Don't Quit

The end of the day comes
Hours upon hours of solid work
But my progress is lacking
And I seem to have missed the mark...
I'm looking at this failed experiment
I'm wondering why it's so hard—
Nothing about this seems impossible
But my results are always broken and charred.
So here comes that quite voice creeping
Singing soft lullabies in the corners of my mind;
He's telling me it's ok to cry, it's ok to quit
That little voice that wants to see me fall behind.
But I'm waiting for something a little less pleasant
That cacophony that goes against the grain,
And His voice isn't going to lull me to sleep
Instead He'll shake away the excuses in my brain.
He already told me I could do this,
He said I had only to try—
Never give up, never back down
Never stop trying to fly.
Oh, the devil knows I want to quit,
Tries to hit me where I'm weak
But God knows where to find me—
He knows I'll listen when He speaks.

Jumping to Conclusions

Strange that while most people consider math and science to be the hardest fields of study, most people attempt to apply mathematical and scientific logic to everything they encounter. If this, then that. People try to take item A to disprove item B and vice versa, yet since math and science are difficult, they tend to leave out items C-Z.

Today I saw a post on Facebook wherein someone was discussing how the Bible "copied" the Ten Commandments from the 42 Tenets of Maat. There's no denying that the principles listed are remarkably similar. So if the 42 Tenets of Maat was written first, this person concludes, the Bible must have copied these 42 tenets and thus it's all a sham (class fallacy of slippery slope, f.y.i.).

Here's the issue: the Bible makes it clear that the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic law existed before the Exodus. Cain killed Abel and God punished Him, why would He punish Cain if Cain didn't know it was bad to kill Abel? God explicitly tells Noah that a man who kills a man must be killed. God also tells Noah to take certain numbers of animals into the ark based on clean and unclean status. God destroys Sodom & Gomorrah for sexual immorality, idolatry, and many other sins. All of this occurs before Moses receives the stone tablets from God. Per the Biblical narrative, God didn't suddenly decide these things were wrong when the Israelites were at the bottom of the mountain, He was reminding them of what they had forgotten. In Exodus 20:8, He clearly prefaces His sentence with "remember" implying that this is information they once knew.

Now lets follow the line of history, both biblically and secularly. According to both the Bible and science, we all came from one point of origin. Regardless of your belief in creation or evolution, both ideas agree that humanity came from one place, one group, then spread across the globe. Now, biblically, after the flood we have 3 groups of people—Hamites, Shemites, and Japhethites—spreading across the world. Moses came from the line of Shem, however, Shem, Ham, and Japheth are all descendants of Noah and would have the been taught the same "tenets," "commandments," "principles," "laws," etc. Similarly, if you think about it from a secular point of view, as the population split (regardless of number, direction, etc.) they would have taken the teachings/ideas of that original community with them. Remember, the Bible says it is Ham's son Mizraim who originates Egypt, where the 42 Tenets originated. It is possible he took those teaching with him, but over time the Egyptians turned to Ra and Isis. Think about your own family. You and your siblings were brought up the same, but do you actually behave the same? Sure you share some characteristics but you don't necessarily hold the same beliefs or practice the same lifestyle. The same would be true for these people as they split up. Some may have take pieces of this original culture, others the entire belief system. Ever wonder why most ancient civilizations had some form of god? Why everyone decided it wasn't ok to kill, when in nature there's nothing wrong with a lion killing another lion?

I have a friend who is not religious, but we both agree that killing, stealing, lying, cheating, etc. is wrong; you know what, both of our parents are religious though. The difference is, I chose to believe in God after I passed the point of following due to Mom & Dad's influence, while he chose not to. I did not copy him and he did not copy me, we simply stem from a common origin. There is nothing that says the originators of the 42 Tenets of Maat weren't taught these principles in the original community. Just because they put it on paper earlier on the timeline doesn't mean that other people weren't also following the same principles, regardless of whether that blossomed into Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Atheism, Islam or whatever have you. Society was not as it is today, in which everyone records every minute detail of their life on a blog or in a video. There was a time when no one wrote anything down, and even larger period of time when only certain people were allowed to read/write... The point in Exodus where Moses brings down the tablets is simply the point in Israelite culture that God said you need this written down and set on display, so you can't forget it.

My point is, evidence that someone else held similar beliefs but didn't worship the same god or didn't worship a god at all, years before Moses wrote the Ten Commandments doesn't prove anything. While it may open the door for the possibility that Moses saw the 42 Tenets of Maat and instead split them into the commandments and ordinances if you're dead set against believing the Bible, it doesn't break the story given in the Bible.

If you have chosen not to believe the Bible and reject God, that is your decision. While I do not agree with you, I will not be knocking on your door to harass you about your decision. In return, I ask that you not lose logic and attempt to "prove" me wrong with slippery slope arguments.  It makes sense that a Christian tries to spread the word of God; He commanded us too. But there are only 3 reasons I can see non-believers trying to spread disbelief: 1) Jehovah's Witnesses knock on your door daily to harass you (i.e. "Christians" harass you about your disbelief); 2) You need validation of the majority to feel secure in your disbelief so you want more non-believers in the world; and/or 3) your disbelief in God is merely a seed planted by Satan thus his desire to overthrow God resurfaces in your perception of the world. Personally, I don't see a lot of my Christian friends harassing my non-Christian friends, which leads me to have little faith in option #1. Whatever your reason, please at least think all the way through before jumping to conclusions. A factual assessment from your discovery of the 42 Tenets of Maat is not "Moses copied this from 2000 years ago and God does not exist" but "Did Moses copy the ten commandments from the 42 Tenets of Maat? How and why did the 42 Tenets of Maat come into existence and does that have any baring on the existence of God?" Anything else is speculation and opinion. For the believer, it is easy to answer the last question with no; for the non-believer, it may be a little harder to answer. Either way both answers are opinions.

Tongue Tied

Words are coming out,
Jumbled thoughts flow steady
Tell the world thoughts I understand
In broken riddles
And senseless nonsense...
I know it sounds crazy
It doesn't make sense
I know it sounds bad
It didn't come out the way I hoped
But the words can't change—
Permanent shears in the fabric of time
So I shut my mouth,
Seal away the tongue-tied fool
In favor of pen and paper
And hope for the scholar I know.

The False Calm

I turn away,
But the vision is still there—
I close my eyes,
But they still see...
I try to wrap myself
In a silk cocoon
Fade away into natures arms,
But these bullets pierce
The strongest of walls
This silence breaks
The hardest of hearts...
A metaphorical calm before the storm
When the streets run red with blood
Drained from brown and black bodies
And the very last breath is a cry for help
But the ears of the masses are turned away
They expect us to wait and wait, day after day
To die and to cry, to lay souls resting in the deep
Not to wake screaming from the nightmares we keep
Only to realize we were never asleep...

Church Pews

Familiar streaks in the brown of pine wood
Moving up the building walls without pause
Lit up in purple, red, and yellow hues
Refracted light from the stained glass...
Sound travels like glue
It binds one memory to another
As the old women rock in the pew.

Time is of the Essence

I thought free time was what I needed—
Empty days and easy planning
Where the words can flow freely
And stories can be told
But my mind is blank
And my body tired...
Time is not issue

Flying in the Sky with Wings

I watch the ground descend
Below me
The trees shrink—
Tiny green dots
Beneath
Long white wings
And I drown out the popping of my ears
Concentrate on the vision...
Hills and lakes drifting away.
The clouds drift on
Free and intangible
Flowing.

Crazy girl,  watching the sky
Around me
Open, untouched, and clear
Enveloped in blue
Saturated
In calming peace
And I want to stay in the sky forever
Looking down at green and blue mixing
Rolling hills meet rolling waves
I could drift above them
Quite and untouchable
Smiling.

#CharlestonStrong

Stained glass and mournful cries

Clapping and stomping, songs begin to rise

The below of the organ fills the room—

Beauty grows from sorrow and doom.

Still the body when the breath is gone

When the soul has left its Earthly home,

Sleep, be still, peace comes in the coming days

While we live on, stand strong, hold on to faith.

From the Busy Bee

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted anything! Life has been busy and I've been working on a billion things. I spent most of this year trying to figure out what I really wanted to concentrate my blog on... If you haven't noticed (which I doubt is possible), I'm kinda all over the place. I have lots of interests and poetry spans all genres. After thinking about it and getting feedback, I found that there are two main topics on my blog that I love to post about and you (my readers) seem to love reading about.  When I thought about it, I decided had much to say about both topics, maybe too much for one blog so I decided to create new homes for them. (This is quite a large part of the business that has kept me from posting.) I'll still be posting my randomness and my poetry here, but I want to introduce (and promote of course) my less random and more streamlined ventures.

So what are the topics and where are the new homes?

Cultured Expressions — Cultural Appreciation

Cultured Expressions was born of the first topic: cultural issues. On this blog, I've dedicated a many posts to Black History Month, and I've mentioned how much I'd like to see all minority history shared and welcomed. As I wrote the final Black History Month post in February, I knew I wanted to expand that idea. To have a place where there was both people sharing their culture/history and people learning. I wanted to promote minority books.  I wanted to see everyone in one place, working together. And then came Cultured Expressions. I don't intend to be the only contributor. I hope you find the idea as interesting as I do and I hope you'll volunteer to add your own experiences to the blog too. Check it out here, read some of the current posts (the selection isn't large now, but I plan to grow with time) and then check out the get involved page to find out how to add your own words to the site! Also, like the site on Facebook and/or follow the site on Twitter and G+.

The History of Christianity — Christian Theology

I did a series on the Sabbath a while back, and then I started a series on the prophecies in Daniel (I promise to finish that too btw), I also did a post on religions in general and denominations... Meanwhile I began re-reading the Bible. While I'm sure I've read the whole book, I'm not sure I ever read it consecutively and some chapters/books I spent less time thinking about than others. When I decided to re-read it, I also decided keep a journal of thoughts, feelings, analysis, research, etc. pertaining to the chapters I read. I wanted to share my journal with a few people, but they're quite far away... And I thought *lightbulb* I'm just going to put it online! So, The History of Christianity has (or will have) posts about each chapter in the Bible, posts about denominations, origins of traditions, etc. —it's a work in progress, but it may be helpful and/or interesting to some of you so I'm sharing that as well. You can check it out here.

Doing the Most

I've been stretched thin,
Trying to do it all--
Determined not to quit,
Determined not to fall
And stretch my wings
Just a little further, higher
Keep pushing until I get there—
Until I'm the strongest flier

End of Days: the 2300 Days of Daniel

• Goal: Breaking down the 2300 days mentioned in Daniel 8 and aligning the prophecy with history
• Focal Books & Chapters of the Bible: Daniel 8
• Other Verses/Helpful Books: None

In my post Understanding the Timeline, I started examining the prophetic timeline of the End of Days (foretold in the Bible), focusing on Daniel 9 which details the 70 weeks prophecy. I followed it with an aside on the disagreement between theologians on the placement of the 70th week, in the post Stepping into the Controversy. Now, I'm back to talk about the 2300 days of Daniel 8.

At the end of Daniel's vision in Daniel 8:13-14, two saints are having a conversation. The first saint asks about the length of time spanning the vision, which he tells us concerns "the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot." To which the second saint responds with 2300 (prophetic) days. Note that in Daniel 9, Gabriel tells Daniel in verse 26 that "the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" and "unto the end of the war desolations are determined." In reference to the 70th week, Gabriel tells Daniel in verse 27 that "he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate." Note further that in Daniel 9:23, Gabriel tells Daniel that he has come to show him so that he may understand, at which point he tells Daniel to "consider the vision." What vision?

The last vision Daniel has mentioned is the one in Daniel 8 concerning the 2300 days. In the last verse of Daniel 8 we are told that Daniel fainted and was unable to understand the complete vision. Therefore, it makes sense that Gabriel (who was explaining the 2300 days vision per Daniel 8:16) comes back to finish explaining the 2300 days. That means that the 70 weeks are part of the 2300 days.

Alright, now lets do some math! 2300 prophetic days is 2300 years. We've already established that the 70 weeks equals 490 prophetic days, or 490 literal years. Therefore we know what happened in 490 of the 2300 years. The question is what happened in the other 2300 years and where do those 490 years fit in the timeline. The earliest the 490 years could have occurred is at the onset of the 2300 years, which means the prophecy would take place from the beginning of the 70 weeks (in 457bc) to the 2300th year (in 1844ad). The latest the 490 years could have occurred in the timeline is at the end of the 2300 years, which would mean the prophecy ended in 34ad. and began in 2267bc. The last option makes no sense because it is estimated that the book of Daniel was written in the 6th century bc (i.e. sometime between 600bc and 500bc). If that the prophecy began in 2267bc, most of the events would have already occurred by the time Gabriel told Daniel and thus it wouldn't be a prophecy. We have to assume the 2300 years either started at the onset of the 70 weeks in 457bc or that the it started sometime between Daniel's vision and 457bc... However, we have to keep in mind that the prophecy is quite useless if we don't have a starting point. Let's look at the order of events so that we can figure this out.

The Vision

First, Daniel sees a ram with two horns by the river and no beast can stand before the ram. Then, out of the west comes a goat that doesn't touch the ground and has one horn (between his eyes). The goat attacks the ram, and succeeds in braking (note that Daniel 8:7 actually says brake not break) the two horns of the ram. The horn of the goat is broken while the goat is strong, but four "notable ones" come up and from these four comes a little horn. Then it says "he" magnified himself and caused the daily sacrifice to be taken away. The sanctuary is cast down. Then the truth is cast down, which prospers. This brings us to the saints discussing the length of time in which this will occur.

Gabriel's Explanation

Gabriel tells Daniel that the two horns of the ram are the kings of Media and Persia, the goat is the king of Grecia, and the great horn of the goat is the first king. Four kingdoms come out of the first king's kingdom ("but not in his power"). Near the end of this kingdom there will come a king who understands "dark sentences." He will prosper in destroying, specifically holy people, but he will come by peace. He stands up against the Prince of princes (Jesus), but will be "broken without hand." Between Daniel 8 and 9 the only starting point Gabriel gives is in Daniel 9 with the 70 weeks prophecy.

Aligned With History

Medo-Persia fell in 330bc to Alexander the Great, who was the king of ancient Greece (also called Macedonia or Grecia). After Alexander the Great died, his kingdom collapsed into chaos and war, because he didn't have an heir (who would have taken rule in Alexander's power). Once the area was stable again, there were four kingdoms: Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Syria, Attalid Pergamum, and Antigonid Macedonia[1]. This period is known as the Hellenistic period in history and lasted until 31bc, when Rome conquered those territories[2]. The final king Gabriel speaks of comes from Rome—Rome stood up against Jesus (they crucified Him, actually) and it was during Rome's reign that the temple was destroyed.

The Timeline

With all of this in mind, we see that the 2300 "days" begins with the 70 weeks set aside for the Jews during the reign of Medo-Persia and continues up until 1844ad. Thus according to prophecy the sanctuary was supposed to be cleansed in 1844ad.

The 2300 "Days"

Historical Year	Prophetic Time		Action/Event
457 BC	the ram with 2 horns		Medo-Persia is the prevailing kingdom
330 BC	the goat/first king		Alexander the Great/Greece
~323 BC	4 kingdoms		Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Syria, Attalid Pergamum, Antigonid Macedonia
31 BC	the king of fierce countenance		Rome
34 AD	the end of the 70th week		Word of God preached to the Gentiles
1844 AD	the end of the 2300 days		Sanctuary cleansed

What Happened in 1844?

So we've reached the end of the 2300 day prophecy, and we're in 1844. Is this the end? Does that make the Preterists right? Also, how can we be sure Rome is who Gabriel was talking about as the king of fierce countenance? Next week, I'll talk more about the high's and lows of the different viewpoints (give all this information time to sink in), then I'll move into repeated prophecies (the four kingdoms, the little horn, etc. are repeated elsewhere in Daniel—take a look!), and 1844.

When Words Fall Short

I've been quiet too long

Letting the words sit idle

Choked up, suffocating on my tongue

Waiting for them to be perfect,

But there are no words for this.

No literary devices to exact the right tone,

Only eyes to watch the world burn

To see survivors turn to killers

And brace for allies bombing allies...

Only eyes to shed tears over graves 

Where countless bodies are stripped of name

And watch the lights go out...

One after another they wax cold—

There are no words in this darkness

Nothing strong enough to lift murmured cries

Nor loud enough to drown out prattling hate.
Illumination will not come from speech,
This time, we need a sword.

Passageways

Fads and trends come and go
but their effects linger on
scars from half-baked decisions
overflow over-indulged plates,
passed on from person to person,
until it clots and clogs
until the passageway is broken...
until the damage is done.

Listening To Your Stomach

I haven't been posting as much as I'd like, but hopefully, that'll improve now that I'm settled in (I moved recently). In Eating A Little A Lot I mentioned that whatever my stomach says goes. Today, I thought I'd elaborate. *Disclaimer* if your stomach is constantly asking for Big Macs it might take some time before you can blindly listen to your stomach.

We all know the body needs certain vitamins, fibers, and other nutrients which it mines from the food you provide it. When I'm running low on a particular nutrient, my body will crave food that is high in that nutrient. A common example for anyone is that after running in the heat you want water—you don't want koolaid, or beer or soda. I struggle with iron deficiency anemia, and when my iron levels drop I have strong cravings for beef—steak, hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches, etc. Similarly, I crave oranges or tomatoes when my vitamin C levels are low. I also find myself not wanting foods I normally love when I've consumed too much of a particular ingredient (for example not wanting cake if I've had too much sugar).

One of my cardinal rules in terms of watching what I eat to make sure I'm giving my body enough of what it needs without giving it too much, is to listen to my stomach's cravings. Have you ever noticed your favorite food suddenly tasted  funny and you didn't actually want it? I take note when Pepsi suddenly tastes to sweet to me, and I cut back may be even stop drinking them for awhile. I take note when all I want are meals containing beef. Not only does this help me identify when I'm bordering on Anemia, but it helps me to keep a balanced diet.

So, next time you find yourself craving something constantly, take a minute to re-evaluate your eating habits, and make sure you're getting everything you need.

End of Days: Stepping Into The Controversy

• Goal: Understanding the placement of the 70th Week in Daniel 9
• Focal Books & Chapters of the Bible: Daniel 9
• Other Verses/Helpful Books: Deuteronomy 12:32, Revelation 22:18-19, Deuteronomy 4:2

In my post End of Days: Understanding the Timeline, I started examining the prophetic timeline of the End of Days (foretold in the Bible), focusing on Daniel 9 which details the 70 weeks prophecy. Most Christians agree on the first 69 weeks of that prophecy, but it is from that point on that Preterists, Historicists, and Futurists, begin to diverge.

Futurists believe that we are suspended between the 69th and 70th week. This is where the idea of a 7 year tribulation, such as the narrative from the Left Behind series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye come from. According to this school of thought, the final week in Daniel 9 is going to occur at some unknown point in the future. Historicists and Preterists hold that the entire 70 weeks occurred in the past (as described in my last End of Days post).

When Is the 70th Week?

It is the answer to the question of whether the 70th week is to come, or already past that will guide your interpretation and views of the End of Days. Based on my previous post, it's obvious that I disagree with the Futurists, but before we continue, lets consider the possibilities. Daniel 9 first mentions the 70 weeks in the verse 24:

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Daniel 9:24 KJV)

Nothing in this passage suggests separation between the weeks. Daniel 9:24 is basically allotting a time period for "thy people" and "thy holy city" to finish acting out against God's law, make an end of sins, reconcile for immoral behavior, bring in everlasting righteousness, and to close up the sight (of God?) and prophecy. Since the angel is speaking to Daniel, thy people means Daniel's people and thy holy city means Daniel's holy city—the Jews and Jerusalem. If there is a break in the time frame there is one major ramification with stemming from this verse: more than 70 weeks are given to the people. If you tell me I have 2 weeks to do something, there are only two possibilities, I have 14 consecutive days to do something, or I can spend 14 days to do something. In the first case, there is a clear beginning and end. In the second case, I can only be permitted to do this something on a chosen set of days, otherwise I am exceeding my time limit. When applying this logic to the 70 weeks prophecy, you must conclude that there is either 70 consecutive weeks or these tasks are to be completed in no more (or less) than 70 weeks. Why would we be given a beginning, followed by a chronological ordering of events only to be told the final week is completely unpredictable and disjoint from the rest of the prophecy? Also, if the 70th week has not happened yet, then we can't accomplish any of the tasks in Daniel 9:24 because that would be allowing more than 70 weeks. This means that we are unable to reconcile for iniquity (sin) which directly contradicts Jesus' death and resurrection, which occurred after the 69th week.

Let's look at the prophecy concerning the last week, again, shall we?

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27 KJV)

One point of contention here is who "he" refers to. Futurists believe "he" refers to the antichrist. If you read all of Daniel 9 KJV, you will see that the only "he" mentioned leading up to Daniel 9:27 is Messiah the Prince. He is the prince of the people who come to destroy the city (after all He did come to save all people). Many think that because it says "the prince that shall come," it refers to the antichrist, but the antichrist is not a prince—he will rule, he will become a king, but he is never referred to as a prince in the Bible. By definition, a prince is someone who inherits the right to rule through his bloodline (in this case his father). Jesus is a prince as He is the Son of God (the Father). The antichrist is not a prince because he is not the son of God and he won't inherit kingdom, he will try to steal it. 

Shenanigans with Biblical Wording

Note that the NIV translation does not mention the Messiah specifically but uses the wording "Anointed One," further changing "prince" to  "ruler." This is probably part of the cause of confusion. "Prince" must refer to Jesus, while ruler is more ambiguous.  You should read up on all the changes and omissions in NIV (and other English translations), keeping in mind that in Revelation 22:18-19, Deuteronomy 4:2, and Deuteronomy 12:32 we are warned not to tamper with God's word.  You should also watch this video on why the KJV is the most accurate English Bible we have.

What Next?

In terms of the timeline, this post was more of an aside. Next time, I'll jump back into the timeline. Following that post I'll do a "pros" and "cons" of the different schools of thought on the end of days.

Eating A Little A Lot

May is here! So it's time for the "Apple a Day" portion of the new challenge! I thought I'd start off with a post on eating habits—that's definitely an important part of your health.

People who eat with me for the first time often comment on "how little" I eat. If we're out to eat, they'll make comments about me not cleaning the plate, and revert back to sayings they probably heard as a child about "happy plates" and "clean plates." People who know me, however, know that eat a little a lot. Friends and family often remark that I'm always eating, which is probably closer to the truth. I believe in listening to my stomach. I'll talk more about that at another time, but my point for this post is basically, I eat when I'm hungry and as soon as I'm full, I stop.

A typical day in terms of food looks like this for me:

Time of Day	Meal	Example of a Typical Meal
8:00 - 9:00am	Breakfast	2 Eggs (scrambled whole or fried whites) or cheese grits
10:30 - 11:30am	Brunch	fruit salad or Caesar salad
1:00 - 2:00pm	Lunch	6-inch sub or 2 slices of pizza
4:30 - 5:30pm	Dinner	A bowl of spaghetti or grilled cheese sandwich
7:30 - 8:30pm	Supper	chicken & broccoli with rice casserole or red beans & rice with grilled steak
10:30 - 11:30pm	Bedtime Snack	A piece of fruit or a slice of pie
2:30 - 3:30am	"Midnight" Snack	A few ritz crackers or a handful of peanuts

I know, I know, you're not supposed to eat before bed, but if I don't I can't sleep!

End of Days: Understanding the Timeline

• Goal: Understanding the timeline for the End of Days
• Focal Books & Chapters of the Bible: Daniel 8 & Daniel 9
• Other Verses/Helpful Books: Mark 13:32-37, Numbers 14:33-34, Ezekiel 4:6, Nehemiah

If you order a package online and the estimated delivery date is 2 weeks away, you won't begin looking for it until the 2 weeks is almost over. When the two weeks are almost over, you will likely check daily for your package, and once you receive you package you have no need to continue looking for it. There are three phases in this process: the phase in which you expect the package in the future, the phase in which you expect the package at any moment, and the phase in which the package has already been delivered. Now imagine that the package is not something you ordered online, but the second coming of Christ. Jesus already told us that only God knows the hour that this will occur but we are instructed to keep watch (Mark 13:32-37). There are still three phases, and thus there are three notions on the interpretation of Christ's second coming.

Preterists believe that the book of Revelation (and all prophecy in the Bible) refers to the past. Essentially, they believe the end times have already happened. Preterists believe they've already gotten their package, so they aren't standing watch because there's nothing to watch for. Futurists believe the opposite, that everything is going to be fulfilled in the future (in the hour that only God knows). In our analogy, they ordered their package yesterday. They don't expect it to come tomorrow, but they expect it sometime in the future. Historicists believe that the events and prophecies concerning the end of days began during John's (the writer of Revelation) era and continue on into the present. Historicists are always watching for their package; they believe it may arrive at any moment. Outside of these three phases, there exists a fourth idea—the Idealistic interpretation of Revelation. Subscribers of this belief do not take Revelation literally, but view it as a continuing allegory for good and evil.

So which concept is right (if any)? To answer this question, we need to nail down all that we can about the timeline of the End of Days.

Resources & Study Materials

One of my favorite sites for information on the end times is Presents of God Ministries—they have tons of current events and documentation about the end times. I haven't read every article on the site (there's ALOT of text there) so I can't attest to the validity of the whole site, but it was definitely a great starting place for me. A lot of the information is presented with the inference that you already know and accept where they're going with it, which means the reader has to just go along with it until they agree or quit because they don't agree. I prefer a concrete starting place that leads to a conclusion rather than throwing everything out there at one time. I also like to research the information presented. So throughout this series, you may find similarities to Presents of God Ministries, but you'll see references to several sites. You should always look for confirmation that the information presented to you and the interpretation given is accurate. That may mean double checking historical facts, or reading biblical passages from the beginning of a chapter as opposed to drawing from just one verse.

The Prophecy

There are two major prophetic vision given concerning the timeline of the end of days: Daniel's 2300 days prophecy and Daniel's 70 week prophecy. These two prophecies are found in Daniel 8 and 9 respectively.

2300 Days Prophecy

In Daniel 8, Daniel is given a vision involving a ram, goat, and horns, and within the vision he is told there will 2300 days until the sanctuary will be cleansed. The angel Gabriel, comes to Daniel and begins to explain the vision. We are told that the ram's two horns represent the kings of Media and Persia (you'll notice that horns always represent power/kingdoms), the goat represents the king of Grecia, and that four kingdoms will come out of this kingdom. The final kingdom will have a king that "stands against the Prince of princes" and will destroy many. We are told that this king comes in the latter times (i.e. the end of days) and that he will destroy holy people. This is obviously a reference to the antichrist, with the Prince of princes being a reference to Jesus. Daniel faints before he is able to understand the vision. We will come back to this visions, just as Daniel had to, as we learn more about the end times prophecy.

70 Weeks Prophecy

Now in Daniel 9, the 70 week prophecy gives us a better sense of how biblical prophecy and history line up. Before we start digging into Daniel's prophecy, trying to match up dates, remember that in Numbers 14:33-34 and Ezekiel 4:6 God defines one day as one year. More information on the "day for a year" principle can be found here. Ok, back to the point, Daniel 9:21-27 outlines the 70 week prophecy as follows:

21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:21-27 KJV)

We know that 1 week = 7 days, thus 70 weeks = 70 * 7 days = 490 days. Using what we know about the day for a year principle (compounded with the obvious fact that this cannot and did not occur over 70 literal weeks), we understand that the seventy weeks Daniel is discussing covers 490 years. Furthermore, notice that in Daniel 9:25, Gabriel tells Daniel exactly when the prophecy begins so that we can match it with the historical timeline. From this verse we see that from the time the Jews are commanded to rebuild Jerusalem until the time of the actual rebuilding is to make up 7 of the 70 weeks (remember 7 weeks = 49 days = 49 years). Now we add the threescore and two weeks (62 weeks = 434 days = 434 years), this should bring us to the time of Jesus. This is a total of 69 weeks which is actually 483 years. The final week defines Jesus' crucifixion and the confirmation of the covenant. There are several decrees in history for the rebuilding of Jerusalem (4 to be exact), but the one issued by King Araxerxes in 457bc is the only one that matches the prophecy. The timeline looks like this:

Historical Year	Prophetic Time		Action/Event
457 BC	(the beginning)		King Artaxerxes commands Jerusalem to be rebuilt
408 BC	(7 weeks)		Jerusalem to be rebuilt
27 AD	(62 weeks)		The Messiah comes
31 AD	(Midst of the Week)		Ending of the Sacrifice
34 AD	(1 week)		Confirmation of the Covenant

Ok, so we've already confirmed the date that the command was given to rebuild Jerusalem. Was it completed in 408bc? The book of Nehemiah is concerned with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. We see in Nehemiah 2:1 that Nehemiah goes to take to Artaxerxes in the 20th year of his reign—a simple Google search will confirm this to be 445bc—where he actually begins the process of rebuilding the city. Nehemiah tells us when the wall was built (remember Daniel 9:25 mentions the wall specifically) in Nehemiah 6:15 (it's remarkable how they provided us with exact dates for the things that are important). Nehemiah goes on to say that the city was finished except the homes weren't completed yet in Nehemiah 7:4. According to history the last act of Nehemiah in restoring the city occurred in the 15th year of Darius Nothus's regin, which would be 408bc.

Next, we want to confirm the beginning of the ministry of Jesus (the Messiah). We are told in Luke 3:23 that Jesus is 30 years old when at the time of baptism and the beginning of His ministry. Historian conclude that Jesus was not born in year 0, as there were mistakes in calculating the calendar, but that Jesus was born in 4bc (also verifiable via Google search). This would make him 30 is the year 27ad.

The prophecy tells us that in the "midst of" the final week "he shall cause the obligation and sacrifice to cease." The he referred to in this verse is Jesus, who replaced the Passover Lamb as a sacrifice during is death and resurrection—this ended the Jews obligation to sacrifice a lamb for God each year. It is common knowledge that the date of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection are placed in 31ad, perfectly aligning with the prophecy. (*EDIT: There is actually a debate as to whether Jesus died in 31ad [source] or 33ad [source]—after some more digging I'll get back to you. Based on the prophecy and the generally assumed idea that His ministry lasted 3 1/2 years I'm inclined to go with 31ad, but I'll do some research and get back to you on concrete evidence.)

That brings us to the end of the vision and the end of the week, in 34ad. Remember Jesus created the new covenant and taught the disciples who then continued to teach this covenant after Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. Stephan was the last of the prophets to speak directly to the Jews (once Paul began his ministry, he spoke to the Gentiles). His death (by stoning at the hands of the Jews) occurs in Acts 7. Note the prophecy is stating that the Jews had this time "to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy." The stoning of Stephan is the official rejection by the Jewish population (of the time) of Jesus' message and the end of the their time as God's chosen people. From his death on, Jesus' message is preached to all people. The accepted date of this occurrence is 34ad.

More on the 70 Week Timeline

Putting it Together

Everything in the 70 weeks prophecy has already happened (which leans towards the Preterist view and contradicts the Futurist belief that we're suspended between the 69th and 70th week), but what exactly does the 70 weeks prophecy have to do with the end times, what does the 2300 days prophecy mean at all, and why are they told to us in succession? All of these questions have to be answered before we can accurately determine which school of thought is pointing us to the right timeline. For fear of making this post too long, I'll save this discussion for the next post. In that post I'll discuss how and why the 70 weeks make up part of the 2300 days and how it sets up our timeline.

Media Girl

That image of a woman, perfectly styled just so
Or her hair done up fancily, or her face painted to just the right shade
So men and women alike marvel into her beauty—
How she could be so fair and unblemished
That she could wear any gown or compliment any style
Or maintain such a perfect hourglass figure
Or tame the fly-aways of frizz in her curly coils
Or walk with such ease in towers of terror
Or smile when the world continues to pull her down
Or if she's really there, if she's even real at all.

Why Isn't the Church Keeping Watch?

³⁷ Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. ³⁸And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. ³⁹And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. ⁴⁰Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. ⁴¹Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? ⁴²And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? ⁴³Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. ⁴⁴Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. (Luke 11:37-44 KJV)

Throughout the gospels Jesus tells the disciples to keep watch. Yet, I have never heard a sermon on the end times. I've heard plenty of sermons on believing, keeping faith, not following the world... I've read posts on whether Christians should wear leggings and tight clothing, whether we should listen to secular music, and how we should carry ourselves while dating. People may cite hypocrisy and accuse people of being false prophets, but rarely do I see posts on blogs dedicated solely to Christian ministry about the events of the end times. Why is that?

The only thing I heard as a child was "fire and brimstone." My Sunday school teachers and preachers never really explained what actually happens and I was absolutely terrified. I remember being about ten, answering the question "if you found a genie, what would you wish for?" with "that the end of the world never comes." I had no idea that the end of the world is a) already happening, b) the only way for the saints to go to Heaven, and c) Jesus' victory.

I have to thank the Left Behind series in part for my revelation, though the book is pure fiction and way off base. It at least got me to think about the topic, or rather study the topic—I've been thinking about the topic about as long as I've been a believer. Once I started actually reading The Bible I realized the Bible begins warning us of the last days long before we get to Revelation, before we even reach the New Testament. Even Jacob was concerned with telling his sons what would become of them in their last days (Genesis 49). How can one "keep watch" if they have no idea what to keep watch for?

Many will use the excuse that Revelation is the hardest book to understand in the Bible. This is probably the only thing scholars from every denomination, as well as non-believers, will agree upon. But it makes sense that the book is complex: it's a battle plan. No general would would reveal all of his cards ahead of the battle! Jesus warns of false prophecy throughout the Gospels. This is all the more reason to study. There are three schools of thought on the end times: those who believe that it already happened, that it is currently happening, and that it is going to happen in the future. There are people who believe in a rapture. There are people who think people go to heaven or hell as soon as they die (despite Revelation clearly stating that the dead were resurrected to be judged and then taken to Heaven or cast out). People place many men behind the mask of the antichrist without the slightest idea of his characteristics.

Is that not odd to you?

April was a busy month for me, so I didn't get to most everything I wanted, but maybe it worked out for the best. Now that I have more free time, I'll be able to go into this particular topic in much more detail. Next week I'll be starting a series on the End of Days. Check back to comment, question, opine, learn, and most importantly: keep watch.

³²But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. ³³Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. ³⁴For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. ³⁵Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: ³⁶Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. ³⁷And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. (Mark 13:32-37 KJV)

Previous Posts about the End of Days

Beware of Beliefs that Don't Add Up
The Sabbath, The Mark of God, and Still Debating Where Sunday Fits In
Concluding My Debate on Sabbath vs. Sunday

Religions of the World

A few weeks ago I talked about differences between Christan denominations, now, lets talk about differences between religions. When it comes to world religions the first that come to mind are the three Abrahamic religions,—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—along with Hinduism and Buddhism. There are also Baha'i, Candomblé, Jainism, Santeria, Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and more. Also, there are Rastafari and Shintoism which many consider religions, while the practitioners do not consider it a religion. Furthermore, there are the concepts of atheism and agnosticism. While there are obvious differences between each religion (or belief), there are also many similarities. Remember, each religion has many sects (just as Christianity has denominations). Many religions have people who twist and turn the religion for their own purposes, but as you will see below, most religions are intended to inspire people to live a positive life, to provide hope, and to define the purpose or a way of life.

What is ______ism About?

Judaism

Judaism, one of the oldest religions of the world, follows the Talmud (known as the Old Testament of the Bible to some). The laws and practices of Judaism were first recorded by Moses, though the relationship between God and the Jews as His chosen people begins with the covenant made by Abraham and God before Moses' time. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions of the world.

Christianity

Christianity is also an Abrahamic religion, in which Jesus is the fulfillment the Jewish Messiah. The Old Testament is used to teach the history of the faith, while the New Testament represents the new covenant in which Jesus has saved everyone (not just the Jews) by dying on the cross so long as an individual believes in Jesus' death and resurrection. Christians are meant to emulate their life after Jesus.

Islam

The third and final Abrahamic religion is Islam. Based on the prophecy of Muhammad. Muslims, follow the Qur'an and the 5 Pillars of Faith. These five pillars include the declaration of faith, praying five times a day, donating money to charity, the pilgrimage or hajj, and fasting (in the month of Ramadan).

Hinduism

Hinduism is most popular in India and Nepal. There is no "founder" of Hinduism nor a specific source as scripture. Due to the variety of practices, Hinduism may be considered a way of life as opposed to a defined religion by some. While Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, their deities are believed to be formed from the qualities of a supreme God. Hindus believe in reincarnation and karma.

Buddhism

Buddhist follow in the footsteps of Siddhartha Gautama in an attempt to reach nirvana (enlightenment). Buddhists believe in reincarnation and thus, that life is endless. There is no belief in a personal God in this religion.

Bahá'í

The Bahá'í religion was founded in 1863, making it one of the newer religions of the world. They believe that Bahá'u'lláh is a prophet who follows Muhammad. Unity is a principal part of their faith along with the belief that there is something valid in all world religions.

Candomblé

Practiced mainly in Brazil, this religion is a combination of Yorba, Fon, and Bantu beliefs. For this reason it is considered a syncretic religion. In this religion there are many lesser deities that serve one God, and these lesser deities look after and control each individual's destiny. Fulfillment of ones destiny is the primary concern for this religion and there is no belief in good or bad.

Jainism

Mahavira is considered the shaper of modern Jainism, and his teachings are recorded in the Agamas. Jainism is another religion that does not include a belief in god. It focuses on non-violence, not only between people but towards animals and plants as well. In Jainism, plants and animals have souls, just like humans and thus should be treated with respect and care. Like Buddhists and Hindus, they believe in reincarnation. They have 5 mahavratas (or vows) which are non-violence, non-attachment to possessions, not to lie, not to steal, and sexual restraint.

Rastafari

Developed from the ideas of Marcus Garvey, Rastafarian theology was formed in the 1930s. Rastas believe that blacks are descendants of one of the 12 Tribes of Israel and thus the chosen people of God and that Hailie Selassie I is God (or the second coming of Jesus). Rastas also follow a strict dietary law. Many Rastas do not consider it a religion and reject the idea of "isms."

Santeria

Santeria is also a syncretic religion born out of slavery in the caribbean. It mixes Yorba and Catholic beliefs. Adherents of this religion believe in spirits called Orishas which are mortal manifestations of God meant to aid humans. 

Shintoism

Shinto is a Japanese belief concerned with honoring spirits known as kami. Kami are not considered to be gods; rather, they are spirits who may intervene in human life. Practitioners of Shintoism do not consider it a religion but a way of life.

Sikhism

Sikh is a monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab province of India. Their focus on is on living a good life, by helping the less fortunate, treating everyone equally, being honest, etc., as opposed to rituals. Their scriptural book is called Guru Granth Sahib, and is considered a living Guru.

Taoism

Taoism (also known as Daoism) is a Chinese religion concerned with unity and opposites—Yin and Yang. There are many deities in this religion, however The Tao (which the religion is named for), is not considered a deity and is not worshipped. The Tao unifies and is connected to all things. Harmony, self development, and spiritual immortality are some of the religion's goals.

Zoroastrianism

Also a very old religion, Zoroastrianism was founded in Iran and was once the official religion of Persia. Zoroastrians believe in one God who was revealed to the prophet Zoroaster. Their holy book is The Avesta. Fire is considered the light or wisdom of God. Like Muslims, they pray several times a day.

Atheism & Agnosticism

Atheists do not believe in God, while Agnostics don't know if there is a god or gods. There are Agnostic Atheists (people who don't know if God exists but don't believe in God) as well as Agnostic Theists (people who believe at least one God exists but don't know for sure).

Quickview Comparison

Religion	Deity	Afterlife	Eternal Life	Reincarnation
Atheism	None	Probably Not	Probably Not	Probably Not
Agnosticism	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Bahá'í	One	No	Yes	No
Buddhism	None	Nirvana	No	Yes
Candomblé	Many	Heaven	Yes	Yes
Christianity	One	Heaven/Hell	Yes	No
Hinduism	Many	Liberation	Yes	Yes
Islam	One	The Gardens/Hell	Yes	No
Jainism	None	Supreme Abode	Yes	Yes
Judaism	One	World to Come/Sheol	Yes	Conflicting Sources
Rastafari	One	Heaven on Earth (Ethiopia)	Yes	No
Santeria	One	Yes	Yes	Conflicting Sources
Shintoism	None	Yes	Yes	Into Kami
Sikhism	One	Union with God	Yes	Yes
Taoism	Many	Returned to the Tao	Unclear	Returned to the Tao
Zoroastrianism	One	Heaven/Hell	Yes	No

*Note, some religions are unclear on afterlife beliefs as they focus on present life, thus different sects may have differing beliefs. **Note, I do not profess to be an expert in all religions and thus the information provided is to the best of my knowledge with sources sited below.

References

[1] Agnosticism vs. Atheism
[2] Bahá'í
[3] Buddhism
[4] Candomblé
[5] In Depth on Candomblé
[6] Christianity
[7] Hinduism
[8] islam
[7] Jainism
[9] Judaism
[10] Rastafari
[11] Santeria
[12] In Depth on Santeria
[13] Shintoism
[14] Sikhism
[15] In Depth on Shinto
[16] Taoism
[17] Zoroastrian

Why You are NOT Like a Pizza Box

Below is a video of Pastor Jentezen Franklin comparing mankind to a pizza box that went viral today on my Facebook timeline. Initially, I didn't pay the video any attention until I saw that not only had a large number of my friends shared the video, but someone had commented "let me be empty!" under one of the posts. This seemed odd to me, so I decided to take a look at the video.

Initially, I was in total agreement with his metaphor. He begins by pointing out that a pizza box has a very low value, it's the pizza inside that gives it value. He likens this to people, suggesting that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside but what you have inside is what makes you a valuable person. He goes on to say the pizza box is a vessel for the pizza, just as we are a vessel for God. This is a well formed and accurate analogy.  However, he doesn't stop there. He further postulates that we must be clean and empty (like the pizza box) to find God. This is where this sermon goes horribly wrong.

I got into a conversation with one of the posters about why I disliked his conclusion, and the more I thought about it the more I disliked it. So, I've decided to point out what is wrong with the statement that you have to be "clean and empty" for God.

1. The Issue of Cleanliness

We all know the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness," and while the Bible does place a lot of emphasis on cleanness, in Mathew 15 Jesus informs the Pharisees that it is perfectly fine for the disciples to eat/handle their bread without washing their hands. We'll give the pastor the benefit of the doubt that and assume that he didn't mean "clean" so much as pure and without sin. Most people believe that sin cannot exist in the presence of God—it seems that the pastor is making the assumption that God cannot exist in the presence of sin. This can be debunked easily. In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus saves a woman who is repeatedly called a sinner. Saul was a persecutor of Christians when Jesus appeared to him, saved him, and made him Paul the Apostle (Act 8-9).  God and Satan have a conversation in Job 1.  You get the point, you don't have to be devoid of sin (or "clean" as the pastor has claimed) for God to make use of you. If you let Him, God will do the cleaning once you meet.

2. Emptiness Leaves Room For Anything

Upon searching for an image of an empty pizza box
the above image from pixshark actually appeared
fairly high in the google search, proving
that anything can be placed in the pizza box.

Sure, a pizza goes into an empty pizza box... If the pizza box is in a pizza parlor. If the pizza box somehow ends up in a Burger King, someone might put a burger and fries in it. If the pizza box is on the street, someone might use it over their head as shelter from the rain or they might let their animal relieve themself in it so they can clean behind them easily. A pizza only ends up in the empty pizza box if the pizza box is in the right place. Furthermore, a shoddy employee can put a burnt pizza in the box. Or a half a pizza. Or the wrong pizza. There's nothing there to stop the wrong thing from being placed in the box. When you translate this from the metaphor back with real life, what fills and empty person depends on where that person is in life.

3. Emptiness is not a Positive

Again, when you move the metaphor from pizza box to human, you go from an empty pizza box to an empty human. An empty human is not something you want to be called. Empty in front of anything is pretty much a negative: empty headed, empty pockets, empty stomach, empty fridge... Empty is not good. To be empty is to be devoid, lacking, and without meaning/purpose (that is the definition of empty, actually). Emptiness is the number one cause of people spiraling into bad behavior: drug use, alcoholism, violence, depression... Also, with emptiness comes a desire to fill the emptiness, and the devil will prey on this desire just to steer people in the wrong direction.  You don't want to be empty. You want something inside you that is able to discern right from wrong. You want something inside you that gives you a desire to seek out God.

A Better Suggestion

If you want to make this pastor's metaphor work and compare yourself to an inanimate object, be like a vending machine. It's useful and valuable because of the product inside it, regardless of its dents, dings, scratches, etc., but it can tell the difference between a dollar and a piece of paper. This ability is not because its empty, but because it is filled with the mechanics it needs to differentiate between a sham and real money. Similarly, you should be filled with the ability to recognize right and wrong, truth and untruth. The vending machine has bolts and pulleys, you have The Word and prayer. So please, do not go into the world trying to be like a pizza box!

And Then There Was Light: Sonoluminescence

This week, I started to do a post showing the similarities and dissimilarities of various religions (much like I did in the last post for Christian Denominations). However, I came across this interesting video and decided to share it instead. The comparison of religions post is coming, though!

The above video is from BBC Horizon's An Experiment to Save the World. The researcher in the video is Dr. Seth Putterman who is a professor in the physics department at UCLA. His research covers sonoluminescence—the process of sound being turned into light.  This phenomenon occurs when a sound wave passes through a bubble of liquid, causing the bubble to first expand and then collapse. Upon collapsing the energy is released in the form of light. After noting that the light appears like a star, Dr. Putterman reveals in the video that the surface of the light bubble burns at tens of thousand degrees. The current question is whether the inner core is hotter and hot enough for fusion.

The scientific impressiveness of this is obvious; if it turns out that the inner core is in fact capable of nuclear fusion, the uses of this discovery are countless. What may not be obvious, and probably won't be mentioned by the science community is that this possibility was recorded over 3500 years ago in approximately 1400 bc. Genesis 1:2-3 says that God spoke to the waters and created light! How did Moses know that sound  (the sound emitted from God's voice in this case) actually can create light?

I've always found it interesting that scientists merely provide "scientific evidence" that the story told in Genesis 1 is completely plausible. The only real point of contention is the time frame, which makes sense as time is measured by man made units. For example, it is currently 2015 in America, but in Islamic countries it is 1435. Because both of these calendars were created during time periods we know much about and are still presently used, it is easy to translate between them and understand how the dates match up. However, we have no record from mankind during Adam and Eve's time on Earth. How do we know the unit of "day" is the same as our "day"? How do we know the Earth rotated at the same speed? There is a lot to be accounted for that could cause carbon dating to generate a different time frame. Regardless of the timing, it is amazing that people who didn't have telescopes, computers, space-travel, cell-phones, the concept of zero, or even schools could accurately predict modern day occurrences and discoveries.

Perhaps after I finish the post on different religions, I'll do "True Predictions of the Bible." Let me know what you think below.

References

Dr. Putterman's Research
The Sonoluminescence Experiment