture is questioned where do you turn for your final authority? Well, the Assembly of God church in America has an answer. The foundational document of the church states in article one, "The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man - the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:15-17; I Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21)". To further explain the church's position on the scriptures a position paper was written by the General Presbytery in August 2015. This is one of the most subtle papers I have ever read. For decades the Assembly of God has been promoting the NIV in its literature, one of the new age versions from the Alexandrian stream of text. In this paper, they elevate it and all other "major translations" above the Traditional text of the KJV. They do this by telling us that these major translations "are continuously reviewed by, reputable scholars who are committed to the task of conveying accurately the Word of God from the original languages to the modern readers". Those of us who use the KJV, we're not "modern readers". What is the final authority as stated by the General Presbytery in their position paper, "experts in textual criticism"! It doesn't matter if these experts are Protestant, Catholic, or agnostic, as long as they are experts in textual criticism. When another manuscript is discovered these textual critics will issue another edition of these new age bibles, and that will be the final authority until another manuscript is found.
    Where does this position paper of the Assembly of God leave the Traditional Text or the KJV? On the dusty floor of the old country church, or in the straw on the ground under the tent of an old-time revival meeting.  You'd be hard-pressed to find an Assembly of God church in America where the pastor regularly preached from the Traditional Text. Sola Scriptura has been replaced by what the scholars or experts in textual criticism say. If you object you are labeled as a member of the King James Only cult. As if you and the Traditional Text are the problems, and you are holding back the new age church. " For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." 2 Thessalonians 2:7

Is the Bible Wrong about the Value of Pi?

                      The Value for Pi is Hidden in 1 Kings 7:23!


1 King 7:23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.


      Solomon brings a man named Hiram the widows' son, who was of the tribe of Naphtali, from the city of Tyre where he was living, to make the items for the Temple that were made of brass. For it is said that "he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass". But we are presented with a problem in 1 Kings 7:23, Hiram makes a "molten sea". This thing is the size of a backyard swimming pool. It's about 15 feet across and 7 feet deep. You could swim in it! The problem is verse 23 says that the diameter of this pool is 10 cubits, and the circumference is 30 cubits. Now there is much debate over the value of a cubit, but for our problem, it doesn't matter. We're not going to convert the values to inches or feet, we're going to leave them as cubits. We could be saying 10 feet, 10 yards, or 10 cubits, for our problem it doesn't matter. The circumference of a circle is the diameter times pi, or 3.1416. But in verse 23 the circumference is said to be 10 cubits (diameter) times 3 equaling 30 cubits. Now that would be about 2 feet short. If you are making a swimming pool and you leave a hole in the side it's not going to hold any water. 
     Solomon built the Temple between 900 and 1000 B.C. The problem of finding the circumference of a circle had been roughly solved about a 1000 years earlier. Hiram was a man of wisdom, he would have known how to figure the circumference of a circle. So, how do we defend this verse from the Bible critics? Do we say the Bible is just rounding off the number, or do we look for a better answer? The Internet is a great place to look for a better answer, and I found one. History of Pi, by David Wilson, third paragraph, we find an answer. 

     We all have heard that the Hebrew letters have numerical values, and if you add up the values of each letter in a word you will get it's numerical value. Now we are going to see something very interesting in verse 23 using this information. But first, there are two things to keep in mind. First, Hebrew is written from right to left. We are going to use the online  Hebrew Bible to look at 1 Kings 7:23. The Hebrew sentences, for our convenience, are printed from left to right, but the words are printed right to left as they should be, so the last letter is the first letter of the Hebrew word. To compare it to Hebrew that is printed right to left follow this link. Looking at 1 Kings 7:23 using the online Hebrew Bible we see that it is tied to the Strong's Concordance. Using the Strong's numbering system you can look up the Hebrew word in the back of your Strong's concordance. There are two Hebrew words we want to look at, printed right to left in the Hebrew, the second word appears in brackets,    (וקוה (וְקָו, and is translated in the KJV as "and a line of". In the online Hebrew Bible, this is printed left to right,  וקוה and corresponds to H6961 in the Strong's Hebrew dictionary, followed by  (וְקָו) which corresponds to H6957 in the Strong's dictionary. These two words have very similar meanings; to take a cord and measure something. Having these two words together is redundant, and that is the clue that there is something significant about them. So, if we take the two root words and calculate their numerical value using the chart for numerical values for Hebrew letters, we find the first word, H6961 in our Strong's dictionary,(not the one in brackets) the first letter is ק, it has a value of 100; the second letter is ו, it has a value of 6; the third letter is ה, it has a value of 5; the numerical value of the first word is 100+6+5=111. The second word, H6957 in our Strong's dictionary, the first letter is ק, value equals 100; the second letter is ו, value equals 6; The numerical value of the second word is 100+6=106. Notice that each word begins with the letter ו, but it is not part of the root word found in our Strong's dictionary, and therefore it is not counted.

     If Hiram measured around his circle he would have found that 30 cubits came up short but by how much? We can express that this way, where the unknown amount is represented by "n". We have (30+n)/30= 1+(n/30). Now we know, today, what the value of n is because we know what the value of pi is. Pi times the diameter equals the circumference. Or 3.1416 X 10 cubits = 31.416 cubits. So, what is the value of n? It is 1.416 cubits. If we plug that number into our equation, 1+(1.416/30) =1.0472. That number times 30 cubits gives us 31.416 cubits. Which plugs the hole in Hiram's pool. Now here is something really cool. The two Hebrew words 111/106=1.0472. Multiple this number by 30 cubits and we get the circumference of the pool, 31.416. This can be expressed in the following formula; circumference = 3 x diameter x 111/106. This is true for any circle. To find the diameter you divide the circumference by pi. To find pi, you divide the circumference by the diameter or 31.416 cubits divided by 10 cubits equals 3.1416. The value of Pi! Right there in the Bible 3000 years ago. This is a more accurate value for pi that was being used by anyone else at that time.