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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Jaareshiah Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | were the Ninevites fish god worshippers? | Judg 16:23 | Jaareshiah | 156576 | ||
Dagon was a god of the Philistines. The existence of cities called “Beth-dagon†(likely named after the god Dagon) in the territories of Judah and Asher suggests that the worship of this deity was well established in Canaan at the time of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. (Jos 15:41; 19:27) It is believed that the Philistines adopted Dagon worship from the Canaanites. There is no agreement as to the derivation of the name Dagon. Some scholars associate it with the Hebrew word dagh (fish), while others favor linking the name with the Hebrew word da·ghan´ (grain). At 1 Samuel 5:4 it is stated concerning the fallen Dagon, “Only the fish part [literally, “Only Dagonâ€] had been left upon him,†his head and the palms of his hands having been cut off. The Hebrew word literally meaning “Dagon†in this text has been variously rendered “body†(NIV, TEV), “Dagon’s body†(NE), and “Dagon himself†(Ro) by some translators, while others have translated it as “fish portion†(Le), “fish-stump†(Da), “fishy part†(Yg), or “fish part†(NW). Dagon at times figures in the Biblical narratives. By bracing himself against the two middle supporting pillars, Samson caused the collapse of a house at Gaza used for Dagon worship, killing the Philistines who had assembled there. (Jg 16:21-30) At the house of Dagon in Ashdod, the Philistines deposited the sacred ark of Jehovah as a war trophy. Twice the image of Dagon fell on its face before the Ark. The second time the idol itself was broken. Perhaps in order not to defile the place where the pieces of their god had lain, the priests and others entering the temple of Dagon at Ashdod were careful not to tread upon the threshold. (1Sa 5:2-5) By experiencing the painful effects of piles and the ruining of their land by jerboas, the Philistines came to recognize that the hand of the God of Israel had been hard against them and their god Dagon. (1Sa 5:6, 7; 6:5) When King Saul was discovered among the slain at Gilboa, the Philistines cut off his head. After informing the houses of their idols as well as the people back home, they fastened Saul’s skull to the house of Dagon.—1Sa 31:8-10; 1Ch 10:8-10. It may be that the Philistines carried idols of their god Dagon into battle.—2Sa 5:21. The Philistines domain was along the Mediterranean Sea, west of the "Salt Sea", generally now known as the Dead Sea in the land of Israel. Covering an area from a point near Joppa in the N down to Gaza in the S, it stretched for about 80 km (50 mi) along the Mediterranean Sea (Ex 23:31) and extended some 24 km (15 mi) inland. |
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2 | 1 John 5:7 Adding to the Bible? | 1 John 5:7 | Jaareshiah | 156522 | ||
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3 | Morning Star | Is 14:1 | Jaareshiah | 156338 | ||
The name Lucifer occurs once in the Scriptures and only in some versions of the Bible. For example, the King James Version renders Isaiah 14:12: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" The Hebrew word translated "Lucifer" means "shining one." The Septuagint uses the Greek word that means "bringer of dawn." Hence, some translations render the original Hebrew "morning star" or "Daystar." But Jerome's Latin Vulgate uses "Lucifer" (light bearer), and this accounts for the appearance of that term in various versions of the Bible. Who is this Lucifer? The expression "shining one," or "Lucifer," is found in what Isaiah prophetically commanded the Israelites to pronounce as a "proverbial saying against the king of Babylon." Thus, it is part of a saying primarily directed at the Babylonian dynasty. That the description "shining one" is given to a man and not to a spirit creature is further seen by the statement: "Down to Sheol you will be brought." Sheol is the common grave of mankind-not a place occupied by Satan the Devil. Moreover, those seeing Lucifer brought into this condition ask: "Is this the man that was agitating the earth?" Clearly, "Lucifer" refers to a human, not to a spirit creature.-Isaiah 14:4, 15, 16. Why is such an eminent description given to the Babylonian dynasty? We must realize that the king of Babylon was to be called the shining one only after his fall and in a taunting way. (Isaiah 14:3) Selfish pride prompted Babylon's kings to elevate themselves above those around them. So great was the arrogance of the dynasty that it is portrayed as bragging: "To the heavens I shall go up. Above the stars of God I shall lift up my throne, and I shall sit down upon the mountain of meeting, in the remotest parts of the north. . . . I shall make myself resemble the Most High."-Isaiah 14:13, 14. "The stars of God" are the kings of the royal line of David. (Numbers 24:17) From David onward, these "stars" ruled from Mount Zion. After Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the name Zion came to apply to the whole city. Under the Law covenant, all male Israelites were obliged to travel to Zion three times a year. Thus, it became "the mountain of meeting." By determining to subjugate the Judean kings and then remove them from that mountain, Nebuchadnezzar is declaring his intention to put himself above those "stars." Instead of giving Jehovah God credit for the victory over them, he arrogantly puts himself in Jehovah's place. So it is after being cut down to the earth that the Babylonian dynasty is mockingly referred to as the "shining one." The pride of the Babylonian rulers indeed reflected the attitude of "the god of this system of things"-Satan the Devil. (2 Corinthians 4:4) He too lusts for power and longs to place himself above Jehovah God. But Lucifer is not a name Scripturally given to Satan. |
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4 | Speaking in tongues...not saved? | Rom 10:9 | Jaareshiah | 155646 | ||
The apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, spoke of the different "gifts of the spirit", including the "speaking in tongues". (1 Cor 14:39 ) Yet, what was the purpose of "speaking in tongues" , among the many gifts of the spirit in the first century ? (1 Cor 12:4-10 ) Just before he ascended to heaven, Jesus told his followers: “You will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and . . . to the most distant part of the earth.†(Acts 1:8) He thus gave indication of just how this monumental witness work would be accomplished-with the assistance of the holy spirit. Modern communication technology that enables us to send messages earth wide in many languages did not exist back then. The good news of the kingdom had to be spread primarily by word of mouth, and in this the miraculous gift of speaking in foreign tongues would prove very helpful. Such was the case as first-century Christians preached to Jews and proselytes in Jerusalem at Pentecost 33 C.E. Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Cretans, Arabians, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, and the district of Asia, as well as sojourners from Rome, heard “the magnificent things of God†in their own language and understood what was said. Three thousand quickly became believers.(Acts 2:5-11, 41) An oft-overlooked fact is that speaking in tongues was just one of the nine operations of the holy spirit that the apostle Paul mentioned in his letter to the Christians in Corinth. Although Paul viewed speaking in tongues as a lesser gift, it was valuable to the early congregation in spreading the good news about the heavenly Kingdom of God. It was one of the “gifts†that contributed to the numerical growth and upbuilding of the infant congregation of Christians.(1 Corinthians 12:7-11; 14:24-26) The various operations of the holy spirit in the first century, including speaking in tongues, were also a visible evidence that God was no longer using the 1,500-year-old congregation of Israel as his special people. Unquestionably, his approval now rested with the new Christian congregation, established by his only-begotten Son.(Compare Hebrews 2:2-4.) These manifestations of the spirit were key building blocks in establishing the young Christian congregation and helping it to grow to adulthood. Paul explained that after having served their purpose, these miraculous gifts would cease: “Whether there are gifts of prophesying, they will be done away with; whether there are tongues, they will cease.†(1 Corinthians 13:8.) He, then gave an illustration to show this to be the case, by saying : " For we have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially; but when that which is complete arrives, that which is partial will be done away with. When I was a babe, I used to speak as a babe, to think as a babe, to reason as a babe; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the [traits] of a babe." (1 Cor 13:9-11) A babe needs the complete help of it's parents or any loving adult. But, when it reaches adulthood, it no longer has the needs of his or her parents, for now they are capable of taking care of themselves. Hence, the Christian congregation, when newly formed on Pentecost 33 C.E., was like a "babe". So Jehovah God sustained it and helped it grow by the miraculous "gifts of the spirit".(1 Cor 14:12 ) Thus, the Bible is clear that the gift of tongues would cease. But when? Acts 8:18 reveals that the gifts of the spirit were received “through the laying on of the hands of the apostles.†Evidently, then, with the death of the last apostle, the passing on of the gifts of the spirit would stop-including speaking in tongues. Hence, when those who had received these gifts from the apostles also passed off the earthly scene, the miraculous gift would cease. By then the Christian congregation would have had time to become well established and would have spread to many lands. | ||||||